When You Fall is a sermon teaching us that you may fall spiritually but with God’s help and His strength, you can get back up and go on. As long as you have breath, you can get up and carry on with God’s work.
Key verses:
Psalm 103:8-14
Take your Bible if you will and turn with me to Psalm 103. We are going to be looking there. For those of you who like to be ahead of things, we are later going to look at Proverbs chapter 24. But we are going to begin in Psalm 103 and eventually, we are going to look at verses 8 to 14. To start off, let’s just look at verse 14.
Psalm 103:14: “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
David wrote Psalm 103. In verse 14 he makes a very important statement regarding how God understands our weakness. Take a look at it.
Psalm 103:14: “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
God knows us, He knows who we are. I want to talk to you this morning on when you fall. Again, not if you fall but when you fall. What’s going to happen when you fall? How does it happen? Why does it happen? And what can you do about it? We’re going to talk about that, and we have a lot of territories to cover, so we’re going to go quickly. So, stay with your Bible open if you will and follow along.
Becoming Christian
The Christian life begins with the new birth. I’ve heard many people say, “I’ve always been a Christian.” Well, that’s not probably true and I don’t mean to insult anybody. You may be like I was. I was never an atheist. I never had one day in my life when I did not believe in the existence of God. If you had asked me as a young person, “Do you believe in God?” I would have said, “Yes. Of course, doesn’t everybody?” I really was surprised when I found out not everybody does, but I would have said, “Yes, I believe in God.”
If you had said to me, “Do you believe that God has a son?” I would have said, “Yes.” Because I had heard that, and it seemed reasonable to me. I Was familiar with the words of John 3:16. I did not understand the meaning of it, but I knew what the words were. And so, yes, I believe God had a son. If you had asked me if I believe God’s Son is Jesus Christ, I would have said yes. I had heard that, and I believed it was true.
If you had said to me, “Do you believe that He had died on the cross?” Sure. “Do you believe that He rose again?” Yes. Well, doesn’t that make you a Christian? No. What it made me was a believer in what I thought was historical fact.
Just like if you had asked me, “Do you believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States?” I would have said, “Yes.” That was something that happened hundreds of years ago and what does that have to do with me at that time? I’m talking about when I was younger in the 20th century. So, yes, did I believe all those things about God and His Son? Yes. But what did that have to do with me living in the 20th century on the other side of the planet? I couldn’t have answered that question. When people asked me if I knew I was going to Heaven I said yes, not because I knew, I didn’t know, I said yes because I thought that’s what they wanted to hear. So, that did not make me a Christian.
There was a definite time and place. An old Gospel song says, “I could tell you about the time, I could show you the place.” I could do that. There’s a definite time and place, a place about 20 miles from here where the Gospel was shared with me. I was able to trust the Lord Jesus as my Savior and that’s when I became a Christian. That’s about 53 years ago now.
A Christian’s life begins with the new birth:
John 3:3: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
What does that mean, born of water and born of the Spirit? He tells us in the next verse.
John 3:6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
John 3:7: “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Peter wrote:
1 Peter 1:23: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
So, again, Peter and Jesus both use the term “born again”. Paul explained it this way to Titus:
Titus 3:4: “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,”
Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done” – not by all the good things we’ve done, “but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration” – regeneration is to be regenerated or to be born again.
Titus 3:6: “Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;”
Titus 3:7: “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
To the church at Corinth – same writer – Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 6:9: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,”
1 Corinthians 6:10: “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
“And such were some of you” – he says, some of you fell into these categories. So, being born again or experiencing the new birth, is that which occurs when a person recognizes that they have sinned before God. They have violated the law of God and therefore are guilty before God. That guilty sinner comes to know and understand and believe that Jesus Christ paid for their sins at the cross.
1 Corinthians 15:3: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”
They trust the Lord and ask Him to save them.
Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
And at that moment the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ shines in that person’s heart. They are regenerated, they are renewed. They are born again, born of the Spirit. They are transformed, they have become a child of God.
John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Who gets to be the sons of God? “Even to them that believe on his name”:
John 1:13: “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
“Which were born, not of blood” – not physical birth but born of God, born of the Spirit, born again.
