November 25, 2001-- AM
THE STEP FROM ZERO TO HERO
James 1:12
INTRODUCTION:
(1) Stories people who fall from success are instructive. Even more helpful are the accounts of people who overcome or capitalize on setbacks. The Bible contains many examples of both the “hero to zero” and the “zero to hero” scenarios. The latter always contains a humble person trusting God and continuing on. Though we are not looking at any report of this, we will look at some of the reasons why the Lord’s people do not quit when it seems the reasonable thing to do.
(2) Much has already been written about the 2001 World Series, one of the greatest ever. In games 4 and 5 the New York Yankees were one out away from defeat but each time rallied to win. In the seventh and final game on Nov. 4 the Arizona Diamondbacks came from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning against the paramount relief pitcher in baseball today, Mariano Rivera, and won 3-2. Such is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Reporters noted the Diamondbacks’ ability to recover from two devastating losses, but a Lexis-Nexis search of World Series coverage reveals no stories about the way their manager, Bob Brenly, had showed a resolve 15 years before that he evidently was able to pass on to his players.
On Sept. 14, 1986, Mr. Brenly, then a player stationed at third base for the San Francisco Giants, tied a major league record by committing four errors in one inning. Reporter Scott Ostler at the time wrote that "If Brooks Robinson was a matador, teasing the bull with his cape, Bob Brenly was a trout fisherman, cleaning his catch with a chain saw."
Mr. Brenly let an easy two-hopper bounce off his glove. Then he bobbled another easy chance for a second error. Then he retrieved the ball and threw it 20 feet over the catcher’s head for error No. 3. Then another ground ball came his way and the reporter, imagining it as a live hand grenade, noted the dilemma: "Should Brenly throw himself on it and save his teammates, thereby salvaging a measure of honor in death, or turn and run? Courageously, he stood his ground, and the ball kicked off his glove."
The next morning, Mr. Brenly told interviewers that he had felt fear, despair, and humiliation after error No. 4: "You know how you hear the old saying—if you make an error, you want the next ball? After the fourth one, I never wanted to see the ball again." When that embarrassing fourth inning ended with the opposing Atlanta Braves having scored four unearned runs because of those errors, he hid in a tunnel behind the dugout, trying to compose himself.
His teammates helped him to laugh with comments like "Maybe you can get a glove contract with U.S. Steel," and, "If you’re scared out there, Bob, you should get yourself a dog." Relaxed but also determined, Mr. Brenly hit a home run and a single his next two times up, and came up in the bottom of the ninth with two out and the score tied. From nightmare to fantasy: He hit a 3-and-2 pitch for another home run to win the game.
"That’s as close to total elation as any feeling I’ve ever had," he said the next day. "It’s easy to laugh now, but I was ready to commit suicide. If I could’ve found something sharp, I would’ve slashed my wrists." Because he did not, he was able to relish how boos turned to cheers: "I was the comeback player of the year in one afternoon." And 15 years later, Bob Brenly’s team also had the resilience to turn defeat into victory. — Marvin Olasky, Arizona’s Brenly had his own big comeback in 1986: Following their manager’s lead, World Magazine, November 17, 2001.
(3) No one but God knew that bob Brenly would experience such a turn around in that game in 1986. Yet, he would not have this story had he quit. In our minds, we may know that bad circumstances could improve but it is far different to align your remote awareness with your actions when experiences are rapidly curdling and going sour. Because we intellectually understand that improvement could come, does not mean that we can control whether it does, or that we can relate these thoughts to reality. However, we can commit our choice to continue. We can take the next step after we have fallen and move forward, trusting the Lord.
