Failing Does Not Make Us Failures - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ the night before Jesus was away and then again back in that workout. There were also even prayed and Jesus said this, he said the spirit is willing but the flesh without suffering our minds the spirit is willing, flesh is joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world.

Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana, one Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work when my favorite Christmas traditions is I have to see every year. It's wonderful like now understand I come from a mixed marriage.

My wife does not like it at all. She thinks it's a very dark kind of movie I think it's a wonderful movie. As you know Clarence my body was an angel second-class and godsend. The earth to be able to help Bob George Bailey which is Jimmy Stewart and out.

They started out in a drowning situation that his life saved and all that in the story just goes on and on and what was really going on is George feels like a complete failure. He feels he feels as though he is filled everybody in the whole town and they go through the story and at the end of the movie Clarence leaves Georgia book with an inscription on it and it says this in the inscription it says remember no man is a failure who has friends had got the theology of that's not real good but that's the statement, but what amazes me is what the real underlying theme is for the human condition and that is is that George perceives himself as a failure and decides in spite of all the other things about his life that are very good one that he wishes he had never been born into that he wishes he could take his life and I think what makes the movies so compelling is that all of us love to see a movie where someone moves from failure to real success and that's what makes the movie. The movie I don't know if we realize, so that part of the movie is extraordinarily biblical and what I mean by that is that what you see over and over and over again in the word of God is God takes people who are failures and then makes them successes. Abraham, the father of all of us who believe in the father of Israel is a failure he fails even twice.

Remember God told him that he was going to bless them with the child. That child be a blessing throughout the world and twice Abraham denied that Sarah was his wife in order to save his own skin. Now, even after got a told you have a child, Moses we are talking about an incredible name to the Jewish people. The deliverer of Egypt decided to take into his own hands. The idea of being a deliver for Egypt and kills an Egyptian tremendous failure and he has to run away to the land of Midian and up. It took him 40 years to finally see it God's way and he went back into the land. David mean my goodness, Bathsheba, adultery, the murder of Uriah the Hittite complete failure. Elijah, the great prophet Elijah has this incredible victory over the priest a bail and then finds out that's some woman is after name Jezebel and he completely panics Peter and his denials which will look at in a few moments and many others in Scripture monumental failures and that is really important to people like you and me, because we all fail. It's really part of the human condition. I've had people coming to my office over all these years and and say things like this to me pastor. I don't really believe I'm a Christian and in one way or another they say because I feel I don't believe I could be a Christian and do what I did. Others come in and say look, I believe that God is finished with me. He'll never use me for anything because of what I did and how I felt. Many others just come in and are sadly just extremely depressed about the whole thing is prevailing feeling.

The idea that my new identity is on the failure well today when I want to tell you is this feeling is not make us failures you really need to understand this feeling is not make us failures back in 1988 United Technologies Corporation published a small article in the Wall Street Journal, and I just want to point out some things and they said you failed many times. Although you may not even remember you fell down the first time you try to walk almost from the first time you try to swim.

Did you hit the ball the first time you had a bad in your hands, Rh Macy failed seven times before store finally caught on a New York Babe Ruth struck out 1330 times before. He had 714 home runs, so don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't try, after failure.

So the first and most important thing for us to do is we all need to face the reality of failure in our lives much or all of us are very good at this, especially Christians because of expectations.

Open your Bible to Psalm 103 Psalm 103 verses 13 and 14 to me as an extremely important and familiar song because virtually every funeral.

I do, I read this song but 13 and 14 tells us something first about God and man about us.

Verse 13 says, just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, for he himself knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust. God not only knows who we are and knows what we are. That's a response. He said look, I know your I know what human beings are. I know your frame. I know you are but dust. But he says clear, but I have compassion on you becomes a very important part when we do with their own failures. Remember the night before Jesus was crucified and he was at my disseminating before he went up there and it in the olives amount olives. He said I'm going to go away and pray would you stay and pray with me and so he went away and then he came back into how that worked out.

