“What If Success Isn’t What You Think?”

Based on Philippians 3:4-16

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Open your time together in prayer, asking God to give your group honest hearts and open minds as you examine what true success looks like through the lens of Scripture rather than culture.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE SERMON

1. Culture defines success by measurable, visible achievement. Money, fame, power, influence, and material belongings are the metrics our world uses to measure a life well lived. But these metrics have little to do with God’s definition of success.

2. Paul had every reason to be considered successful by his culture’s standards. His credentials were impressive and his ambition was unmatched. Yet after his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, he counted all of it as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus.

3. Paul’s new definition of success had three dimensions:

  • Pursuing the experiences of Christ, including his sufferings and death to self
  • Making Christlikeness a lifelong, daily pursuit rather than a destination
  • Comprehending the surpassing and ever-increasing worth of knowing Christ

4. Spiritual maturity changes what we treasure. Just as a toddler chooses a scooter over a new car because he does not yet understand the car’s value, spiritually immature believers often choose things of far lesser worth simply because they have not yet grown into a full understanding of Christ’s surpassing value.

5. The danger of believing you have arrived. Pride and stagnation set in the moment we believe we have become Christlike enough. Paul himself said he had not yet taken hold of it. The posture of a mature believer is one of daily humility and continued pursuit.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Opening Questions

(Use these to warm up the conversation and help everyone feel comfortable participating.)

  • When you were growing up, what did success look like to you? How has that definition changed as you have gotten older?
  • If someone who did not know you looked at your daily schedule and your bank statements, what would they conclude you value most? Is that an accurate picture of what you actually want to value?

Digging Into the Passage

(Use these to move the group into the Scripture itself.)

  • In Philippians 3:4-6, Paul lists his credentials and accomplishments as a Pharisee. Why do you think he brings these up before making his point in verse 7? What is he trying to establish for his readers?
  • The sermon highlighted two small but significant words in Philippians 3:7: “but” and “now.” These two words point to a turning point in Paul’s life. Have you experienced a “but now” moment in your own walk with God, a time when your priorities or values were significantly redirected? What caused it?
  • In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul says he wants to know Christ, including participation in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death. Why do you think so many Christians are eager for resurrection power but resistant to the idea of dying to self? What makes that part of following Jesus so difficult?
  • In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul says he has not yet arrived but presses on. What does it look like practically to “press on” in your daily life? What habits, attitudes, or choices reflect this kind of ongoing pursuit?
  • The sermon described the “surpassing worth” of knowing Christ as something that is continually rising in value, not a fixed or one-time discovery. How have you personally experienced Christ becoming more valuable to you over time? What contributed to that growth?

Applying It to Real Life

(Use these to move the conversation from understanding to action.)

  • Pastor Darren was honest about the pressure placed on churches to measure success the same way secular businesses do, through attendance numbers, offering totals, and public visibility. How have you personally carried similar cultural expectations into your own spiritual life? What would it look like to release those expectations?
  • The sermon warned about the danger of long-time believers who reach a point where they believe they have become Christlike enough and stop growing. Without naming names, have you ever seen this play out in a church setting? Have you ever noticed it in yourself?
  • The toddler illustration described how a child chooses a scooter over a new car simply because he does not yet understand the car’s value. In what areas of your life might you currently be choosing something of lesser value simply because you have not yet fully grasped what God is offering you instead?
  • Pastor Darren said the only question he is seeking to answer as a pastor is, “God, what are your expectations?” If you applied that same question to your own life, your career, your family, your finances, your time, what might need to change?

Personal Reflection Questions

(These can be used for quiet individual reflection before sharing or as journaling prompts for the week ahead.)

  • What is currently driving you to get out of bed each morning? Is that motivation rooted in God’s definition of success or culture’s?
  • Where in your life are you most tempted to measure your worth by visible, cultural achievements?
  • What would it look like for you to die daily this week? What specific thing would you need to surrender?
  • In what area of your spiritual life have you been tempted to believe you have already arrived?

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE WEEK

1. Audit your definition of success. Take 15 minutes this week to write down what success currently looks like in your life across different areas: work, family, faith, finances, and relationships. Then hold each one up to Scripture and ask honestly whether God’s Word affirms or challenges that definition.

2. Identify your “but now” moment. If you have experienced a turning point in your walk with God, write it down and reflect on what changed because of it. If you feel like you are still waiting for that moment, bring that honestly before God in prayer this week.

3. Practice dying daily. Choose one specific area this week where you will intentionally set aside your own preference, plan, or desire in order to follow what you sense God asking of you. Share it with a trusted person in your group so they can hold you accountable.

4. Memorize or meditate on Philippians 3:13-14. Sit with Paul’s words about forgetting what is behind and pressing on toward what is ahead. Ask God to make this posture the defining rhythm of your daily life rather than a one-time decision.

5. Ask the one question. Each morning this week, before you check your phone or begin your routine, pause and ask: “God, what are your expectations for me today?” Write down what comes to mind and revisit it at the end of the day.

CLOSING PRAYER PROMPTS

Close your group time by praying together. Consider praying through the following:

  • Confess the ways your definition of success has been shaped more by culture than by Christ
  • Ask God to reveal any area where pride or a sense of having arrived has caused you to stop growing
  • Thank God for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, and ask him to make that worth more real and more treasured in your life with each passing day
  • Pray for one another by name, asking God to redirect each person’s motivation toward his purposes alone

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:14