I've fallen, now What
This week I want to talk about what to do when you fall.
Now notice I didn't say 'if" you are going to fail. You are going to mess up, and not just on a small scale; you will mess up in breathtaking ways.
You're going to do un explainable things. People will ask you, "why did you do that?" and you'll be able to say while being completely honest, "I have no idea."
Here, I would like to pause and express my gratitude that we serve a merciful God. One of of my favorite descriptions of God is that He is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4), which means He has more than enough mercy.
Before we fall, God has already provided a way back to Him.
So, today I want to talk about what to do after you fail. First, I want to talk about what it means to fall, then I want to give you 3 things to do when you fall.
What does it mean to fall?
- To fall into sin is to lose focus.
- To fall into sin is to lose faith.
When I say fall, I mean fall into sin. Sometimes you stop focusing on your God-given purpose, which will cause you to lose faith.
A loss of focus often leads to a loss of faith.
- Before you know it, you're pursuing thoughts you shouldn't follow.
- You're saying things you shouldn't say.
- You're doing things you shouldn't do.
Most of this takes place in our heart, where no one can see.
- Just because everything is going well at work doesn't mean you haven't fallen.
- Just because no one knows waht you're doing doesn't mean that you haven't fallen.
Even though most of this takes place in our hearts,
We should be carefule because heart issues eventually become life issues.
We see this in the story of Peter:
- Peter walks on water; however, when he loses focus, he sinks. See the progression, a loss of focus becoming a loss of faith.
Over the next year, you will lose focus, and you will lose faith, which means you will fall. So it's important you know what to do when this happens.
I want to give you 3 things.
We need to admit that we have fallen.
I John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
Here specifically, John is talking about a group of false teachers who seemed to think that people didn't have a natural tendency to sin.
John is very plain; he says, "if you say that you are not a sinner, you are lying to yourself."
The reason I bring this passage up is that there have, since the very beginning of our faith, been those who:
- Who seek to justify their actions
- Those who think that they don't need a savior
- Those who say that they have the right to live however they want
- Those who believe they have been perfected and therefore do not sin
'All these things deny the truth that stares back at us in the mirror. We are sinners
It has been my experience that humans usually have 1 of 3 reactions to a fall;
- We pretend like we didn't fall
- We acknowledge that we fell, but we refuse to get back up
- We get back and move forward.
People who pretend as if they didn't fall
They have grown callused to the sin in their lives and refuse to admit their needs for repentance. What does this look like?
The "progressive" Christian, who has become comfortable in their worldliness.
Their lives and testimonies have been stained by the love of the world and have become "friends of the world" causing them to not to acknowledge their sin as sin.
The bitter conservative Christian who overlooks the beam in his eye to point out the speck in his brother's eye.
Both examples are about people refusing to look in the mirror. They're of people who have fallen and yet refuse to admit it.
They refuse to gt back up
The second reaction is people who have fallen and acknowledge that they have fallen but refuse to get back up.
- They quit.
- They wallow.
They tell themselves and anyone wiling to listen to them that God is through with them, so why try?
Do you constantly complain about your situation but never do anything to change it?
If the answer is yes, you have fallen, and you refuse to gt back up.
They get back up with the help of God.
The third reaction is the person freely admits their mistake. They seek help from God and get back up. However, this will only happen if they admit that they have fallen.
Recap
The first step to getting back up after you fall is admitting that you've fallen.
You will go nowhere in life if you do not admit your mistakes. Your relationships will be broken. Your relationships will be broken. Your career will be nonexistent.
But once you have admitted your fall, you can't stop there. You must agree with God about the seriousness of your fail.
Secondly, we need to agree with God about our sin.
I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The word "confess" here means to agree with God about your sin. It's to say to God. "you are right, and I am wrong."
Most of us really don't see our sin as all that bad. We see it as a mistake, we know that we shouldn't have done what we did, but we make an excuse, "hey, nobody's perfect."
When we minimize our sin, we minimize our Savior.
When we disagree with what God has to say about our sin, we leave the door open to fall into the same sin habitually.
Why is it that you keep falling into the same sin constantly? One reason maybe that you have not confessed your sin to God.
Which is to say, "you disagree with God about how serious your sin is."
There are no minor sins becuase there are no small saviors.
We were lost in sin, but Jesus came to rescue us.
Did I ever tell you about the time I rescued my wife from a vicious animal?
When we first married, and Brittani moved into my house, my mom's cat didn't like her. Every time Brittani walked by the cat, it would hiss at her. The I would shoo the cat away.
Question, does my wife give me the honor and respect I deserve for saving her from this ferocious animal?
No! She didn't need saving, it was just a house cat. Her enemy was unipressive, which meant her savior was un impressive.
Some of us see our sin as a little house cat; in reality, our sin is a monster that we could never conquer ourselves in a million years.
When we say to ourselves, "it's not that big of a deal, " we give ourselves permission to compare our sin (which, to our mind, is a small matter) to that of others, which is a huge deal.
We should see our sin for what it is, treachery.
Your sin is not a mistake or mishap. It is treason against the King of the Universe. When we sin, we pick sides.
Finally, we need to trust that God can and will forgive us.
Sometimes when we do something wrong and ask God to forgive us,k we don't fee forgivem.
So, what do we do? we try to work our way back into God's graces.
Maybe coming to an extra bible study or reading an extra chapter in the Bible.
We don't do all this not because we love God but because we feel guilty.
Once we confess, the Bible says that God "removes our transgressions' as far as the east from the west" Psalm 103:12 in Isa 43:25 says that "He will remember our sins no longer."
It's not up to us to work our way back into God's favor, It's entirely an act of grace on God's part.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Why does John say God is "Faithful and just to forgive us?" Why is He just? Do we deserve forgiveness? NO! Yet God forgives.
How is He able to forgive and remain just?
Our society is facing this same dilemma, how do we seek justice and remain merciful.
The Christian answer to this ilemma is the gospel. The gospel looks me square in the eye and exposes me for what I am, a sinner.
It then offers me a solution to my problem, which is God's grace.
O he died, He died to rectify my hopeless situation
And His blood commands my guilt to leave
Now on Calvary I stand
Empty pockets, open hands
O there is no condemnation for me
Because God's forgiveness is based on what Jesus has done on our behalf, God can, at the same time, be merciful and just.
This means I don't have to constantly look over my shoulder. I can rest knowing that I am forgiven.
However, some of us still truggle with feelings of guilt. We know the Bible says our sin are forgiven, but we don't feel forgiven.
Here we must be reminded of the objective nature of the gospel.
The gospel is about an event that took place in history, which means that even if I don't feel forgiven, I am forgiven because of the gospel.
This means that even though my sin is great, God's mercy is more.