2 - Unwrapped- Overcoming Setbacks And Failures

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2025

"Overcoming Setbacks And Failures"

MOMENT OF TITHING AND OFFERINGS

"Before we give our offerings today, I want to talk about something real. Today's message is about failure. About falling short. About the moments when we mess up.

And I want you to know: God doesn't love you less when you fail.

In fact, there's a verse that changed how I think about giving after I've messed up:

Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) — "People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy."

See, your offering today—whether it's big or small—is an act of confession and trust. It's you saying to God: 'I'm not perfect. I've fallen short. But I still trust You. I still believe You're good. And I'm giving anyway.'

That takes courage. And God honors that."

WELCOME TO NEW VISITORS

"Welcome to The Way for the first time! I'm so glad you're here.

I know that showing up to a new church—especially when we're talking about failure and setbacks—might feel a little heavy. You might be thinking, 'Did I walk into a counseling session?'

I promise you, by the end of this message, you're going to feel hope. Not false hope. Real hope. The kind that says, 'I've failed, and I'm still going to make it.'

Here's How We Want to Know You Better:

This week, don't disappear. Stick around. Find us at:

On social media Podcast — @TheWaypib for encouragement and connection

We're not just a church that shows up on Sunday. We're a family that shows up for each other all week long.

If you need to know more, ask anyone here. We'd genuinely love to help you find your people.

And I want to leave you with this verse—it's my prayer for you as you're discovering The Way:

Romans 3:23-24 (NLT) — "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins."

You're not here by accident. You're here because God invited you. Welcome."

Baby Dedication

"Before we dive deeper into today's message, I want to take a special moment to celebrate new life and fresh starts right here in our family at The Way.

Would Fábio, Miriã please come forward with their precious daughter, Theodora?

Theodora—what a beautiful name meaning “God's gift.”

Today, as her parents dedicate her to the Lord, we're reminded that life is full of ups and downs, just like our theme today.

We've all faced setbacks—maybe doubts as new parents, past mistakes we worry might affect our kids, or fears about the world she'll grow up in.

But in God's grace, we rise again, and so will Theodora, surrounded by His love and this community.

Let's hear a quick word from Scripture that speaks to dedication amid our human failures:

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) — 'Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.'

Fábio, Miriã, as you commit Theodora to God, we're asking Him to guide your family through every stumble and triumph. You'll model rising again—showing her forgiveness, resilience, and faith when life knocks you down.

Do you commit to raising Theodora in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, teaching her to trust Jesus through successes and setbacks?

[Parents respond: "We do."]

Church family, will you surround Fábio, Miriã, and Theodora with prayer, encouragement, and support as they raise her in this journey of faith?

[Congregation: "We will."]

Let me pray:

'Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Theodora— a new life full of promise in Your eyes. Bless [Fabio and Miriã with wisdom, strength, and grace to guide her path. When failures come—as they do for us all—remind them of Your faithfulness that helps us rise. Surround this family with Your protection and our community's love. In Jesus' name, Amen.'

What a beautiful picture of hope rising from our human story. And that's exactly what God's Word speaks to us today—let's lean in."

LAST WEEK'S SUMMARY

"Last week, we talked about 'Celebrating Spiritual Milestones.' We explored Philippians 3:13-14 and focused on three powerful ideas:

The power of forgetting — letting go of the weight of our past

The courage to look ahead — seeing God's vision for our future

The joy in the journey — understanding that Jesus Himself is the prize

If you were here, you might have made a decision. You might have stood up and said, 'I'm done looking backward.' And I hope you've been holding onto that commitment this week.

But here's the honest truth: If you made that decision last week, you've probably already faced a test.

Someone said something mean. You lost your temper. You fell back into an old habit. You had a moment where you thought, 'Well, that decision didn't work. I'm back to being the same person.'

And that's what we're talking about today. Because growth isn't a straight line. It's messy. It has setbacks. It has failures.

And that's okay.

Today, we're learning how to fall, how to get back up, and how to keep moving forward even when you stumble."

INTRODUCTION: "THE STAR MOMENT."

"I'm going to tell you something that might surprise you.

I have failed more times than I've succeeded.