They were all asleep. Click the have energy to even pray for and Jesus though said this, he said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak or that's our frame.

That's our mindset. The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. I want to look at probably what I would call the greatest failure of a believer in the entire Bible. I hope invite you to open your Bibles to Luke 22 return to Luke 22 the story of Peter and the reason for him being the greatest is the context in which this all happens and we learned some things about spiritual failure. From this context. Again Jesus is about to be crucified. The next day so he starts in verse 25. Any heat. He tells them what leadership in the kingdom looks like versus Gentile or secular leadership, and then he gets down to verse 31 and he says Simon Simon, behold, now that word doesn't mean much to us, but that behold is the word you do and it's like exclamation points in English it's behold it's not behold, he says, behold, Simon, Simon, repeat sitting.

This is important Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat knows the were permissions in italics and asked for permission, he just demanded that he could sift you like wheat. The first point about failures this behind spiritual failure is always a spiritual enemy is always there. He's there for Peter. He's there for you and me is always there, always has something to do.

I notice his thoughts here. He wants to sift you like wheat that's putting grain through a sieve so that you can remove the head of off the grain.

So if you want to save more colorful point of you say would just like to tell your head off if he could, can't you wish. That's important. There's another thing important in the verse you'd never see in English. He said he has demanded permission to sift you like wheat because he said Simon you're thinking he's talking about Simon. He's not the word used coral not singular.

In other words, he's talking all of his disciples. Satan has demanded he could sift you all like wheat.

Now the reason he hasn't is in the next verse, but I but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. Satan is the man that he could sift all of us like wheat why we all hear because of Christ because he prays for us. Romans eight says he makes intercession for us. The book of Hebrews says he's our great high priest to represent us to God.

The reason all the believers in Jesus Christ are still on the earth right now is because Christ prays for them. Not because of them, not their strength but that he prays for, and then he says something here. They shame and remit that I missed and I only missed it for four years and that's all I miss the 40 up I went to the passage 100 times miss that every time he said I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail and he says and you he said, and this goes back to singular. He says and you when once you have turned again, strengthen the brother what what Jesus is telling Peter you're going to fail and you're going to repent and when you do strengthen the brother that's what I called you to do. Jesus is anticipating the third Jesus knows the failures coming, but he says I also know that your repent so he says so he says when once you have turned again, strengthen your brother now. In that context is a sobering words of Jesus. What's Peter but he said to Jesus, Lord with you. I am ready to go. Both the prison and the death of so I am God knows our frame.

He knows we are but dust with this is this is human pride. Just incredible. This sounds just like Peter and a little bit just like us. I have strength I have capacity. I don't think we do.

But he said it.

And Jesus said to him, I say to you, Peter the rooster will not. He said Crow today until you have denied three times and you even know me.

By the way, you see some the beginning and adverse but this Jesus: Peter, this is kind of ironic. Do not many other places Jesus calls Peter Peter, none none scepter. That's the name by the way, Jesus gave him a member. Peter rock Jesus. Have fun with this service. In this way, I say to you, Rocky Mr. strong guy. You see, the reason your call Peter.

Peter is because of me now because of you see the strength that you have come from me, it doesn't come from you, Paul, under the same lesson dating with a thorn in the flesh, God said to him, Paul, when you are weak. I am my strength you become strong through me. That's was telling all of us.

So he says that and then he says to all of them. He said when I sent you want without a money belt and a bag and sandals.

You did not lack anything did you notice is talking when he sent up 70 but when he took them out. He told to take nothing with them what you need money now you want your need quote no, you won't need anything and that's what they end up responding in saint and they say no, nothing you handled everything force. The reason being Jesus tell them that it's going to be a lot different now than be a lot different now.

Jesus knows is going to crucify the next day.

