Cycles of Failure

Judges 2:10-23

Introduction:

I few weeks ago when we were having the Avera Race, I was driving to see where the course was and where we were going to pick up our packets and when I got off the highway, instead of going through the light and turning right on to Southeastern, I turned too soon and got right back on the highway… I was pretty upset because that was a detour i did not want to make! But then the day of the race we were driving, I got off the highway and you know what I did? I turned too soon and got back on the highway… The next week I almost did the same thing!

Have you ever done something like that before and you say “I will never do that again!” yet to repeat the same mistake again the next day? I know I’ve been there.

That is where the children of Israel find themselves throughout the whole book of Judges…

There rose this generation that did not know the Lord. Because they did not know the Lord then they forsook God, they served other gods, they gave their children to the people of the land. They fully assimilated into the culture around them. They abandoned their allegiance to the one true God and pledged their loyalty and allegiance to the gods of the culture. They turned their back to the One who had given them everything and bowed down to the man made gods who could give them nothing.

Before we get so high and mighty and we start judging the Israelites. We often do the same thing. If we are not careful, we start to become more loyal to a man made culture, who has done nothing for us, rather than being loyal the God who has done EVERYTHING for us!

-It’s easy for us to get up early to go on a vacation, to go fishing, or hunting, or to pursue our hobbies and desires, but when God asks us to seek Him early we struggle and many times choose to sleep instead. We prove our loyalty to our flesh rather than to God.

-When our work asks us to stay late or come in early it’s not that big of a deal because it is work, but when we have a late service here at church or we have an extra night of outreach or an event, we struggle really hard to want to be involved. I’m not pointing fingers, because it’s not in my DNA to automatically want to stay late or give up an evening either.

-We struggle with these types of decisions everyday. Before you say no to God or say no to being involved in something here at church, make sure something else isn’t getting a free pass because it is easier or because it’s work or school. Make sure you are loyal first to the God who has done everything for you.

So, instead of claiming the promised land and all the blessings that come with being God’s chosen nation, they forsook it all so they could be like the people around them. Because of this, God had to punish them, His wrath was turned on them, He allowed them to be oppressed by the people they tried to assimilate with. He allowed them to face the consequences for their actions…. Before you think that this is mean or unfair, God had warned them of this very thing in Deuteronomy 8. So, the children of Israel received the consequences for their sin and it was tough! They were enslaved by the people of the land, when they tried to fight, they lost the battle every time because God’s hand was against them. This was not a good place to be.

But, in God’s mercy and grace, He raised up judges. People who He would use to deliver the nation of Israel from their oppressors. God heard their cries, He heard their groanings and made a way of escape for them. Giving them what they didn’t deserve.

I am SO thankful that God still does that today! God has raised up a deliverer for us in Jesus Christ. And if we will cry out to Him and ask for forgiveness, He will forgive us of our sins and free us forever from penalty of sin.

Even after we have been saved, we can still get caught up in sin, get caught up in failure, following our own way. But I am thankful that we do have people that God places in our lives as deliverers. We have a pastor and other men that preach God’s Word from the pulpit, others in the church who help us see where we have gotten off, teens, God gives us a week of camp, helps us to see the areas that we need to get right with Him.

I am so thankful for God’s mercy in our lives and the times of deliverance that He offers us. But sadly, like the Israelites, as soon as the deliverer is gone, as soon as the time of deliverance has passed, we jump right back to the sin we were just delivered from. We jump right back in to our habit, back in to our addiction, back in to that relationship struggle back in to that discontentment, back in to that anger.

And just like the children of Israel, we fall deeper and deeper into the cycle of failure, we fail over and over again, face consequence after consequence, God gives us chance after chance and we blow it over and over again.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself there too often. Having a time of deliverance and getting things right but so soon after falling right back to where I was before. That can happen after a week of camp that you make some great decisions, you get right with God but maybe even on this Wednesday after camp, you’ve already failed. That happens after a Men’s Advance or a Men’s Retreat, that happens after a great message like we heard on Sunday.

