The Year of Success

Introduction

Take your Bibles, and find Joshua 1:8

If you were going to give me a definition of success, what would it be?

What do you consider to be an indicator of successful living?

Well, there are several standards that would could use.

1. The Typical Standard

The typical standard for success says that fast cars, big houses, and lots of money make someone successful.

2. The New Age Standard

The new agers say that government programs and collectivist societies are the markers of success

3. The Country Club Standard

The country club standard says that success is defined the number of members, the intake of funds, or the commodities that are available for the private use.

4. God’s Standard

Do you know what God’s standard of success is? It’s not defined by luxury like the typical standard would define it. It’s not found in some godless, socialist utopia like the new ager would define it. It’s not found in the number of members or the services available for personal gain like the country club would define it…God’s standard of success is found in how obedient we are to His word.

When Israel was getting ready to cross into the Promised Land, God gave Joshua a very important command.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

I have already mentioned that 2026 will be the year of challenge for our church.

What I want to show you today is how you, in your life, and us, in the life of our church, can also make 2026 The year of Success.

If want to make this year, a year where we find success, we must learn how to appropriately handle the Word of God.

I. Recognize Its Value

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

What causes us to love something? I think we develop a love for something when we see it’s worth or it’s value.

I’ll tell you, because we’ve been married for 12 years, that when my wife doesn’t feel loved it’s because she doesn’t know for sure if I value her the way she needs to be valued.

And, I have learned over the years not to just tell her that I love her, but to listen to her and understand exactly why she doesn’t feel loved.

It always comes back to how much worth I place on the time we share, if I am attentive and placing value on the conversations that we have, or if I am passionate in the ways that I serve her.

In the same way, God tells Joshua that if he wants to make his way prosperous, if he wants to find good success, that Joshua must place a great value on His commands. So much value that Joshua cannot help but to meditate on God’s Word day and night.

Underline that word, “meditate”. It literally means to “growl” or “mutter”. That is, Joshua should constantly be reciting God’s Word. It ought to dominate his mind, it ought to dictate his heart, and it ought to overflow through his lips.

To say it more directly, God is saying to Joshua, “If you want to find success, love the Word that I have given to you. Make it the most valuable thing in your possession.”

Well, I want you to have success, and to have success, you must recognize the value of God’s Word. Here are some things that must believe if you are going to value the words of the Bible.

A. Recognize its Inspiration

2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

When the Bible says that Scripture is given by inspiration of God, it is the Greek word theopneustos. Theo (God) pneustos (Spirit or “breath of God), and so, in many of your translations it is possible that it says that Scripture is God-breathed.

The definition of inspiration is this:

“The supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that enabled human authors to produce an accurate record and revelation of God’s will, purpose, and activity.”

The will, purpose, and activity of God is summarized in the word redemption.

That is, “God’s will, purpose, and activity, to purchase back the world from sin and from death.”

He purchased it back through Jesus the Son and the work of the cross.

Now, many times in our life we say things like, “If I could only hear from God! God where is your voice? God when will you give me a word that will help!”

All the while, God has told us, “Just open My word, and you will get a word from Me.”

All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God.

I like what Jim Shaddix wrote about the inspiration of God’s Word.

“A high view of Scripture begins with a clear conviction about biblical inspiration.” -Jim Shaddix

If you’ve been in Sunday School with me for any number of days, you know that I have a lot of pet peeves about the words that we use to describe things.

Well, here’s another one that I have.

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says, “Bible - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”.

I don’t like that!

Because the Bible is so much more than just basic instruction.

One, it’s has very detailed instructions on how to do just about everything.

Two, it is more than just an instruction manual. It is the very word of God that has been given so that we can understand everything happening beyond the earthly realm.

If you want to be more connected with the Holy Spirit, if you want to be more connected with God and all things that transcend our physical reality, the Word of God puts it in perspective for you.

Because of the gift of God’s Word, we can understand sin, salvation, heaven, hell, sufferings, and blessings.

He has given it all to us, it is His inspired word.

To recognize its value, recognize its inspiration.

B. Recognize its Inerrancy

Psalm 19:7 NKJV

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

To say then, that the Bible is inerrant, means to say that the Bible is “without error”.

