Turning Setbacks Into Comebacks

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