How to succeed
Key Passage: Joshua 1:8
Date: June 7, 2024
But part of God’s word, He’s chosen the foolishness of preaching. And we’re excited about that, looking forward to it. Turning your Bibles, if you would, to Joshua chapter number one. Joshua chapter number one. And once you find that, if you’ll take a finger off like I did and put it in there and then turn it over to Psalm chapter number one, don’t take fingers off; they won’t be good, but put a marker in there. And we’ll be in Joshua 1 and Psalms 1, both of those books of the Bible. Joshua 1 and Psalms 1.
Joshua 1 and Psalms chapter number one. The title today for the internet would be “How to Succeed.” How to Succeed. We’ll talk about how to be a millionaire. No, that’s not true. I’m joking, of course, about that. Joshua chapter number one in God’s word is… It’s amazing the statements He makes. This isn’t the pastor; this is what God says. Amazing.
I want you to see it this morning. For years and years, if I were to sign Bibles—I didn’t do it much—I would sign Joshua 1:8. For years, it was my verse. You know how it is. You have a verse for years, then a little later, it changes to another verse. But this is my verse for years; it’s a great verse, both of them. But Joshua 1. Joshua 1, verse number 8, if you would, please. Joshua 1 and verse number 8.
The Bible there says, “This book of the law…” Now let’s just stop for a second. Would you look back here? Let me talk to you about a couple things. It will use the word “law” in both passages we’re going to read, okay? When he says “law” for Joshua at that time, all he had was the first five books of the Bible. We often call those the Pentateuch. Pentateuch just means five. Here we go: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. That was the law for them.
A little later on we’re going to read Psalms. It uses the word “law.” They had maybe a little bit more, and it’s really debatable about when Psalm 1 was written or penned. They probably had a little bit more of the law or the Bible, but not a whole lot more. But in our day and time, we don’t have just five books of the Bible. How many books of the Bible do we have? Sixty-six. This is the law for us. The world will say everything is changing, but no, this is the law right here. It is absolute truth. Society will change. America, unfortunately, will change. People’s opinions will change. But that book doesn’t change. That’s why we just stick to the old King James Bible. I don’t want someone messing with it; they’ll mess it up. It’s worked for 400 years; it’ll work today. That’s the law for us, for you and I. So we’ll read about the law; I want you to notice it’s talking about the Bible, applicable for me and you: the law, the Bible.
Let’s go back if you would. Let’s just start over there in verse number eight: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Wow. It’s almost like God is giving you a blank check. That’s pretty amazing.
Brother Anthony just went on vacation. He’s our church treasurer. We were having some bills and things going on, so I said, “Man, can you just take it?” Brother Patterson can sign too, but it’s hard to get him in here. He’s got to get him out of the bars and over here. No, I’m teasing. It was just a headache. So I said, “Hey, would you write a couple checks and just have them ready?” He signed his name and everything. He doesn’t know it, but my wife and I went out to a real expensive restaurant. No, but we did. We had some blank checks for when he was gone. He’s back. I need to give them back to him. I’ve got them here somewhere. Anyway, it’s like God, in some ways, has given a blank check. Notice He kind of puts it on you: “You make your way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success.” Wow. It’s amazing.
Keep your finger there. Keep a marker there, and look over in Psalms chapter number one. Psalms chapter number one. I’m going to bypass verse number one for the sake of time, trying to get to the heart of this matter here. Look at verse number two.
He says, “But his delight is in the law.” There is again the Bible for you and I. His delight—He delights in it. It’s not a drudgery; He delights. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither.” Here it is again, the blank check: “And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Wow. It’s amazing. That’s better than Donald Trump or the guy that’s in the White House now—Biden—is better than them. This is God saying whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. That’s amazing for him; that’s just incredible. God’s word on that right there. Remember just for a little bit how to succeed, how to succeed for just a little bit this morning. Would you pray with me that this would work in our hearts and our lives?
