Can a Failure Move the Heart of God?

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City on the failure was to the three why would God listen to me what will be the point of my person.

I have hardly any faith left and I have such a lousy track record.

Why would even entertain my voice at his throne. So the question is can the failure move the heart and the hand of God. Welcome to our call to the nation with Carter, after 40 years.

Moses, who was raised in the palace ended up raising sheep he went from walking on marble floors to sleeping in the church. He felt he was a failure felt it was no use to God anymore.

How can a failure move the heart of God is Carter's title for today's message selects going in right now I'm reading from the book of Exodus chapter 32 beginning at verse seven right through to verse 14. If you want to follow along.

If you have a device where you can and I'm reading from the new King James version and the Lord said to Moses, go get down for your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

They turned aside quickly out of the way, which I commanded them they've made themselves a molded calf and worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said this is your God over Israel that brought you up out of the land of Egypt and the Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiffnecked people. Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against him and I may consume them and I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand. Why should the Egyptians speak and say he brought them out to harm them to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth, turn from your fierce wrath and relent from this harm to your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, your servants, in whom you swore by your own self and said to them, I will multiply your descendents as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have spoken of. I give to your descendents, and they shall inherit it forever. Verse 14 is an incredible verse and it says so the Lord relented from the harm which he said he would do to his people.

One of the most profound statements that I have seen this so there's obviously a lot of profound statements in the word of God.

One of the most found concerning the issue of prayer is verse 10 of Exodus chapter 32, when God Almighty, having fully declared his intent speaks to a mere man, an 80-year-old man, a man who had spent probably 40+ years of his life feeling like a total abject failure in the sight of God but yet that same man has the power and God reveals that that segment has the power to change his mind turned his heart from something he had already determined to do. It's an incredible thought. Imagine a God looking at you saying I'm I'm going to do this now let me alone. Don't try to change my mind. In other words but yet Moses intercedes in the intercession of this one man this this 80-year-old man which spent 40 years in the wilderness as a failure.

In one sense, and in the work that God had given them to do. God looks at this man and says now let me alone now. Most often, when we pray we we think that our prayers are answered when we feel the closest to God.

But when we would come out of 40 days of fasting or we leave. Been reading our Bible out faithfully every every morning for a month or we had some victories along the way, only maybe just really feel really good about ourselves, and we commend and and and and faith seems to be burning in her heart and we really feel that it's at that moment that we have the power in a sense to move the heart and the hand of God in the direction that were asking for and that can be the case.

Among the gating that they can be the case, but most often when you study the Scriptures you and I will see that it's is not at these times of the heart and hand of God were the most deeply moved, is one there was somebody standing there that knew their unworthiness.

Somebody felt like a failure.

Somebody who knew maybe that they they needed God and without God. Nothing was going to happen through their lives are in their future. Hebrews chapter 4 verses 15 and 16. The writer says we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tested as we are yet without sin is as now let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace note picture Esther, if you will coming into the very throne room of the King. Those come boldly is by invitation and is God longs to hear your voice.

He wants to understand your your petitions. Your intercessions and fancy solos come boldly to the throne of grace, and it doesn't say in a time where our faith can move mountains in a time where we feel like wrong on on top of our game and it is a time where we have victory and we live righteously and we we are successful in our site.

No, this is come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So the three words to come boldly to the throne of grace.

When you need mercy when you need that grace of God when you need that that empowerment that mercy is in the sense that the presence of God that can only bring the victory to find help in time of need. So grace, mercy, helping me that's the boldness that God invites us to come to his throne with and so it brings us back again to the question, can a failure move the heart and the hand of God.

That's quite a thought because if we lay hold of this truth to the devil would try to convince you that because you are a failure because you have failed and what maybe you were given to baby filled with life itself. You failed, is it in a marriage is you failed to be loyal as an employee of failed as a friend you you you you failed if you thought you wanted to be certain things in your character and you failed and so here you are, you try to get free of an addiction you failed and so I know I'm speaking to thousands, perhaps the people in the course of the season where people will see this even after the meeting.

I know I'm speaking the people were just so get your talking about your speech and write down my street. Now I'm a failure and I know I'm a failure and why should I pray why would God even listen to me.

What would be the point of my person. I have hardly any faith left and I have such a lousy track record. Why would even entertain my voice at his throne. So the question is a legitimate question, can a failure move the heart and the hand of God will follow with me for just a moment in the book of acts chapter 2, the apostle Peter speaks incredibly powerful moving sermon.

