It’s time to get UP!

A righteous man stumbles but gets back up.

Bible Passage: Proverbs 24:16

Summary: Proverbs 24:16 illustrates the resilience of the righteous, emphasizing that while they may stumble, they find grace to rise again, showcasing the power of forgiveness and renewal.

Application: This sermon encourages believers to embrace the reality of failure without losing hope, reminding them that God's forgiveness enables us to stand up and try again, instilling courage to face life's challenges with renewed strength.

Big Idea: The big idea communicates that failure is not final for those who are in Christ; through His forgiveness, we are empowered to rise again and continue our journey of faith.

Proverbs 24:16 “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”

It seems like I have seen so many Christian’s fall and never get back up. I have been doing mens ministry for the past 15 years. In that time I have seen men fall away never to come back. It has always bothered me and I have stayed up nights wondering why. This morning I want to encourage you to get up.

I was reading in the book of 1 Kings chapter 10 and I was thinking that Israel was at the top of her fame. Have you ever looked at organizations or church’s people in some cases and you remember when they were at their best? When they were at the height of their popularity. In 1 Kings chapter 10 Israel is at the height of their popularity.

King Solomon is ruling with all his wisdom and gold and precious stones can be found anywhere. The scripture says that silver was not looked at as a precious metal. That everyone had as much silver as they wanted. They were at the top of their popularity they were known all over the known world at the time. Kings and queens came just to speak to Solomon because God had made him so wise. But as we look a head for Israel we will see a great fall. We will see them carried off by the Babylonians, and conquered by Roman’s and Greeks. Never getting back to the popularity that they once had.

It is like that for most things and people. I can remember some churches when they were at their most popular time. The seats were filled and the Spirit of God was strong. The question I have is why do so many rise and fall. Why do we see people reach the pinnacle of success just to fall into failure? Why do we see people fall never to rise?

Then again there are those who stumble and fall just to get back up and be stronger after the fall than they were before the fall. Proverbs 14:16 says that we are going to fall several times. But one thing I have always tried to remember it is not if your going to fall several times but how you fall that matters. The second part to make sure you get back up. When we fall we should always try to fall forwards. Then we must get back up. It is not the fall that hurts you, it is the not getting back up that kills you.

As I was reading about Solomon and the greatness of Israel I started to wonder about Rally Point Church. We have just started and have not come close to hitting our stride. But when we reach our top, our height of popularity will we be able to maintain it, or will we fall like so many others. I would have loved to see Israel steadily growing but never reaching the peak. The problem with reaching the peak is that now there is no where to go but down.

I love it when I see famous athletes leave at their prime. Men like Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis who retired after winning a Super Bowl. Tom Brady some could argue but leaving at the top of his game. It saddens me when players stay to long. I think Michale Jordan although he is one of the greatest to ever play basketball stayed to long. If he had stayed away when he went to play baseball it would have been better. But he came back and had a different number and it just was not the same.

I love this passage because there is a difference between those who fall with Jesus and those who fall without Jesus. I know I have fallen several times and the getting up was not always easy but the getting up is what allowed me to be here today.

Most of you know that I coach football. I always say to my coaches and team that we just need to get better every week. If we reach our peak to soon we will not reach our potential. We have to be playing our best at the right time in order to do something special. The other part of it is how do we respond to a loss. The getting back up is so important. To be honest sometimes we learn more from a loss than we do from a win. There have been times when we have lost a game but I left the field thinking that we got better today.

Jesus said that there will be trouble. We will go through some things in this life. Some of those things will be of our own doing, and some just because we live in a fallen world. The great thing is that our Lord knew this and put this passage on the heart of the writer of this proverb.

We see this play our in

2 Corinthians 4:8–12 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”

This was the life that the disciples found themselves in. This is also the life that we find ourselves in.

Can we talk about how Failures are inevitable, How Rising is Promised, and how grace overcomes calamity.

1. Failures are Inevitable

Proverbs 24:16a

for the righteous falls seven times,

I believe that you probably look at Marissa and I and say they have no problems. Do you know the higher the calling in your life the more problems you will have. I hope this does not persuade anyone from running from the call of God. But truth is we do have problems and issues in our lives. We are human just like you and live in the same fallen world as you do.

Truth is the righteous will have problems the righteous will fall. The person that you look to and think they never have any problems is probably the person who has the most problems. Listen there is always someone who has it worst than you. This is the life we must live. It was not meant to be this way but because of the fall this is what we got.

Matthew 5:45

“so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Don’t be surprised when things do not go well or problems arise. Last week Dina was going to play her piano and it did not work. Then we brought the other one we had and it did not work. We ended up having Chris play his guitar and Dina singing. Problems will arise the struggle is real. This just means that we have a God who is reigning and sitting on the throne. The rain will fall on everyone and the sun will shine on everyone.

Truth is if everything is great I would be scared. That might mean that our enemy has you were he wants you. He is leaving you alone.

We look at our problems and we think that it is meant to hurt us or prevent us from doing God’s work. But the truth is that it is your struggle that qualities you. It is your struggles that allow you to grow in the Lord.

Listen your not alone in this 1 Peter 5:9 “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

Listen failure is enevitable but it is not the end. Look at your neighbor and say it is not the end. We have a Savior who has the answer to our problems. He has gone before us and is making arrangements for us. Because of the grace of God He sent His Son to die for us. This is the amazing grace that we hear so much about.

It is amazing that our Lord knows that we will fall down and make mistakes as long as we do not stay down.

