Experiencing Failure

2 Corinthians 7:9,10

Life is characterized by choices

Some choices will be good; some choices will be poor.

You will fail but you are not a failure because of this.

Remember: Your feelings do not affect the character of God

He is with us - It is His promise to believers

... you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38

... having also believed you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of

promise

, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance... - Ephesians 1:13,14

Because you don't feel like He is with you doesn't mean He isn't.

Proposition: Real people experience failures but don't have to be defeated

by them..

Let us do a brief review of two men of God and how they responded to

failure.

T.S. As we review a portion of their lives we will discover the proper

response to failure.

I. The Contrasting Moments of Peter

Heights To The Depths - Matthew 16:16-23

The Good Confession - Godly insight - 16:16,17

The Bad Obsession - Satanic influence - 16:21,22

Steps of Faith to Sinking Fear - Matthew 14:28-31

Faith - 14:28,29

Fear - 14:30,31

Obstinate Pride to Obsessive Humility - John 13:4-9

Pride - 13:8

Humility - 13:9

Seven Steps To Peter's Fall ( Ours? )

1, Conceit - Matthew 26:33 ( Maybe someone else but not me! )

2. Spiritual Ease - Matthew 26:40 ( I don't need to pray; I don't need to

stay alert. )

3. Fleshly Solutions - John 18:10,11 ( Having a sword, used it )

4. Spectator Commitment - Matthew 26:58 ( Followed from a distance )

5. Fearful Witness - John 18:17,18 9 ( warming at the devil's fire )

6. Open Denial - John 18:25 ( I am not His disciple )

7. Blasphemy ( speak evil of Holy things ) Mark 14:70,71 ( cursed and

swore )

Response to Failure

1. Remorse - Matthew 26:75

2. Recommitment - John 21:15-19

3. Redemptive Living - Acts 4:19,20

II. The Catastrophic Mistakes of Judas

Five Steps To The Fall of Judas

1. Evil Intentions - John 12:4

2. Hypocrisy - John 12:5,6a

3. Dishonesty - John 12:66

4. Greed - Matthew 26:14-16

5. Betrayal - Luke 22:47,48

Response To Failure

1. Remorse - Matthew 27:3a

2. Restitution - Matthew 27:3b,4

3. Suicide - Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18

III. Paul's Scriptural Definition Illustrated By Peter and Judas

" For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a

repentance without regret leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the

world produces death. "

2 Corinthians 7:10

1. Sorrow is not repentance but leads to it.

2. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct

Conclusion:

We will all have weak moments in our walk with Jesus.

We will all fail Christ sometime in our lifetime.

He will always attempt to call us back to Him.

Sometimes gently and other times bluntly. Hebrews 12;5-11

We can come back! God desires all to come to repentance.

What can we do? Turn away from sin and back to God - 1 John 1:9a

What does God do? Forgives and forgets - 1 John 1:9b

When we feel that we have failed and may have gone beyond return, God

calls us to confess ( acknowledge our sin and need for Him ) our sins.

He promises to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all our

unrighteousness.

Key word: ALL

We are never failures because we have failed but are failures if we quit

rather than face another failure.

The crowing of the rooster lets us know that we have failed but does not

indicate that we are failures.

We are only failures when we fail to see this as a wake up call and do

nothing about it or think that we are beyond hope.