Title: “Help, I’ve Fallen & I Can’t Get Up”
Maybe you remember the commercial that was on television years ago with the Elderly Woman that is Laying on the floor shouting, “Help me, I’ve fallen & I can’t get up!”
There were people all over the country repeating this phrase in a Joking manner saying, “Help me, I’ve fallen & I can’t get up.”
But the bottom line is when we fall it isn’t a Joking Matter. And there are times that we Fall in our Spiritual Walk & we can’t get up by Ourselves!
This morning I want to Talk to you about the Ministry of Restoring the Fallen Brother. God help us to be a Church that reaches out to the Hurting!
A pastor a few years ago became involved in Adultery. As a result, his marriage went on the Rocks & his Ministry was destroyed. Since he was a Strong Christian Leader in the Community, it had devastating results.
His Sin, not only affected him & his family, but his church Splintered in a dozen Fragments. Hurting confused people were Scattered all over the City.
A 1 1/2 years after this event happened this fallen pastor called another pastor in this same city & said, “Would you mind if my wife & I came to your Church this morning?”
The pastor said, “Why would you ever call me & ask me that question? Of course we wouldn’t mind if you came to Church.” The Fallen pastor said, “You know this is my second wife & I’m divorced from my first wife. Are you aware of this?”
The Pastor said, “I am well aware of your Situation.” The fallen pastor said, “We’ve been trying for eight months now to find a place of worship. The Last time that we tried was a month ago. We were asked from the Pulpit to Leave.”
He went on to say, “We’ve been met at the door of other churches by pastor’s who heard that we were coming. They asked us not to come in. They said that it would cause too much Trouble.”
The fallen pastor said, “Frankly, I don’t think that we could handle it again if we were asked to asked to Leave. My wife is close to a Nervous Breakdown.”
He said, “I know that you have a Video for Overflow Crowds. If you want you can put us in a Room where no one will see us & Let us Watch the Service. We just need to be in Church!
The pastor said, “Listen friend, you be at Church & I will Welcome you at the Front Door.”
This fallen pastor came to this church & they Extended to him Christian Fellowship & God did a Cleansing & a Healing. This brother was Restored only because God used this Church to Love, Accept & Forgive him.
If the Church is going to be the Force for God in this Hurting & Confused world that it needs to be, it must Learn to Love People, Accept them & Forgive Them.
Please hear me so you don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that we have to Condone their Lifestyle, but we need to Love them where they are at!
Jesus looked at the woman that was caught in the Act of Adultery & said, “I don’t Condemn you----but now go & sin no more.”
There will be times that we see a Brother Fall. But I pray that instead of Judging our Brother or Condemning him for Falling, that we would Learn how to Pick Him Up.
This is what Jesus would want us to do!
John 13: 34-35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
“By this all will know that you are My Disciples, if you have Love for one another.”
Over the next few moments, I want to talk to you about the Power of Restoration. I thank God that we serve a God who is in the Business of Restoration.
-He doesn’t give up on us because we Fail.
-He doesn’t stop Loving us when we’re Down.
-He doesn’t Condemn us for our Failures.
-But He wants to Restore Us.
-In Spite of Our Failures He Loves Us!
-He’s in the Restoration Business!
Psalms 23: 3
“He Restores my Soul; He Leads me in the path of righteousness for His Name’s sake.”
Psalms 51: 12
“Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation, And uphold me by Your Generous Spirit.”
Lamentations 3: 22-23
“Through the Lord’s Mercies we are not Consumed, Because His Compassions fail not.
“They are new Every Morning Great is your Faithfulness.”
I. The Bible Is Filled With Story After Story About God’s Restoration.
1. The Story of David & Bathsheba.
This is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament, but I’m afraid that we often miss the main points that God wants us to see. David was a man after God’s own Heart. But there were times that he blew it!
-He should have been at War with his Men.
-But he was at Home taking it Easy.
-Someone Else was Doing His Fighting for Him.
-He couldn’t Sleep so he walked outside.
-David didn’t plan of Sinning that Night.