Whatever you may be going through right now it cannot last. The world is getting darker and darker, but the light that shines on you is the light of God. You have heard me say that the darkness can not understand the light.

We must understand the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. The Greek words for redemption, the noun apo-lutrosis and verb exagorazo, both imply the same thing about redemption— to purchase out of slavery by a ransom payment. In spiritual terms, it is the price paid on the cross for our salvation to buy back mankind from the slave market of sin.

Redemption views mankind as born into the slave market of sin through Adam's original sin. Our slavery was not God's fault but the fault of our original human father who listened to Satan and disobeyed God. Adam became a slave and, thus, threw all mankind into slavery. God had to find a way to buy us back, to redeem us. God made Adam and Eve perfect but sin nature came in and came in between them and God. The gulf between Adam and Eve and God became insurmountable. Since that time mankind has been falling before God. But God had a plan to redeem what was lost.

Look at your neighbor and say I am redeemed!

2. Rising is Promised

Proverbs 24:16b

rises again,

Here is the thing when we fall we can rise again. We do not rise by our own strength but we rise through Christ’s grace and forgiveness.

Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The Spirit of God lives in you that is why you cannot stay down. The problem that we have is that during the struggle and when we have fallen, we stay so focused on the fall that we forget that all we need to do is stand. The power of Jesus lives in you and it is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that will not let you stay down.

I don’t know who I am talking to but it is time to get up. You have laid there to long and now it is time for you to get up.

1 Kings 19:5–7 “And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.””

The Lord would not let Elijah stay down and He will not let you stay down. I know I have heard before that the Lord will never give you more than you can handle. But I disagree with that saying because if God never gave us more than we could handle when would we ever need God? No God give us more than we can ever handle so that we will cry out to Him and grab hold of Him. We are so tied into the comfortable lukewarm Christianity that we come up with things like God will never give you more than you can handle. We have gotten away from crying out to the Lord for rescue because we have made this to comfortable.

Look at your neighbor and say get up!

In my house as a kid we could not stay in bed all day. My mother would say “Boy you better get up”! This is a word for someone the Lord is saying get up and stand up. You have been down for to long it is time for you to get to work.

Come on somebody you have been made new. It is not like the old days when they could knock you out for the count. With Jesus you have bounce back power. There is no stronghold that can keep you. We just have to truly believe that Jesus is the answer. Jesus can take you out of your addiction He can do it. Jesus can give you a home He can do it. Jesus can bring you up out of your situation He can do it!

I was talking to Bob the other day. We were talking about their bible study that is this Friday. I hope you all go to the Bible study. I told him that I would be there but not every time. Not because I don’t want to but because Bob and Joan need to grow. They cannot grow with me looking over their shoulders. When we make mistakes they are opportunities for us to grow. We can’t let our mistakes keep us from doing God’s work.

The problem is that we have let people name us by our mistakes. They called you dummy, stupid, crazy, lost, ugly, and outcast. But the Lord calls you son and daughter. The Lord calls you beautifully made by His hands. He tells you that you are perfect in every way. Listen to me God don’t’ make mistakes. Don’t listen to what they say listen to what He says about you.

Look at your neighbor and say get up!

3. Grace Overcomes Calamity

Proverbs 24:16c

the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

You see there is a difference between when we stumble and when those who do not believe fall. When we fall we have the saving power of Jesus to rise again. When the unrighteous stumble they actually fall. Calamity is when disaster strikes and there is no returning from it. This is not the chosen these are those who do not believe.

Here is the thing that in times of calamity the wicked stumble. This is because there is nothing to hold them up. On their own they cannot stand. But when you believe in Jesus you get the transformed legs and arms. The scriptures say that we are transformed. This transformation is what allows us to remain standing when everyone else is falling. Come on somebody that is why I pray for those who come against me. Because my God is my shield and fights my battles. So if you come against me then you come against my God. I sure hate it for ya.

We do not deal with disaster like those who do not know Jesus. I have seen some people in this church go through some things and God was all over them.

here is the difference between those who believe in Jesus and those who do not. When calamity comes those who believe it becomes the thing that qualifies you. Those who do not believe it becomes the thing that destroys you. I see a lot of overcomer’s in this room right now. I see victorious sons and daughters in this room right now.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

I am bout to start running…

1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

All you have to do in times of trouble is lean on Jesus. He is the answer to all of our problems. If you have read my books you would know that my life was a mess. I was a walking calamity destroying everything I was around. But one day the Lord said I have never doubted you. God said get up and like to poet Jay Z said “Brush your shoulders off” God said I have work for you to do, because God’s grace overcomes calamity.

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.

Jerry Bridges

God’s greatest glory is his grace.

Donald Grey Barnhouse (American Minister)

Come on somebody!

In the Bible there are three distinctive meanings of grace; it means the mercy and active love of God; it means the winsome attractiveness of God; it means the strength of God to overcome.

Charles L. Allen

Look at you neighbor and say neighbor! Grace overcomes calamity.

End with this:

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

The God that plans for your future can not be plotting for your down fall. Our enemy would have you to believe that because of your sin that God has caused your problems to befall you. That is not the God I serve. The God I serve says that I have plans for your welfare and your future. The God I serve works in giving hope. Today He is the God who is saying get up. brighter days are ahead for you. Dry your tears because your better day is right around the corner. Not only has Jesus given us the power to get up, but He comes along side us and gives us a helping hand as well.

Here is my alter call. If you have been down and out and struggling today is the day to get up. I want you to come to the alter. If you have been quietly struggling come to the alter. Today is your get up day!