Dad Leads Us to New Beginnings

OPENING

In a couple of weeks we will be celebrating Father’s Day

Today we will begin a new series entitled “What about Dad?”

Failure is a subject that we normally don’t want to talk about

We’d rather talk about our “successes” than our “failures”

We’d rather fill up our facebook timeline with images of our successes than pictures of our failures

We always show the good things instead of the bad ones

You don’t find books about “how to fail” sold on shelves, but you have tons of accessible resources on “how to become successful”

Either we know little about it, or we are just being pretentious not to admit our failures

Our minds are always conditioned to think positive, and there’s nothing wrong with that, until we completely refuse to think and talk about our failures

Refusing to deal with our failures may only lead us to more failures going forward

There is a very famous quote that goes, “failing forward”

Failure doesn’t have to be final

To better face what is ahead of us, we must determine what was behind us

I believe God wants to put our failures to work for us

Everybody has failures in life. They just vary in size and form

You wouldn’t know what hot weather is like, if you don’t know how it feels to be cold

You would only truly appreciate the brightness of day, if you have experienced the darkness of night

In the same way, we see our success, by looking at our failures

Everybody has failures in life. They just vary in type, size and form

Today let’s talk about “failures”

Tell the person next to you.. “I am a Failure! I am Broken!”

What was your major failure in life?

You don’t find books about “how to fail” sold on shelves, but you have tons of accessible resources on “how to become a successful person”

But this book (Bible) teaches us about failures more than any other help book you can ever find

The book of proverbs has a lot of insight into what causes failure

Quickly, I’m gonna give you 5 different things that cause failure in our life according to the book of proverbs

You would only truly appreciate the brightness of day, if you have experienced the darkness of night

We fail when we don’t plan ahead

In the same way, we see our success by looking at our failures

It’s like the old saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Proverbs 27:12 TEV

12 Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.

We fail when we don’t listen to good advices

Pride causes us to fail

One of the symptoms of pride is we don’t think we need any advice

Proverbs 16:18 TEV

18 Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.

We fail when we are afraid to take risks

The greatest failure is the failure to try

Proverbs 29:25 MSG

25 The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.

The moment you start to worry about what other people think, you’re doomed. It’s a trap.

When I fail and then I died, it’s okay because at least I tried

For the glory of God. You’ve got to take risks.

That’s what brings abundance.

That’s what brings success in life.

Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is

We fail because we give up too soon

The trouble with many people is that, during trying times they just stop trying.

Failure is the path of least persistence.

Proverbs 15:19 MSG

19 The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers; the diligent walk down a smooth road.

Briers mean thorn shrub used for hedges

How many ball games have been won in the last seconds? Keep on keeping on. Never give up.

You are never a failure until you quit

You are never a failure until you quit

We fail when we don’t listen to God

The number one reason we fail is that we don’t listen to God

Proverbs 14:12 NIV

12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

God’s word is filled with guidelines and principles to make our life all that God wants it to be.

But most of the time we want to listen to our feelings, “I feel that this is the right thing to do, even if God’s word says it differently.”

The fact is, God’s word is usually the opposite of our natural inclinations. God says the way to get is to give, the way to be honored is to be humbled, the way to greatness is to be a servant. When we don’t listen to God, we’re in trouble. Lack of prayer causes a lot of failure.

The fact is, God’s word is usually the opposite of our natural inclinations.

God says the way to get is to give, the way to be honored is to be humbled, the way to greatness is to be a servant.

When we don’t listen to God, we’re in trouble.

Regardless of the cause, we all fail. What matters most is what you do when you fail. God is more interested in your future than He is in your past.

Lack of prayer causes a lot of failure.

Regardless of the cause, we all fail.

What matters most is what you do when you fail.

God is more interested in your future than He is in your past.