Lord, thank you for bringing people to Your house. Lord, You are popular. We love You. We thank You for Your word. We want to know You, know Your word, and obey You by being in Your house. Thank You, Lord, for people like this. It’s been good to be in Your house already, but it won’t be complete without You speaking to us from Your word. Lord, would You make it real to every individual? Father, would You put it on the young folks’ level? Give us all something from Your word. Father, would You send Your Spirit working in a great way this morning? Lord, I do pray that someone would call on You to be their Savior. Lord, let all of us learn this principle: how to succeed, how to have success from Your word. Father, we will praise You for what You do. Lord, we’re asking for these things in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
There was a young man when I was in Bible college. His name was Mark, Mark Smith. His dad was one of the Bible teachers at the college. He was my age; we were early twenties. He was kind of a bookworm guy. He was not a sports guy; he wasn’t a hands-on kind of guy. He was more of a book guy, a computer guy. He didn’t work with his hands a whole lot. But he got a job where they rebuilt starters and alternators. Inside of those, there’s a thing called an armature. How many of you know what an armature is? I see all you ladies know what that is. It’s this thing with wires running all through it. He would put these armatures in this machine, rewire them, and they would repair, start, and build starters. It was production; you had to be Johnny on the spot. You had to produce so much, or you lagged behind. You didn’t get a raise, or you got a thing called a boot, or a pink slip out the door you go. This guy was a good guy, but he wasn’t a hands-on kind of guy. He tried his best to keep up. He was working really hard, but his hands—he just didn’t have the coordination to keep up. He was falling behind production. Sometimes they show you the graphs: “You’ve been here three months, and you ought to be here.” He wasn’t there. He was trying. He was a hard worker. He wasn’t a bad guy; he was doing the best he could.
He went to his dad and said, “Dad, what do you think? Should I just quit? I’m not gifted at this. What do you think I should do, Dad?” His dad said, “Let me show you these promises.” His dad showed him the verses we just read, Joshua 1:8. “If you meditate day and night, whatever you do, you’ll make it prosperous. You will have good success.” He showed him Psalms 1, 2, and 3. He said, “Look, the Bible—right there—is God’s Word. The Bible says right there, if you do this, you’ll succeed.” He said, “Do you think God wants you to quit the job?” He said, “But Dad, it’s a pretty good paying job. I need the job.” So his dad said, “Well, try it.”
Mark Smith had a little bitty keychain, like a little ring. He took that ring and he cut down three to five little cards. On his keychain, he had just a roll of Bible verses. Everywhere he went, he would just have that roll of Bible verses out. People would ask, “What are you doing?” But he was looking at his cards, his Bible verses. He was doing his best to test God, to see if God would honor His word, and he was doing his best to meditate on the Bible day and night. He wasn’t a hands-on kind of guy, and he had a hands-on kind of job. How was it going to work? He thought God must have to quit. The honest truth is, all of a sudden, his production literally began to soar. I’m talking about this is not a hands-on kind of guy, but somehow, just God—all of a sudden it just started clicking with him. His production went higher than many of the other guys. In fact, they went to him at work and said, “What are you doing? Maybe you can train some of the other guys that are struggling. How did you improve your production so greatly?” He pulled out his cards and said, “Well, God said if I meditate on the Bible day and night, that I’ll make my way prosperous and I have good success.” He wasn’t doing anything different; he was just trying to meditate on the Bible.
Now, friend, there is a Bible promise right there. God Almighty. You say, “Are you afraid to preach on that?” No, God can always live up to His word. Always.
So let’s just break this promise down. Back over in Joshua, you’re still there, Joshua 1. I want to emphasize it. Would you look right there in your Bible? Look right there in your Bible. Joshua 1:8. When I pause, would you say the word, please? Here we go, Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt…” What? Meditate. Would you look over in Psalms 1? Psalms 1 and verse number 2. “But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he…” What? Meditate. So both passages offer a blank check: what God says He wants you to do is meditate on the law, which is the Bible.
What does it mean to meditate? Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary said: “To dwell on anything; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind.” Let me try to bring it down to our level. I’m going to try to get on the young folks’ level here. It’s talking about if you see a TikTok video. You didn’t think the pastor knew that term, did you? I looked it up this morning. You say, “How did they do that?” So you go back and watch that TikTok video 40 times because you are trying to figure out how they did that. That is you meditating on that TikTok.
Now, let’s talk to the men real quick. I was visiting a guy yesterday whose boat motor has been broken down for about a year. He had a day off and said he was going to try to fix it. They wanted $460 for the oil pump. He said he wasn’t paying that. After about seven YouTube videos, he got the part out—it was only a couple of bucks—and he ordered it. I guarantee you, when I pulled up in his yard, he had his boat there and a tent set up over the motor so he was in the shade. He was meditating on YouTube videos while working. Some people can relate to that. Here’s the problem: YouTube can make you think you can do anything. I found out that is not always true. It looks easy on there, but in real life, you are like, “Wait, let me rewind that. How did they do that?”
Ladies, let me try to get on your level. My wife has been redecorating our room, dining hall, and hallway. Sarah has been helping her arrange the pictures. Tammy asked Sarah, “How should all these pictures go in the hallway?” Sarah said, “I don’t know, let me get on Pinterest.” Tammy was like, “I thought you did it out of your head.” Sarah replied, “No, Mom, I always have to use Pinterest.” Ladies, you scroll through, find that right look, study how they got that look, and you are meditating.
