Getting Over It: Failure

Introduction:

I want to start this morning’s sermon by offending every single one of you with 4 words.

I think one of the problems in modern Christianity is we think we are too good.

BAD NEWS - YOU ARE A FAILURE…

You are a failure. What an encouragement right?

But it’s true. We are all failures. We have had multiple times in life we could have succeeded, but instead we failed.

There’s business failures.

I was reading this week that one of the largest business failures happened in 2000 when Blockbuster passed on buying rival Netflix for only $50 million. Netflix is now worth $410 billion today. Aren’t you glad you weren’t the person that made that decision? I bet he has never gotten over his failure of that.

There’s marriage failures.

42% of all marriages end in divorce.

There’s personal failures.

Addictions - 16.7% of Americans (48.5 million people) battled a substance use disorder in the past year.

There’s integrity failures.

Porn hub, the leading pornographic website for global users, reported traffic of 5.49 billion visits each month in 2024.

That’s a lot of failures.

There’s parental failures.

STORY - Kayla - pulling her arm out of socket - felt like a total parental failure.

You and I are failures. We make mistakes all the time. We mean well, but we just don’t follow through in the right way.

You may say “Well I’m older now, I won’t fail.” Don’t set yourself up that way. Most of the failures of Biblical characters happened in the second half of their lives.

Today, I want to talk about “getting over” our failures. I want us to look at one of the Bible characters who had a complete failure. (Now he is definitely not the only one). In fact, every single person in the Bible (except one) had failures.

1. Peter’s Arrogance (30-35)

Matthew 26:30–35 CSB

30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 “Even if I have to die with you,” Peter told him, “I will never deny you,” and all the disciples said the same thing.

This is right after the Lord’s supper. They have just arisen to go into the garden where Jesus will be betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

Peter’s pride is on full display here. Peter was never known as a humble guy. Peter was always a “open mouth, insert foot” type of guy. He was arrogant.

Pride always set us up for failure.

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

18 Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

I’ll tell you another thing Peter did - he OVER ESTIMATED himself. He thought “surely I won’t fall. The rest may, but not me!”

He overestimated his own strength.

Don’t ever say “that wont happen to me!”

Don’t ever look down on other people who have failed. You underestimate your own strength.

Illustration from years ago - A pastor I know - “I was so focused on other people’s failures, I never thought I would fail in that way.”

“We are all one failure away from ruining our lives.”

Peter isn’t better than any of the other disciples. He is a fallen human being.

You are no better than anyone inside this church building. If you think you are, then watch out, a fall is coming soon.

Peter set himself up for his own failure.

2. Peter’s Failure (26:69-75)

Matthew 26:69–75 CSB

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl approached him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.” 70 But he denied it in front of everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 71 When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” 73 After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, “You really are one of them, since even your accent gives you away.” 74 Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Even though Peter over estimated himself, Jesus knew what was going to happen. Peter was going to deny he even KNEW Jesus 3 times. And that’s exactly what happened. Peter failed.

3 different people come up to Peter and ask him if he was with Jesus. Notice the first one was a “servant girl.” Talk about Peter’s weakness. He wasn’t in a court of law! It wasn’t an angry mob with pitchforks and torches. He was talking with a young girl.

And each time they ask Peter, the situation gets worse. The first time he merely lies. The second time he makes an oath with the lie. And the third time he curses and swears.

The first time Peter was asked he was agitated, by the third time he has completely lost any self control.

Now before we totally judge Peter, let’s remember and be thankful that our mistakes aren’t written in a book for people to read 2,000 years from now!

God obviously kept this story in the Bible for us to realize that we aren’t the only people who have failed.

Now I want you to notice what Peter did immediately after the rooster crowed - he went outside and wept bitterly.

Peter was repentant. You see that’s the difference between a believer and a non-believer. We are all failures - but we, as believers, repent of our failures.

1 John 1:9 CSB

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The failure between a believer and a non-believer is no better illustrated in the difference between Peter and Judas.

Both failed. Peter wept, asked forgiveness, and made it right. Judas felt sorry, but instead went out and hung himself.

You see, just being sorry isn’t repentance. There has be a “turning away” from sin.

Now, it would be sad if the story ended there, but it doesn’t. The third part of the story is the best part.