I'm serious. If I counted up my failures versus my victories, my wins wouldn't even be close. I've said things I regret. I've made choices I'm ashamed of. I've let people down. I've let God down.

And for years, I thought that meant I wasn't a 'real' Christian. I thought it meant I wasn't cut out for this faith thing. I thought it meant I should just give up.

But then I read something that changed everything.

A verse that said: 'For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.'

Not 'if they fall.' 'When they fall.'*

And I realized: Spiritual maturity isn't about never falling. It's about knowing how to get back up.

That's what today is about."

THE MAIN BIBLE VERSE & CONTEXT

Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)

"For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

CONTEXT: Who Wrote This, and Why It Matters

The contrast in this verse. It's not saying that the righteous never fall. It's saying that the difference between the righteous and the wicked isn't that the righteous don't fail—it's that they get back up.

Matthew Henry noted something profound: The righteous aren't righteous because they're perfect. They're righteous because they repent. They fall, they acknowledge it, and they rise again.

Warren W. Wiersbe adds that the number "seven times" in Hebrew culture means "completely, totally, repeatedly." In other words, no matter how many times you fall, the principle remains: you can rise again.

POINT ONE: "Falling Is Not Final"

Main Bible Verse:

Proverbs 24:16a (NLT) — "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again..."

ORIGINAL TERMS

The word "fall" here is the Hebrew "naphal" (נפל)—"to fall down, to collapse, to stumble." It's not a gentle stumble. It's an actual fall. You lose your footing. You hit the ground.

But here's the beauty: The verse acknowledges the fall as a reality. It's not denying it.

It's not sugarcoating it. It's saying: Yes, you will fall. And that's not the end of your story.

Matthew Henry emphasizes that this verse refers to the righteous—people who genuinely strive to follow God. In other words, even good people fall. Even people with the best intentions stumble.

BIBLICAL CHARACTERS

The most dramatic example of a fall is Peter. Jesus said to Peter:

Matthew 16:18 (NLT) — "Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church..."

Jesus literally called him "the rock"—the foundation. Strong. Solid. Immovable.

And then what happened?

Peter betrayed Jesus. Not once. Three times. And not just betrayed Him—he denied even knowing Him.

Luke 22:61-62 (NLT) — "At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken before him: 'Before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.' And Peter left the building and wept bitterly."

Peter fell hard. The man Jesus called "the rock" absolutely crumbled.

But here's what's important:

That wasn't the end of Peter's story. After the resurrection, Jesus specifically sought Peter out. He gave Peter a chance to recommit:

John 21:15-17 (NLT) — "After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' 'Yes, Lord,' Peter said, 'you know I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.' Jesus repeated the question: 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He said, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.' A third time he asked, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, 'Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.'"

Three times he denied Jesus. Three times Jesus asked him if he loved Him. Jesus was literally giving Peter a chance to overwrite his failure.

And Peter? He went on to become the leader of the early church. He was imprisoned. He was beaten. He was eventually martyred. But he never stopped getting back up.

Then there's Samson—the man with incredible strength who fell into temptation and sin so many times, it's almost comical.

But even after his most catastrophic failure—being blinded and imprisoned—God gave him one more chance:

Judges 16:28-30 (NLT) — "Then Samson prayed to the LORD, 'Sovereign LORD, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me one more time. With one final blow, let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.' Then Samson pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the Philistine rulers and all the people in it."

Samson's final act of strength came after his greatest failure. His fall wasn't final. It was a pivot point.

QUOTE FROM A RENOWNED FIGURE

Craig Groeschel said something that stuck with me:

"Your greatest failure could be the foundation of your greatest success. Your biggest mistake might be the beginning of your best story."

Here's the truth: Every person who has ever accomplished anything significant failed first. Every. Single. One.

ILLUSTRATION: THE WARMTH MOMENT

You know what I love about toddlers? They fall constantly. They're learning to walk, and they fall like fifty times a day. And you know what they don't do? They don't sit down and think, 'Well, that's it. I'm a failure. I'm never walking again.'

They just get back up. They cry for like two seconds, and they're like, 'Okay, let's try again.'

We're all toddlers, spiritually. We're learning to walk in faith. And we're going to fall. A lot.