Up till now, Jesus is been in this the eye of the hurricane. He's been in that part of the hurricane on the spiritual warfare issue. It Satan and him the next day. Jesus is leaving. Jimmy crucified, he says, and then you'll be in the eye and by the way I'm knocking to carry on like a ticket all the way I'm not covering everything you need. It goes on a says this then he said, but now, whoever has a money belt is a take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword. He said to sell his coat and by one was going well for them until the last phrase there. I have a lot of fun with this. Over the years, but for Pentecost. Almost every time Jesus spoke to you could take it wrong.

The disciples took it is it's and it's uncanny how they never got it. No matter what he said.

There was never God, and that's one of the things that he does here.

When Jesus says the sword he doesn't mean a sword. It's a symbol. This is a life-and-death situation. That's what he means, how they take it literally is always sort now we know that what Jesus meant, because when he was arrested how Peter do with the sword.

Every got withdrew when I and cut an ear off the temple guard Jesus looked at him, probably sugar said put the year back on, give me the sword. You see there's something different going on here.

Jesus doesn't necessarily mean it the way they took it well. As he goes on he said, for I tell you that that which is written must be fulfilled in me, and he was numbered with the transgressors for that which refers to me has its fulfillment going to be crucified and they said to him, Lord, look here to swords. He said to them, that's enough just love we got to already have been because it's not that's not the sword that he means. That's not what he's really talking about.

He's talking about something else. So the second point behind every spiritual failure is a spiritual enemy and behind every spiritual failure is blindness to our own weaknesses and ignoring God's warnings see what is the sword we have in order to fight for failure told me now to Ephesians 6 Ephesians chapter 6 and here in Ephesians 6 Paul's describing the same kind of scenario, but he's explaining to us the symbolism which is helpful. I'm afraid that if Jesus had spoken the disciples using Paul's words.

They were all dressed like Roman soldiers.

That's what Jesus wants of us. But Paul explains it to us. He's in prison and he says therefore in verse 13 therefore take up the form of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, stand firm is to stand firm. Therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and in addition to all taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Now the evil ones not shooting will flaming arrows, but he shooting everything else in some a spiritual point of view to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. That's what Jesus meant the only way you're going to resist. The only way you can fight your own failures is with the word of God, your loins are already with the truth your Faith is there. He said, but that's exactly what ends up happening. You have to be able to use. He says the word of God. The other thing he says here is pretty interesting that every time we have a spiritual failure.

It's always a failure.

Faith always noticed that's what he said. He said in addition, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one for the child of God whenever we fail is because we have a failure of faith that ends up being what happens to us in every single situation we don't believe me. Let me define faith have done this for some years now because of Tony Evans but faith is acting as if God is told to the truth. Best definition of ever faith is acting as though God told her the truth. Faith is not all yeah that's right, do it anyway. That's not faith.

Faith is acting as though what God tells you the truth, so whenever you when I fell refilling faith. Think of all the ways in which we fail one of the most painful ones I went into consistently and deal with in counseling is in a marriage where adultery is been committed okay and it becomes very painful in a very difficult process to work yourself through. Why they do it but was going to feel good and I thought I thought that doubt.

It just seemed like I was so tired of the fighting in my marriage and it would be better for me to just do something like what you get that where that come from God. God so yeah, I think. Look, it's going to be a few nights ago and enjoyed. Now God said one man one woman, one lifetime so and by the way, very few Christians know that I don't know that there's very few that don't know that we did it anyway why I don't believe that I believe for me to see a go ahead and do it. It happens in every different aspect of our lives. I know people that are better Christians over all these years and you know why they won't forgive somebody who heard him walk in the just bitter and are bitter about everything but their bitter widely bitter because God said look, they hurt you.

You be better. So God said, I think you said you forgive them.

How often 7×70 infinitely effective said you need to forgive, exactly the same as Christ gave you as a godsend. So what are you doing I'm not forgiving. See almost every time it's a crisis of faith. We don't act upon is over God's time. This is true pastoral number on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time.

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