For 120 years they watched Noah building the ark and for 120 years they failed to listen from God

Instead they ridiculed Noah because to build an ark on dry land with no signs of rain doesn’t just make sense, but it was a crazy idea

Mankind failed because they did not listen to God

WE WILL NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND GOD, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS TRUST HIM

WE MUST OBEY GOD EVEN THE WORLD THINKS WE ARE CRAZY

TEXT: Dad Leads us to New Beginnings

Mankind failed because they did not listen to God

Noah and the Flood

Instead they ridiculed Noah because to build an ark on dry land with no signs of rain doesn’t just make sense, but it was a crazy idea

God saw how corrupt the earth had become

God saw how corrupt the earth had become

So God said to Noah, I will put an end to all people ()

When God instructed Noah to build an ark, He was very precise as to how the ark shall be built and what it is to be filled with

Noah did everything just as God commanded him ()

Noah doesn’t speak a lot, he is more than a “doer” than a “talker”

For 120 years people watched Noah building the ark and for 120 years they failed to listen from God

Instead they ridiculed Noah because to build an ark on dry land with no signs of rain doesn’t just make sense, but it was a crazy idea

After 7 days, rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights ( )

The water flooded the earth for 150 days ()

At the end of 150 days the water had gone down and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat ()

After another 40 days Noah opened a window and sent out a raven and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up ()

Then he sent a dove to see if the water had receded, but the dove returned ()

After another 7 days he sent out the dove again, this time it came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak ()

He waited 7 more days and sent out the dove again, that time, the dove never returned ()

Genesis 8:15–17 NIV

15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”

Notice that the first thing Noah did after coming out of the ark and stepping onto dry land was to build an altar where they can worship and make an offering

Genesis 8:20–21 NIV

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

Noah, the dad of Shem, Japheth and Ham, led us to new beginning

Dad Leads us to New Beginnings

The timeless principles that we learn from the life of Noah is that...

1. GOD IS THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

God must judge sin but He is also merciful, loving and full of grace

He will never leave us without a way to come back to Him.

God wants a relationship with us and is always willing to go above and beyond to provide a way for that.

Even throughout deep sin and a worldwide flood, God provided a way for Noah and his family’s salvation by shutting them in the ark. 

He is willing to do the same for you today. It’s never too late for new beginnings because God will always provide a way

He is willing to do the same for you today.

It’s never too late for new beginnings because God will always provide a way

Lamentations 3:21–23 The Living Bible

21 Yet there is one ray of hope: 22 his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.

WE WILL NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND GOD, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS TRUST HIM

2. WE WILL NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND GOD, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS TRUST HIM

Noah must have wondered if God’s plan was best because, after all, a worldwide flood seems very harsh.

However, God had an eternal plan in mind. He knew the sinful state of the world was self-destructive and loved the world enough to intervene. 

His plan ultimately provided a way for you and me to come to salvation. God sees the bigger picture, so we must trust Him even when we don’t understand His ways.

His plan ultimately provided a way for you and me to come to salvation.

God sees the bigger picture, so we must trust Him even when we don’t understand His ways.

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, they do not understand what He did, and why He did it

John 13:7 TEV

7 Jesus answered him, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later.”

When you’re driving at night, you only see few yards in front you, just what your headlight can illuminate

Beyond that, you’re not sure if there’s still a road

But you drive anyway because you trust that there is a road ahead.

3. EVEN THE WORLD THINKS WE ARE CRAZY, WE MUST OBEY GOD

WE MUST OBEY GOD EVEN THE WORLD THINKS WE ARE CRAZY

Speaking of things that are hard to understand, Noah must have faced lots of opposition.

People must have been unkind and laughed as he built a massive ark when it had never rained like God told Noah that it would.

Yet, Noah obeyed and held fast to what he knew was right, and God rewarded his obedience. 

Sometimes obeying God means believing and doing things that the world won’t understand, but we know that God honors our obedience to him.

Sometimes obeying God means believing and doing things that the world won’t understand,

But we know that God honors our obedience to him.

Some individuals in the Corinthian church may have regarded Paul as “crazy”

And this was what Paul said…

2 Corinthians 5:13 NLT

13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

2 Corinthians 5:13 NLT

13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.

CLOSING:

GREAT FAILURES THAT MADE GREAT PEOPLE

THOMAS EDISON -

THOMAS EDISON

Failed 10,000 times before successfully made a light bulb

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lost his bid for state legislature in 1832

Lost his nomination for congress in 1843

Lost his bid for the senate in 1854

Lost his nomination for Vice President in 1856

Elected President in 1860

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”

CLOSING:

What about you… What is your major failure in life?

Are you ready for a new beginning

Noah led us to a new beginning

Jesus is calling… will you come today?…

GOD IS THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

WE WILL NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND GOD, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS TRUST HIM

EVEN THE WORLD THINKS WE ARE CRAZY WE MUST OBEY GOD

PRAYER