This happens constantly in our lives and it happens constantly through the book of Judges.

And the two questions I want to answer tonight are… 1. Why do we fall back into this cycle of failure? and towards the end.. 2. How can we stay out of the cycle of failure?

We fall in to the cycle of failure because we are often motivated to live for the Lord by all the wrong things.

We are motivated to live for God by our circumstances.

The Israelites had no problem serving and living for God when the circumstances were easy. In the beginning of Judges 1, they were getting victory after victory, they were doing so good, accomplishing everything God wanted them to do. But, as soon as it got hard, they failed to follow what God was asking of them. Judges 1:19 “And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.” Israels motivation to do what God wanted for them was based off of there circumstances, so as soon as it got less than ideal, they failed…

If your motivation to do what is right and live for the Lord is based off of your circumstances, it’s not going to last long.

It is really easy to say that you are going to be all in for God at camp because you can’t do anything else except participate in the activities and hear preaching…

It is really easy to say that you are going to forgive that person and not be bitter when you are at camp and they are not around…

It is really easy to say that you are going to receive correction and respond right to your parents when you are at camp and they are not around…

But as soon as you get back from camp and the circumstances are less than ideal, your friends are tempting you to do something wrong, your phone is always pushing your time with the Lord out, your parents correct you in what seems to be an unfair way, if your motivation to keep that camp decision is based solely off of your circumstances, it isn’t going to last long.

It is easy to treat your spouse right and to love them on your honeymoon, it’s easy to love them on your anniversary, or when they have just done something for you, but as soon as the circumstances are not ideal, as soon as that one argument comes up, as soon as they treat you wrong, you will fail and become angry, you’ll lash out, you’ll argue, you will react in an unwise way. And you fall back in to that cycle of failure in your marriage.

It is easy to give to missions right after Missions Revival, it’s easy to tithe when you just got that raise, but if your commitment to give is based solely off of your circumstances, you will fail .

It’s easy to share the gospel or go on outreach when you have time, it’s easy to be convicted about it when we have Church Planters or Missions Revival but as soon as life get’s busy and the work, school, or family schedule gets busy, outreach get’s put off to the side. If your commitment to the great commission is based off of your circumstances, it’s probably never going to happen.

It’s easy to read your Bible when you get 8 or more hours of sleep the night before. It’s easy to get up and pray when you don’t have to be at work early. When the circumstances are good, we can spend time with God, but as soon as the schedule gets busy, as soon as we are tired, it goes out the window…

The first reason we so often find ourselves in the cycle of failure is because our motivation to live for the Lord is based off of our circumstances.

We are often motivated to live for the Lord based off of the people around us.

When Joshua and the other elders who had seen the crossing of the Red Sea, who had such a deep love for God were with this generation of Israelites, it was easy to do what they were supposed to. They conquered the people they should have, they stayed away from the people and the idols that would bring them away from God. But as soon as that generation went off the scene, they failed!

The Israelites got right with God and served Him when they had a judge helping them and showing them what to do, but as soon as that judge was gone, they fell right back in to sin. That is because their motivation to do what was right was based off of the people around them.

We don’t have a problem doing what is right when there are lots of people around or the right people are around.

It’s like when you have people over to your house, you tell your kids “Okay kids, so and so is coming over so be on your best behavior”. So kids you do a great job while the guests are over, you are getting in fights with your siblings in the open. You’re kicking them under the table, but no one can see it. And as soon as the guests are gone there are no holds barred, you give your brother the people’s elbow, the dog is being yelled at, the door is being slammed… We act different when the right people are around don’t we?

Teens, it is easy to say the right things, to do the right things, when you are surrounded by a lot of christian teens at camp, when you are surrounded by a lot of counselors at camp, when you don’t have your phone, but as soon as you are alone again, as soon as that accountability is gone, it gets a lot easier to say yes to the wrong things and go back to that cycle of failure.

It’s easy to respond at invitation when there are literally hundreds of other teens responding but it is a lot harder to respond when we are at church.