But somewhere between toddlerhood and adulthood, we learned to be ashamed of falling. We learned that falling means something about us—that we're weak, or broken, or not cut out for this.

But that's not true. Falling doesn't disqualify you. Staying down disqualifies you.

The question isn't, 'Did you fall?' The question is, 'Are you going to get back up?'

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

What failure are you currently sitting with? What's the thing you did that made you feel disqualified from faith?

Who told you that failure was final? Who said that one mistake means you're done?

If you're not disqualified, what would change about how you see yourself?

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Here's what I want you to do this week:

Name your fall. What are you struggling with? What's the sin or failure you're replaying? Say it out loud. To yourself, or to a trusted friend, or in prayer to God. Name it. Because the first step to getting back up is admitting you fell.

Don't sit there alone. If you're in a small group, tell them. If you have a trusted friend, tell them. If you need to talk to a pastor or counselor, do that. Don't pretend you're fine. Don't hide. Because isolation is where shame grows.

Make one choice differently. You fell in a specific way, right? Maybe you lost your temper, or you gave in to a temptation, or you said something cruel. This week, when you're faced with that same choice, make it differently. Not perfectly—just differently. That's how you get back up.

2 - "Getting Back Up Requires Honesty."

Main Bible Verse:

Proverbs 24:16b (NLT) — "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

**[Note: This verse contrasts with the righteous who rise. The contrast reveals the key: honesty.]*

ORIGINAL TERMS

The word "stumble" here is "kashel" (כשל)—"to stumble, to totter, to be overthrown." It's similar to falling, but with a key difference: stumbling implies that you don't get back up. You stay down.

The word "wicked" is "rasha" (רשע)—not just someone who commits sin (everyone does that), but someone who rejects correction and refuses accountability. They're not wicked because they fall. They're wicked because they won't get honest about falling.

Warren W. Wiersbe points out that the difference between the righteous and the wicked isn't the presence of sin—it's the response to sin.

The righteous say, "I fell. I messed up. I need help." The wicked say, "This is fine. I'm fine. Everyone else is wrong."

SCRIPTURE & BIBLICAL CHARACTERS

Look at King David again.

This man committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband to cover it up. Massive, catastrophic failures.

But here's what David did: He got honest.

Psalm 51:1-4 (NLT) — "Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight."

David didn't make excuses. He didn't say, "Well, she tempted me," or "Everyone was doing it," or "It was just one time." He said, "I sinned. I messed up. Against You and You alone have I done evil."

And you know what? David rose again. He became one of the greatest kings in Israel's history. Not because he didn't fall. Because he was honest about falling.

Then contrast that with King Saul.

Saul also fell. He disobeyed God's direct command.

1 Samuel 15:2–3 NIV

This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”

But when confronted, Saul said:

1 Samuel 15:15 (NLT) — "We have spared the best of the sheep and cattle," Saul admitted, "and the plowmen and the shepherds brought them here, for the people to sacrifice to the LORD your God."

Translation: It wasn't my fault. The people made me do it.

Saul refused to get honest. He blamed everyone else. And his fall became final. He never recovered. He spent the rest of his life spiraling into paranoia and destruction.

The difference? Honesty.

Then there's Jonah—a prophet who God called to preach to Nineveh, but Jonah didn't want to. So he ran the opposite direction. He got on a ship heading away from God's calling.

And then the storm came. And everyone on the ship was terrified. And Jonah had to admit:

Jonah 1:12 (NLT) — "'Throw me into the sea,' Jonah said, 'and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is because of me.'"

Jonah got honest.

And as a result, he rose again.

He went to Nineveh. He preached. And something crazy happened—the entire city repented.

But it all started with honesty.

QUOTE FROM A RENOWNED FIGURE

Billy Graham said:

"Confession is good for the soul, but it's also good for the church. When we admit our failures, we give others permission to be human."

That's so powerful. When you get honest about your failure, you don't just heal yourself—you give permission to everyone around you to stop pretending.

ILLUSTRATION: THE COMPETENCE MOMENT

Here's some fascinating research from Brené Brown, a shame researcher at the University of Houston:

When people hide their failures, shame actually increases by up to 60%. It grows in darkness. The longer you hide it, the bigger it becomes.

