How To Recover From Failure
(Or How To Be Successful)
Have any of you ever had a failure in life? Have you ever tried something and it just doesn’t work? It flops – it fails. I know that I have failed at times. Things did not turn out the way that I had hoped.
It’s reported that it took Thomas Edison over 10,000 tries to invent a reliable light bulb. When asked why he failed so many times he said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
Thomas Edison also said, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
But folks here is a truth – failure can become a stepping-stone to success. An incident from Peter’s life illustrates this wonderful truth. Please follow along with me as I read:
“Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men." When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Luke 5:1-11 (NASB)
Our story starts out with Jesus surrounded by a crowd. They were pressing in on him – so he notices two boats on the shore – the fishermen were there too – they were putting away their nets after a long unsuccessful night of fishing. So Jesus gets into one of the boats and asks if they can move out in the water a bit. Of course they do and Jesus teaches the people from the boat.
Let me ask you a question at this point – whose boat was it? Who did the boat belong to? If you look closely at our text – you will find that in verse three the boat belonged to Simon Peter. It was his boat. The text does not tell us that Jesus first asks permission to get in the boat – it seems that he just did that. But the text does tell us that Jesus asks Simon Peter to move out a little from the shore so that he could teach the people from there. Simon Peter’s response was simple – he allows Jesus to be in charge. That’s my first point of recovery from failure.
1. ALLOW Jesus To Take Control
At this point in the story we don’t know how much Simon Peter knew about Jesus – perhaps he had heard stories of him. But here is what we do know. Simon Peter allowed Jesus to get into his boat. It does not say that he put up any argument. It doesn’t say that he put up any type of fuss. It doesn’t say that he tried to kick Jesus out of the boat – it does say that he allowed Jesus in the boat - to take control.
That’s the starting point you know? If you want to be successful – if you want to overcome from failure – you’ve got to allow Jesus in your boat. You’ve got to allow him to be in charge. You’ve got to allow him to be in control. Nothing – absolutely nothing has greater influence on your personal success than having Christ in your life. Do you know what the Bible says? It says:
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13
Through the strength and power of Christ – I can do all things. I can overcome my failures. I can become a great success.
In our story about Simon Peter – it’s important to note that he allowed Jesus to take control of an extremely important possession in his life – his boat. Peter’s boat represented his livelihood. Peter’s boat represented his income. When you’re a fisherman – that boat is your business! But Peter went ahead and let Jesus take control of it.
You know sometimes there are things we like to hold on to. Sometimes there are things that we don’t want others to touch. Sometimes there are things that we just won’t let go of. But you know what Jesus says? He says:
"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Luke 14:33 (NASB)
The Message Bible says it this way:
"Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 (MSG)
You see the first step to the road to success is putting Jesus in control of your life. But that’s not all – to overcome failure you need to:
2. DO What Jesus Asks
Our text says:
“When Jesus finished teaching, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch." Luke 5:4 (NASB)
Jesus told Simon Peter – where to fish, when to fish, and how to fish.
Now let’s remember that Peter and his friends were fishermen. They knew how to fish. They knew when to fish. They knew where to fish. They had been out fishing all night and they had caught nothing – they failed. Simon Peter was tired – he was exhausted – he had come up empty handed – he was disappointed. I can kind of imagine what might be going on in Peter’s mind at this point. He may be thinking, “What’s the use. I gave it my best shot last night and I got nothing. I failed. Why try again and who does this Jesus think he is? He’s not a fisherman – he’s the son of carpenter. I’m the fisherman here. I’m the professional. I’m the expert. He thinks he knows more about fishing than I do?”
But look at what Simon Peter says:
"Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." Luke 5:5 (NASB)
Folks let me tell you a truth right here: It is easy to call yourself a follower of Christ – it is much harder to act like one. It is much easier to call yourself a Christian – it is much harder to live like one. Look at what Jesus says:
"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 (NASB)
He also said;
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 14:15 (NASB)
Folks it’s one thing to call yourself a Christian – it’s another thing to do what Jesus tells you to do. If you truly are a Christian – you follow Christ – you do what he asks you to do.
