TURNING SETBACKS INTO COMEBACKS
Ex. 2,3,4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE LAWYER & CHINESE DOCTOR
1. A Chinese doctor can't find a job in a hospital in the US, so he opens a clinic and puts a sign outside that reads "GET TREATMENT FOR $20 - IF NOT CURED GET BACK $100."
2. An American lawyer thinks this is a great opportunity to earn $100 and goes to the clinic.
3. 1st Attempt. Lawyer: "I have lost my sense of taste."
Chinese: "Nurse, bring medicine from box No. 22 and put 3 drops in patient's mouth." Lawyer: "Ugh. this is kerosene."
Chinese: "Congrats, your sense of taste is restored. Give me $20."
4. 2nd Attempt. Lawyer: "I have lost my memory. I cannot remember anything." Chinese: "Nurse, bring medicine from box no. 22 and put 3 drops in his mouth." Lawyer (annoyed): "This is kerosene. You gave this to me last time for restoring my taste." Chinese: "Congrats. You got your memory back. Give me $20."
The fuming lawyer pays him.
5. 3rd Attempt. Lawyer: "My eyesight has become very weak I can't see at all." Chinese: "Well, I don't have any medicine for that, so take this $100." Lawyer (staring at the note): "But this is $20, not $100!!" Chinese: "Congrats, your eyesight is restored. Give me $20"
B. THESIS
1. I want to tell you about another famous preacher. We would call him a fugitive. He was called by God to ministry, but he was a hothead and in a moment of anger killed a man.
2. As a result he had to flee to another country so as not to be apprehended by the law. Let’s read his story.
C. TEXT
11 [Moses] saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 3:1 Now Moses…came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was
afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into…a land flowing with milk and honey….10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” 10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Ex. 2:11-12,15; 3:1-2,6-8,10-12; 4:1,10,13.
D. THESIS
1. Even the great Moses was a person just like us, with a temper and periods of depression.
2. Acts 7:25 tells us his heart/ motive was right but he tried to it by himself. HE MISSED GOD AND JUMPED THE GUN.
3. As a result, he became a recluse. He no longer believed in himself. When God asked him to go back to Egypt, He made every excuse and then declined to go.
4. What steps did he go through to turn him around from this state to becoming one of the greatest leaders of all time?
5. The title of this message is “How to Turn Setbacks into Comebacks.” 4 STEPS:
I. HE PUT HIS FAILURES INTO PERSPECTIVE
A. RECOG.: EVERYONE FAILS, HAS PROBLEMS
1. Nobody is perfect; everyone fails.
2. Even the most successful & spiritual. All world leaders & Bible heroes did. David failed, Peter failed, Moses failed,
Paul failed, Abraham failed.
3. Just because you fail doesn’t mean you’re a failure!
B. THERE’S DIFF. VIEWS OF SUCCESS
1. Is Donald Trump a failure? Spiritually, prob. yes; in the world, no.
2. Moses had been a physical success the first 40 years of his life. Then he became a failure, yet finally became a spiritual success, because he listened to God.
3. On the Day of Judgment, many are going to be in for a rude awakening; all who sold their souls for material gain will be condemned.
4. To turn setbacks in to comebacks we have to…
II. WE MUST LEARN/ GROW FROM OUR PROBLEMS
Ps. 119:71; “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.”
A. PROBLEMS USUALLY HAVE A PURPOSE
1. TO FORCE US TO CHOOSE BTW CHRIST & THE WORLD
a. Moses had to make that choice. Heb. 11:25-26; “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
b. We have to make that same choice.
2. TO BRING US CLOSER TO GOD
a. When the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, they cried out to God.
b. Biologists recog. The “Adversity Principle.” It says that habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. Existence without challenge takes its toll on species. 87% of people surveyed who had a “painful event” (death, illness, breakup, divorce, etc.) said it caused them to have a more positive meaning in life.
3. THEY MAKE US STRONGER, if we pass. Moral muscle, like physical ones, must be exercised. The more it is, the stronger it gets.
4. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GOD TO MOVE. Is there a mountain in your way? It’s an opportunity for God to move it & demonstrate His power.