From that time forward in a person’s life is a period of spiritual growth. Peter, who is a pastor, wrote:
2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
What is he saying? As newborn babes he said:
1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Grow spiritually. A little baby needs to grow. One who is born again needs to grow. You’ve been born physically, and you grow. You’ve been born spiritually, and you grow. Paul told the church at Ephesus:
Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”
So, what is the goal of spiritual growth? To grow up and be like Jesus. Do you mean we’re going to look just like Him and dress like Him? No, that’s not what it means. It means you are going to be like Him in character and spiritual growth. Spiritual growth begins that day and continues until the time you finish your journey upon the earth and step out into eternity.
Giving Into Temptation
But that journey is not always easy and sometimes temptation becomes great upon us. And sometimes we give in to temptation. You read Romans chapter seven; you’ll see the great struggle between the flesh and the spirit. But sometimes we give in to great temptation and sometimes we do that which we thought we’d never do. Maybe we had done it before but not now. Not that we’ve been born again, not that we’re growing to be like Jesus, not now, we would never do those things again. Sometimes we think that way.
For example, at the last supper we read this:
Matthew 26:33: “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
But you know what? It was just hours before he was. He was offended. He was offended when they came and arrested Jesus and they thought that he was going to be next. Sometimes we give in to temptations. Sometimes we get tired and grow weary in well-doing. And we’re doing what we should do but we get tired and let down our guard and we find ourselves doing what we know we should not do. You know James 4:17 says:
James 4:17: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
It’s not something wrong that you did, it’s what you didn’t do which was right that you should do. So, Paul wrote:
Romans 7:19: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
I don’t do what I should do, I find myself doing what I know I shouldn’t do. Sometimes we get tired, we get weary. Sometimes we are just overconfident. We get to thinking, “I am doing so well, I am growing so well, I couldn’t possibly fail.” The problem then becomes that we start to trust our own effort and our own ability and our own goodness. We look at our success and we fail to realize that Jesus said:
John 15:5: “…without me you can do nothing.”
Sometimes when we’ve had a great spiritual victory, we don’t realize that we have the same faults, and we’re subject to the same failures that we’ve always had. But our enemy knows that. And the enemy comes when we find ourselves enjoying the victory and he attacks us harder than ever before because he knows our greatest points of weakness. That’s why Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
When you think you’re on top, when you think you really have it together, that’s when you’re the most vulnerable. When I got my first motorcycle many years ago, a wise and experienced rider said to me, “It is not a question of if you lay the bike down, it is only a question of when you will lay the bike down.” Do you know what I found out? He knew what he was talking about. He did.
So, as we go through our Christian life, we all experience things. We experience temptation, we grow weary, we may become overconfident, and we may find ourselves standing on top of the mountain in spiritual victory only to be attacked by the enemy and find ourselves falling down the mountain we’ve just successfully climbed. We look around and say, “We’ve fallen. We’ve failed.” What do we do then? Where do you go from there?
God’s Mercy
Well let’s look to the Word of God and I think we’ll find the answers we need, Psalm 108:8, some tender words that David gave us and he says:
Psalm 103:8: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
What David is telling us here is that God still loves you. Even when you failed, even when you dropped the ball, even when you’ve ruined the whole picture, God still loves you. He didn’t give up on you, He didn’t quit on you, He has not abandoned you. He is compassionate and He recognizes our sufferings. Notice verse nine:
Psalm 103:9: “He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.”
Now, the word “chide” is interesting. But it says, “He will not always chide.” God is merciful, He is compassionate, and He’s gracious, loving, and kind. He hears our cries when we realize we have failed and it’s our fault. I’ll be honest with you; I don’t hate very many things but one of the things I hate is when something goes wrong and it’s absolutely my fault. I hate that. I can’t say, “It’s them.” Nope, it’s right here. I hate that. But you know, that happens. It does and you have to admit it and you have to face up to it. It was my fault. So, it says in verse nine again:
Psalm 103:9: “He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.”
The word “chide” is interesting because it means to present legal charges. Present legal charges? Yes, like a prosecutor in court bringing charges against the accused. And it says that the Lord will not always chide. He will not always be bringing accusations against us, against His people. And then it says this in verse nine, “Neither will he keep his anger for ever.”
“Oh, wait a minute preacher, you’ve got to stop right there. God gets angry? I thought anger was a sin and it’s a sin to be angry so God cannot get angry because if God got angry it would be a sin, so God can’t get angry.” Well, that sounds good but it’s not reality, but it sounds good.