There are no flaws in God’s Word. There may be some things that we have questions about, there may be some things that we don’t understand, but that doesn’t mean it’s in error. It simply means our minds are too small to comprehend an infinite God.

What kind of a person would want to serve a God they could understand anyway? What kind of God would that be?

Isaiah 55:8–9 NKJV

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God says, “Don’t try to figure Me out. Just learn to trust in Me.”

This is usually the point where people want to claim that we just blindly believe.

Well, that’s not true.

Time and time again, skeptics have been proven wrong by archaeology, by the fulfillment of prophecy, and by basic scientific truths. Now, I don’t have time to get into all of these today, but just for illustration…

Pontius Pilate

The man who put Jesus to death, Pontius Pilate, was under attack by skeptics for centuries. The claim was that he never existed, therefore the Bible is a lie. That was the claim until 1961 when the Pilate Stone was recovered. This stone proved his existence and his title as Prefect of Judea.

And there are many other archaeological, scientific, and prophetic truths discovered that have caught up to the truth contained in the Bible.

Point and Human Authorship

The point is this, that since God is without error, and the Bible was inspired by God, then the Bible must be without error.

Well, what about the human authors, could that have been in error?

Very simply, if God can cause a virgin to be with child, if He can part the Red Sea, if He can create something from nothing, then surely He can overrule any human error in the formation of His Word.

To recognize the value of the Word of God, recognize its inspiration and recognize its inerrancy.

C. Recognize its Authority

I’ll quote Shaddix again,

“If the Bible is inspired by God and void of error, then it can be trusted as the sole authority for matters of faith.” -Jim Shaddix

When you read the Bible, you will notice a recurring theme. Every time God’s people stray from His Word, they no longer have success.

The promise of success given in Joshua 1:8 is conditional. Read it again.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

That is, you will never unlock the potential of your faith unless you make God’s Word the sole authority of your life.

The great evangelist Billy Graham suffered through a season where he began to doubt the authority and the inspiration of God’s Word.

What took place is that a dear friend of his confessed that he no longer believed in the authority of God’s word. He came to Billy Graham and he said, “Billy, you’re fifty years out of date. People no longer accept the Bible as being inspired the way you do. You’re going to have to learn new jargon if you’re going to be successful.

Billy Graham, already struggling in his conviction, took that to heart and it caused him to doubt God’s word.

To get to the bottom of this, Billy Graham took a walk into the woods and laid open his Bible on a tree stump. In that moment, he cried out to God! And this is what Billy Graham determined in his heart that night.

“O God! There are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word - by faith!

After that moment, and if you take time to listen to preaching of Billy Graham, you will hear these words repeated over and over “The Bible says…the Bible says…the Bible says…” and because of the authority with which he preached, because of the faith that he had in Almighty God and in his inerrant word, Billy Graham won close to 3 million people to the Lord through his crusades.

the moment you decide that the Bible will be the authority of your life is the moment when you will make your way prosperous and you will find good success.

To recognize its value, recognize its inspiration, recognize its inerrancy, recognize its authority…

D. Recognize its Sufficiency

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That is, God’s Word can produce a change in your life.

It is more than just words on a page. The writer of Hebrews says that His word is living and active.

The more you know the Word of God, the more you read the Word of God, the more common it will be that the Holy Spirit of God will bring the truth of the Bible to your mind during times of difficulty and in times of temptation.

Listen to what the Psalmist says..

Psalm 119:11 NKJV

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

When we consume the Word of God and meditate on the Word of God it becomes etched into our heart. And in times where we need it, it comes coursing out of us like a river of life.

The Bible says that this is what the Holy Spirit does for us.

John 14:26 NKJV

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

And when the Holy Spirit, day by day, opens our eyes to the Scripture…when through every trial He brings to remembrance those things that the Bible has shown us, it begins to change us.

The way to be more holy, the way to be more content, the way to be find success and satisfaction is by recognizing the inspiration, the inerrancy, the authority, and the sufficiency of God’s Word.

But not only must you recognize its value…

II. Contemplate its Wisdom

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Recognizing the value of God’s word helps to motivate us to read it.

But contemplating the wisdom of God’s word helps us to understand it.

However, that poses a problem for many people.

One thing that I came to acknowledge in my time as a person who sat in the church pew, or as a person who never really knew how the church worked…is that Christianity and the things of God, if the leaders are not careful, will seem like some kind of secret club that you have to work your way into.

