No Failure

INTRO.- ILL.- Pete walked up to his teacher’s desk, holding a report card with a big red F.

"If I were you," said Pete, "I would change this while you still can." "Why is that?" asked the teacher.

"Because my daddy told me that if I brought home one more failing report card, someone was going to get a beating."

Did you ever fail a class in school? Which subject? Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure in life. You may fail at one thing but not at another.

ILL.- Someone wrote:

Failure does not mean I’m a failure;

It does mean I have not yet succeeded.

Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;

It does mean I have learned something.

Failure does not mean I have been a fool;

It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure does not mean I have disgraced;

It does mean I have dared to try.

Failure does not mean I don’t have it;

It does mean I have something to do in a different way.

Failure does not mean I am inferior;

It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure does not mean I have wasted my life;

It does mean that I have an excuse to start over.

Failure does not mean that I should give up;

It does mean that I should try harder.

Failure does not mean that I will never make it;

It does mean that I need more practice.

Failure does not mean that you have abandoned me;

It does mean that you must have a better idea.

ILL.- Bob and Joe sat next to each other taking a test. When they finished, the teacher called them up to the front of the room and said, ’Boys, I will have to give both of you a zero on this test’

’W-why?’ they wanted to know, though Joe was shifting uncomfortably.

She said, ’Your answers were too nearly alike. One of you cheated and the other one let him do it.’ ’What makes you think we cheated?’ Bob asked. ’That could have been a coincidence.’

The teacher said, ’I might have believed that if it wasn’t for the fact that when you came to question #10, Bob wrote in ’I don’t know’ for the answer, and you, Joe, put ’Me neither’!’

PROP.- In our text, it appears that Paul was a failure but only in the eyes of the world, not in the eyes of the Lord.

1- He was insulted but daring

2- He was accused but pure

3- He was displeasing but pleasing

I. HE WAS INSULTED BUT DARING

1You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.

Suffered and insulted. These words/actions don’t sound very good to me. Have you been there?

ILL.- A cab driver was overheard complaining to a woman passenger: “This $1 tip is an insult.”

“Oh?” she said. “How much should it be?”

“Another $1, at least,” said the cabbie.

“My dear fellow,” she said, “I wouldn’t dream of insulting you twice!”

ILL.- Once an atheist asked a Christian lady if she believed the Bible was true.

“Yes,” said the lady.

“Then.” Said the atheist, “tell me how a whale swallowed Jonah, as a whale’s stomach is no bigger than a man’s head.”

“I don’t know,” said the lady: “but when I get to Heaven I will ask him.”

“What if Jonah is not there,” said the atheist.

“Then you can ask him,” said the lady.

It should be obvious to us that if we live a faithful Christian life some people won’t like us. In fact, they may insult us, persecute us and even oppose us.

II Tim. 3:12 "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

Have you ever been persecuted or opposed because of your faith in Christ? If not, could it be that we need to examine our faith?

ILL.- June, 21, 2008 - MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- Supporters of John Freshwater stood in a parking lot yesterday asking God to inspire the school board to make the right decision. Three hours later, the board announced that it intends to fire Freshwater, an eighth-grade science teacher.

Freshwater preached his Christian beliefs about how the world began, discredited evolution and didn’t teach the required science curriculum, the board says. He was told to stop teaching creationism and intelligent design, but he continued to do so, an investigation found.

"We’re all Christian people. … But rules are rules. You just can’t do that in a public school," said Karen McClure, a Mount Vernon resident who was at yesterday’s meeting to support her daughter, school board member Jolene Goetzman.