(4) A Christian college senior put it this way: “One of the biggest challenges is making a transition from being intellectual to relational. So many of us know about God, but few of us experience God. I have heard it said that we know God’s hands but not His face. In other words, we often ask Him to meet our wants and requests, but rarely seek intimacy with Him. In the MTV world everything is so fast-paced and entertaining. We grow bored easily and don’t take the time to experience things that may not bring immediate results. For our generation, people and relationships are more important than information. We hope to start working again as a community of believers. ... We are asking questions like: Are you ready for the Second Coming? Do you have a relationship with God? More than anything we want authenticity. We want to be real. We want the freedom to doubt and to question. Obviously, this is a big risk, but it will make us stronger. I hope that the older generations will risk "making fools of themselves" so that others can grow. I hope that our leaders will speak out when the Spirit leads. We need to see God working in them. It is through action that we begin to believe. I plead with leaders to be open to the leading of the Spirit and to expect changes and surprises. We must quit being so dependent on methods and technology and be more dependent on God.” SPECIAL THOUGHTS: A College Senior’s Thoughts about Christianity and the Church, By Shasta Emery
(5) The normal Christian life is a dependent life. This dependent life is not a “quitting” kind of existence. It is not easy either. When Tom Tewell’s oldest son Ryan was in the first grade, he took swimming lessons in New Providence, New Jersey. Susan Tewell, the boy’s mother, went with him to the swimming pool, and the instructor was making these 5-year-old kids swim 12, 16, and 20 laps. Little Ryan got out of the pool after the first day of swim practice, and his lips were blue, and he had those little indentations in his hands.
Susan felt so sorry for him she said, "Honey, this is so hard for you. Why don’t you quit the swim team this year and maybe you can try it again next year."
Ryan scratched his head and said, "Mom, you don’t quit something just because it’s hard."
And Susan scratched her head and said, "Who’s the parent here anyway?" -- Thomas Tewell, "The Tenacity of a Bulldog," Preaching Today, Tape No. 141.
PROPOSITION: ENDURING EMBARRASSMENT MAY LEAD TO THE EMBRACE OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
Though it is certain that the Scriptures reveal more reasons for not quitting, today we will quickly examine eight of them.
Here are Eight Reasons why Christians should not quit.
I. The righteous persevere.
A. Job 17:9 (NKJV) Yet the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger. Prov 24:16 (NKJV) For a righteous [man] may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Psal 37:24 (NKJV) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds [him] [with] His hand.
B. One characteristic of the Lord’s righteous followers is that they continue in His service even when things are not going well. There is reason to believe that it will accomplish His will. There is something worthwhile to which to cling. God is good and His people want that goodness to prevail. Drawing on strength that exceeds their human ability, the righteous, because their righteousness comes from Christ who continued to the cross and into resurrection, rise the seventh time to do His will.
II. Success comes to the determined.
A. Gala 6:9 (NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 1Cor 15:58 (NKJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
B. Of course, the Lord has ordered His followers to do good. He has commissioned us with the task of reaching the world from our families, associates, and communities outward. Christian goodness is attractive and no more so is this true than when things are going bad. The darkness of hardship forms a backdrop against which shines the brightness of goodness. The believer, when other matters seem to fall along the wayside, still serves God when he still strives still to do good. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
III. Life’s course has been marked.
A. Hebr 12:1 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us ….
B. God has set a course in front of His children. They run life’s race on that course and it is not an easy course. Cross-country runners and cross-country skiers know that some courses are more difficult than others but none of them is particularly easy. The markings of a competitive course are important for the distance runner because he needs to stay on track. Quitting in the face of difficulty takes one off course. We have past runners witnessing to the fact that the path can be followed even though it is difficult. Therefore, we need to make the burden we carry as light as possible and lay aside the trappings of sin and follow the Lord’s marked racecourse.