Well, that’s not the nature of Christianity at all. If anything, this is most public and readily available religion that is out there.

But, when it comes to reading and understanding the Bible, it can certainly be overwhelming. So overwhelming that it discourages people from taking the initiative to learn anything at all.

So, I want to attempt to make it easy this morning, so that you can jump right in to learning the Bible and contemplating its wisdom.

A. Be Wise by Planning

Benjamin Franklin said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

With something as important as God’s inspired, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient word, we ought to be wise in how we go about reading and understanding it.

Now, if you truly believe these things, you don’t want anything limiting you in how you understand the Bible.

A Common Mistake

The number one mistake people make when they want to read God’s word for the first time is just randomly picking a book or just simply starting from Genesis and making plans to read through Revelation.

When I hear a new Christian, or even a long-time Christian that has never been an active reader of the Bible say that they are starting in Romans or starting in Genesis, I just shake my head.

You know what I think of that?

That’d be like me walking into the gym and saying, “I haven’t worked out in a while, I think I’m going to start off with 225 pounds on the bench press.”

And after that near-death experience I say to myself… “Man that was too hard…working out isn’t for me.”

Well the mistake I made was trying too handle too much weight before I was ready. If I would have been wise in my planning, I would have started with something more reasonable.

In the same way, you need start off with some reasonable goals for your reading and your prayer.

Here is What I Recommend

1. Choose a Short Book

Genesis is the second longest book of the Bible.

I would recommend starting in the book of James, maybe in the books of 1,2,3 John. If you want to read a gospel, read the book of John.

The benefit of beginning by reading a shorter book is that if you don’t understand it, you aren’t stuck reading it. Also, each of those small epistles in the back have enough life application and challenge to keep you busy for a while.

It’s the same in prayer. Don’t say, “I’m going to pray for one hour my first time praying.” Just be honest and say, “God, I want to pray for five minutes, and when I think of you through the day I’ll pray then too.”

2. Study the Background of the Book

We have this really cool thing called the internet. It has tons of resources for you to understand what is going on in the book that you’re reading.

Write this name down.

“Chuck Swindol”. His ministry is called Insight for Living.

If you were going to start in James, you could type in, “James, Insight for Living”.

The first result that will pop up will be a resource that will give you the context, the author, the date, setting, and how you can apply the book to your life.

You don’t like the internet? They have these other cool things called books. For $12 you can find someone that will order you a book from Warren Wiersbe or John MacArthur that will tell you everything that you need to know.

Understanding all of these things will help you to grasp what was written and why it was written.

3. Dedicate a Reasonable Time

Don’t expect to read your Bible if you never create and intentional time to read your Bible. If you don’t set apart a specific time in your day where you say, “I am going to read my Bible.” Then you’ll never be consistent.

And don’t make this timeframe forever. Don’t overcommit. It’s not shameful to spend 5 minutes reading. What’s shameful is never making an attempt to read in the first place.

So, don’t just jump right in. Take time to make a plan by picking a reasonable book of the Bible, understanding what its about, and planning on a time to sit down and read. That is, Be wise in your planning.

B. Start Reading and Meditating

God tells Joshua to “mediate” on His Word day and night. In order to meditate on the words that God has spoken, you need to know what His word says…and that involves reading.

When you begin to read the Bible…

1. Read in Prayer

Now, this might sound mystical, but it’s not. All this means is to begin in prayer (simply ask God, “Open my eyes to Your Word)… and as you read, read expecting that God is going to show you something in His word.

Prayer is our pathway of communicating with God. Prayer happens by faith. Faith means to trust God. Therefore, when you read His Holy Word, you must trust that He is going to communicate with you.

That is how Scripture, prayer, and faith go hand in hand.

2. Read Carefully

Often times its not how much you read but how carefully you read it.

God cannot open your eyes if you are just rushing through trying to get it done so you can say that you did it. Part of reading in prayer means trusting God is prepared to teach you something. Part of learning is taking your time and allowing what you just read to churn in your mind.

3. Read with a Purpose

This means to read with the expectation that you are going to grow and learn from what you are reading.

Just simply taking in information is not good enough. The Bible wants to transform you because God wants to transform you.