But when people confess their failures to a trusted person, shame decreases by up to 70%. It doesn't disappear—but it loses its power.

In other words, science confirms what King David knew 3,000 years ago: honesty is healing.

And here's the neurological part:

Shame wants you to be silent.

But vulnerability—honest admission of failure—literally rewires your brain toward healing and resilience.

In fact, researchers found that people who confess their struggles to a supportive community actually develop higher resilience scores than people who succeed without ever failing.

Because failure + honesty + support = growth.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

Who in your life do you trust enough to be honest with about your failures? Not to judge you, but to help you?

What excuse have you been using to avoid getting honest about your fall?

If you got honest today, what would be different tomorrow?

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Here's what I want you to do:

Find your person. It might be a pastor, a counselor, a small group leader, or a trusted friend. Find someone safe, and tell them the truth about where you've fallen. Not the sanitized version. The real version.

Go to confession. Whether that's a formal confession if you're Catholic, or just honest prayer if you're Protestant, confess your failure to God. Not because He doesn't know—He does. But because you need to say it out loud. You need to hear yourself admit it.

Ask for accountability. Tell your person, "I fell here. I don't want to fall again. Can you help me?" Invite someone into your recovery. Because getting back up alone is way harder than getting back up together.

3 - "Rising Again Changes Your Direction"

Main Bible Verse:

Proverbs 24:16 (NLT) — "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

ORIGINAL TERMS

The word "rise" is the Hebrew "qum" (קום)—"to stand up, to rise, to get up."

But it's not just a physical standing.

It implies a return to action, a resumption of purpose.

When you rise, you're not just vertical again. You're moving again.

Matthew Henry notes that rising isn't just getting back on your feet. It's changing direction. You fell in one direction; you rise and go in another.

SUPPORTING THE THEME WITH SCRIPTURE & BIBLICAL CHARACTERS

Look at Rahab. She was a prostitute living in Jericho.

She'd fallen into a lifestyle that the world would have called shameful and final. She had no status. She had no future.

But she made one choice: She chose to help God's people and aligned herself with God's mission.

Joshua 6:25 (NLT) — "Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the men Joshua sent as spies to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day."

Not only did Rahab live, but she married into the family of Judah, and she ended up in the direct genealogy of Jesus.

She went from being a prostitute to being an ancestor of the Messiah.

That's what rising again looks like.

Your past doesn't determine your future. Your next choice does.

Or think about the thief on the cross in Luke 23.

This man was a criminal. He was dying. His life was ending. There was no redemption possible—he was literally hanging on a cross.

But Jesus said to him:

Luke 23:43 (NLT) — "Jesus replied, 'I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"

The thief couldn't change his past. He couldn't undo his crimes. But he chose to respond differently in his final moment. He acknowledged Jesus, he changed his direction, and that changed his eternity.

Rising again is about choosing a different direction than the one your fall took you.

QUOTE FROM A RENOWNED FIGURE

C.S. Lewis wrote:

"If we really want to live, we'd better start at once to try; for if we don't begin as soon as we've started on an inch of a day, we're already quite a long way dead. The trouble is that we're always imagining that we shall patch up the present by doing something about the past, but life is not like that. Wasting Life is something that happens now, not hereafter."

He's saying something crucial: Your future is being determined by the choices you make today, not the choices you made yesterday. So if you fell yesterday, make a different choice today.

ILLUSTRATION: THE AWE MOMENT

I want to tell you about Nicky Cruz.

Nicky grew up in Puerto Rico in crushing poverty. He was abandoned by his parents. He became a gang leader in New York City, one of the most dangerous gang leaders in the city. He was violent. He was addicted. He was completely lost.

By all accounts, Nicky Cruz's life was over. He was headed toward death or prison, and he knew it.

But then he met a young preacher named David Wilkerson (who later wrote the book "The Cross and the Switchblade"). And David saw something in Nicky that Nicky didn't see in himself: potential for redemption.

Nicky gave his life to Jesus. He completely turned around.

