The Process of Success

May 24, 2020

The Journey

The Process of Success

Proverbs 3:19-26

ATTN

Success dominates our business conversations today. In fact, if you search the word “success” on Amazon, you’ll find over 1300 entries that deal with the topic. Everyone seems to have some idea of what it means and how to attain it, but many of those ideas are in conflict. In fact, if you look at what six different successful people say about how you can achieve success, you’ll find six different answers. For instance:

· Michelangelo said that if you want to be successful you have to “THINK BIG.” He said that the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim to low and achieving our mark. He also said that becoming successful requires you to ‘BE A MAN OF ACTION.” He said that “people of accomplishment rarely sit back and let things happe to them. They go out and happen to things.

· Colonel Sanders, the guru of Fried Chicken said that in order to succeed you must “HAVE AN UNWAVERING RESOLUTION TO SUCCEED.” He said, I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”

· Walt Disney told us that “IF YOU CAN DREAM IT YOU CAN DO IT.

· J. C. Penney said that we must “BE WILLING TO WORK HARD.” He said, Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top

· Teddy Roosevelt, known to have ruffled a few feathers in his time, made the amazing observation that the key to success was to AVOID CONFLICTS. He said, the most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.

· Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, said that success was a matter of being “BRAVE ENOUGH TO FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION. He said that your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

Here’s what I have discovered about success in my 60 years of life. Everyone has a different idea of what it is and how to get it. I will admit that, especially when I was in my 20’s and 30’s, I was kind of looking for a “magic bullet.” I thought that I would run across that one business man or spiritual guru who had “the” one formula that would make me wildly successful. There had to be some “key” out there that would unlock the door to success.

NEED

Maybe you’re like me. You really want to be a positive thinker and you really want to believe that there is some way for you to win in this life, but, so far, you’re really not making the grade. In fact, you may have just about given up. You’ve begun to suspect that this whole “key to success” thing is a whole lot more about someone making money by selling a book than about you really learning how to succeed. If that’s you, I want you to push the pause button for just one minute. Pause that negative thinking and listen to me for just a moment.

Some of you, on the other hand, seem to have found the key. All of us look at you and think, “Wow, That guy or that lady has it all together. They’ve got the job, the looks, the car, the family, the income, the retirement: They are set! But there’s only one problem: If we could see inside your heart this morning we would see what you already know: You’ve got it all, but you are not happy. You are not content. By the world’s definition, you are successful, but you know that it’s all so empty. You’re looking for a joy you do not have.

And, by the way, this goes way beyond business. The principle of success I want to talk about this morning can help you successfully manage your family. It can press the reset button on your damaged relationships. Students, it can change the way you perform in the classroom or on the athletic field.

Whether you are seeking success and can’t seem to find it, or whether we would call you a success, but you are not happy, I believe the problem is the same. If you have the wrong definition of success and the wrong approach to achieving it, you will never really have it.

BACKGROUND

So, what is this “principle” I’m talking about? It’s simply this: Success is not a formula, it is a process. You can stop looking for a “key” to success. You can save a lot of money not buying the latest book that promises your “best life now” or “the success system that never fails.” Success will not be found by imitating others. It is found through a process that doesn’t come from books but from THE book. And, by the way, it’s not complicated. It is clear and very, very simple. SUCcess is a PROcess.

If you’re taking the journey with us, this week’s reading took you into the book of Proverbs and that’s where this process is described. Read it with me: (Prov 3:13-26) So what is the process? Well first:

D1

Success requires wisdom.

EXP

Now what jumps out at you when you read these verses is that there are some real promises here. In fact, I think what we have here is actually a pretty clear definition of success. Now, that’s a good thing. As I have said many times, “before you spend a lifetime chasing “success,” you need to spend five minutes defining what it is. This passage does that.

Success is true satisfaction.