Do you know what Peter did? He went out to the deep water – he let down his nets – he started fishing – just a Jesus had been told him to do. It was the same lake he had fished in the night before – the same boat he had used – it was the same nets that had come up empty – he was the same man who had caught nothing the night before – but this time he listened to Jesus and he did what Jesus asked him to do. And what was the outcome this time? It was completely different than the night before – he now had a boatload of fish! NO he didn’t! He had two boat loads of fish!
He had let Jesus be in control. He had let Jesus take charge. He had done what Jesus asked him to do and now he was successful. Now he overcame his failure. And now he would share the surplus. That’s point three:
3. SHARE The Surplus
The Bible says,
“When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.” Luke 5:6-7 (NASB)
God blessed Simon Peter with more fish than he could handle. And the truth is – God not only blessed Peter but he blessed others because of Peter. Peter didn’t hold back his blessing – when he saw the abundance of fish coming in – he shared it. If you want to be a success – share your surplus. There is poem by John Paul Moore that I would like to read to you its called:
"My Cup Has Overflowed"
I've never made a fortune, and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow
And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
Cause my cup has overflowed.
Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings,
and the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
Cause my cup has overflowed.
I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
Cause my cup has overflowed.
If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads.
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
Cause my cup has overflowed.
If you want to overcome your failures – if you want to be successful you need to allow Jesus to take control of your life – you need to do what he asks you to do – you need to share your surplus and you need to:
4. WALK In Humbleness Before God
Look at what Simon Peter said after the miracle of the fish. He cries out:
"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:8 (NASB)
Peter’s eyes are opened. He realizes that he standing in the presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The miracle so astounded Peter that he cried out, “Lord, I don’t deserve this! I’m a sinner. This is too good for me.” The incident became a turning point in Peter’s life. He became humble before Christ.
This past week I read a sermon by C. H. Spurgeon (a great preacher from the 1800’s) entitled, “Peter’s Prayer”. The sermon dealt with one verse and one verse only. It looked at verse eight of Luke chapter five that says.
"Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"
Spurgeon says Peter prayed this prayer for three reasons:
1. Because he was a man
2. Because he was a sinful man
3. Because he realized he was a man who was a sinful man – he became a humble man
Folks when we stand in the presence of a Holy God – how can we not be humbled? He is spotless – He is pure – He is all powerful – and we are not. The Bible says:
"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
James 4:6 (ESV)
It just wasn’t by Peter’s efforts that the nets were full. Sure Peter had gone out in the deep water – sure Peter had let down his nets – but it was Jesus who gave him the fish. God blessed him and Peter knew that God had blessed him and he was humbled. A big part of Christian living is walking humbly before our God.
But that’s not the end of the story. In fact it was a new beginning for Peter’s life. Because of the miracle of the fish – Simon Peter resets the priorities for his life. And that is our last point:
5. RE-SET The Priorities Of Your Life
The Bible says:
“When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Luke 5:11 (NASB)
Think about this – when they got to land they left the greatest catch they had ever experienced sitting right there on the shore and went and followed Jesus! They realized that if Jesus could perform a miracle like that – He could do anything He wanted to do. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And Christ had invited them to become part of the greatest fishing trip in the history of the world. Jesus had said to them, “I’m going to make you fishers of men.”
How does this story relate to your life? Maybe you feel like the disciples before Christ came along: “I’ve worked all night and come up with an empty net.” Does that describe your attitude toward your marriage, your job, your relationship with others, your life?
Simon Peter didn’t say, “Lord, I’ve worked ten hours and didn’t catch anything – I give up. I’ve had it. I’m through.” No – He didn’t give in – he didn’t up – he let Jesus take control – he did what Jesus asked him to do – he shared the surplus – he walked in humbleness before God and he reset the priorities in his life and he became successful. How about you – what are you going to do? Let Jesus take control. Let him come into your boat and see what happens.
(I want to thank Rick Warren for the sermon starter ideas.)
