I've Fallen And I Will Get Up!
I. OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
Long before advertisers understood the science behind the power of spaced repetition, they knew it worked. The reason radio and television and YouTube and social media exist is not primarily entertainment, but advertising.
I spent long hours in front of the television at my grandfather's house as a child where, in-between cartoons and reruns of Matlock, I learned little jingles like, "The best part of waking up, is Folger's in your cup." And "Nabisco... ting."
There was another commercial for a company called Life Call. Life Call was a company that sold devices to be worn around the necks of those who had health difficulties and spent a significant amount of time alone in their homes. In the event of an emergency the wearer simply pushed a button and they were in contact a 24 hour emergency response service. The commercial said "Protect yourself with Life Call and you're never alone."
Perhaps the most famous line from the commercial is the voice of a woman called Mrs. Fletcher who has just pushed the button on her Life Call device and says, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"
While this little quote has been turned into a rap and parodied by many including Urkel on Family Matters there is some truth to the reality that there are moments when we fall and it seems impossible for us to get up.
The prophet Micah speaks of the fall of Jerusalem and its rise in:
Micah 7:8-11 (ESV)
8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise;when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him,until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me.He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
His message is not "I've fallen and I can't get up" but "I've fallen and I will get up!"
II. INTRODUCTION:
The book of the prophet Micah is a short book contained in the book of the twelve minor prophets. It was written around the same time as the book Isaiah. It was during the time of the divided kingdom and both Israel and Judah were breaking the covenant that they had made with God. They had fallen into a lifestyle of consistent sin.
Micah warns them that the Assyrians are going to come and attack them and then eventually the Babylonians.
Most of the book contains Micah's accusations against Israel for their 500 years of falling and his warnings about God's judgment.
He says that the leaders are oppressing the people and the prophets are for hire. The land is filled with injustice and the poor are taken advantage of.
There are stiff warnings followed by promises of hope and restoration. I'm so grateful that the LORD always promises hope.
It is in Micah that we find the promise that Jesus the Messiah will come that the Scribes quoted to the magi who had come to look for the child Jesus (Micah 5:2; Matt 2:6).
Micah talks about the New Jerusalem and the promise God made to Abraham. God wants to bless Israel and Judah, but first he must cleanse it.
In Micah 7, Jerusalem is personified and she mentions her fall. She has fallen, but she is going to get up. She has been destroyed, but she is going to be rebuilt.
There are three lessons that we can take from this text:
III. PREACHING POINTS
1. We All Fall Down
Micah 7:8 "...when I fall..."
Falling is at the bookends of natural life. As we go from crawling to walking as toddlers we fall again and again. We put training wheels on bicycles until our children are ready to try riding without them. And when they do, they have moments when they fall. They scuff their knees.
Children play games that have been passed down for centuries as they sing:
Ring-a-ring-a-rosiesA pocket full of posiesA tissue, a tissueWe all fall down
We sing the rhyme and fall down on purpose, laughing and rolling.
Our nursery rhymes are filled with those who fall:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wallHumpty Dumpty had a great fallAll the king's horses and all the king's menCouldn't put Humpty together again
As we age falling can hurt more than it did when we were children. I am still recovering from falling on first base a few weeks ago at the church softball game!
In the later years of life one of the greatest risks that we face is falling. Falling during old age can have the effect of broken bones and hip trauma. We need help sometimes as we did when were children.
Because we were made to stand, and walk, and run, and leap for joy falling is a part of what we do at every season of life.
We all fall down. Micah says, "when I fall." It is not a question of if, but when. No one gets through life without moments of stumbling. No one gets through life with out a few bumps and bruises, scuffed knees, and scraped elbows. We all fall down.
Sometimes we fall spiritually. The preacher of Ecclesiastes says, "there is no man that sinneth not" (Eccl 7:20 KJV). Paul said, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23 ESV). We all fall down.