Graduates, it is relatively easy to do what is right when you have your parents around, watching your every move. It’s easy to get up and read your Bible when you’re mom is your alarm clock every day… It is easy to have the right convictions when your parents are telling you what to do. But listen, it is a whole ‘nother animal when you leave the house and you have to do what is right when no one else is around. When you have to get up on your own and read your Bible, it is easier to have good standards when your parents make you but when it’s just you, it can seem impossible. Graduates, if your motivation to live for the Lord is based on your parents, then in the next 8 weeks, be prepared to fall in to the cycle of failure.

Men, if your only motivation to be pure is because your wife or your family is around, teens if your only motivation to be pure is because your parents are around or they will see, as soon as you are alone, as soon as that motivation isn’t there, that temptation is going to double and it will be almost impossible to do anything but fail. Your motivation to be pure cannot be determined on your circumstances or the people around you because it won’t take long for your circumstances to change, for those people to not be around, and you can find yourself right back in the middle of a cycle of failure.

If your motivation to live for the Lord is based off of your circumstances, or the people around you, you will soon find your self falling to sin and back in a cycle of failure.

Lastly, a reason why we fall in to the cycle of failure is because our motivation to live for the Lord is based off of consequences.

For the children of Israel, it wasn’t until they were faced with the consequences of their decisions that they wanted to get things right.

Judges 2:1–6 “And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.”

Judges 2:18 “And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.”

It wasn’t until the consequences for their sin got so bad that they were motivated to start living for the Lord again. But then verse 19 comes… Judges 2:19 “And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.”

This proves to us that consequences for our actions alone are not enough to keep us on the right track. As soon as the threat for consequences are gone, we go back to our stubborn way.

I remember doing this as a kid that when I knew I had disobeyed and my Mom said just wait till your dad gets home. I knew I had about 5-10 minutes when my Dad got home to butter him up before he found out what I did so I would go and give him a shoulder rub, offer to get him a drink, tell him how thankful I was that he worked so hard that day to provide for our family… I would do everything I could when I was faced with the consequences of my sin to do the right thing!

I may get in trouble for this one later but my sister one time after she had done something wrong, took the paddle from my parents room and wrote with a Sharpee “I love you Mom, from Emmalee”. I’m sure just hoping that her love her her mom now would keep her from getting punished.

The thing is, when we are faced with our consequences, we are so willing to say “I am going to get right” “I am never going to do this again” when I was on tenth street trying to get back to Southeastern, I was telling myself “never again!”.

But, as soon as the threat of consequences are gone, what do we do? We many times turn right back to the sin that got us in trouble the first time. You know what would help us say no to temptation? Is just to remember the people we hurt, the problems our sin caused, and the mess we made when we sinned.

But you know what? For the Children of Israel and for us, if our motivation for living for the Lord is to avoid painful consequences, it isn’t going to last long.

The point is, the reason we can’t keep our camp decisions, why we keep falling back in to the cycle of failure over and over again, is because our motivation to stay right, to live for the Lord is wrong. It’s based off of our circumstances, the people around us, and the consequences we face by not living for Him.

The only way we can keep the decisions we make, the only way we can stay out of the cycle of failure is to be motivated by love for the Lord.

You may say “Okay Bro. Samuel, duh, you make it sound so simple”. Well yes, it is simple, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to do. Well, this was God’s instruction to His Children to help them stay out of the cycle of failure. I know we’ve looked at this passage quite a bit but this is literally God’s guidebook to their success, so, it is vital to us understanding where they went wrong and how we can get it right…

Look at it in Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

Joshua even gave them the same admonition before they went into the land… Joshua 23:11–12 “Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:”

If the Israelites would love the Lord and have the relationship with Him that they should then it would have kept them from making these mistakes over and over again. And the same will be true for us. If we want to live a sustainable life for the Lord and stay out of the cycle of failure, it will all depend on our love for the Lord and our relationship with Him.

Four ways to grow your love for the Lord. (And then we will be done.)

First, put Him before any other relationship in your life, including yourself.

