Keep Pressing Ahead - Facing Personal Failure, Part 1

The last two weeks we've been talking about facing adversity.

Adverse circumstances adverse situations adverse people, but I think the most difficult thing to face his personal to get to keep going to get restored with God and people. When you know you blew it in your marriage or you blew it. In this job.

You've lost your job, maybe your perspective right now what you want. It is apparent. Overcoming personal failure. Facing being restored.

That's today don't go. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edge features the Bible to on this daily discipleship program this program to continue the series pressing ahead by bringing hope to anyone who is experiencing the agony of failing over the past several programs we talked about discouragement opposition in tough times things in life are as devastating as is chips can remind us that with God failures never final matter where you are. You can start the journey back to wholeness and restoration today. Now after the teaching chips going to give us a couple of very practical next steps so be sure to stay with okay if you have a Bible in the open out Nehemiah chapter 8: stewardship for part one of this message facing personal failure want to talk to you about the adversity that comes personal failure.

The emotional pain the spiritual pain the relational pain. The distance from God, the guilt, the shame, when you know what's right to do and you don't do it. When God speaks very clearly and says this is something you shouldn't do and you do it anyway when you're in that journey and were all you know that some of the greatest people in Scripture have made devastating steps of personal failure and no one is immune. In many ways that the journey of walking with God is three step forwards and grace and then a couple step backwards in the way it often happens with you and with me as were just normal regular people in every single day I'm going to have a thought a motive at times in action and I sin God speaks to me and says do this chip and no no and then when you center when I sin, and whether it's an internal motive or whether it's something I look at, or something that I say or an action that I do the spirit of God will convict you and and you'll you have this experience. You will lose the sense of peace in connection with God and the whole goal of that connection broken is to let you know something's wrong.

The spirit act as an empire and arbitrator in your heart and so the moment you get that and praying.

9/10 days. That light goes on inside you, oh Lord, I'm sorry, and you claim that promise. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Fellowship is broken, God still loves you and then you come to get back on track and that's how it goes for most of us, you know, hopefully, most of the time, but I like you to lean back for just a minute because I want to talk about how sometimes you end up in really bad spots. If you don't understand how it happens you get so used to it, you won't even understand why you're going through what you're going through.

Sometimes personal failures aren't so small. The not so temporary were not so quick to respond. The spirit convicts and we just push it away. We pull away.

We drift we harden our heart those occasional sins begin to become patterns, relationships deteriorate. Guilt increases denial sets in. You start rationalizing what you're doing and why you're doing it. You blame other people you find yourself unconsciously sort of staying away from people and places that bring truth into your life begin to live a lie of secrets and lies your conscience like mine. Little by little becomes dull and and things that so clearly violate God's word. They don't register hardly at all in your soul. Just a tiny little dim uncomfortableness and then intellectually you rationalize it, and I rationalize it where we just decide that's okay for now and we actually intellectually think work were okay with God.

And yet we feel that emotional distance from him.

And if the truth or known our behavior and actions are going this way and the truth in God's will or going that way.

And then God does something because he loves you. David calls at the heavy hand of God upon his life soon you really love people.

We can't let them go their own way and so God brings what I call the velvet vice of discipline and love into your life and he is watching you and he watches me go into these were the times of denial and these hardening of hearts and then he'll help to bring some financial pressure that didn't get your attention might bring some health issues might bring a conflict in your marriage might allow something to happen in the economy, he might give you a biopsy report that really get your attention either yours or someone the love he might have one your kids go through something, but I will tell you he will bring pain and increasing levels of heat and adversity to get your attention and then we get your attention.

