"Bounce Back"

I want to preach to you for the next few minutes from the OT book of Micah, so if you have your Bibles, while you are already standing, you can turn to...

Micah 7:8-10

Micah was an OT prophet that ministered following other minor prophets such as Hosea, and Amos. The very first verse of Micah says, Micah 1:1 “The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.”

At the time the Micah was ministering and writing this book, the Kingdom was split. The northern kingdom of Israel was about to fall to Assyria, and the actions and failures of the southern kingdom of Judah was inviting the same judgment on themselves.

Even in the midst of Prophesying judgment, Micah takes time in chapter 4 and 5 to talk an eschatogical hope. In Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

He says, even though things aren’t going good. Even though failure seems inevitable, and judgment WILL come. Even though your human nature will bring punishment, GOD IS STILL GOOD, AND HE WILL FULFILL HIS PROMISES FROM OLD.

As the book closes we come to the passage I want to read from tonight. Micah closes the book with a word of hope, encouragement, and forgiveness.

Micah 7:8–10 ESV

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. 9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. 10 Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

PRAY

From this passage tonight I want to preach from the title...

“BOUNCE BACK”

I’ve asked a couple of our young people to help me tonight, so as I get started, they are going to come around and give each of you a gift.

A seemingly childish, but if we’re all honest, interesting gift. A simple ball. A little rubber ball, that has the potential to offer hours of endless entertainment.

If I had to guess, I would say there are a few of them that will bring some aggravation. They are probably made in a way where the quality of perfect concentricity isn’t a major concern. With that said, you might take this outside after service, slam it in the ground, and it could go any number of directions.

You might simply drop it, and while it will “Bounce back,” The reward (how high it bounces) will reflect the effort put into how it is dropped or thrown at the ground.

In that respect, you could thrown it will all your might, and it could get lost into oblivion.

One thing I can assure you though is that if you allow this ball to fall from your hand, or you forcibly throw it at the floor, wall, or some other hard object, it WILL bounce back!

I. Failure is Inevitable

At this point in the book of Micah it wasn’t a matter of if, but when Jerusalem would fall. Micah 7:2-6

Micah 7:2–6 ESV

2 The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. 3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. 5 Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; 6 for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

Micah says families can’t even trust each other. It had gotten so back, and people had become so evil, that a man’s enemies were the men of his own house.

This would have been written around the same time that Isaiah wrote Isaiah 1:11-16

Isaiah 1:11–16 ESV

11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,

Even as you look up there and see those words “Failure is Inevitable,” as you hear me repeat them, I hope it causes you to cringe a little bit. I hope it makes you want to argue with me or even fight me, and say, “I DON’T HAVE TO FAIL.”

I Don’t have to sin!

I CAN LIVE A HOLY LIFE FREE FROM THE IMMORALITY OF THIS LIFE AND OF THIS WORLD!

And I will agree with you 110%

You CAN, and We SOULD!

Peter repeated Moses in Leviticus 11:44 and said in 1 Peter 1:16

1 Peter 1:16 ESV

16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

God expected the Nation of Israel to BE HOLY BECAUSE HE WAS HOLY.

He expected them to be faithful, because He was faithful.

He expects us to be faithful, because HE SENT HIS SON TO PAY OUR RANSOM, SO WE CAN LIVE FREE.

SO, YES, I hope that that statement causes you to puff up your chest a little and tell someone, I have the Holy Ghost leading my life. Sin may be inevitable for some, but I am sensitive AND OBEDIENT to His voice.

Just remember when you puff up your chest, IT ISN’T YOU! IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE POWER AND LEADERSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT WE CAN LIVE FREE FROM SIN.

So, when I say that Failure is inevitable, what I am really saying is that ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

I’m saying that we live in this vessel of flesh in a world that is unholy. As hard as we try, and as much as we may want to be sinless and live holy acceptable lives, the chances are we will fail.

Paul said in Romans 7:15-20

Romans 7:15–20 ESV

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

Romans 6:1–2 ESV

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

I think that if most of us are honest we have these moments of self- realization pretty often where we realize that we have missed the mark. We have failed God in His purpose for our life. We have missed the mark of exactly what He wanted us to do at some given point in time.

Look at King David. In Acts 13:22 it says, “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after me heart, who will do all my will.”

Those are some pretty big words. Those are the words of God.

In David I have found a man after my my heart that will do my will...

BUT, David is pretty well known for a MAJOR failure. As a matter of fact, he had a few failures...