When you love someone, you put them before everything else in your life. When my wife and I were dating I would be over at the Jett’s house, (which is where I spent many of my days as a teenager and young adult…) we would be hanging out and they would always give me a hard time because in that moment, all I wanted to do was text Brielle, it came before everything else, they called it my “Brieality”, wake up out of your “Brieality” and spend some time with us! Looking back, should I have been ignoring everyone else, no, but it is a good example of how we should view our love for the Lord. That it doesn’t matter what other things are happening, Christ should come first.

When we get up in the morning, our first thought should be to spend time with the Lord.

When we are making financial or work decisions, our first thought should be what the Lord wants, not our own desires.

When we are deciding the influences we let in to our lives, our first thought should be “do these people honor the Lord” not “I just want to fit in or be accepted by this family member or that co-worker”.

When you are deciding how much time to spend on your phone or watching that movie or on that hobby, make sure that God get’s first claim over everything else.

When it comes time to decide whether you help in that ministry at church or go on outreach, give God first dibs on your time.

In every area of your life, give God the opportunity to overrule or veto the decisions that you make. Put Him before anyone or anything else.

The second way to grow your love for the Lord is to spend time in His Word.

This one seems obvious but if you love the Lord then you are going to want to know what He has to say. You will want to know His expectations for your life.

If you want to live a life that pleases the Lord, if you want to stay out of the cycle of failure, you have to constantly be in God’s Word because…

It will give you direction. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”

It will keep you from temptation. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”

It will correct you when you’re wrong and teach you what is right. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

So, grow your love by putting God first, spending time in His Word.

Third, remembering and thanking Him for your salvation.

This one was key for the Israelites. They were called to constantly remember God’s deliverance from Egypt and His victory over the other nations and to thank Him for it. We won’t read the verses, but just in Judges 2 and the beginning of Judges 3 it mentions God’s deliverance 5 times. It would take a long time to count up all the times it is mentioned in Deuteronomy and Joshua. But if the Israelites would have just remembered what God had done for them in the past, it would have helped them be thankful and kept them from forsaking Him in he present.

We ought to constantly be reminded of what God has done for us. He has given us life and an incredible one to live at that. He loved us at our worst, when we had done nothing good for Him, when we had sinned so wilfully against Him, He sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins and forgive us knowing that so many would reject, knowing that we would still sin against Him, He still gave His life for us. If we would just remember where we would be without God, what He has done in our past, it would keep us from trying to forsake Him and leave Him out of our present and our future.

Lastly, get rid of the sin and contamination.

Israel failed to eliminate what God had told them to and the direct result was them forsaking God and God having to distance Himself from them because of their sin. The same thing is true for us…

Psalms 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

Isaiah 59:1-2 :Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: (this means that God wants to speak to you, he wants to be close to you…) But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

When we don’t take care of the sin that is in our lives, then we put distance between ourselves and God and we can’t have the relationship with Him that we need to and it just puts us further and further into the cycle of failure.

If you want to

Conclusion- Maybe tonight you have found yourself in a cycle of failure, you just can’t seem to do what is right, you keep failing over and over. Maybe teenager, you’ve already messed up your camp decision. Like Bro. Schettler quoted Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:” If you fail, if you fall, all you have to do is cry out to the Lord ask for forgiveness and then get back up. The only way to break the cycle of failure is to come back to your love for the Lord.

You can’t be motivated by your circumstances because they will change, you can’t be motivated by the people around you because they won’t always be there, you can’t be motivated by your consequences because they will fade. You must be motivated by your love and relationship with the Lord.

Let’s stand as we prepare for invitation. We’ll bow our heads and close our eyes.

Maybe tonight you need to come back to your first love and give Him the rightful place He deserves in your life.

Maybe you need to get back to prioritizing God’s Word again.

Maybe you just need come down and remember what God has done for you and thank Him for your salvation.

Or finally, maybe it’s time to get some sin out of your life, get it right with God so that you can have a right relationship with Him again.

Whatever it is, tonight is the night to break the cycle of failure and live the life that god desires for each one of us.

I’ll pray and then give you an opportunity to respond….

As the piano plays, you respond as the Lord leads you…