The Bible teaches that God is actively moving every Christian to be more like Jesus. Not just in a abstract sense, but in a literal and physical sense as well. God wants you to be transformed, not informed.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

God has a purpose for you every minute of every day, and He wants you to discover that purpose as you read His word.

4. Write Down Your Observations

Empirical data tells us that reading and writing together, increases your ability to recall information.

Here are the numbers:

If you just read something, you’ll remember about 10% of the information.

If you just listen to something, you’ll remember about 20% of the information.

If you write about and talk about what you learned, you’ll remember 70% of the information.

Now, when you being reading. Take out a pen and paper and write down what you are learning from the Scripture that you are reading. Then, when you’re done. Verbally speak a prayer to God reciting to Him what you learned.

I believe, that with the help of the Holy Spirit, you’ll retain more than 70%.

So, then, to make this the year of success, recognize the value of God’s Word, Contemplate the Wisdom of God’s Word…

III. Obey Its Commands

James 1:22 NKJV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Now, it does no good to follow all this other instruction if you’re not going to get down to business.

Remember, we are a people that are seeking to be transformed, not just seeking to be informed. Some of the most obnoxious people you will ever meet are people who know the words of the Bible but don’t understand or accomplish the truth of the Bible.

In your life, you must be a doer of the Word.

Look again what God tells Joshua.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

There is that third condition. That if Joshua will do what God’s word says, then he will have good success.

You say, “Dylan, there’s too much to learn! Where should I start?”

It’s simple. To obey the commands of the Bible…

A. Focus on What You Already Know.

Mark Twain said this, “It’s not the part of the Bible I don’t understand that give me so much trouble. It’s the part I do understand!”

There are some small passages of Scripture that you could work on all week and not have it right. Let me show you.

Let’s say I am reading in the book of James. I read verses 2-3 of the fist chapter and this is what it says.

James 1:2–3 NKJV

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

I could just stop right there. It’s possibly going to take me a lifetime to really understand and apply this truth…and yet, I know it’s in there.

How many of your conversations sound like this:

Man, life has been hard, nothing has been going right, I cannot get ahead, but I just have so much joy knowing that God is teaching me to be more like Him!

Well, if they don’t, then you need to focus on these two small verses!

B. Surround Yourselves with Other Servants

1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

Do you know what the principle of that is?

You become who you hang around.

It was true when we were children, it’s true when we’re adults. The crowd that we run with is the crowd that we are apart of.

Don’t be deceived into thinking you can be around negative people, gossips, drunks, and backsliders and it not affect your righteousness. It does, and I know it does because the Bible says so.

Well, the opposite is true. When you spend your time around people who are godly, wise, and righteous, then it affects your righteousness.

Now this is not to say that you need to hole up somewhere and never spend time with lost people. It is likely that God has placed you in your job, in your family, or in your environment to be a light and witness for Christ.

However, to go out into the world but never come home to fellowship and be strengthened by unbelievers will lead down a path of sin and destruction. You need to be surrounded and in constant communication with people who love the Lord.

To be obedient to the Scripture, obey what you know, and surround yourselves with other servants.

C. Pray and Ask God to Use You

It’s His word, it’s His wisdom, and to be obedient to Him, you must become His too.

God is looking for servants. The prophet Isaiah responded to God and said this..

Isaiah 6:8 NKJV

“Here am I! Send me.”

His offering was himself, his service, and his action.

You must offer yourself up to God and say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me!”

James 1:22 NKJV

Be doers of the word

Conclusion

Do you want to find good success? It’s all up to what you do with God’s Word.

A. Will you recognize its value?

Will you develop a firm conviction that the Bible is inspired, that it is inerrant, that it is your authority, and that it is sufficient for all of life’s circumstance?

B. Will you contemplate its wisdom?

Will you make a plan to read His word, will you follow through, will you meditate on His goodness? Read in a spirit of prayer, read His word carefully, read it with purpose, and tell God what you learned.

C. Will you obey its commands?

The words in the Bible are the words of God. They are His commandments. To obey Him, begin with what you know, surround yourselves with other faithful servants, and pray and ask God to use you.

D. The Starting place to all of these things is to Confess Jesus as your Lord and ask for His Salvation. Do you need to do that today?

Pray like this….