Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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 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

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

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

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

c.

Guard your heart and watch your eyes

II.

Failure Has Natural Consequences

a. Failure leads to Darkness

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.

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

In 2 Samuel 12:13

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

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!!!

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

III.

Failure Isn’t Final

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.