Friend, that is what both Bible passages say: if you want to be prosperous, if you want to make your way prosperous, if you want to have good success, you meditate on the Bible. Now let me help you out. You are not going to do it. You might say, “That sounds like a good deal. I’m going to do it.” I hope you are saying that because it is a great deal. But let me say a couple of things: you are not going to put it into practice unless, first of all, you are doing the right thing—you are coming to church to hear the Bible. Church is good, and fellowship is biblical, but this is not a social club; this is church, and I’m going to preach the Bible. It is very important that you come and you hear. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Sunday school is great to hear the Bible; you hear it taught, somebody breaks it down, and you learn Bible. But you hear it. You are not going to meditate on it unless you hear it, whether here or online.
It is so important that you go to church. It is a sad thing that Bible knowledge in America has dropped so low, and Sunday school attendance has dropped really low too. I think they are coinciding, folks, because often you learn in Sunday school. Not only that, but the Bible says His word is manifested through preaching; look at Titus. You come, and some preacher screams and yells about one verse for three hours, but those words get stuck in your mind. A couple of weeks ago, all we preached on was, “By grace is sufficient.” About a week later, I was meeting with a couple, and they mentioned “by grace is sufficient.” I thought, praise the Lord. That’s what it’s about. You hear it in church. Let me say, not just hearing it—and congratulations, you are doing the right thing by being in church and hearing it—but reading it. Jesus Christ himself said it seven times. Seven is the number of completion. Seven times Jesus said, talking about the Bible, “Have you not read?” Just tend to think that Jesus believes in us reading the Bible.
I’m not going to be able to meditate on it unless I hear it and unless I read it. This is so important. While we are talking about reading, I’m going to ask you—I’ll tell you ahead of time, during the invitation—I’m going to ask you to commit to reading your Bible at least—this is so easy—at least five minutes a day. That’s all I’m asking: read your Bible five minutes. You might miss a day, but overall, you are reading at least five minutes a day. I’m going to ask you to commit to that.
But if I’m going to meditate on it, I need to be hearing God; I need to read it. Now I’m going to use a word you might want to cover your ears for. Are you ready? If you’re going to meditate on it, you need to memorize some of it. You’re thinking, “Oh, man. Memorize the Bible?” Sometimes you might not memorize a whole verse; it may be a phrase of the Bible. I already mentioned, “My grace is sufficient.” You work at it. I’m going to ask you during the invitation: Would you work at memorizing at least one Bible verse in the next 30 days? You are not going to be able to put this promise into practice—meditating on the Bible—unless you really focus. Remember, that guy watched that YouTube video seven times; he was focused. Ladies, Pinterest—you scroll through, find that right look, and you are meditating. You are going to have to memorize a portion. Just a phrase sometimes, but you can memorize the Bible. Wait a second, fellas. When it comes to sports statistics, I’m amazed. They know who won, how many home runs he hit, what his batting average was, how many touchdowns he scored. If you are really into it, you can memorize things. If you are really into video games, you can memorize the shortcuts. When you are really into something, you can memorize stuff. I’m asking you to get into the Bible so much that you memorize. If somebody else quotes it, you might think, “They didn’t get it right because I have it memorized.” If you are going to meditate on it, you are going to have to memorize some Bible. It will be a little work, but friend, a blank check is worth work. Let’s work at it: meditating on the Bible.
Here’s another way to help you meditate on the Bible: Talk about the Bible. Husbands and wives, talk about the Bible. This verse was a blessing to me today. A couple of months ago, at our spring soul-winning Saturday morning breakfast back in that room, we were pigging out on some good breakfast. It was delicious. Bill got us talking about a section of the Bible. I remember we had two tables there, and pretty much everyone at those tables was talking about the Bible. I stopped and thought, “Wow, this is awesome. We don’t talk about the Bible enough.” Joshua says not to let it depart out of your mouth. Talking about the Bible can help you meditate. I’m going to work at meditating on the Bible. So the first word we are emphasizing is what? What do you do in the Bible? You meditate.
Now let’s look at something else. Go back over to Joshua 1:8. Follow me there. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Forgive me, would you go back to the middle part of that verse? I want to point something out. He said you are meditating day and night, “that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.”
Look over in Psalms, Psalms 1, verse number three. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” You said, “Isn’t that a little bit careless of the Lord, just giving a blank check?” Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. It’s really covered in Joshua 1 when he said that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. Here’s the thing: when you are meditating on the Bible, the purpose is that you are trying to obey, trying to follow it. You are going to be trying to succeed at the right things.
