Making the Most of Our Mistakes
• It seems sometimes that we have so many opportunities to mess up in life –
• We do things we know we shouldn’t – and we make mistakes.
Translation Mistakes
• When industry tries to expand to other countries, there are plenty of opportunities for mistakes.
• When GM tried to introduce the Chevy Nova into South America, they neglected to notice that in Spanish “Nova ” means “No go.”
• Needless to say, sales were poor for a car that wouldn’t go.
• When Coca-Cola was introduced in China, their attempts at finding a phonetic equivalent in the Chinese language resulted in a drink called “bite the wax tadpole.”
• Pepsi didn’t do too well either with their Chinese advertising.
• Their “Come alive with the Pepsi generation” slogan translated into
• “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”
• On New Year's Day in 1961 Deccan records decided to pass on signing the Beatles to a record contract stating that guitar groups were on their way out.
The point is We All Make Mistakes
• Some of them are more public than others,
• But one things for sure we’re in good company when we make mistakes.
• Now when it happens we may try to deny it.
• We may even call it something other than a mistake.
• If a driver makes a mistake, it’s an accident
• If a teacher makes a mistake, it’s a new theory
• If a barber makes a mistake, it’s a new hair style
But when we try to deny our mistakes, that’s when the trouble begins.
1 Corinthians 10:12 says,
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
• When we think we’re doing all right, we stop being cautious,
• and when that happens we start to make mistakes.
In Psalm 30, David admitted:
6 When I was prosperous, I said,“Nothing can stop me now!”
But then in the next verse David admits the real truth:
Your favor, O Lord , made me as secure as a mountain.
Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
The truth is we stand or fall by the grace of God.
• When we believe in ourselves and our prosperity, our abilities,
• That’s when we make the most mistakes, and we fall hard.
• Peter is one of my favorite disciples.
• He was a guy that made mistakes – and Jesus still loved him.
• And That’s encouraging
But one time
When Jesus was telling his disciples that he was going to suffer in Jerusalem and be killed and then rise again,
• Peter response was that, "God forbid it, Lord! This will never happen to you!”
• Jesus reply is anything but comforting
• He says, "Get behind Me, Satan!
• Jesus was correcting Peter because Peter
• Was Seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
How would you feel if your mistakes were a stumbling block for Jesus?
Even Paul made mistakes. In Romans 7:19, he tells us
19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
• We all struggle,
• Paul knew the difference between right and wrong
• But he still made mistakes
• He still choose to do the wrong things.
• So when we make mistakes, we need to understand that we’re in good company
But at the same time we need to Learn from our Mistakes
• Now if you’re a surgeon or a pilot, you might want to try not to make mistakes.
• But if what you do isn’t a matter of life and death
• Sometimes we see that mistakes can be a good thing
• Post-it notes were invented by mistake. Teflon was a mistake.
• The discovery of America was a mistake.
Back in the 1970’s there was a car called the Gremlin.
• With a name like that, what can you expect?
• But even though it was a failure, it was the start of the modern day hatchback
Thomas Edison
• Thomas Edison is famous for his tolerance of mistakes.
• It took him 10,000 attempts to create the light bulb?
• Once a reporter asked him, “How many times are you going to fail at creating the light bulb?”
• Edison’s reply was, “Son, I haven’t failed!
• I’ve simply discovered another way not to invent the light bulb.”
Jesus Knows We’re Going to Fail:
• At the last supper, Jesus told Peter that Satan would “sift the disciples like wheat.”
• Peter’s response “I’m ready to go both to prison and to death!”
• Then Jesus informed him that, before the rooster crowed the next morning,
• That he would deny Him three times.
• And he did. Jesus knows we’re gonna fail.
But fortunately for us God is in the restoration business.
• He uses our mistakes and failures to bring about His intended results.
• It’s through our mistakes that He teach us and transforms us
• But this can only happen if we let Him.
Now Peter was pretty depressed after that rooster crowed
• Because he realized what he did
• He hadn’t stood by Jesus the way he’d promised.
• He wasn’t even as good as his word.
• But he was learning how not to live.
And Jesus didn’t leave him there feeling hopeless
• And He won’t leave us either,
• When Jesus rose from the dead, He went looking for Peter
• And when they were done eating breakfast by the sea,
READ Jn 21:15-17
Jesus told Peter, you made a mistake –not once , not twice , but 3 times.
• But Let me tell you three times, that I know your heart, Peter.
• And even though you failed, I know your heart is right,
• And I still have work for you to do.
Jesus was telling Peter don’t let your failures stop you.
• Tend to my sheep
• Teach and encourage the church.
• Do my work when I am gone. You know what it feels like to fail
• So now you are ready to lead others who struggle with failure and insecurity.
• Feed my sheep
Sometimes we fail and we think we can't go on
• Maybe we think we can't be forgiven because we have done such terrible things.
• But this is just another mistake.
• God desire is that everyone will be saved
• And that includes people who make mistakes.
• Even people who deny Him.
If we are going to make the most of our mistakes,
• We have to learn the lessons that they teach us,
• Peter went on to be a pillar in the early Christian church.
• Through his mistakes, he learned to walk with Jesus,
• And he was able to teach others to do the same.
What I hope that we can see today is that we
• Shouldn’t wallow in the misery of our mistakes.
• Instead, we need to let our mistakes be a stepping stone to victory.
• Because We all make mistakes
In life when we make mistakes, a lot of the time we say, “If only I’d done it this way.”
• We replay the things we did wrong in our mind.
• We think about how we should have done it.
• And that’s good – to a point.
• Thinking about how we could have done better helps us to see our mistakes and learn from them.
• But eventually we need to leave them kbehind and turn our “If only’s”
• Into “Today I will do it this way.”
Jesus told his disciples
“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:31-32,)
Jesus was taking about freedom from sin.
• Some of the worst mistakes we make are sinful ones.
• These mistakes range anywhere from theft and adultery,
• To worry and failure to trust God,
But Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)
• The truth is, if we try to follow Christ,
• If we study His Word and do what He says,
• Then His truth will set us free.
• But we have to do more than acknowledge the truth
• We have to follow it, We have to pursue it.
• Then and only then we can break the cycle of sin and mistakes and failure.
• And when we do fail, we can have the confidence to keep trying.
If we hold onto Christ, and give our lives to Him,
• He promises us that His Holy Spirit will dwell within us.
• And when we have the power of the Holy Spirit,
• All things are possible – even moving forward after our mistakes.
Conclusion:
It says in Hebrews (10:38) My righteous ones will live by faith.
• As people of God we shouldn’t live our lives
• Waiting for everything to be lined up perfectly
We shouldn’t say, “I can’t serve God because I’ll just make mistakes.”
• And we shouldn’t say, “I’ll serve God once I’m perfect.”
• Because If you wait for that, the journey will pass us by.
When ever we make mistakes in life,
• We need to let them be a place of learning.
• Whatever error we see, we need to replace it with truth.
And whatever we do, we need to live by faith
• Faith that we will make mistakes
• Faith that God will see us through it,
• Because God will restore, support, and strengthen each one of us
• And he will place us on a firm foundation.