So, just what is success? Well, first of all, it is TRUE SATISFACTION. Notice how verse 13 begins: Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. In fact, you might say it like this: To be envied is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. Success requires wisdom, and that success is true satisfaction. Now that satisfaction is NOT found in some of the things we think of when we think of success. Vv14 and 15 tell us that her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Your satisfaction will not be found in money or in any other desire that arises from your flesh. In fact, the wisdom that brings full satisfaction is a deep contentment that does not come from what’s in your wallet, nor in anything you can buy with what’s in your wallet. It is a true satisfaction that comes from another source. It comes from real wisdom.

Success is proper priority.

True satisfaction defines success and so does the PROPER PRIORITY. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor,,, She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her. Now you might look at these verses and think that they actually prove THE OPPOSITE of what I just said. After all, this verse promises some of the things we think about first when we think about success. After all a long life, money and fame . . . these are what all the guru’s promise, right? O, but there is a great difference. Notice where this passage says that these things are located. It says that these blessings are actually in HER hand. Which simply means that the way I achieve those things are through putting HER that is WISDOM first. When I seek wisdom, length of days, money, and honor will be fringe benefits. When I seek them first, I will find neither wisdom nor them, at least in any way that pleases God and which will satisfy me in the ultimate sense. It is a matter of PROPER PRIORITY.

ILL

And you don’t have to look very far to see just how true this is. When Michael Jordan turned 50, ESPN Magazine ran an extended essay/interview about Jordan's continuing obsession (or idolatry) with the best days of his basketball career. Some might call this obsession by another name: Idolatry. Let me show you what I mean. The article said:

[Jordan's] self-esteem has always been"tied directly to the game." Without it, he feels adrift. He asks himself, Who am I? What am I doing? Since retiring for the third time, he has been running, moving as fast as he could, creating distractions, distance. When the schedule clears, he'll call his office and tell them not to bother him for a month, to let him relax and play golf. Three days later they'll get another call, asking if the plane can pick him up and take him someplace. He's restless …. He feels his competitiveness kick in. It’s almost a chemical thing. When he was 50, He’d be working out and wonder: Could I play again at 50? What would I do against LeBron?

What if? "It's consumed me so much," he says. "I'm my own worst enemy. I drove myself so much that I'm still living with some of those drives. I'm living with that. I don't know how to get rid of it. I don't know if I could. And here I am, still connected to the game."

He knows he won't ever play pro basketball again. He knows he's got to quiet these drives, to find a way to live the life he worked so hard to create, to be still.

[Jordan asks], "How can I enjoy the next 20 years without so much of this consuming me? How can I find peace away from the game of basketball?"

You see, true satisfaction and the proper priority really describe success and they are not found without an internal wisdom that even successes like Micheal seem not to have. Now look, I don’t claim to know him beyond what I read, but this restlessness doesn’t define true success. True success is true satisfaction and proper priority.

EXP

Success is genuine relationships.

But there’s more. V17 says Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. This is not just another way of saying what has already been said. In fact, when Solomon says Her ways are way of pleasantness, he is speaking of the relationships we have with one another. The word “pleasantness” means literally, “agreeableness.” The idea is that there is a desire deep within the man of wisdom to love and get along with others and because of this, he finds the path of peace. Simply put, success is being able to genuinely love people so that your relationships deepen. The result is peace. By the way, the word “peace” is “shalom” in Hebrew. It means more than the absence of conflict. There are many relationships in which there is not outward conflict but there is a lot of inward tension. No, when it says that there is peace, it means that there is a completeness and soundness to the relationship. In short, they are healthy. So then, success means that we have real, transparent, genuine relationships with other people.

ILL

Wow! That’s really not what we’re used to is it? I mean our “relationships” have changed so much! I received a picture a few years ago from my sister-in-law of her two grown sons. They were “talking.” That is they were both sitting beside each other texting on their cell phones. Hey your cellphone and the internet is changing everything! Need an example?

Well, they used to tell you that you can’t buy friends. Not anymore! An article in Hemispheres magazine explored a number of sites that are dedicated to helping you find online "friends." These companies will create fake users or pay real account holders to follow and like you on various social media sites.