Sometimes we fall under the weight of the heaviness of the load that God has given us to carry in life. In the Catholic tradition of the Stations of the Cross, Jesus is depicted as falling three times under the weight of the cross as He walked toward the crucifixion. One tradition says that he fell seven times. Jesus fell when He met His mother; when Simon of Cyrene shouldered His cross (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26); when Veronica wiped His face; and when the women of Jerusalem began to weep and three other times. We all fall down. And in His solidarity with us, Jesus fell. He knows what it feels like. Falling down hurts.
J. T. Pugh suggests that there are three symbols of suffering in the Bible and in human life:
The burden, or load (Gal 6:2, 5). There are some things that are a part of our lives and while they may give us joy, bearing their weight may also cause us a measure of suffering. Raising our children, working to provide for our household, caring for aging parents or a special needs child, serving our community.
The thorn (2 Cor 12:6-8). Paul had some type of affliction that kept him weak and dependent on God and others. It is not defined. Some have suggested it was his eyes, some mental disorder, depression, or even the opponents who came behind him when he established churches and tried to undo his work. We all have things in life that keep us humble.
The cross (Luke 9:23). Jesus said, "Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." This is self-imposed. There are places in life where we crucify things that we might otherwise do simply because they are not productive to us doing what God wants us to do.
There is always the potential that we might fall under the weight of any of these things. And many times we do. We all fall down.
This is the reason for the relationships God has given us. This is the reason for the church.
2. We Pick One Another Up
Micah 7:8 (ESV) "...I shall arise..."
Proverbs 24:16 (KJV) says, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."
The just are those who place their trust in the faithfulness of Jesus for their salvation and follow Him by walking in the Spirit. The path of the just is progressive. It is often upward and there are plenty of opportunities to fall along the way.
In the Bible, the number seven is symbolic of completion or fullness. The just man falling seven times means that he falls completely and fully, yet he rises again!
A Japanese proverb says "Nana korobi, ya oki" -- "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."
This proverb means that a person who gets up is not focused on what is immediately in front of them, but has caught a glimpse of the big picture and realizes that there is more to life than the here and now whether it is a victory or a defeat. We rise again. We climb higher. We stumble towards the light.
Proverbs 4:18 (KJV)
"But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
Paul said it this way:
Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
"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. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Paul had a heavenward vision and it consistently pulled him up. Oh, sure he may have fallen along the way, but he got up again, and again, and again, and again...
I shall arise!
But the Christian journey is not a journey that God meant for us to travel alone. Human life in general is not meant to be lived alone. The writer of Genesis tells us that when God looked at the first man he had created He said to Himself, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
We were not meant to live life alone. And sometimes we are like the woman on the old Life Call commercial. Life Call, the 24-hour medical response service. The woman says, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" We all have those moments when we just can't seem to rise again.
We all know about David slaying Goliath, the giant. David was standing tall and He seemed to be alone. We know that God was with him. But there was another giant who almost slew David.
2 Samuel 21:15 (NIV)
"Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted."
The old KJV says that David "waxed faint." He was "weak and exhausted" (NLT).
We are prone to fall when we are worn out, burned out, tired.
An acronym that can help you discern how prone you are to falling is HALTB (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Bored). Any combination of these compounds your nearness to a fall! Any body else ever get hangry? Our attitudes can flare. We can be tempted by things that may not usually bother us.
And sometimes it is in our moments of greatest weariness that we just fall down and it is hard to get up.
David finds himself in that place. The giant slayer has fallen down. Help, me! I've fallen and I can't get up.
There is another giant that intends to kill David. And David would have been in trouble if he had been alone.
2 Samuel 21:16-17 (NIV)
And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him."
Ishi-Benob was a descendent of the mysterious and vicious giants. He was scary. And he had a new sword. The enemy will not always try to trip you up the same way and He is continually attempting to kill, steal, and destroy.
It is hard when you fall and you are alone.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT
"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
David wasn't alone. Abashai came to the rescue! He struck the Philistine down and he died.
The woman narrating the old Life Call commercial says, "Protect yourself with Life Call and you're never alone."
When we are a part of the Body of Christ, when we are a part of the local church we are connected to a Life Call and it is as easy as pushing a button and calling out, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!"
