INTRO: Here is the biography of a failure.
-A man who had less than three years of formal education.
-Failed in business in ’31, was defeated for the legislature in ’32.
-Failed in business in ’33, elected to the legislature in ’34.
-Defeated for the speaker in ’38, defeated for the elector in ’40.
-Defeated for congress in ’43, elected to Congress in ’46.
-Defeated in ’48, defeated for Senate in ’55. Defeated for the Vice Presidential nomination in
56
-Defeated for Senate in ’58.
*This man’s name is Abraham Lincoln (who historians consider the greatest president.)
TITLE: Failure
TEXT: Jer. 20:14-15, 23:9
I. Failure brings: catalyst that causes us to act.
A. Pain: Think of failure, heartache, troubled feelings, words can’t described the feeling we get.
-Pain we feel when our loved ones are hurting, sick, somebody mistreating them.
Ex. Jeremiah
Background: 17 when called, preach to southern kingdom (Jerusalem) naïve, excited, take on the world.
Nation: 10 times as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah, worshipping other gods, mistreating the
poor, leaders only worried about selves (starve flock).
Jeremiah alone: Family and friends think crazy, towns people try to kill him, homeland destroyed. Homeland wiped off face of earth. 40 years on project that failed, people’s hearts were too hard.
Jer. 20:14-15 – “Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news who made him very glad saying a child is born to you – a son!”
Jer. 23:9 – “My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord and His holy words.”
Thought: Lord gave Jeremiah some of the pain I believe God feels when He has to discipline His children.
Thought: One way to stop judging people is to ask God some of the pain they’re going through.
B. Failure brings discipline. Pain we feel in failure moves us up the rung of the ladder to disciple
(do anything not to feel the pain of failure.)
1. Most loved and hated words: Hate – Discipline, love the fruit it brings.
“Why are some people so great, someone asked? The heights by great people reached and kept
were not attained by sudden flight, but while their companions slept, they were toiling upwards
in the night.”
Ex. My example: being cut baseball (practice more)
Thought: The more you practice something the better you will become whether it is academics or sports. This is also true of spiritual things. We have the same ability to do the things the NT saints accomplished (Jesus Savior, HS empowers us, lacking is the dedication and commitment).
Thought: Saints, we are going to be good at something whether it’s positive (stated above) or you’ll be good
at something negative (gossip, cynical etc.)
C. Failure brings maturity: Means full development.
1. Failure helps bring maturity, can’t reach maturity without failing.
-Failure is a blessing because we were possibly going down the wrong road.
-ex. Parable of lost son – Luke 15:11-20 (READ)
-Son’s greed – Father give me my share, Jewish law 2/3 oldest, youngest 1/3, receives upon
death of father (attitude).
-Squandered wealth – spent money foolishly, drunken parties, prostitutes.
-Began to be in need – money ran out (so did his so-called friends), lived in a distant land (father
didn’t support his addiction).
Thought: We human beings usually mature when we feel the pain when we’re in need (not want).
-Began to starve, no one helped him out. Got a job feeding pigs – worst job in the world
(unclean to Jew).
At worse food than the pigs! (shows how low he sunk). Came to his senses – outlook on life
changed. Asked for forgiveness. Went back to his family. Happy ending!
TS – Failure not only brings things, but it also builds things.
II. Failure builds
A. Character – look at two persons who both had tremendous failures within their lives. One let is build his
character in a positive way and the other let it destroy his character.
1. Peter is our positive example:
a. Fisherman – hard demanding life, work from dawn to dusk.
1. I believe Peter called things the way he saw them (not afraid to speak his mind).
Yet the was an emotional man.
b. Jesus called him to be an apostle – Matt. 4 (one of the first ones called).
c. Protector – Matt. 16 – Jesus is predicting his death. Peter takes him aside “never Lord”.
(I’ll protect you” scenario)
1. Rebuke Peter. Discussion right before this, Peter is exated (Jesus asked “who am
I?” and Peter responds, “You are the Christ”). Peter learned this by prayer to
the Father (shows Peter is a devout man.)
d. One of closest – Matt. 17 – transfiguration (Jesus shows his true glory).
e. “Go for it!” attitude – walk upon the water – Matt. 14.
f. Jesus prediction – Matt. 26 – Flock is going to be scattered. Jesus said would die.