B. EVEN FAILURES ARE WORTH SOMETHING
1. Thomas Edison’s success was questioned about the lightbulb. He said, “I’ve found 999 ways it can’t be done!”
2. Moses learned to rely on God; to let God do the work, to trust Him.
3. We can turn setbacks into comebacks if we learn…
III. GOD’S LOVE & FORGIVENESS DON’T DEPEND ON SUCCESS
A mother of a President of the United States came to the Whitehouse to see her son. While waiting, she was asked, “I bet you’re proud of your son!” She answered, “Which one?” That’s unconditional love!
A. YOU ARE A WINNER
1. An “overcomer” in Greek literature is NOT one who suffers a defeat, but one who perseveres until they ultimately win!
2. How many baskets did Michael Jordan miss? How many poor serves did Roger Federer make? How many hits did Nolan Ryan allow before he became the all-time strikeout King? THOUSANDS, FOR EACH ONE!
3. Were those guys losers for their failures? No, they were champions, winners! And so are you!
B. YOUR GREAT WORTH
1. What makes us worth so much? Do we have some inner, intrinsic value? Yes, to some degree. “We are fearfully and wonderfully made!”
2. But that’s not really it. It’s said that men did not really love Rome because it was great. It was great because men loved it! US TOO! God doesn’t love us because we are great; rather, we’re great because God loves us!
3. YOU ARE GREAT BECAUSE A GREAT GOD HAS SET HIS AFFECTIONS ON YOU!
a. You are one of the Elect,
b. One of God’s kids,
c. His Royal Blood now flows in your veins.
d. He’s destined you to win!
4. Hold your head up high! You’re a winner! You shall achieve the great plans God has prepared for you! We can turn setbacks into comebacks when…
IV. WE PUT OUR FAILURES BEHIND US
1. Prov. 24:16 reminds us, “For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he rises again.” What we need to remember is that we don’t have to stay down.
2. “Our greatest glory is NOT in never falling, but in rising each time we fall.” Oliver Goldsmith.
3. You may not be able to reclaim the loss, undo the damage, or reverse the consequences, but you can make a new start – wiser, more sensitive, renewed by the Holy Spirit, & more determined.
A. MOSES DID
1. The Burning Bush was a turning point. There the old Moses died, leaving his past, and a new Moses emerged.
2. Moses accomplished nothing lasting before the Burning Bush, but after it he stood the world on its head!
3. Moses was a new man with a new vision.
B. WE MUST TOO
1. “12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phip. 3:12-14.
2. The best defense is a good offense. The best way to put the past behind you is to get a new vision of what you can do for God and get busy with it.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
A. 1. Jim Morris was a 35 year old high school chemistry teacher in 1999. As a young man he was a pitcher in the minors, but his dreams of Major League baseball ended in an injury that required major surgery.
2. Years later, coaching his hometown team in Big Lake, Texas, Morris discovered by accident that he could still throw fast balls.
3. He made a deal with his team; if they made it to state finals, he’d try out for the majors. They did and he did.
4. He went to the Texas camp of the Tampa Devil Rays. There he shocked everybody by throwing 98 mph pitches! In a few months, he was pitching in the Big Leagues!
B. 1. When Ernie Ivan crashed his car during a NASCAR race at Michigan Speedway in Aug. 1994, he was given a 10% chance of surviving.
2. But less than one year later, in Oct. 1995, Irvan not only entered a NASCAR race, but finished a remarkable sixth. Then he won two races in 1996!
C. 1. Jennifer Capriati was a French Open semifinalist at 14; a broken-hearted victim of broken dreams by 18.
2. She was accused of shoplifting, underwent psychiatric treatment, had a drug arrest and was made to enter a substance-abuse program.
3. The a new Century & a new Capriati. She won the Australian Open in 2001, a victory at the French Open in June, and another Australian victory in 2002!
B. THE CALL
1. Moses came back. Peter came back. Paul came back and YOU CAN COME BACK!
2. How many of you have struggled and failed in some way spiritually? Isn’t it time you let God relaunch your life?
3. If you want God to do something new and wonderful in your life, stand to your feet.
4. Prayer & salvation call.