For instance, on the site Socialyup.com you can buy 500 likes for $30 or 20,000 likes for $699. For a mere $10, FanMeNow will find you 1,000 Twitter followers and for $1,750 you can buy a million followers. If you need to beef up views for your YouTube video, for $150 you can buy 30,000 views from a site called 500views.com. For $3,100 they'll make your video go "viral" by getting you a million views.

The article concludes with the following advice: "No matter what social network you're on, you can buy your way to popularity."

This may enhance your business, but it definitely is not the picture the Bible paints of success. What the Bible has in mind here are relationships that come from the heart and, over time, become sound, complete, and healthy. That’s success: true satisfaction, proper priorities, and genuine relationships.

EXP

There’s one more. It’s found on down in vv 22:22 So they (that is sound wisdom and discretion) will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. I love the way that is phrased. Solomon says that wisdom will bring “life to your soul.” Hey! That just tells me that the only dead people aren’t six feet under! There are lots of people who have “dead souls.” What do I mean?

Success is spiritual passion.

Well, that word “life” there means “energy or animation.” The word “soul” speaks of that part of us that thinks feels and decides. I think what is being spoken of here is passion. It means to have an energy and an animation down in that part of you that thinks, feels and makes decisions. The payoff for this passion follows in the next phrase. It says that they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. This pictures a necklace made of pearls, diamonds, or some precious metal. The idea is that when I have an inner passion that is driven by wisdom, it will be reflected in an outer beauty. When I truly have an inner drive fashioned by God’s word, I will have an outer beauty that reflects His glory. That is success! Having a wisdom driven gusto that drives you to actions that praise your creator. Passion is a powerful thing!

ILL

It was October 1781. The Revolution was at a turning point. Cornwallis, the British General received a sound beating in the south and he was limping back to Chesapeake Bay. He was hoping to join the British Navy there and escape utter defeat. But the French Fleet came to the rescue, cut off the British Navy, and left Cornwallis stranded.

Thomas Nelson, governor of Virginia and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was fighting in what would be the fateful battle of Yorktown. As they approached he called his men together. He pointed to a beautiful brick home in the distance. He said, “That’s my house,” he said. “It’s the best one in town and I am sure that is where Lord Cornwallis has set up their headquarters.”

He turned to the artillery and shouted: “Open fire on that house.” They did. As the story goes, the very first cannonball shot at Mr. Nelson's house sailed right through the large dining room window and landed on the table where several British officers were eating.

It is one thing for a man to talk about freedom. It is quite another to destroy his own home to help make that freedom a reality. That’s not just commitment; that’s passion! And it leads to success! On October 19, as the British troops surrendered, the Redcoat band played the song, "The World Turned Upside Down." Great choice. The world's greatest super-power had just been defeated by an army that couldn't afford to put shoes on its soldiers' feet. The difference: Passion. It brings success when it is the product of wisdom.

We long for that kind of drive that would lead us to follow Nelson’s footsteps. Even more than that, I believe we long for a cause that would really be worthy of such devotion. This kind of success is not what the world often has in mind when it speaks of passion, success, or wisdom. If you and I are to be truly successful, we must change the world’s definition of success.

APP

So let me ask you: Do you have true success? You can answer that question by answering these: First, are you content? By the way, when the Bible speaks of contentment, it literally means to be able to say, whatever I may have, it is enough. So are you content. If you were frozen in place where you are right now, would that be ok with you? If you could never achieve any more than you have already achieve, would you be happy? If you could never own more than you own right this morning, would that be enough? If you could never live any where different than where you already live with that carpet, that couch, those drapes, that yard, is it ok? Wives, if your husband never talked to you anymore than he already does, are you ok with that? Husbands, if your wives never lose weight, never clean the house, and never learn to fix your favorite meal, are you content.

Second, are you afraid? Of the wrong thing, that is. Are you prioritizing what God has called you to do, or are you simply seeking to survive? Is your priority right?