The first actual sermon of the New Testament. That's was preached by the early church a sermon that was so backed the Bible says you can't come to God bless your drawn by God himself. You can't come to the knowledge of salvation unless God chooses to reveal it and that they 3000 people came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So obviously the heart and the hand of God are moved through this man Peter as he is preaching and talking about this incredible wondrous mercy of God that's available to all people who call out to him. But you see this this moving of God's heart and hand happens after Peter has wept bitterly. It happens after he has cursed and denied with an oath that he even knows Christ, after he has his failed in his declarations of love and loyalty and though others deny you. I will not end though they flee. I won't fail go with you to Jerusalem if you die I'll die with you and all of this bravado that had no grounding in reality whatsoever. After he gone out and literally was destroyed in his own site, only to have Christ reappear to him and speak peace into his heart. Given the commission so this men in the depth of his failure. Now God is answering his prayers in the heart and the hand of God are moving with them so powerfully that it one point in the New Testament. The Scripture says people were laying there sick in the streets, but so the shadow of Peter passing by might bring healing into their lives. God was so moved through this failure call Peter think of Esther in the Old Testament is this wondrous young girl is called in for to bring deliverance at a particular time for her people in history. It was at the point where she felt unlovely at the point where she might feel like felt like I failed the needs of of my husband, the king, he doesn't desire anymore.

It was it was at that point that God called her and she went into the this inner court of the king and made intercession and brought about great great deliverance for a people who were destined for the slaughter. God wanted to use a young man called Isaiah in the eyes. There was already administering is already speaking. God wants to use them in a much deeper way wants to give them a much more profound revelation. He wants to cause his power in his speech, and power in his voice to even turn perhaps 1/10 of the people that he speaks to back to the worship of the one true in the living God. But before he can use this man. He draws them into his presence and as he drove into his presence.

Isaiah realized how undone he really was. He might may be felt done up to that point.

I don't know maybe felt like his ministry was going good maybe had one of the clearer words of his his generation but God in his mercy draws him into his presence to the point where he says rollers may undone. I'm a man of on clean lips and I dwell in the midst of the people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the Lord of glory the Lord of hosts. It was at that point the hand of God moves towards him the mercy of God begins to flow through him and Isaiah is not only given the word for his nation but is given a panoramic view of the redemption of the world is this or Jesus Christ right into the coming of Christ again.

Moses endured what must've seemed like a lifetime of failure. You can just imagine his life, how he must've felt. How would you feel if you were Moses and you know that you're called of God to deliver your people as as you are on speaking to somebody you're called and that deliverance might flows through your life. The people around you beginning in your house and your children, your family and and and Moses knew this and he he headed out to try to accomplish it in his own strength, only to fail miserably end up fleeing into the wilderness and for for 40 years, a man who was raised in the palace is now raising sheep 40 years.

There's no longer any plush marble under his feet or carpet any longer. It's it's just dust and dirt 40 years of living with the pain of regret. I blew it I was given something to do by God.

I was giving this mission by God, and I I blew the commission my my time of effectiveness is over.

I am a total daughter failure in the sight of God, only to stand at the height perhaps of feeling that way before Almighty God himself who looks at him and says, now let me alone. See what God was speaking to Moses is that you have the power in your little this in your nothingness in your right assessment.

My sight of yourself. You have the power now to move my hand in my heart. If you and I could lay hold of this truth, this one truth. If we can get off of this treadmill of trying to feel like somehow we've got that does work it all off and stir a lot but we gotta have this these building blocks of victory underneath us. We have to have read so many chapters of the Bible and we have to memorize Scripture.

And we gotta get are we gonna be walking right in every little area of our life if we can just get out of that thinking and come into the place of the apostle Paul understood eventually that when I am weak, then I am strong. The power of God is not made known through my strength. It's made known through my weakness. The greatness of God. We heard about is not made known through my life, but it through his life he lived through my his successor. My failure his victory through my defeat his resurrection through my death. It's all about Jesus Christ. Everything is about him and I'm starting to understand these things now as I get older I'm starting to understand what prayer really is how it really can move the heart of God. How a spiritual awakening could actually occur in our generation. When God's people everywhere just rise up and say I understand now. We heard about this goodness in this greatness of our God through Jesus Christ. I understand that there's something in the heart and the character of God that I missed in my desire to please him. I now understand that in my nothingness. Because all flesh is as filthy rags in the sight of a holy God.

Isaiah knew that all of our works that we do are are nothing there futile or worthless. Everything is off him everything is in him everything that we have is in Christ, everything we ever will be is through Jesus Christ and it's not is not looking for our strength to do anything is looking for us to acknowledge what we really are and then when we do, then we start to acknowledge what who he really is a God of mercy, God of power God of incredible grace we start shouting, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts filled with his glory. When suddenly we die and he lives when we don't have any left to prove what were saying God prove yourself through me. I offer my life as a living sacrifice to you for your purposes on the earth which is my reasonable service.

That's what the Bible says about me.

I won't boast it if you should put a crown on my head.

I'll be the first to start at your feet. When I get to have knowing I'm not worthy.

You are the only one who is worthy.

You are the only one who can save your they want only one who can empower your the only one who can show mercy to a wayward generation.

The Lord said to Moses, I've seen this people.

Indeed, it's a stiffnecked people. Now therefore let me alone with my wrath, they burn hot against them, and I may consume them and I will make of you a great nation.

Now verse 11 that starts as as Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with a great power and with a mighty hand, is the only person who had known failure and mercy could pray like that is the kind of commences. God I deserve to be judged as well. I deserved you. You didn't have to show me mercy. Yes, they failed you, but I failed you two as well.

