WHAT IS FAILURE?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
I. I HAVE OFTEN TRIED TO DEFINE SUCCESS?
A. I have asked many spiritual leaders could they give me the time to help me consider:
WHAT IS SUCCESS? Not what is success by the world's standards? But what is real
Biblical success? If I don't know what success is how can I ever evaluate where I really
am?
B. FAIL:
To not succeed?, To be unsuccessful in tests, examinations, interviews...
To be rejected, to not pass,
To be lacking or insufficient
To be weaker, to cease from functioning, to come to nothing...
Bankrupt...
C. FAILURE:
LACK OF SUCCESS, to breakdown, to flop- sway heavily
To not be able to complete or perform task,
To be disqualified,
D. THERE ARE SEVERAL KISSING COUSINS OF FAILURE:
FAILURE --- DEPRESSION --- FEAR --- QUITTING
II. WE OFTEN MEASURE SUCCESS/FAILURE BY WHO HAS THE MUST TOYS...
MATERIALISM IS THE TENDANCY TP PREFER MATERIAL POSSESSIONSAND PHYSICAL
COMFORT OVER SPIRITUAL VALUES?
A. There is a philosophy theory that states nothing really exists but matter, the movement of the matter,
and modifications to matter.
B. Jesus builds a differing kind of VALUE SYSTEM...
GODLY VALUES WARN LIFE IS MUCH MORE THAN THE ABUNDANCE OF THINGS...
C. IF WE MEASURE BY PLENTIFUL... how much is enough...
Rockefeller was asked: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
He answered: ONE MORE DOLLAR!
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
[16] And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth
plentifully:
[17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to
bestow my fruits?
[18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow
all my fruits and my goods.
[19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,
eat, drink, and be merry.
[20] But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided?
[21] So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
D. What does your VALUE SYSTEM use to DICTATE SUCCESS?
Is your VALUE SYSTEM your own THINKING PATTERN? Do we think within OURSELF?
E. Himself, I, my, 12x's in 2 verses... THIS MAN CONSIDERED HIMSELF A GREAT SUCCESS...
G. HOW DID THIS MAN EVALUATE HIMSELF?
HOW DID THE PREACHER EVALUATE HIM?
H. HOW DID GOD EVALUATE THE RICH MAN...
I. ONE OF THE EVALUATION SYSTEM OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE MUST BE A
CONSIDERATION OF TREASURE? WHAT IS YOUR TREASURE?
III. THERE WAS A MAN WITH A NATIONAL MINISTRY IN HIS LAP...
HIS NAME MEANS: LORD OF THE PEOPLE... LATER BECAME KNOWN A GLUTTON...
2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam
the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
[16] But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness
of the prophet.
A. Balaam was the son of BEOR...
BEOR WAS A HIGH RANKING MIDIANITE...
B. BALAAM LOVED APPLAUSE, POPULARITY, AND BIG OFFERINGS...
C. This family loved to live among the IDOL WORSHIPPERS...
D. BALAAM MAY HAVE BEEN POPULAR WITH THE CROWDS, GOD HATED HIS
MINISTRY...
IV. SODOM AND GOMORRHA WERE HUGE AREA'S OF SUCCESS NEAR THE DEAD SEA?
HOW GREAT? MONEY AND PROSPERITY RULED... THE TWIN CITIES WERE KNOWN
FOR THEIR SENSUAL PLEASURES...
IS SUCCESS ON THE SOCIETY? OR THE INDIVIUAL?
A. LOT HAD EVERYING...
HE LEARNED TO LINGER... PROCRASTINATE...
Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his
wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought
him forth, and set him without the city.
B. LOT WAS TOLD GET TO THE MOUNTAIN, HE ASKED FOR ZOAR...
ZOAR MEANS LITTLE...
Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
C. IF LOT TASTED SUCCESS IT WAS AT A DEAR PRICE...
WHAT WAS IN THEIR HEARTS?
V. COULD A MAN THAT WON LESS THAN ONE SOUL A DECADE BE A SUCCESS...
WAS THERE A LOT OF STINK ON THE ARK?
EVALUATE THE BEST SHIP AFLOAT?
A. NOAH MEANS REST... comfort...
Noah was the grandson of METHUSELA...
B. At 500 years old started having kids: SHEM, HAM, JAPHETH
C. Noah was a just, faithful man that WALKED WITH GOD...
GOD ENTERS A COVENANT WITH NOAH AND PROMISES DELIVERANCE...
Genesis 7:16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had
commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
D. Orders from God was to build the ARK, according to God's plan not Noah's
1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
E. Noah lived 350 years after the flood...
The RAINBOW BECAME A SIGN...
VI. DOEG WAS A EDOMITE... MEAN, ANGRY... AND FAMOUS SOLDIER---
DOEG THE ESAU --- ANGRY MAN... WAS A GREAT SUCCESS... HE ATE AT
KING SAUL'S TABLE...
1 Samuel 22:18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the
Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons
that did wear a linen ephod.
A. DOEG KILLED 85 PREACHER'S THAT CARRIED THE LINEN EPHOD...
B. HE LEFT ONE PREACHER, THE PREACHER ESCAPED... AHIMELECH...
C. WAS DOEG THE EDOMITE REALLY A SUCCESS?
VII. LET US DISCUSS FAILURE?
LET US MEASURE A PREACHER THAT WAS TOTALLY DEPENDANT ON A POOR
WIDOW LADY? WHERE ARE THE OFFERINGS PREACHER?
THE PREACHER WAS NOT DEPENDANT ON A A LADY...
HE WAS DEPENDANT ON FAITH IN A HOLY GOD?
1 Kings 17:16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the
word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.
VIII. DID YOU KNOW THAT OFTEN WHAT LOOKED LIKE A FAILURE TURNED INTO A
MIGHTY MIRACLE...
A. TEN BROTHERS HATE IN A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY...
Genesis 37:19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
15 YEARS LATER A MIRACLE IS SEEN...
THE SEED STARTED IN A LITTLE BOYS HEART...
CONCLUSION...
QUITTING IS AN AUTOMATIC FAILURE... WE MUST NOT GROW WEARY, TIRED, AND
IN DESPAIR... WE MUST LOOK TO HOPE... HOPE AGAINST HOPE... PRESS ON...
MY FRIEND YOU MUST STAY THE COURSE AND CONTINUE...
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2 Thes. 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
Col. 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister;
2 Tim. 3:14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,
knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
Ephes. 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that
we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren.
