Transcript Slide 1
Getting Back Up When Life Knocks You Down! Larry Balles ? ►What would it take for God to give up on you? ►How bad can you get before God takes you out? ►Has God forgotten you? ►Has God turned his back on you? IS GOD’S ARM TO SHORT TO SAVE? (Isa 59:1) I. Look at the Sky! God Never Gives Up on US ►Psa 34:18 The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope. (CEV) The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (ESV) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. (NIV) ►Psa 147:3 (CEV) He renews our hopes and heals our bodies. (MSG) He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds. ►Psa 9:10 (GNB) Those who know you, LORD, will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to you. (NIV) Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Emotionally God is with you! ►Psa 51:17 (GNB) My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart. God will always take you back ►Isa 49:15 (MSG) "Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you--never. II. Look Around! See God’s Comeback Story God’s Comeback Stories Abraham Jacob Joseph Moses Rahab Gideon Samson Jehoshaphat Manasseh Job Suffering Woman Peter ABRAHAM God would make him into a great nation (Gen 12:2-3) Sin: Lied to Pharaoh about his wife Sarah Complained to God for remaining childless for so long (Gen 15:2-3) God never gives up on ABRAHAM ► “Look at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them…so shall your offspring be” Gen 15:5 ► Abraham 4:18-25 became the model of faith (Rom JACOB ► 2ND son of Isaac ► Cheated and stole the birthright of his older brother Esau –relationship conflict. ► Run away and stays up all night and wrestles in prayer in order to overcome (Gen 32:22-24) ► God grants favor to Jacob. God changes Jacob’s name: from Jacob – “deceiver” to Israel –”he struggles with God” (Gen 32:28) Do you have relationship conflict? JOSEPH ► Jacob’s favorite son (Gen 37) ► Had a dream but became arrogant & prideful to his older brothers God allowed unjust suffering in his life to mold him.(13 yrs) In the end God made Joseph’s dream come true. (Gen 50:19-21) Is there unjust suffering in your life? MOSES ► Chosen to lead Israelites out of Egypt. ► The call was right but the timing was wrong. They stayed in the desert for 40 years. In the end, the Bible declared Moses “to be very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3) Leadership can be a desert of refinement. RAHAB ► Canaanite prostitute! ► Yet became the hero of the fall of Jericho and one of the “Hall of faith” in Heb 11:31 ► Great grandmother of King David and ancestor of Jesus (Mat 1:5) The past is past! GIDEON ► Coward, insecure and fearful God encourages him 7 times to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. (Judges 6:13-39; 7:13-15) Weaknesses are not a hindrance. SAMSON ► Chosen by God to deliver his people. ► Yet allowed lust, pride & prostitutes in his life (Judges 16) ► One last time, in his weakness and humiliation, Samson prayed to God and God gave him strength to defeat the Philistines by killing more than 3000 enemies. JEHOSHAPHAT ► One of the good kings of Judah. ► Yet his good character was corrupted by the bad company of Ahab of Northern kingdom. (2 Chr 18:16-27) Yet Jehoshaphat turned back to God and begged for help. God is merciful! MANASSEH ► In contrast to Jehoshaphat, Manasseh is one of the worst kings of Judah. “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” 2 Chr 33:12-13 ► Then he rebuilt the outer walls of Jerusalem & restored the altar of the Lord (v 14-16) There’s HOPE! JOB ► He lost everything. In the end he humbles himself and trusted God and God restores everything to him. SUFFERING WOMAN ► 12 years of bleeding. Instead of becoming better, she grew worsex. ► In God’s time she was healed. The timing is up to God, but the faith is up to us! PETER ► Lied & Denied Jesus 3x Yet he was reconciled & restored to Jesus (John 21) ►FAILURE ►FAILURE + PRIDE = MORE FAILURE + HUMILITY = LESS FAILURE & EVENTUAL VICTORY GETTING BACK UP WHEN LIFE KNOCKS YOU DOWN! I. LOOK AT THE SKY. God never gives up on us. I. LOOK AROUND. See God’s comeback stories. Challenge: 1.) Know God more. 2.) Never lose HOPE.