From Failure to Triumph: Navigating the Christian Life
A sensitive but crucial topic for every believer: Failure in the Christian Life. The very thought of failure can be daunting, even discouraging. We embark on our spiritual journey with hope and zeal, desiring to live lives that honor God. Yet, we know that perfection eludes us. We stumble, we fall short, and sometimes, we feel as though we have truly failed.
But what does the Bible say about this? Can a Christian truly fail in a way that is irreparable? Or is there always hope for restoration and triumph? Let's explore these vital questions together.
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I. A Christian Can Move Forward and Not Fail
Let me begin with a resounding affirmation: A Christian can move forward and not fail! This is not a statement about our own strength, but about God's.
A. Because God is powerful to sustain us. Our hope is not in our own ability to avoid failure, but in the omnipotence and faithfulness of our God.
• He is powerful to help us. As 2 Corinthians 9:8 declares, "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." He provides everything we need to succeed in His will.
• He is powerful to succor the tempted. When we face trials and temptations, we are not alone. Hebrews 2:18 reminds us, "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
• He is powerful to keep us from falling. This is a profound truth that should bring immense comfort and confidence. Jude praises God in Jude 24, saying, "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—"
• He is powerful to give us victory. The Christian life is not one of perpetual defeat. 1 Corinthians 15:57 proclaims, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." And Jesus Himself reassures us in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
B. By trusting in God, a Christian can overcome the world and Satan. Our victory is intrinsically linked to our faith and reliance on Him. We are not left to our own devices. Therefore, while we may falter, ultimate, irrecoverable failure is not the destiny of a true believer who continually turns to God.
II. How Does Our Christian Life Become a Failure?
While ultimate failure is averted by God's power, we must acknowledge that our Christian lives can indeed experience spiritual failures – moments, seasons, or patterns of falling short that hinder our walk with God. What are the common causes of such spiritual failure?
A. Causes of Spiritual Failure:
• Forgetting God (Judges 2:12): The generation after Joshua "abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt, and followed the gods of the peoples around them." When we forget God, His commands, and His past faithfulness, we inevitably stray.
• Rebellion against God (Psalm 68:6): While the outline quotes Psalm 68:6, let us look to Psalm 78:19-41 for a comprehensive picture of Israel's rebellion. They questioned God's power and provision, showing persistent stubbornness and disobedience. Rebellion is a direct refusal to submit to God's authority.
• Fearing man more than God (1 Samuel 15:24; Acts 4:19; 5:29): King Saul admitted to Samuel, "I have sinned; I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them." Similarly, when human opinion or pressure outweighs our fear of God, we compromise our faith. Peter and John in Acts 4:19 and 5:29 model the opposite, choosing to obey God rather than men.
• Worldliness (Matthew 13:22): Jesus warned in the Parable of the Sower that "the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." When our hearts are entangled with the desires and pursuits of the world, our spiritual growth is stifled, leading to failure in bearing fruit for God.
• Pride (Proverbs 21:4; Luke 18:11-12): "Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin." (Proverbs 21:4). Pride, as exemplified by the Pharisee in Luke 18:11-12, blinds us to our need for God's grace and leads to self-righteousness, which is a spiritual dead end.
• Self-sufficiency (Revelation 3:17; John 15:5): The church in Laodicea, in its self-perceived wealth and lack of need, was actually "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" in God's eyes (Revelation 3:17). When we believe we can accomplish things in our own strength, apart from Christ, we are destined for failure. Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
• Lack of faith (Hebrews 11:1; Psalm 78:19-41): Faith is the bedrock of the Christian life. Without it, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). As Psalm 78:19-41 shows, Israel's repeated grumbling and unbelief in the wilderness was a profound failure of faith, preventing them from entering the promised land.
III. Consequences of Spiritual Failure
When we succumb to these causes of spiritual failure, there are tangible and severe consequences.
• Alienation from God (Jeremiah 2:13): God lamented through Jeremiah, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Spiritual failure leads to distance from the very source of life.
• Fruitless life (Matthew 13:22; Matthew 7:19): Just as the seed choked by thorns becomes unfruitful, so does a life consumed by worldliness. Jesus warned in Matthew 7:19, "Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." A consistent pattern of spiritual failure leads to a life devoid of the fruit of the Spirit.
• Spiritual lukewarmness (Revelation 3:16): To the church in Laodicea, God said, "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." A life of spiritual failure often devolves into apathy and indifference, a state that God despises.
• Spiritual defeat (Joshua 7:13): After the victory at Jericho, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat at Ai due to Achan's sin. God told Joshua, "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’" Unaddressed sin and failure in the camp lead to weakness and defeat before our spiritual enemies.
• Disgrace before God (Proverbs 11:2; 2 Timothy 2:15; Matthew 7:23): "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2). Spiritual failure, especially when unrepented, brings dishonor to God's name and to our testimony. We are called to be approved workmen (2 Timothy 2:15), but uncorrected failure can lead to the horrifying words from Jesus, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:23).
• The ultimate consequence of uncorrected failure is eternal separation from God (Matthew 25:41): This is the most dire consequence. If a person persistently lives in unrepentant failure, demonstrating no true faith or change of heart, they face the terrifying reality of hearing Jesus say, "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’" This is the eternal judgment for those who ultimately reject God.
IV. What Must We Do to Avoid Failure?
Given the serious consequences of spiritual failure, what must we do to avoid it and to walk in God's victory?
• Turn to God with all our heart (Hosea 14:1-4; 1 John 1:9): The prophet Hosea calls Israel to repentance: "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall... Take words with you and return to the Lord." This is the starting point: sincere repentance. And for the believer, 1 John 1:9 provides the assurance: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
• Trust fully in God (Jeremiah 17:7): "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." Our reliance must be entirely on God's strength and faithfulness, not our own.
• Do His will, not our own (Luke 22:42; Matthew 7:21): Jesus in Gethsemane models this perfect submission: "‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’" And He declares in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Obedience to God's will is essential.
• Surrender ourselves totally to God (Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 1:21): Paul urges us, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This is a complete consecration of our lives to Him. For Paul, life itself was Christ: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21).
- Preaching on Resentment Matthew 18:23-35
- Preaching on Renounce: to give up Everything to Serve God
- Preaching on Denying Christ
Conclusion
The truth is clear: Without God, we can do nothing of eternal significance. Apart from Him, failure is inevitable. But, as Paul confidently declares in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." With God, through Christ, we can do all things that He calls us to do.
God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness, as 2 Peter 1:3 confirms: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
Therefore, let us not be defined by past failures, but by the power of God to sustain us. Let us consciously choose humility over pride, obedience over rebellion, and radical trust in God over the fear of man and the allure of the world. Let us live surrendered lives, doing His will, and finding our victory in Christ alone. For in Him, ultimate failure is conquered, and eternal triumph is secured.
Amen.
