Failure Is Never Final

Failure is never Final

Luke 5

Have you ever blown it? Have you ever failed a test in life or in the classroom? And then we feel like we are a failure. If others don’t get down on us, we get down on our selves, right? Saying things, “I’m so stupid, I can’t believe I did that, How did you forget that big assignment, you moron. I’m the worst ever. And we look at others and envy them -they seem so successful. They seem to get everything right. Everything they touch turns to gold. It doesn’t seem fair, they get all the breaks. God has a word for the rest of us today. Those who have struggled and failed at times. Who seem to rarely drink the sweet nectar of success. Those of us in the real world.

Here it is: Failure is never Final.

How a person handles failure can mean the difference between living a life of victory or living a life filled with bitterness, hostility and anger.

In the first church I served as pastor in Kansas City I got acquainted with a youth husband and father whose wife attended our church, but he seldom attended. I went golfing with him a few times to get acquainted. On one occasion I encouraged him to put his faith in Jesus.

He told me that he couldn’t trust God because God had failed him. In college he was driving his car at reckless speeds and he was involved in a car accident. His best friend was riding with him and his friend was seriously injured. He said that he prayed for his friend. He told God that he wanted him to answer this one prayer, “let my friend live!” His friend died. He said he could not trust God because God had failed him when he needed God most. He said, “I’ve given up on God.”

The Apostle Paul experienced one failure after another. 2 Corinthians 11:24-30. Paul gives a litany of failures…hardships, persecutions and pain. He could said, I’ve been down for the count of 9, but I’m getting up.” “I’ve been knocked down but I’m not out.”

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” {2 Cor 4:8-9 RSV}

I Failure is Inevitable (fished all night and caught nothing)

A. Everyone fails at something

Michael Jordan did a basketball commercial where he walks in the arena and the people are chanting, “Michael! Michael!” He says, “I’ve missed 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and I have missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.” Then he says, “That’s why I succeed.” Michael Jordan didn’t focus on his failures he focused on his strengths.

B. Failing does not make you a failure (failed a year in school)

Have you ever felt like Charlie Brown? I sure have. In fact, I’m standing here today as an absolute failure. I came across a list of things this week that I’m supposed to do where I fail regularly. Could I share just a few of those with you?

- Experts say you should drink eight glasses of water a day – I don’t always do that.

- Dentists say you should brush your teeth after every meal and floss every day. Don’t always do that.

- I’ve been told I should never allow the gas tank in my car to get below half full.

- You should make your bed every morning, dust once a week, and vacuum a couple times a week. I’ve struck out on that.

- Doctors say the average adult should get no less than 8 hours of sleep per night

All of us fail occasionally – don’t we? It is not out desire or intent but, “hey it happens.” Nobody wants to be known as a failure in life, but the truth is: failure is universal! Everybody experiences failure, and everybody experiences the fear of failure. In fact, just the fear of failure paralyzes millions of people.

Thomas Edison said it like this,

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize

how close they were to success when they gave up.”

.Nobody is perfect. We all blow it. You can’t get away from that principle in Scripture. Great men of the Bible failed.

- Abraham failed to believe that God would give him a son so he slept with someone who wasn’t his wife, but God didn’t give up on him.

- Jacob was a thief, and God allowed him to bless the world through his children.

- Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, survived the flood but ended up getting drunk.