IV. Obedience shows dependence.
A. Isai 50:10 (NKJV) "Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.
B. Isaiah described a person reverently avoided displeasing God, obeyed His servant, and yet had to walk in darkness without the tool that enables sight in darkness. When I have to go around the house in the dark without a flashlight, such as in a power outage, I rely on memory and feel my way around in the darkness to get to where I am going. Though it is more difficult than when one is able to see, persevering in dark times also has its spiritual means of progress. Isaiah points to the relationship with the Lord and says to trust in His name (authority and command) and to rely on your God. The relationship you establish with God through the acceptance of Christ as Savior, and the changes He brings into your life through daily contact with Him, are the things that can still guide you in darkness. Depend on the Lord. There is no reason to quit.
V. Persistence shows love.
A. Matt 22:37 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
B. Loving God with “all” our being is seen in difficulties. Brotherly love is too, for that matter (Hebrews 13:1). If we continue in hard times, because we love God, that persistence may essentially show the kind of love that Christ showed for the world (John 3:16). It is a product of the Holy Spirit’s presence (Galatians 5:22). It acknowledges God’s claim on us and shows that, though there little or nothing in our experience that is appealing, because we love God, we will endure it for Him.
VI. Endurance leads to reward.
A. Jame 1:12 (NKJV) Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Reve 2:10 (NKJV) "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw [some] of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
B. God does not forget faithfulness – even if it leads to death in His service. After this life, those who are faithful to Him to the very end have the assurance that a heavenly “crown of life”, the reward of eternity, be awarded by the hand of God. Service rendered will be service rewarded.
VII. Patience develops fruitfulness.
A. Luke 8:15 (NKJV) "But the ones [that] fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep [it] and bear fruit with patience.
B. The Parable of the Sower describes the types of hearts in the world that receive the scattering of the Word of God. The good ground is the kind of heart that keeps God’s Word and patiently produces fruit. The noble heart remembers, in spite of difficulty, that the object is to produce fruit. God uses patience in His servant to accomplish this through His servant.
VIII. Perseverance develops character.
A. Roma 5:3 (NKJV) And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
B. Christian character inspires hope. A primary way the Lord develops character in us is through perseverance. Though we joke about difficulties building character in our children, the Lord says this has the potential to build character in His children.
CONCLUSION:
(1) Consider some of Dilbert’s ® Laws of Work. They point out the futility of approaching difficulties, often faced in the work environment, with the world’s wisdom.
Dilbert’s Laws Of Work
If you can’t get your work done in the first 24 hours, work nights.
Don’t be irreplaceable, if you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
It doesn’t matter what you do, it only matters what you say you’ve done and what you’re going to do.
You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
Eat one live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Then quit. No use being a fool about it.
Everything can be filed under "miscellaneous."
To err is human, to forgive is not our policy.
Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he/she is supposed to be doing.
Important letters that contain no errors will develop errors in the mail.
If you are good, you will be assigned all the work. If you are really good, you will get out of it.
If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.
When you don’t know what to do, walk fast and look worried.
Following the rules will not get the job done.
Getting the job done is no excuse for not following the rules.
When confronted by a difficult problem you can solve it more easily by reducing it to the question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
No matter how much you do, you never do enough.
The last person that quit or was fired will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.
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(2) In contrast, here are some helpful considerations from a believer’s perspective.
Five Keys To A Fresh Start
BE HONEST ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE - Make an honest assessment of where you are at this point in your life. What are your strengths, your weaknesses? What needs immediate attention? Even though there are weaknesses and shortcomings, do not let that be an excuse for inaction. "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 NIV
BE HONEST ABOUT HOW YOU ARRIVED AT WHERE YOU ARE - Take responsibility for your life -- your choices. Understand that there are many things that are outside the realm of your control, but at the same time, there are many things you have control over. Unless a person understands the paths he has trodden, the choices he has made, or the decisions he has made, he will habitually repeat himself.
CHANGE WHAT YOU CAN THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE - If you do what you have always done, you will go where you have always gone, and be what you have always been. Do not expect a different outcome from the same actions.