Jesus tells him, “before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.”
g. Garden of Gethsemane – Mob comes to Peter cuts off servant of the High Priest’s ear
(Jesus heals it). Peter follows the mob at a distance.
h. Peter denies – Peter denies our Lord, not one, two, but three times. Scholars tell us that
Peter gave up all to follow Christ (wife and possibly family). The protector letting
this happen. The Bible tells us that when Peter denied Jesus the third time, the Lord
looked straight at him, Peter remembered the words the Lord had spoken to Him.
i. World shattered – Everything you’ve worked for has come tumbling down.
Key: Pr. 24:16 – “A righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.” (Layman’s terms: You’re going to fail.
It’s having the attitude – “I’m not going to quit” – to keep going).
j. Peter didn’t quit. He kept going.
2. Judas’ negative example.
a. Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 apostles.
b. Judas was the treasurer, and he was also a thief.
c. I view Judas as a person who covets things, who seems to be greedy.
Point: Judas had some bad traits. We cannot write him off because of them. (David was far worse than
Judas because he was a murderer and an adulterer. He was a man after God’s own heart.)
d. Positive points: Judas was a dedicated zealot – A radical believer that the Messiah is going
to come and set up His kingdom on earth (which at that time they believed Messiah
would come over through the Roman government.)
Negative points: Judas was greedy. Felt Lord put him in high position when he ruled.
He thought he would force his hand (move things along a bit faster).
e. Jesus called down his angels if thought life was at stake, and He would set up His kingdom.
Thought: Judas was the type of person who worried about building his own kingdom rather
than doing the work of God.
f. Plan – turn the Lord in for 30 silver coins (greed and force hand). Looked for opportunity
to turn Jesus in. Leads mob and betrays with kiss (show who Jesus was).
g. World shattered – Judas came to understanding of what he had done.
Matt. 27:4 – “I have sinned,” he said. “For I have betrayed innocent blood.”
1. Things didn’t turn out how he thought they would (like some here).
2. Judas tries to give the money back (give back what loves most) but would not accept.
3. Judas runs away and kills himself.
B. Failure builds character positive/negative.
1. Positive will bring a dependence on God.
a. Still feel pain, come to end of your rope and there’s no place to go (either quit or keep
going).
Ex. Peter came to end of rope, but didn’t quit (repented and went on).
2. Negative will bring a dependence on self.
a. “Poor me” syndrome, running around looking for sympathy. Always blaming others, not
taking an honest look at what I need to change.
Ex. Judas came to end of his rope and quit. Rather end his life than face what he had
done and repent and walk with God again.
3. Interesting – Both called by God
Both lived with Jesus
Both saw the same miracles.
Both were taught by the same teacher.
Both lived in the same type of atmosphere and environment.
Both did the Lord’s work (for a time).
a. One turned to God when his world shattered while the other turned to himself (pity).
1. One is in heaven walking with God while the other is in hell felling the pain.
III. Failure helps us to overcome. (Note: 1. Failure brings. 2. Failure builds)
A. Ourselves – what we try to build for our own personal gain.
1. Failure brings us back to earth (pride and arrogance in check).
Illustration: King Nebuchadnezzar
1. Background: King Babylon, world-power, same king wipes out Israel. King is all-powerful
(death sentence wave of his hand).
2. Dream: Large tree provided all living creatures. Angel came and cut it down.
3. Daniel interprets dream: Nebuchadnezzar is tree (READ Dan. 4:29-37)
4. Lord delivered him from his pride and arrogance.
CONCLUSION: Failure does not have to be the thing we dread. Yes, it’s unpleasant and painful; but, I believe
it’s a tool God uses to mold and shape us, if we allow Him .
1. Failure brings:
a. Pain – Jeremiah
b. Discipline
c. Results (Maturity) – parable: lost son
2. Failure also builds:
a. Character
1. Positive, if we allow God to take over – Peter
2. Negatively, if we allow ourselves to take over – Judas
3. Failure helps us overcome:
a. Ourselves – King Nebuchadnezzar
Proverbs 24:16 “A righteous man will fall seven times but will rise again.”
Point: Never give up!
-Going through rough things in life.
-Lord leading you through some painful things and you have not understood why.
-Maybe need to come and repent.