-But he let his Spiritual Guard Down.
-It’s something that all of us have done!
-This story is in here for us to Learn from.
He Looked out & saw a Beautiful Woman Taking a Bath. Instead of Walking away from the Temptation, he Lingered. And the more he Lingered, the more that he gave into the Temptation.
That night, he crossed boundaries that God never intended for him to cross. He committed Adultery with another man’s wife.
-He tried to Cover Up His Sin.
-He Even Had Uriah Come Home.
-But Uriah was a Faithful Soldier to David.
-Latter, David had Uriah Killed.
-David thought he had his bases covered.
-But he was a Miserable Man!
Psalms 32: 3-4
“When I kept Silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day Long.
“For day & night Your Hand was Heavy upon me.”
David thought that he had everyone Fooled, but God knew Exactly what David had done. Hear me, “God Loved David so much that He sent him Nathan the Prophet to say, “You are the Man!”
When David was Confronted with His Sin, he was Broken before the Lord. Nathan went to David because God sent him! And when he went, he didn’t go just to Point a Finger, he went to Restore a Fallen Brother.
2. The Woman Caught In The Act of Adultery.
The Religious People brought this Lady to Jesus, & they wanted Jesus to Judge Her, but He Refused too. He didn’t come here to be our Judge, He came to be our Savior.
They were ready to Stone this Woman. They said, “Master, According to the Law, this woman should be Stoned. But what do You Say?” Jesus stooped down & He began to write something in the Sand.
Then He Looked at the Crowd & said, “He who has never Sinned, let him cast the First Stone.” Everyone had to drop their Rocks & Walk Away. Jesus is the only one that could have Thrown A Rock-----but He Didn’t!
I can see Jesus, as He Picks Her Up off of the Ground & says, “Woman, I don’t Condemn you, but go & Sin no More!” He is a God that is in the Restoration Business!
3. Peter Totally Denied That He Knew Jesus.
-He walked with Jesus for 3 years.
-He saw Jesus Multiply the Fishes.
-He saw Jesus Walk on Water.
-He even Walked on the Water Himself.
-He saw the Demon Possessed Delivered.
-He was a Part of the Inner Circle.
But when Jesus needed him the most, he blew it! He Denied that he even knew Jesus.
He watched as they Nailed Jesus to the Cross! How do you Think that Peter must have Felt?
-He felt like a Complete Loser.
-He Struck Out When Jesus Needed Him.
-He Blew His Testimony Big Time.
-He must have Felt like a Real Loser.
-Have you ever Felt Like Peter?
-Peter decided to go back to Fishing!
But when Jesus Rose from the Dead, He said to the Ladies at the Tomb, “Go & tell the Disciples & Peter that I am going before you into Galilee.” I’m not Finished with you Peter!
Matthew 18: 12-14
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, & one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine & go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
“And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he Rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these Little one Should Perish.”
I don’t know where you are at Today. Maybe you feel like you have Fallen so Low that you can’t get back up by Yourself. There is no Valley or Hog pen so deep that the Grace of God is not Deeper Still. He is a God of Restoration!
II. God Wants His Church To Be In The Restoration
Business.
2 Corinthians 5: 18
“Now all things are of God, who has Reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the Ministry of Reconciliation.”
Restore- The mending or repairing of that which
is Broken. It’s the picture of someone setting
a Broken Bone. It is bringing back to a
former Position or Condition.
What is the Scriptural Way to Restore A Fallen Brother? I am going to do my best to show you what the word of God say to do. The answer is found in Galatians 6, please turn there with me.
Galatians 6: 1-4
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any Trespass, you who are Spiritual Restore such a one in a Spirit of Gentleness, Considering Yourself lest you also be Tempted.
“Bear one another’s Burdens, & so fulfill the Law of Christ.
“For if anyone think himself to be something when he is Nothing, he deceives himself.
“But let each one examine his own work, & then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, & not in another.”
1. Let those who are Spiritual Restore The Fallen Brother.
I think many times we don’t understand what True Spirituality really is. It is more than;
-Being able to Quote Scripture.