DO NOT REMAIN IN THE PAST - FOCUS ON THE FUTURE - If there are failures in your past, seek God’s forgiveness, remember the lessons, then forget the details. "How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Father than the distance from east to west!" Psalms 103:12
DO NOT GIVE UP - Even after a fresh start, there are going to be times when you blow it, times when you do again what you promised you would never do. Just because you fall, do not stay down. Pick yourself up, get back into battle and do not quit. True failure is not faltering, true failure is falling and then staying down. "Brothers, 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." Philippians 3:13-14
Make A Fresh Start Today!!! It Is Totally Up To You!! -- Clay Road Baptist Church, 9151 Clay Road @ Pinemont NW Houston 77080
(3) Life is a race. A closing metaphor will summarize what has been said and will encourage you not to quit.
THE RACE By DH Groberg (edited by Ray Gebauer)
"Quit! Give up! You’re beaten!" They shout at me and plead. "There’s just too much against you now. This time you can’t succeed!"
And as I start to hang my head In front of failure’s face. My downward fall is broken by The memory of a race.
And hope refills my weakened will As I recall that scene: For just the thought of that short race Rejuvenates my being.
A children’s race-young boys, young men-how I remember well. Excitement, sure! But also fear; It wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope Each thought to win that race. Or tie for first, or if not that, At least take second place.
And fathers watched from off the side Each cheering for his son. And each boy hoped to show his dad That he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they went! Young hearts and hopes afire. To win and be the hero there Was each young boy’s desire.
And one boy in particular Whose dad was in the crowd, Was running near the lead and thought: "My dad will be so proud!"
But as they speeded down the field Across a shallow dip, The little boy who thought to win Lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself His hands flew out to brace, And mid the laughter of the crowd He fell flat on his face.
So down he fell and with him hope --He couldn’t win it now-- Embarrassed, sad, he only wished To disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up And showed his anxious face, Which to the boy so clearly said: "Get up and win the race."
He quickly rose, no damage done, --Behind a bit, that’s all-- And ran with all his mind and might To make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself --To catch up and to win-- His mind went faster than his legs: He slipped and fell again!
He wished then he had quit before With only one disgrace. "I’m hopeless as a runner now; I shouldn’t try to race."
But in the laughing crowd he searched And found his father’s face: That steady look which said again: "Get up and win the race!"
So up he jumped to try again --Ten yards behind the last-- "If I’m to gain those yards," he thought "I’ve got to move real fast."
Exerting everything he had He regained eight or ten, But trying so hard to catch the lead He slipped and fell again!
Defeat! He lied there silently --A tear dropped from his eye-- "There’s no sense running any more; Three strikes: I’m out! Why try?"
The will to rise had disappeared; All hope had fled away; So far behind, so error prone; A loser all the way.
"I’ve lost, so what’s the use," he thought. "I’ll live with my disgrace." But then he thought about his dad Who soon he’d have to face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low. "Get up and take your place; You were not meant for failure here. Get up and win the race."
"With borrowed will get up," it said, "You haven’t lost at all. For winning is no more than this: To rise each time you fall."
So up he rose to run once more, And with a new commit He resolved that win or lose At least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, --The most he’d ever been-- Still he gave it all he had And ran as though to win.
Three times he’d fallen, stumbling; Three times he rose again; Too far behind to hope to win He still ran to the end.
They cheered the winning runner As he crossed the line first place; Head high, and proud, and happy; No falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster Crossed the line last place, The crowd gave him the greater cheer For finishing the race.
And even though he came in last With head bowed low, unproud, You would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn’t do too well." "To me, you won," his father said. "You rose each time you fell."
Now when things seem dark and hard And difficult to face, The memory of that little boy Helps me in my race.
For all of life is like that race, With ups and downs and all. And all you have to do to win, Is rise each time you fall.
"Quit! Give up! You’re beaten!" They still shout in my face. But another voice with me says: "GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!"
(4) When you have been humiliated, and in humility you get up and go on, you take the step that the leads from being a zero to being a hero. Get up, go with Christ, and be a hero in God’s eyes and for His use.