You start thinking I wonder if God is trying to speak to me through all these things that help bring truth in your life and depending on how long you let this go. You have one of these what I call vivid reality moments and you'll just see yourself in light of who God is in his truth and you feel the sense of shame and guilt, and I've blown it and all the denial goes away and you realize I have failed God, I've betrayed Christ I've hurt people, and then that she just overwhelming, sensitive, I've ruined this. I've ruined that I've hurt them. Can God really forgive me and depending on how long we can get were feeling like I don't think I don't think I'm eligible anymore and I don't know how to come back to God. For most of us, we try to work our way and do some good things and appease some things and then the patterns that are ingrained they just keep squeezing us and squeezing us one of the greatest minute all of Scripture was David and he send it the wrong place at the wrong time and an impulsive moment. He had an affair and then to cover his affair and his adultery.

He had a man killed and one of most intimate recollections ever recorded in Scripture. He shares about somewhere between the 12 to 14 month. When he was keeping this under wraps. And he was in the velvet vice of God's grip and he shares what it did to his heart. What it did to his body and what it did to his emotions and you can follow along if you like to at the put them on the front of your notes.

I read in Psalm 32 where David is talking about personal pain that's come from his failure and he said when I kept silent talking about is sin with Bathsheba talking about murder talking about the violation of his conscience. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

The adversity that God will bring sometimes will be very physical for day and night your hand was heavy upon me. God loves you. He won't leave you alone. My strength was sapped is in the heat of summer. You talk about feeling depressed.

No energy. I can't go on.

He doesn't like himself, then verse five we get a turning point in is the turning point God brought some of you in this room today to break out of this because he loves you.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, I did not cover my iniquity.

I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord and notice what happened and you forgave the guilt of my sin. And so in a moment of time. He realizes I'm coming clean. I see it, I'm gonna own it. I'm going to just get absolutely honest before you will you forgive me.

He does and that after that paying notice he talks about the path of restoration they talks not only about himself but for you and me.

He says therefore let everyone who is godly, pray to you while he may be found. The inferences there's times he may not be found. There's times where you can go to such denial and have such patterns that you won't hear God's voice later. So some of you keep brought you today to give you one more chance. Surely when the muddy waters rise. They will not reach him and then as he begins to experience this release. The sense of forgiveness. He says you are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

He's at King. It is good to have to face the people's gift to own his stuff is you have to admit he's committed adultery, and he's a leader in anything have to own up to murder, and he has no ideas what the consequences of God will be and then we get in verse eight God's response to him, and by the way, it's his response to you is the reason most of us don't come out of these, times is down deep, we feel like you know what I don't how to face it. I don't know what to do. The consequences are so overwhelming and I can't make it alone and God says I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you should go. I'll be with you.

I will counsel you with my eye upon you all take you through this all coach you through this, you can make it not the first person that's really blown it, but he makes a warning says don't be like the horse of a mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by a bitter, bright, or they won't come don't don't don't make me keep yanking on your life. It could get worse. This is because many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man the woman the trusts in him what God brought you into this room on this day to grass had maybe a level that you never have is despite anything you've done secretly or in your mind or in your heart and your behavior or what someone may never ever know. He still loves you his unfailing, steadfast, loyal, forgiving love, but the issue a lot my life in the past is been highly experience that when you know you messed up. How do you get out of projecting and protecting and how do you get where you experience what David experienced new life, a fresh start turning your notes if you will because Nehemiah in this last section is to be our model. He's going to show us exactly how to be restored. He's gonna say in this passage chapter 8 there's three conditions he's gonna say it's gonna start with a return to God's word then is going to tell us we have to respond to that truth and that is going to say when you return to his word, respond to the truth from the heart. He said you have to apply to your life and when you do, you can be clean and when you do he'll walk with you and when you do. He can take some of the worst times of your life and turn them around and chapter 8 opens when the seventh month came in the Israelites and settling their towns all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Watergate, the notice who takes initiative. They told Ezra member.

He's the priest is the teacher of the law describe bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seven-month Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which is made up of men and women and all who are able to understand so so children that were old enough to understand that someone would read and explain something what was going on.