3. Peter’s Restoration

John 21:15–18 CSB

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

I’d like for you to notice a few thing here. Notice Jesus calls him “Simon” here. Why? Jesus gave him the name “Peter” which means “Rock.” Jesus is making it clear that in this decision to deny Him, Peter wasn’t acting like the rock.

Jesus asks Peter 3x - “Do you love me more than these?” Once for each of the times that Peter denied Jesus.

Peter knew this was the point. Because the third time Jesus asked, Peter was “grieved.” Peter knew the importance behind Jesus asking 3x.

Each of the times that Jesus asks Peter if he “loves” Him, Jesus uses the word “agape.” And each of the times Peter responds, he uses the “phileo” word.

Jesus - “Peter, do you agape me?” Peter - “Lord, you know I phileo you.”

Jesus - “Peter, do you agape me?” Peter - “Lord, you know I phileo you.”

Jesus - “Peter, do you phileo me?” Then Peter is grieved.

At the end of the passage, Jesus makes it clear that He knows that Peter DOES, in fact, agape him. Why? Peter is going to die for him.

So as we look at the whole story of Peter, and we look at the other failures in the Bible, I believe there are 3 little lies that the devil whispered into Peter’s ear that he also whispers into ours.

3 Lies the Devil Makes us Believe about Failure

1. Your failure is final.

The devil wants you to think you are done. Your time is over.

We can see this from Simon Peter. After he denied Jesus, Jesus was crucified; what did Peter do? He went fishing.

Peter had figured at this point, he was done. Jesus couldn’t use him anymore. He was “damaged goods.” His expiration date had come.

But that’s a lie. You are not finished until Jesus calls you to be home with Him.

You may be here and have made a lot of failures - you are not done yet. Your failure doesn’t have to define you. Your failure is not final.

2. Your failure is your future.

What do I mean by this? The rest of your life will be marked by failure. You are destined to fail.

That’s not true.

But some of you are in addiction and you have given up hope. This failure will mark you forever. No. No. No.

Your failure DOES NOT have to be your future!

Peter’s future was not about his failure. He moved on from his failure.

It is Peter who later in life would say…

1 Peter 1:3–4 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Peter put his faith in the “living hope” and knew that his future was as bright as the promises of God.

Peter didn’t let his failure doom his future.

And, do you know what Peter’s future held? Sure, he made a failure. He denied Christ. But at his death, he didn’t.

“Peter’s final days are not described in the Scriptures, but various traditional accounts have survived. Reportedly he spent horrific months in the infamous Mamertine Prison, a place where incarceration was often itself a death sentence. Though manacled and mistreated, Peter survived the tortures and apparently communicated the Gospel effectively to his guards. Eventually he was hauled out of the dungeon, taken to Nero’s circus, and there crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to be crucified with his head upwards, like Christ.”

3. Your failure is unforgivable.

This is the last lie the devil wants to throw at you.

You can never be forgiven from your failure.

That is simply not true. Peter was forgiven.

There is no failure that can’t be forgiven.

According to Scripture there is only ONE unforgivable sin - do you know what that is? Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. What is that? Denying that Jesus is who He said He was. That can NEVER be forgiven. Everything else can!

CLOSING

I started with an offensive statement this morning - “You are a failure.”

That was actually the beginning of a sentence.

GOOD NEWS - “You are a failure, but Jesus isn’t.”

And your hope today shouldn’t be in yourself. Your hope should be in the One who has never failed - Jesus Christ.

Illustration: HS - Chemistry - Amy Olchovik - “Here, I’ll take your failing grade and you take mine.” Summer school, etc.

That’s what Jesus did. He took your failing grade, so that you can get an A+ and get into heaven.

The cross represented FAILURE.

As we close, let’s picture Peter at the end of his life. He looks back on his life and remembers the time spent with Jesus. He remembers the miracles. He remembers the other disciples. And yes, he even remembers his failure. He remembers vividly those 3 people who asked him about Jesus. And he regrets to this day what he said to them. He wished he could go back in time. He wishes he can fix it. But it’s okay, because Jesus succeeded on that cross.

And Peter, now in his 60’s, is far removed from the events of 30 years ago, yet I imagine he remembers them like yesterday.

And so, he pulls out his quill and scroll and he begins to reminiscence, and then he writes something that I mentioned earlier…

1 Peter 1:3–4 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Peter didn’t end up as a complete failure. And neither do you have to. Why? Not because of you, but because of our Living Hope.