Probably the greatest or most well know was with Bathsheba and Uriah… 2 Samuel 11

1. Don’t accept your victories as your own.

a. David’s innumerable victories

1. The Bear and the Lion (1 Samuel 17:36), Goliath, 1 Samuel 18:7 (Saul his thousands, David his ten thousands), he escaped Saul numerous times, the Amalekites, the Philistines, He was anointed king of Israel, he brought the Ark back to Jerusalem

2. 2 Samuel 7:18-ff He was giving God the Glory

2. Don’t grow weary in doing good.

a. Stay Focused

b. Be where you’re supposed to be

1. 2 Samuel 11:1

2 Samuel 11:1 ESV

1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

c. Guard your heart and watch your eyes

Proverbs 4:23 ESV

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

II. Failure Has Natural Consequences

a. Failure leads to Darkness

Micah 7:8 ESV

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

Micah 7:9 ESV

9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication.

Talk about Israel’s cycles of sin and idolatry. then transition back to DAVID

b. David understood that his failure could lead to the loss of the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.

Psalm 51:11 ESV

11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

In our lives when we fail we are assured the forgiveness of God IF we repent, BUT that doesn’t always absolve us of the consequences of our failure.

David experienced forgiveness…so much so that in the 103rd psalm he said, Psalm 103:12

Psalm 103:12 ESV

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

In 2 Samuel 12:13

2 Samuel 12:13 ESV

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

David KNEW forgiveness, BUT HE WASN’T ABSOLVED FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS SIN.

Even after Nathan said, “The Lord also has put away your sin; YOU shall not die,” he went on to say, 2 Samuel 12:14

2 Samuel 12:14 ESV

14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

Now, I want to be clear, “I don’t believe God does this to believers today!” Under the blood of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, BUT that isn’t to say that we are exempt from natural consequences.

SIN ALWAYS LEADS TO DEATH!!!

SIN IS NEVER GOOD!!!

SIN NEVER BRINGS A PROFIT!!!

SIN ALWAYS BRINGS LOSS!!!

Galatians 6:7 ESV

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

If you go back to 2 Samuel 12 and finish reading the story, you see that while Bathsheba’s son was laying there fighting for His life, David fasted and prayed. David sought God on behalf of the child.

But when David learned that the child had died 2 Samuel 12:20-23

2 Samuel 12:20–23 ESV

20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

III. Failure Isn’t Final

Micah 7:8 ESV

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.

Verse 9. HE WILL BRING OUT TO THE LIGHT

I WILL BOUNCE BACK!!!!

MICAHAEL JORDAN STATS

“I believe it was in 1997 that Nike did a commercial with Michael Jordan. In the commercial, Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost 300 games. 26 times Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot AND MISSED. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. AND THAT IS WHY I SUCCEED.”

Too often people get stuck in a rut of failure. They get stuck in the lie of the enemy that says they messed up, and NOW THEY CAN NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH!

They will never measure up.

Maybe that’s you tonight! Maybe you messed up. Maybe you failed! Maybe you were tempted and you gave in. Maybe you just feel like you have been slammed against the wall too many times, and you showed up tonight just hoping to hear something, something to encourage you to try one more time, AND I AM HERE TO TELL YOU, EVEN IF YOU MESS UP A HUNDRED OR A THOUSAND MORE TIMES, JESUS STILL LOVES YOU!!!

HE STILL HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!

HE CAN AND WILL STILL USE YOU, AND RENEW THE PURPOSE IN AND FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

JUST DON’T GIVE UP!!!

IV. We Can Glorify God Through Our Failures

Every person here has a testimony!

testimony- evidence or proof provided by the existence of appearance of something

by that definition, you don’t just have a testimony, but you ARE a testimony.

You are a testimony of God’s goodness and mercy.

You are a testimony of His love.

Revelation 12:11 ESV

11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

When we exhibit our testimony by our lifestyle, and we open our mouths to share what Jesus has done for us, we are bringing Him glory.

I’M TRYING TO CLOSE, SO CAN I GET THE WORSHIP TEAM TO COME BACK!!!

I HAVE FAILED MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER.

I HAVE FAILED GOD

I HAVE FAILED KRISTI

I HAVE FAILED MY KIDS

I HAVE FAILED PEOPLE I WORK FOR

I HAVE FAILED CHURCHES I HAVE SERVED

I HAVE FAILED IN EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE AT SOME POINT

THE KEY IS I KEEP GOING!!!

I REFUSE TO GIVE IN OR GIVE UP!!!!

I REFUSE TO LAY DOWN AND ADMIT DEFEAT!!!!

AS A MATTER OF FACT, I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!!!

THE WORD SAYS ROMANS 8:37

Romans 8:37 ESV

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!!!

I DON’T HAVE TO BE STRONG

I DON’T HAVE TO BE WISE

I DON’T HAVE TO BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FAITHFUL AND OBEDIENT!!!

AS A MATTER OF FACT, THAT’S ALL GOD WANTS FROM ME!!!