I can hear Peter after he has successfully walked on water towards Jesus. Peter is sinking, he has fallen and he can't get up, because he has His eyes on the immediate rather than on the Jesus a little further along the path. He cries out, "Lord, save me!" And Jesus does!
You are never alone. Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you!"
God has given us the Gift of His Spirit and the gift of one another. I shall arise!
Why am I a part of the local church? Why do I show up? I was made to be together with you!
We may fall alone, but we rise together! We never kick one another when we are down we reach down and pick one another up! When one is weary, the other steps in.
Life Call did not just call the appropriate emergency service, it also called neighbors, and family members. We are connected and if one member suffers, we all suffer. By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body!
Galatians 6:1-5 ESV
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load."
True Christian Spirituality is restorative by its very nature. If someone is "overtaken in a fault" restore! If someone falls and can't get up, restore!
And do it with gentleness. There is not one of us that given the right circumstances cannot fall and fall hard.
We are to help one another with the burdens that life affords us. It may be a load, a thorn, or a cross, but we are called to help one another we see one another stumbling under the weight!
We can never boast about our own strength! We help one another! I shall arise!
When we rise, God has something more for us. God doesn't just restore us to our past condition. It is always better when we rise.
3. We Have More After We Rise
Micah 7:11 (ESV)
"A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended."
The prophet Micah speaks poetically of Jerusalem as falling to captivity and bearing the brunt of the fall. Sometimes there are temporal consequences to our falls that we have to live through. When you allow your anger to get the best of you and punch the wall, it takes time and money, and sheetrock, and tape and mud, and sandpaper and paint to repair the damage. When you punch something in a fit of blind rage that is more solid that your bones and you break your hand it takes time to heal, and maybe surgery. When you lose control, it takes time for those around you to trust you again. Micah realizes that our sins and falls sometimes take time to heal even when they are forgiven. And his words are "I will wait," "I will bear the weight" of the consequences.
Compassion means suffering together. We hold one another accountable for our bad behaviors, falls, and sins but we wait together for healing and restoration.
Micah says that Jerusalem will see the light and those who caused her to stumble will be put to shame. The enemy is not going to win. Ultimately, when I fall and get up again, God is going to restore me and then some!
Adam opened the door to sin and death into the world in Genesis 3. We call this "the fall." The fall of our first parents weakened us and made us susceptible to sin (Rom 5:12-21). Sin is falling from the glory that God created us to possess as children.
Jesus is like Adam all over again. He came to get back what the first Adam lost. Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried. He descended to the dead. After three days, He rose again! And when He rose, he had a new body and new dominion!
He told His disciples before He ascended into heaven, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18 KJV).
After ascending into heaven, He sent back the Gift of the Holy Spirit to live in us and connect us to Himself and one another (John 14; Acts 2).
The Christian life is a life where we enter into a new creation. Jesus makes us new as we follow him by believing/repenting, being buried with Him in baptism, and rising through the Power of His Spirit (Acts 2:38).
God promises to make all things and the home of believers in the age to come is called the New Jerusalem.
Micah 7:11 (ESV)
"A day for the building of your walls! In that day the boundary shall be far extended."
Revelation 21:10-21 (NIV)
"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass."
When you fall and rise again God will build a greater area of protection around you and expand your boundaries!
You don't fall and rise simply to go back to where you were before. God intends for you to learn and grow as you move forward and upward!
If you have faced defeat, failure, and stumbling. You may have lost some battles, but we are going to get up together and win the war!
There is going to be more than you imagined.
Conclusion:
The speaker in Micah 7 says that she will rise because of God's mercy.
Micah 7:18-20 KJV
"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."
No matter how you've messed up. No matter how you've fallen, God desires to restore you and then some.
You may have fallen, but you will get up.
There is an obscure prayer found tucked away in Scripture that I want to pray with you in closing.
As you think about the weight of life, your burdens, your load, your thorns, your cross. Listen to these words and pray with me.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJV)
"Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested."
Call on the name of Jesus today! He will come to your aid and help you up! Pray with your sisters and brothers, they will help you get up. God has more for you!