He read it out loud from daybreak until noon. As he faced the square before the Watergate in the presence of the men, the women, the others who could understand and all the people listened intently to the book of the law and then they want you get this picture there's about 30 to 50,000 people, roughly, and they built this large platform because now the people that the walls are built.

The gates are there there some alignment it's okay. We need to fulfill God's mission and so there's this large platform and Nehemiah's going to be on it and ouch I'll do my best to read the names that are very hard to pronounce for me of about 13 priests and from Dawn till noon. He's going to read out loud the Pentateuch for the first five books. The law of Moses and so imagine 30 to 50,000 people out there and we pick it up. Ezra opened the book and all the people could see them because he was standing above them, and he opened it and the people stood up and was on this wooden platform and to his right were math Alliance Shema and NNI Junior Ryan Hill Kia and masse, and on his left were podiatry Michelle you will and Mojica and Hosch room hash about it. I'd and Zachariah and the shalom and all the people could see them because he was standing above them in the open it and they stood up and Ezra praised the Lord, the great God and all the people lifted their hands and they responded then amen as they heard the word of God being taught and then they bowed down and they worship the Lord with their faces to the ground and then the Levite so we have up here 13 on the platform with him and then I'm not going to attempt to read the next 13 names there even harder to pronounce, but the Levites are the people that instruct people there. The people to help with the temple and if you list them. What you'll find is there's 13 key Levite leaders in the notice what they do. They instructed the people in the law while the people were standing there. They read from the book of the law of God.

Here's the key line, making it clear literally. The Hebrew word means to separate a means to break down has the idea of translating of giving the understanding the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read, so I put some notes together. If you have a pen follow along.

Let's just look at so so what are they do. First and foremost they return to the work so so what did they actually do. They took initiative they took the initiative, they said that's right, you been here. Historically he's been there about 14 years and he's had Bible studies and he's been teaching, but the enemies of been bad and the walls have been rebuilt the temple's going, slow, and so Ezra's been teaching, but there's been no momentum there's been no traction there's been no we are the people of God, and after 14 years and things are lined they take the initiative in this the Ezra the book of the law. Would you read it to us. We want to know God's plan. So he does notice they secondly invested time, not about you, but when's the last time you spent six straight hours standing up in reverence to hear God's word from Dawn until noon. Third, they listened attentively but this wasn't like okay were supposed to do this you know couple chapters a day or a few hours a day to keep the devil while you know this. This is like we want to hear what is God's plan.

What does he say so that's what they did not notice how they did it that came before God and families. Men, women, and those it could understand these parents understood that is not enough to tell your kids what you learn somewhere else. But when they get old enough to understand what's going on. They wanted them to see Nehemiah they wanted him to see the people they wanted to see God's word read and heard they wanted to be around.

The Levites came to get this idea that it was taught publicly and then there must've been some breaks for the Levites and the priest would go to the crowd and begin to explain it to.

This is what it means. This is how it goes. And so they read the word publicly it at some point time they just wanted to know what did God say then they explained the word privately. What is it mean I'm any can you imagine they worship idols.

They turned away from God. The heavy hand of God was upon the nation. It was his discipline. Hebrews 12 says all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet those who been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. The Proverbs and Hebrews 12 both teach that when we sin the discipline the velvet vice of God. He brings consequences into our life to get our attention, to draw us back to him and so the consequences were 70 years they went to captivity and then another hundred years there, working their way back and so these are people at don't they never heard, and their hearing stories about the Exodus in the hearing stories from Deuteronomy 6 about love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul your mind father's teacher children to walk when you rise up. And when you lie down and they would read numbers they read the laws in Leviticus and for six hours. Their hearing things.

Many of them have never heard and then in the smaller kind of subgroups they're getting.

Explain this is what it means, then finally they worship God reverently came across a verse that is in Isaiah 66.