And third, are you connected? Do you have close friends with whom you can share the difficulties and pleasures of life. Are their people who really know you and whom you really know? Are you just playing a role, isolating your real heart from people and playing a part in front of them? Are you connected?

And are you passionate? Are you wasting time, marking time or seizing time? Do you waste your days on entertainment, facebook, and twitter without really achieving anything for the Lord. Are you marking time . . . going through your walk with God with a “check-the-box” mentality, or are you seizing time because you are ignited by a driving passion. Are you on an exciting adventure for God. Are you successful?

TRAN

You might say, “Well, when you define it that way, I don’t guess I am, but I want to be. How do I achieve this kind of real success?” Well, we said that real success requires wisdom, but what is it that wisdom requires? Well in the process of success, not only does success require wisdom, but

D2 –

Wisdom requires fear.

EXP

THE DESCRIPTIONS: Two descriptions of wisdom are given in 3:21. Solomon says there, My son, let them not depart from your eyes—keep sound wisdom and discretion. When he says “sound wisdom” here he is speaking of “resourcefulness.” Some commentators describe it as “an inner power that helps you to escape danger and (you might add) succeed in life.” The word “discretion” means “shrewdness.” It is the ability to withstand outward pressure and do what you think should be done.

THE CHALLENGE: Now, let’s admit right up front that these qualities are not necessarily good if not properly focused. I mean, resourcefulness (an inner power to escape danger) without the fear fo the Lord can simply lead to a win-at-all costs ruthlessness. Discretion (or shrewdness) without the fear of God can degenerate into manipulation. The thing that makes the difference is the fear of the Lord.

This is emphasized right here in this text in the two verses that precede v21. Vv 19-20 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; 20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew. It is in this context: the awesome and fearful authority and power of God, that Solomon tells us to keep sound wisdom and discretion. In fact, this has been the truth lurking in the background of every message of this series. We saw it first in Proverbs 1:7 where Solomon said told us that the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

THE SUMMARY: So let’s put it all together like this: Success (that is true satisfaction, proper priorities, genuine relationships, and powerful passion) comes from a fear of God that brings an inner power that helps you withstand outward pressure and do the right thing in all situations.

ILL

Can I just give you one example of this in action: One guy was invited to a meeting for parents. His 13 year-old daughter’s school was allowing parents to preview the new course in sexuality that they were going to teach. Parents would be taught the lesson exactly like it would be taught to their kids. So, he went.

He got there early and greeted about a dozen other parents. While he was waiting for the meeting to start, he just looked through the material. As he suspected abstinence was not the main focus of the material and was mentioned only in passing.

When the teacher and the school nurse began the class, she asked if there were any questions. The father asked why abstinence did not play any noticeable role in the material. He was greeted with a lot of laughter and someone suggested that if he thought abstinence was the way to go, he should go back to burying his head in the sand. He sat there embarrassed as the teacher explained that the job of the school was to simply “teach facts,” and the job of the home was to “teach morals.”

He sat in silence, while other parents nodded their approval for next 20 minutes as the course was explained. Finally the teacher announced a break. She said, “Donuts are at the back. Put on your name tags and mingle with the other parents. The father sat there in deep thought as everyone else moved to the back of the room. He was ashamed that he had not been more persuasive in calling for them to include abstinence in the materials. He just sat alone and silently prayed for guidance.

His prayer was interrupted by the nurse’s hand on his shoulder. She said, “Won’t you joint the others? The donuts are good.”

“Thank you, but no.” He replied.

“Well, then, how about a name tag? I’m sure the others would like to meet you.”

He replied ruefully, “Somehow, I doubt that.”

The nurse wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. “Won’t you please joint them?” she coaxed. The father says that then he heard a still, small voice whisper, ‘Don’t go.’ It was unmistakable: “Don’t go!”

He replied with a smile, “I’ll just wait here.”