I knew you were God that I chose to be God and myself and they bill the calf and I built myself up as something that I wasn't at the time work. Nor did I have the strength to do but yet in my failure you you reached down in my wilderness, and you heard maybe the ache in my heart, and you pulled me out of my wilderness and so why, why would your wrath burn hot against your people that you brought out of the land of Egypt.

You want to such expense and such power to bring them out. God wide now you knew what they were.

You knew what I was Moses good said that you called me you my failure due to my struggles you to my temper. You know my my trials and yet you called me and you brought me out of the wilderness and so why would you why would you harm them when you showed me such mercy, silly matters, no mercy could make intercession like in verse 12 he said, why should the Egyptians speak and say brought them out to harm them to kill them in the mountains and the consumer from the face of the earth, turn from your fears rather than relent from this harm dear people, here's here's what Moses say Lord God think about what your enemies will say about you about your name that you have some insidious purpose to the things that you do you draw people out with great promises them bringing you to the promised land, and you destroy them.

Think about your reputation. Think about your name and number years ago when Pastor Teresa, myself and the bus driver began to pray.

We were in an area 40 mi.² where there was no Christian testimony as long backwards as as we newer or even history recorded and we were told by other people were told by others to who had the skill set to do something for the Lord in that area that it could not be done. I remember this one pastor told me which sent people in there. We put money in there and everything everything we've done has failed. We call it a pastoral burnout area and then he looked at me and said you know if you try to do something that area though the work will not grow but you will you will grow and I member leaving and sitting in my car and I is a God. I don't believe that man I don't believe that man because I'll tell you why I don't believe him because he saying there's something you can't do. He saying there's a place you can't go. He saying there's a darkness you can't break the singers of people you can't redeem he saying that the devil in this world can put boundaries and borders around a certain geographic area in the world and an they can put assigns is no God allowed and somehow you have to obey that. What I don't believe it. And I begin to pray that when I begin to pray exactly as Moses prayed not fully knowing it.

Back then, but I remember my prayer Lord it's dishonoring to you to have all these people here lost in their sin. The people say that you can't break into this area when there's somebody here interceded when somebody is weak as we are here we are.

We're calling out to you and ask you to be God in this area.

Long story short lesson 10 years later there's three churches, a food bank, a Christian school in the testimony that had gone far and wide of what the Lord had done and is still doing today in that area. For those people and then he says these words. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self and you said to them, I will multiply your descendents as the stars of heaven and all this land that I've spoken of. Give to your descendents, and they shall and heretic forever. Moses was think God I remind you that your promise to your people is to bring increase to them your promises to bless them new promises to make them something they could never hope to be in themselves, take them out of what they could never get out of and bring them into what they could never hope to have unless you bring them there. Your promise is increase, not destruction. And I remind you of your word. It was at this point the Lord relented from the harm that he said he would do to his people. My desire for you and the desire in my heart for the rest of my life as God would have to look at me every morning and say no leave me alone now leave me alone that I would understand that the intercession the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

James Toles in the New Testament.

Elijah was a man just like we are person just like we are. He prayed that it might not rain and the rain stopped for 3 1/2 years. Then he prayed that it might rain and it rained again in the land gave her increase the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail of much not righteousness in ourselves, but receiving the forgiveness the gods given to us through Jesus Christ. Understanding that we don't deserve it and we can't earn it. It was given to us as a free gift when God sent his son to die for each of us on the cross. 2000 years ago. The promise of God is not to destroy us when we deserve it. The promise of God is to bring his own name to reputation through each of our lives in the promise of God is in spite of our failure to bring increase into each of our lives in so I'm going to challenge you say Lord I deserve to be destroyed but you sent your son to die in my place that I might be forgiven and through him. Your Bible tells me that I become as clean as God is where the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Yes, I deserve it because of my failure, but your promises not to destroy me. Your promise is to bring increase to my life blessing to my family deliverance to my friends joy to my community that your name will be exalted and glorified one more time in the earth's father in Jesus name I asked Almighty God send a spiritual awakening to your people. Only you can do this, Lord.

We deserve everything the children of Israel deserved at that time, we deserve weaving built around God in this nation.

Lord, to you belongs mercy and it couldn't be said of you that somebody stood in the gap.

The somebody because you said to the prophet Ezekiel, I didn't want to destroy the nation. So I sought for men to stand in the gap and makeup at that I should not destroy it, but I found none, but it can't be said of you that somebody stood in the gap somebody offered their life to make up the heads you turned a callused heart are different dear a blind eye towards it couldn't be said of you attempted can't can't be said, so I'm asking you, asking you for mercy on our generation rescue for your Holy Spirit to come not because we deserve it just because of who you are. I'm asking you for a moment were so many souls are swept into your kingdom that nobody could count them.

Thank you Lord God for hearing our crime. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for bringing us to this place that only you can. You been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ.

Log on to TSC.NYC TSC.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Hunter,