My Success Is About Him

Deut 8:11-18

 

 

 

I want to read a list of some very successful companies and I need you to raise your hand when you have heard of that company.

Jack Tinker and Partners, Doyle Dane Bernbach, BBDO, Foote, Cone and Belding, J. Walter Thompson.

 

Wow, no hand went up.  Now you would think companies would be really upset if people didn’t know about them.  You wouldn’t really think they were successful if hardly anybody knew their name, yet these companies were extremely successful without the public knowing anything about them.  They were successful because they made other people’s companies famous.  They were advertising agencies.

 

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz – Alka-Selzer (Jack Tinker and Partners)

We try harder – Avis (Doyle, Dane Bernbach)

Mmm Mmm Good – ( Campbell’s soup) BBDO

The others were just like that

 

Christians need to take a lesson from Ad agencies.  We can be successful and that’s wonderful as long as God get’s the glory. 

 

PRAYER

 

I.       God Gives Us Success

A.   Changing paradigms

1.                 Mack just retired as a district manager for his seed company.

a)                He worked long hard hours.

b)                He paid his dues.

c)                 He was good at his job

d)                He was successful.

2.                 Lyle retired last year from owning his own business

a)                The same things that made Mack successful made Lyle successful.

b)                His business was built on his reputation for outstanding work.

3.                 Bob and Milam also retired from running their own companies

a)                Built it from scratch and made a good living from it.

b)                Hard work, dedication, good business sense, success.

4.                 Most people think of their success as the result of their hard work and ambition.

5.                 Yes, that all had a hand in their success, but for a Christian our success isn’t from us, it’s from God.

6.                 Going back our text, look at verse 18 again READ

7.                 Where did they get their success?  From God

8.                 Why? To glorify God

9.                 Our success isn’t so we can look good, but so God can be glorified.

10.             God gives us success so we can give him Glory.  Our success is about Him.

B.   Lesson too quickly forgotten

1.                 For some reason, we tend to forget that as soon as we become successful.

2.                 How many people relied on God when they were poor asking God to help them and when that happens, they quickly forget to keep relying on God.

3.                 Just ask the Kings of Israel.  They became king and did nothing to bring glory to God in their position.  The only reason we may remember a couple of them is because they were so bad they were the poster child for what not to be.

4.                 In 1 Ki 15:26  the Bible says about King Nadab.  “He did evil in the sight of the lord. And walked in the ways of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”

5.                 We’ll probably never be a king or Queen, but you might have the big office in your company, you might get that scholarship to college or a contract that propels you into the big time of your field.

6.                 I love the fable Max tells in his book about a flea and an elephant.  The flea is on the elephant’s back as they cross an old wooden bridge.  It groaned and creeked under the weight of the elephant and seemed like it would give at any moment.  After they crossed the bridge, the flea looked at the elephant and said, “boy, did we shake that bridge or what!”

7.                 He didn’t do any work, the Elephant did it all.

8.                 The spiritual application is the same.  In the big scheme of things, we ride on God’s back to success and then take the glory for it.

II.    God Gives Us Success To Make Him known

A.   David Robinson

1.                 David Robinson was one of greats of basketball.  He was known to the world as the Admiral because of his military background and command of the court.  For 14 years he dominated basketball.  MVP, All-Star teams, 2 championship rings, Olympic gold medals.  He was as successful as they came.  But that isn’t what he was known for.  He was known for his quality off court.  In a world of athletes that all about themselves and their pleasures he stuck out.  Not for his antics, but his lack of antics.  He didn’t make the papers for his outrageous behaviors, but for his kindness and character.  Listen to a quote from the Washington Times when he announced his retirement.

2.                 Robison showed that a player did not have to be cheap or dirty to be effective.  He did not have to clutter his body with tattoos or litter the NBA cities with illegitimate children.  Robinson never felt a need to bring attention to himself, to shimmy after a good play or point to the crowd, as if to say, “Look at me.  Aren’t I something special?”  The good guys won.  Robinson won.  Decency won. We all won.

B.   Our successes need to glorify God

1.                 It’s nice when I hear good sermon Jim.  Yes it makes me feel good to know people think I have preached a good sermon, but the comment that sits best with me is when people come up and say, “that’s exactly what I needed to hear.”  Because then God is glorified.

2.                 Your successes can be about God as well.  Give him honor for the great things that happen.

3.                 When you are successful make sure people know that you give the credit to God.

4.                 Why are good at what you do?  For your personal gain?

5.                 No, but so God can be glorified.

6.                 The personal gain, retirement, self-esteem are all bonuses, but they aren’t the main thing.

C.   Closing

1.                 I had always been told that the Jews look at the third commandment differently than Christians do.  Max confirmed what I have heard with a personal story of sitting next to a Rabbi on a plane.  He said the 3rd commandment, “do not take the name of the lord you God in vain.”  Is about lifestyle not language.  The command calls us to elevate the name or reputation of God to the highest place in our lives.  We exist to give honor to his name.

2.                 It’s not about how much you say you are a Christian, but the fact that your life screams you are a Christian before you ever mention it.

3.                 That’s our purpose, to give honor to the name of God.

4.                 It’s not about me.  It’s not about you.

5.                 My life, my body, by success, my everything is about God.

6.                 2 Cor 5:20 says, We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us.

7.                 An ambassador represents his king or president.  He isn’t there to make himself the center of everything, but to bring the tidings of the president.

8.                 What kind of ambassador are you?

9.                 Do you represent the King of Kings as you should or is it all still about you?