When the class was called back to order, the teacher looked around the long table and thanked everyone for putting on nametags. Of course, She ignored the father. Then she said, "Now we're going to give you the same lesson we'll be giving your children. Everyone please peel off your name tags." Since he didn’t have a nametag, the father watched in silence as everyone took their tags off. The teacher said, "Now, then, on the back of one of the tags, I drew a tiny flower. Who has it?"

One gentleman held it up. "All right," she said. "The flower represents disease." Then she asked the man,

"Do you recall with whom you shook hands?" He pointed to a couple of people. "Very good," she replied.

"The handshake in this case represents intimacy. The two people you had contact with now have the disease."

There was laughter and joking among the parents. The teacher continued, "And whom did the two of you shake hands with?" The point was well taken, and she explained how this lesson would show students how quickly disease spreads. "Since we all shook hands, we all have the disease."

It was then that the father heard the still, small voice again. Speak now, but be humble. I rose from my chair. I apologized for any upset I might have caused earlier, congratulated the teacher on an excellent lesson that would impress the youth, and concluded by saying I had only one small point I wished to

make. "Not all of us were infected," I said. "One of us abstained.”

Now follow me. Both the teacher and the father exhibited discretion. The teacher was very shrewd about how she approached stopping disease, but the father feared the Lord. His wisdom went beyond shrewdness because it was motivated by the fear of the Lord. And, you see, that’s the difference! Success requires wisdom, but it’s a particular kind of wisdom. It is the wisdom that comes from truly fearing God. It is the fear that makes all the difference.

APP

So let me ask you: Do you have the right kind of fear? Who are you afraid of? Are you afraid of God or man? Are you afraid of God or being harmed or cheated? Are you afraid of God or disease? Are you afraid of God or failure? Are you afraid of God or poverty?

You see, when I fear God, I don’t have to be afraid of these other fears. In fact this passage ends with this very message. If you look down at v 23, look at these promises! When we have the wisdom that is focused on fearing God Solomon promises that 23 Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

Now that’s confidence! Success requires wisdom and wisdom requires fear, but what is it that brings this fear of God into my life? Well that’s the last step in this process. Success requires wisdom, wisdom requires fear and then

D3:

Fear requires encounter.

EXP

Now I know that, if I were to ask you if you fear the Lord you’d probably say “Yes,” and you’d be honest when you said it. I think that Job also would have said, before he had all of his trouble, that he feared the Lord, and he did. But then, he lost everything and his heart cried out its complaint against God. Job claims that if he could but see God he would ask some questions. But do you remember the end of the story? God answers Job and questions him. God reveals Himself to Job, Now, Job was a righteous man who suffered greatly and, if anyone could have ever questioned God it would have been him. But when God reveals Himself to Job, here’s what Job says:

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

Now here’s the point: My fear of the Lord comes from a SERIES of encounters with Him in which I come to truly see Him for Who He is. And when I encounter Him that way, my fear brings wisdom into my life. And when wisdom comes it brings with it success.

VIS

At age 26, Ken Elzinga joined the faculty of the University of Virginia. After a tenured colleague warned him that being explicit about his faith would hinder his career, Elzinga was stunned to see a flier with his face on it placed at a prominent campus location. A campus ministry had posted it to advertise a talk he had agreed to give.

A relatively new believer, Elzinga worried. Would fellow professors think less of him? Might this harm his tenure chances? He experienced a dark night of the soul, returning to campus and secretly taking the poster down. But the next morning, Elzinga put the poster back up. After hours of soul-searching, he concluded that his life was not about career ambition but about faithful discipleship, and that being private about his faith was not an option.

In the four decades since, Elzinga has been named professor of the year multiple times and is still a speaker in high demand. His story demonstrates the process of success: His encounter with Christ led him to fear the Lord more than he feared man, so he put the poster back up. That fear of God created within him great wisdom and that wisdom has led to success.

APP

How are you doing in your life? Are you experiencing success or are you going through one frustrating failure after another? Well, if success comes from wisdom and wisdom comes from fear and fear comes from truly encountering God, then the question becomes this: Are you daily and deeply encountering God? That is the action that begins this process of success.