I’m telling you, this is the truth. I think the majority of Americans are trying to succeed at the wrong things. If you get in the Bible, you meditate on the Bible day and night, it will change what you are trying to prosper after. You will be trying to succeed at the right things. This is a major problem in America. So many people are after that green stuff. They are selling their marriage down the drain, selling their kids down the drain, selling their health down the drain, all for an extra buck. That is not what we are made to succeed at. We are wasting our lives on cheap little green paper, and it is a shame. We are not happy, our kids are going to the dogs, and we don’t have time for anybody because we are all after that green paper. That ought not be what I am trying to succeed at. That thing right there is not going to make you happy. There are a lot of people in nice cars and nice houses who are miserable. If I get in the Bible, delight in the Lord and in His Word, and I am trying to observe that book, that book will change what I am trying to prosper after. I won’t sell my life down the river for a buck or two. You will eventually realize you need to be content with what you have because you will spend the rest of your life trying to get more, more, more. Stop and enjoy what God has given you. He will help you change what you are trying to prosper.
These get-rich-quick schemes are all over the place. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 18:20? It says a faithful man shall abound with blessings. But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Don’t fall for it. That guy is just faithful. He goes to work, he works hard, he is an honest man, he pays his bills, he does not get into unreasonable debt, he follows God’s commands, he tithes, and he just works. That faithful man, the Bible says, will abound with blessings. Just stay after it. If I am meditating in the Bible, I will be after the right things.
Can I put it real, simple for you? This is what I need. Can I tell you God’s plan? Put Jesus first, and He helps with all the rest of it. You ask for chapter and verse: Matthew 6:33, friend, Proverbs 3:9 and 10, and plenty of other places in the Bible. But we get our priorities so mixed up. If you seek after His word and try to meditate, it will change what you are after. I’ve had the privilege of seeing it many times. People come to church after worldly things, selfish things, popularity, looking the best, acting the best, and money, money, money. God gets a hold of their heart, and all of a sudden they say, “That’s not really that important. I like for the Lord to use me. I like to have something for the long run—eternity. I like to have a marriage that honors Christ. I like my kids to grow up, live for the Lord, and turn out for God. I don’t care about them having such and such money; I care about them living for the Lord, being a good, godly man and lady.” It changes your desire.
So many people are trying to succeed at the wrong thing in our country. Here’s the sad thing: people are trying so hard to succeed, but they never try to succeed at the most important thing, Lord—they never try to succeed at heaven. I wonder how many people just stop and say, “Am I going to heaven?” If the Lord tarries, we are all going to die one day. Death comes to all of us. When you die, the most important thing is that you succeed at going to heaven. Think about a guy who has cars, houses, and trucks—who has it good down here, by everyone’s standards—but then he burns in hell forever. Did he really succeed? Burning for hundreds of years doesn’t help him because he had a nice truck. Have you thought about succeeding and going to heaven? Have you meditated on the Bible: “How can I succeed at going to heaven?” If you meditate on the Bible, it will lead you to one conclusion: Jesus. He is the only way anyone will ever go to heaven. There has never been one person besides Jesus that has ever been good enough to go to heaven. I was talking to a man about going to heaven, and I said, “Friend, you are not good enough to go to heaven. You ain’t going to make it.” You are not good enough, and neither am I. But when you meditate on the Bible, it will say, “Hey, you’re right. That book, the law, tells you you’re not good enough. I need a Savior.” And you are real close to the next step: going to Jesus and getting saved. So many people never think about prospering at the right thing: going to heaven.
We used to have a man in our church named Dwayne Dauphin. Everybody knew Brother Dwayne. He and his wife got on fire for the Lord and became great soul winners. Brother Duane worked at the Lee Company, which has vans all around Nashville. Bill Lee started the Lee Company; he is the governor now. Brother Duane worked there and was fairly high up. For years, he was over HVAC—air conditioning, heating, cooling. He ran that show. Years ago, they wanted to start an electrical branch, so they said, “Brother Duane, you do so well, we’re going to put you over electrical.” The electrical department took off when he took it over; it did great. Later, they wanted to add appliances. He said, “Pastor, I’m going to take on appliances.” They switched him to the failing appliance department, and appliances took off. It seemed like every major department they put him over just soared. Finally, one day, he was having a review. How many have ever had a review at work? The manager asked, “How do you do it? Every department we put you over just soars. We know you’re a good guy, but how do you do it?” Brother Duane said, “I do it by Joshua 1:8.” The guy giving the review asked, “What do you mean, Joshua 1:8?” He said, “Well, the Bible tells me if I meditate on the Bible day and night, whatever I do, I’ll prosper. I’m doing it by Joshua 1:8.”
Original File: How to Succeed - Pastor Paul Chisgar - Sunday AM 07242022