Moving Forward After Setbacks

 The broad subject of our “Legacy Breakfast” series is leaving a biblical “legacy”.

The narrow focus is on “Winning the battles worth fighting”.   I hope I can help equip you men to fight the good fight.  I want this to encourage you to stay the course. 

Pastor Shane gave me the topic for this message, “rebounding after set back”

The setback may be sin, or some shortcoming, or a failure, but we all need to get back up and keep going.

Shane got this quote from somewhere:

The real question is not simply how many mistakes a Christian makes, but how much he learns through those mistakes. 

The Psalms speak concerning this:

[Psa 94:12 NASB95] 12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law;

[Psa 119:67, 71 NASB95] 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. ... 71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.

Let’s pray…

Julie and I and my sons were driving down to California several years ago.   We stopped in Redding and were going to the In and Out Burger, and there was a guy at the counter asking the gal behind the counter for directions… he kept asking her, “how do I get here”, but she kept saying, “but sir, you are here”. 

I found out later that he had missed the In And Out Burger driveway and right past that is the freeway on-ramp. He had stopped on the freeway on-ramp and got out and walked back to the restaurant to ask for directions to where he was.  Julie and I often chuckle about that.

We’re here, but we just need to know how to get here.   So today is a little bit of a “how to”.

James 1:2-8 (NASB95)  2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1: 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Matthew 5:48 (NASB95) “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This is a difficult to understand set of verses.   How can we live this out?   People have gotten this wrong in several ways:   

Is God saying we will experience sinlessness in this life? 

Sinless perfectionism… I do think we should sin less, but only Jesus was sinless.

Or is God saying, we are sinless spiritually, so it doesn’t matter what we do in the flesh?

Sinful licentiousness, this is how the Gnostics took it, and the book of 1 John addresses this.

Or am I just a failure?   Which leads to 

Despair and despondency… In other words, “I give up”.   I can’t do this.

What would the Lord have us do then?

If we’re saved by grace through faith, then we ought to grow in God’s grace through faith, and we live out our salvation by God’s Holy Spirit.

[Rom 12:1-2 NASB95] 1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship.2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

So we desperately need a renewed mind.   And when you see the “re” prefix on “new”, that means we need a new mind, over and over again.

Does our life look different after we’ve trusted Christ?    So what are some things that can be setbacks in our lives as Christians?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASB95) 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Let’s talk about fornication, porn, lust, sexual immorality.  I’ve sat and spoken with several guys who’ve struggled with this.   Before I was a christian, I was extremely lewd and lascivious.   I sowed my wild oats and prayed for crop failure.  Here’s what I tell them?   Only in the LORD have I experienced victory in this area.   

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB95) We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Practically, what does it look like to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”?

Galatians 5:19-26 (NASB95) 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

I’ve sat and talked with more than one guy who struggled with drunkenness.   What do I tell them?   Here’s how I overcame the desire to even drink.   I was challenged by a brother to not drink any more.   Oh, I used to drink at lunch.   I told Julie, I just needed to blow off a little steam.   She was like, you don’t need that stuff, but it wasn’t until a brother just set a challenge before me.   It was just that simple.   What’s the Biblical principle in action here?   Titus 2:15 says These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Ephesians 4:17-32 (NASB95) 17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Lastly, let’s think about how we can address outbursts anger?

Romans 8:14 (NASB95) For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Galatians 5:16 (NASB95) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25 (NASB95) If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-22 (NASB95) 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.