-It is more than Looking Holy.
-It is more than Speaking in other Tongues.
-It is more than being used in all of the Gifts.
-It is Loving People with Christ’s Love.
-It is Picking Up, The Fallen Brother.
When the Started raised the Gun & said, “On your Mark, get set....” it Looked like every other hundred-meter dash. The Contestants were Lined up in the Starting Blocks.
The Crowd was on the Edge of their Seats in Anticipation. When the Starter fired the Gun, the Contestants Sprang out of the Starting Blocks, & even the Casual Observer Could Tell there was Something Different.
This was the Special Olympics. It was Special Because the Contestants were Developmentally & Physically Disabled. But it was Special for a Far Greater Reason than that.
It was Special because of the way that the Hundred-meter dash was run. The Runners moved down the Track Shoulder-to-Shoulder. Suddenly one of the Young Women Fell Headlong on the Track & Turned over in Some Amount of Pain & Embarrassment.
The rest of the Runners moved on for about Ten or Fifteen Meters. Without any Communication among Themselves, they all Stopped, Turned Around & Jogged Back to Their Fallen Friend.
They Picked her off the Track, Comforted her, & then Arm in Arm they Ran Together to the Finish Line. Those Runners would rather Finish Together than Win the Race Individually.
Isn’t this what Christianity is All About?
2. Restore the Fallen Brother In A Spirit of Gentleness.
The last thing that this person needs from another Brother is someone pointing a Judgmental Finger in their Face. And they don’t need another Bible Verse. They need an Arm Around their Shoulder.
The Restoration of a Fallen Brother is Always done by Helping the Brother Recognize That His Tresspass was indeed a Tresspass, If He Has Not Already Done This. Until He Acknowledges His Sin & He is Repentant, Restoration Can Not Take Place!
This is what Nathan did to David.
But when David came Clean with His Sin & Quit Trying To Cover It Up---God Was Ready To Restore!
The Bible says to Restore Him in a Spirit of “Gentleness”. This means do it with a Spirit of Humility & Meekness. We can’t be Critical or Judgmental.
Why do we need to be Gentle? Because that fallen brother could be us next time! “For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is Nothing he deceives himself.”
3. Reach Out To The Fallen Brother With The Forgiveness of God.
I Like Catherine Marshall’s concept of Forgiveness. She suggest that Forgiveness is Releasing another person from your own Personal Judgment.
Taking your Personal Judgment off a person doesn’t mean that you Agree with what they are doing. It simply means that you will not Act as their Judge. You will not Pronounce a Guilty Verdict upon Them.
But what if they were wrong? They aren’t Standing under Your Judgment. To keep another Person under your Personal Judgment is to Play God. The Word says, “It is Mine to Avenge says the Lord, I Will Repay.”
4. Help Them With Their Burden.
Don’t just say that you Love Them, but make yourself Available to Them. Be a Listening Ear!
5. Extend To Them The Grace of God.
A man died & goes to Heaven. Of course St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into Heaven.”
“You tell me all the good things you’ve done, & I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in!”
“Okay, the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years & never cheated on her, even in my Heart.” “That’s wonderful, said St. Peter, “That’s worth 3 points”!
“Three points!” he says, slightly concerned. “Well, I attended Church all of my Life & supported its ministry with my Tithe & Service.” “Terrific!” said St. Peter, “That’s certainly worth a Point.”
“One point!” he moans, now really getting worried. “Well, I started a Soup Kitchen in my City & worked in a Shelter for Homeless Veterans.” “Fantastic, that’s good for two more points.”
“Two points!” the man cries. “At this rate the only way I can get into Heaven is by the Grace of God!”
St. Peter looks at him & Nods saying, “Bingo! 100 points! Come on in my Son. There isn’t a person in this Building that hasn’t Fallen! But Thank God for His Marvelous Grace!
Song: There’s Room At The Cross For You.
There’s Room At The Cross For You.
Though Millions Have Come.
There’s Still Room For One.
There’s Room At the Cross for You.