And here's the incredible part: Nicky went from being one of the most violent gang leaders in New York to becoming a missionary and youth pastor who helped thousands of gang members find Jesus.

His fall was real. His failures were serious. He'd hurt people. He'd destroyed lives. His past was genuinely dark.

But he rose again. He changed his direction. And he spent the rest of his life helping other people do the same.

And Nicky lived into his 80s, surrounded by people whose lives he'd transformed. His final chapter wasn't written by his fall. It was written by his rise.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

If you rose again from this failure, what direction would you want to go? Not what you think you should do, but what does your heart want?

Who could you help because of what you've learned from falling?

What would it look like to not just get back to where you were, but to actually move forward to somewhere better?

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Here's what I want you to do this week:

Make a different choice. You've named your fall. You've gotten honest. Now, this week, when you're faced with the same temptation or the same trigger, make a different choice. Not a perfect choice. A different choice. That's how you change direction.

Find your "why" for change. Why do you want to rise? Not because you're supposed to. Because why? Write it down. "I want to rise because I want to be the kind of parent my kids deserve," or "I want to rise because I want to know Jesus," or "I want to rise because I want to respect myself again." Connect your rising to something meaningful.

Help someone else. Once you've started rising, look around for someone else who's fallen. Don't wait until you're perfect. Just reach out. Say, "I know what it's like to fall. I know what it's like to feel disqualified. And I'm telling you: you can get back up." Your rising has more power when you help someone else rise too.

CONCLUSION:

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

Here's what we've talked about today:

First, we learned that falling is not final. You will stumble. You will fail. You will mess up. And that's not the end of your story.

Second, we discovered that getting back up requires honesty. You can't rise if you won't admit you fell. Confession isn't weakness; it's the foundation of recovery.

And third, we explored how rising again changes your direction. It's not enough to just get vertical again. You have to choose to go a different way. You have to become someone different.

Listen to me: Whatever you're facing right now—whatever failure you're sitting with—it doesn't have to be your final chapter.

Peter denied Jesus and became the rock. David sinned and became a man after God's own heart. Nicky Cruz was a gang leader and became a missionary. The thief on the cross died a criminal and woke up in paradise.

Your fall is not your future. Your next choice is.

APPEAL:

THE CALL TO DECISION

I'm going to pray in just a moment. And I'm going to invite some of you to make a decision.

Maybe you've been sitting with a failure for a long time. You've been ashamed. You've been isolated. You've been thinking, 'This is just who I am now.' And today, you're realizing:

I don't have to stay down.

Or maybe you've tried to get back up on your own, and it's not working. You need help. You need accountability. You need community.

Here's what I'm asking:

If you want to rise again—if you want to get honest and get help and change direction—I'm asking you to stand up during this prayer. Not to be dramatic. Just to make a statement to God and to yourself: I'm done staying down.

When we pray, I'm going to connect you with people who can help you. We have counselors, small group leaders, and mentors who are specifically trained to help people get back up. And we're going to walk with you.

THE PRAYER

"Father, thank You for not giving up on us when we fall. Thank You for loving us when we're at our worst.

For those of us standing right now, we want to admit something: We've fallen. We've failed. And we're tired of staying down.

Some of us are here for the first time with this failure. And we're saying:

Help us get up. Help us get honest. Help us change direction.

And some of us have been down for a long time.

We've tried other things. We've tried hiding. We've tried pretending.

And none of it worked. So we're asking You now: Help us rise.

We're not asking to be perfect. We're not asking for overnight transformation. We're just asking: Help us take the next step. Help us get honest with one person. Help us make one different choice. Help us rise.

And we thank You that falling down isn't the same as being disqualified. Thank You that Your love is big enough for our failures. Thank You that we get to try again.

In Jesus' name, amen."

AFTER THE PRAYER

"If you're standing, I want you to stay standing. We're going to have some people come around you. They're going to pray with you. They're going to give you their contact information. They're going to help you take your next step.

Don't be shy. Don't be embarrassed. Everyone in this room has fallen. The only difference is, some of us are willing to get back up, and some of us aren't.

You just chose to get back up. And that changes everything.

To everyone here: Failure is not final. But the choice to rise is powerful. Make that choice. And make it today."