Failure isn’t final

Posted on by Paul's Bible Notes

Have you succeeded at everything you’ve attempted? Everyone of us has failed at some point and to some extent. If we’re very honest, most of us fail multiple times every day. Some of our failures are bigger than others. A lot of the time they’re just small things, so we move on and don’t look back. Other times, failure stops us in our tracks and prevents us from moving forward. If we’re not careful, we can believe we’re a failure because of things that have been said to us or done to us. It’s all too easy to develop a mentality that says “I’m a failure, so why even try”. 

Because of Jesus, failure isn’t final and defeat isn’t definitive.

All too often, failure does become final and defeat does end up defining us. But we serve a God who is bigger than our failures and limitations, who’s bigger than anything that anyone has ever spoken over us!!

Key Points & Scriptures

Psalm 37: 23-24

What is failure?

Working Definition – Failure is simply not achieving something, or falling short in some way.

  1. Failure is firstly about the fact that we’re separated from God because of our actions and attitudes.
    • Scripture calls this type of failure sin
    • Our actions – The things we do
    • Our attitudes – the things we think and believe
    • Often our actions follow our attitudes
    • Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

a. Nobody is exempt from this: All have sinned – Romans 3: 23

b. The Greek word for sin literally means “A missing of the mark” to miss the mark is to fail.

c. The most serious form of failure isn’t falling short of our goals or ambitions. It’s about falling short of God’s standards.

d. Falling short of our goals may have consequences for this life, but falling short of God’s standards has eternal consequences.

  1. There is failure in the sense of not achieving the things we set out to accomplish.

a. We’ve all experienced this. We didn’t do as well as we’d hoped in our exams, we didn’t get that promotion etc. etc. 

b. These things can really knock our confidence and our willingness to step out and try again.

  1. Failure can be self-inflicted or it can be the result of the actions of others.
  1. Failure can be real or perceived – What feels like failure in the moment, often isn’t as bad as it first appears.
  1. Failure is inevitable. When we realize this, we can prepare so that we know what to do when it happens.
  1. Success can be followed by failure.- 1 Corinthians 10: 12

How can God possibly use me, I’m a failure?

The good news is that not only can God use our failure, he specialises in failures, he’s not surprised when we fail and he’s actually already dealt with our failure whether we know it or not.

  1. Scripture is filled with failures.

a. Many of the main characters in the bible failed. Here are a few examples:

  • Moses – A murderer who led the Hebrews to freedom
  • Abraham – God promised to make him into a great nation but he thought he knew how to handle things himself
  • Jonah – Ran away from God but God used him to call a city to repentance
  • David – an adulterer and a murderer but called a man after God’s own heart
  • Simon Peter – disowned Jesus but preached on the day of Pentecost.
  • The Apostle Paul – Persecuted the church but became the greatest Christian that ever lived, writing almost half the books of the NT (At least 13 of the 27)
  1. God’s not surprised by our failures – Jeremiah 1: 4-5
    • God knew everything about us before we even existed
    • V4 – “The word of the Lord came to ME”  – Our perspective on failure doesn’t change because of information, it only changes because of revelation!!
  1. Here comes the good news – Jesus has already dealt with all of the failure that separates us from God. Romans 3:23 – 25 
    • When Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment that should have been ours, he changed our legal status from guilty to innocent and he made us part of his family. Romans 5: 6-8
    • God doesn’t want us to be defined by our defeat but validated by his victory. 1 Corinthians 15: 57
    • It’s only the work of the cross that stops failure from being final
      1. Because our sin has been dealt with, everything we need for life and godliness has also been released to us. 
      2. God even uses our failures and turns them around. Romans 8: 28

      How can I move on from Failure?

      If Jesus has already dealt with our failure, then we need to somehow access and apply his victory to our lives.

      1. It starts by confessing our failure and accepting his forgiveness. 

      1 John 1: 8-10

      1. When we give our lives to Jesus, a whole new way of thinking and being opens up to us. This allows us to redefine what it means to be successful. We can start to operate from a different place. We’ve been given a new nature. And as we walk with Jesus that nature should begin to become more and more prominent in our lives.
      1. We have a choice about how we respond to failure: Choose to press on!! Philippians 3: 12-14
      2. It might sound like I’m saying failure shouldn’t impact us and if it does, then you’re not spiritual enough. Sometimes the choice we have to make is to get some Spiritual, or even professional help.

      Conclusion

      There is a difference between failing and being a failure. In Jesus, we may fail but we’re no longer failures. We’re no longer defined by our defeat but validated by his victory.

      Remember

      Failure isn’t final and defeat isn’t definitive.

      Life application questions

      1. In what area(s) of my life do I feel that I’m a failure?
      1. Ask God to give you his perspective on that failure.
      2. What step can I take “toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”?
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