It is very very powerful and it's written at a time when people were far from God, and God says this is the one that I esteem these are the people that find favor in his eyes. Those who have a humble and contrite heart and who trembles at my word trembles at my word. To understand the God that spoke into nothingness and the galaxies came into existence is the same God who sent the second person of the Trinity his son to be the living word and to walk among us and he gave us his written word and that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction instruction in righteousness, that the man of God, the woman of God could be adequately equipped to live the kind of life that would enjoy God's love and fulfill his mission and Jesus would say that hey, you'll never live by physical issues in physical fulfillment, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. And so when these people heard the holiness of God and his word. They raise their hands when they said amen amen they were saying. We agree that what is been spoken is true from the high and holy God.

And then it says they bowed low and they prostrated themselves and they humble themselves, and were saying where returning our life, our dreams are values, our children, our family, our money where returning under the authority of your work and they worshiped. I would ask you as we go to the second condition, what would it look like for you to return to God's word mean I would encourage us go down to the listing say in my taking initiative in my investing time is there is her level of attentiveness for some of you and families ask our our families coming before God and his word corporately is my family coming before God's word privately in our home and not MI pursuing the understanding of God's word, MI and some sort of smaller group community where it's explained and I can learn it so many of the issues that you face and I face are so far away from God's best for your life but if you don't know what is best is because it's in his word and you neglected and you disobey you received this consequences and these consequences. This holy loving God will bring the velvet vice into your life to get your attention to bring you to a day like this. The sixth turnaround repent, listen, let me love you before we go on I want to give you right now to make a decision to turn around to stop to say to God, I want to come back to you want to be forgiven. I want to be restored and I am aware that is not just saying this, but I need to go where you've told me to go. You told me that your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path. You have told me that I can't live by bread alone, but I live by every word that proceeds out of your mouth. I want you right now to confess to God even if you can't close your eyes and and and pray out loud you can do it in your mind and your heart, and he hears tell God that you have talked to friends, you may be of seeing a counselor you may be of read some books about your problems. You maybe have done all kind of things but not that those may be wrong, but tell God you're sorry that you haven't come to him. The haven't got into his word. David said in the midst of his most trying times.

If your word had not been my delight, I would've perished in my flexion now tell the Lord I'm coming home.

I'm asking you to forgive me and starting today I'm going to get into your word.

I let me encourage you to go to Psalm 51 it's after David's personal failure, and I want you to read before you go to bed Psalm 51 every single night, leave it open to put a bookmark right at Psalm 51 and read it slowly and out loud and remember that he failed miserably, and God forgave and restored and called him a man after his own heart and then in the morning.

What I want you to do and it's only six or seven or eight minutes. I want you to open up the book of Mark Matthew Mark Luke John it's a second gospel and I want you just read one chapter every morning for about the next two or three weeks mark in the morning. Psalm 51 at night and say Lord strengthen me speak to me you will find new power and new energy in the midst of your pain returned to his word. You've been listening to Chip's talk facing personal failure from his series, keep pressing ahead triple be back with the final word about his message, but before you is I hope you'll take a second to go online or Share and encourage others to hear this message to adversity comes in all shapes and sizes, discouragement, opposition, tough circumstances and personal failure. But with this series chip gives you the tools and the tactics you need to keep pressing ahead no matter what, for limited time, keep pressing ahead resources are discounted and the MP3s are free to order your copy or to send it to a friend. Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 as we close today's program. Let me just remind you that there's people in need and you can make a difference by sending them this series, and just say into them. I'm for you. I'm with you, we can make it together. I think this will really give you a shot in the arm spiritually. Let's make a difference in someone's life. Today, thanks to the series is called keep pressing ahead.

There are only a couple more days to take advantage of the series discounts for complete information on CDs and free MP3s just go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. Special offers on the app will also get you there order for yourself or someone you know and help them get pressing ahead to just before we close.

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A few phone chips teaching to be helpful, but you're not yet on the team. Would you consider joining today to donate. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org tap donate on the app or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 and let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do well next time she continues his series pressing ahead so I hope you'll be with us that for now, this is Dave Gurley saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge