Fail Forward: Hope in Every Fall.
Notes
Transcript
How many of you will raise your hand and testify to making the same mistake more than once?
Well, today’s message is for you.
For the rest of you, you also need to listen very carefully because it will not probably be long before you repeat a mistake. Because of 1 John 1:6
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Todays message is going to sound a lot like our message from Genesis 12, when Abraham journeyed down to Egypt.
Examining Failure is never Pleasant. However, it is comforting to see that God did not sweep Abraham’s sins under the rug, especially, knowing the result of God praising his faithfulness in Hebrews.
I am a sinner and I struggle with sin. I am not hear this morning to focus on your struggle but rather, I want to encourage you this morning.
There is Hope in the Midst of our Failures!
So, let’s find some Hope in the Midst of Failure!
1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.
12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
Sin Is Ageless
Sin Is Ageless
Abraham is no longer a young Christian as he was in Genesis 12. As a matter of fact, he is now 100 years old.
The Sin that was in his heart when he began his journey has lingered in his heart for years.
Remember last week,
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
If you remember, Abraham was run out of Egypt for this lie the first time.
He returned to Bethel and he called on the name of God but we never find him repenting and laying aside this weight and sin.
We find Abraham building alters, attending church, and such, but we see no repentance.
As a matter of fact, look at our text.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
You are never to old to sin.
You are never to old to sin.
Never take your eyes off the prize.
Never take your eyes off the prize.
Why did Abraham go to Egypt in Genesis 12?
Remember the Famine.
He forgot about the promise of God. He forgot God would bless him, protect him, and make him a mighty nation.
This time, we are not told why he moved but we do know it is not recorded where God told him to go.
I believe he was fleeing the area of Sodom and Gomorrah.
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
Lot you remember then has relations with his daughters and produces the nations of Moabites and Ammonites.
1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
Gerar (ghe’-rar) = Sojourning; journeying; a lodging place; (root = to turn aside [from the way]; to tarry; to sojourn; to dwell; to fear; to be a stranger). Annoyance. Dragging away.
Smith, Stelman, and Judson Cornwall. The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names, Bridge-Logos, 1998, p. 78.
When we turn aside from the race we are run and not focus on the prize, we can no longer expect God to meet our needs and to get us through the trials of life. And when God is not blessing, then we are headed for disaster.
Therefore,
Never get away from where God wants you.
Never get away from where God wants you.
Again, Abraham was away from Bethel, “the house of God” Instead of God’s chosen, he has become a stranger and fear of death steps in again.
When Abraham feels fear, Abraham lies and become selfish and not selfless.
He forgets the prize, he forgets the promise, and he forgets God.
James says it this way.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Never let your guard down!
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Never let fear take you away from God.
Again, James says
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Grace is Abundant
Grace is Abundant
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Even though Abraham is clearly out of God’s will at this time in his life, he is still enjoying the Lord’s blessings! Now, understand, this goes against theology because Abraham is not where he should be and he is not doing what God asked him to do, but he is still being blessed.
God Blessed Him Financially!
God Blessed Him Financially!
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
God Heard His Prayer!
God Heard His Prayer!
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
God blessed Abimelech!
God blessed Abimelech!
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
We easily understand the chastening of God when we are out of the will of God.
However, it is sometimes hard to understand how we can be out of God’s will and God still blesses us.
Have you been away from God and still be blessed?
Folks, that is nothing but GRACE!
This confirms that
God deals with us on the basis of who we are rather than on what we do!
But wait!
This does not give us a license to sin.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Once a child of God, always a child of God.
God Has an Agenda
God Has an Agenda
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Remember God’s Plan for Abraham.
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
When Abraham left the Promised Land and landed in Gerar, he placed the plan of God, the race set before him, in jeopardy.
Turn back in your Bible to Gen 18:10-14 we skipped over this passage on this journey.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
If Abimelech had been allowed to sleep with Sarah, it could have short-circuited God’s plan. However, while Abraham was not doing what he was supposed to, God prevented anything from taking place!
Another problem is that Abraham was a representative of God.
7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
His path or race was to be a blessing to all families of the earth. Instead of being a blessing and a witness for God, Abraham was preventing Abimelech from coming to God.
In spite of us, God has a plan.
You cannot hinder God from doing His work!
For too long, preachers have tried to keep the people of God in line by using fear tactics against them. the saints have been told to live right or God can’t bless, He can’t work and He can’t save souls. Many have been told that they have sent others to Hell by the lifestyles they live.
You may not be here to see it happen, and you might miss out on the blessing of being part of what God is doing, but God will accomplish His will in the church and in the world whether you cooperate or not!
Revelation will happen.
The problem we find in the life of Abraham is that he still does not acknowledge his sin or repent of it. Which unfortunately is like a lot of us.
Excuses Doesn’t Replace Attrition
Excuses Doesn’t Replace Attrition
When confronted by his sin, Abraham does not repent, but instead he offers excuses.
See if you see the resemblance in our excuses today.
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.
Abraham thought and acted our of Fear.
Abraham thought and acted our of Fear.
29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Remember, we are to walk by faith, not by sight.
Abraham Twisted the Facts.
Abraham Twisted the Facts.
12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
She was his sister but was lifted to a higher position as his wife.
Abraham Hid Behind the Past.
Abraham Hid Behind the Past.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
This is the way we always did it.
Abraham was attempting to hide behind some very flimsy excuses, but he didn’t fool Ahimelech not God.
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
There are a thousand ways we can deal with sin, but only one way will bring cleansing, restoration and the blessings of God.
Sin Must Be Confessed!
13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
How are you dealing with your sin?
The only way to lay it aside is Repentance!
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