I don’t sell books. I don’t have any books to sell. I recommend books all the time. I’m going to recommend one to you now. It is titled, “Anger: How to Handle a Powerful Emotion in a Positive Way” and I think that the last part I didn’t get quite right, not “Positive Way” but something similar to that. It’s by Dr. Gary Chapman. What is good about that book is that it is a biblical study on the subject of anger. You want to know what the Bible has to say about anger, that book will tell you. It’s good, it’ll help you. “Well, I don’t have a problem with anger.” Well, good. Read it and help somebody who does.
But does God get angry? Yes. I recommend that you look at the evil that goes on in the world every day and has gone on for thousands of years and you reconsider the question, “Does God get angry?” I think the better question is, “How can God be righteous and just and not be angry with man’s evil?” But it tells us in verse nine that His anger is not forever. He doesn’t stay angry forever. So, He’s merciful, He’s gracious, but it also tells us this:
Psalm 103:10: “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”
So, the Lord is gracious and kind to us, He judges the righteous:
Psalm 7:11: “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
But He doesn’t keep that anger. And He is slow to anger, and He is not without patience when it comes to our faults. We find also that the Lord is plenteous in mercy. He’s full of goodness, kindness, and pity for all of us. Now, again, verse 10, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins.” Do you know what that means? It means He has not applied the strict penalty for sin to His people. What does that mean?
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
John writes in 1 John 1:5, “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” What’s he saying? There comes a point where you’ve gone so far that God says no, that’s it, you’re through. “Really?” Yeah. “Preacher, am I at that point?” Well, I don’t think so, you’re still sitting here.
But the thing I am trying to get across to you is this, the Lord has not applied that penalty to His people, to those who have trusted Him, to those who are born again. Once you are forgiven, that penalty of death is gone. Because that same verse that says, “For the wages of sin is death,” says this, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Once you receive eternal life, eternal is forever, you don’t lose eternal life. You are freed from the penalty of sin. And the Lord saves us and forgives us based on the fact that our sins past, present, and future are paid for at the cross. Look at verse 11:
Psalm 103:11: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”
Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
The Scapegoat
In Leviticus chapter 16, we have the law of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is that day that the people of Israel observe, in symbol, the Lord’s sacrifice for their sin, the forgiveness of their sin, and the taking away of their sin. In Leviticus 16:10, he gives us the law of the scapegoat. That’s an important term “scapegoat.” It says this:
Leviticus 16:10: “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.”
Now, the word “scapegoat” in your English Bible and the word that’s translated “scapegoat” in Hebrew, is only found in that chapter, Leviticus 16, you don’t find it anywhere else. So, it has only one meaning and it applies specifically to the symbolism of this animal. And the word implies removal.
On the day of atonement, the high priest would have two goats. One of them would be offered on the altar for a blood sacrifice and his blood would be taken and sprinkled on the mercy seat. The other goat would remain alive as we’ve just read in Leviticus 16:10. The high priest would place his hands upon the head of the goat and he would pray and he would confess all the sins of the people of Israel, symbolically placing them on the head of that goat.
And then someone would lead that goat somewhere far out into the wilderness, so far out that it could not find its way back. he would leave that goat out there in the wilderness, symbolically removing, taking away our sins from us. How far does he take him away? Well, I want you to look at verse 11 again:
Psalm 103:11: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”
“As the heaven is high above the earth,” – you can look up into the sky, but you can never see the end of the sky. “Well, I’ll get a telescope.” You can get a telescope and you’ll see farther. “Well, I’ll get the Hubble telescope and I can see way out in space.” You can but you could never see the end of it. “I hear they’re developing a new telescope that’s even farther out and can see better than the Hubble.” Yeah, I read that too. You still can’t see the end of it. As far as the heavens are above the earth, “so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” But that’s not all, look at verse 12:
Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
That’s what that scapegoat symbolized. Taken the transgressions so far away that they can’t come back. How far is that? As far as the east is from the west. That’s east and that’s west (pointing fingers east and west). You could start out from here and you could start traveling east. You can only go a few miles before it’s going to get real wet, so you’re going to figure that out. But you can keep traveling east and as long as you travel that way, you know what? You’re always going to be traveling east. “I’ll be going around the world.” You’ll still be traveling east.
Or you could start out that way and you can start going west. You can go a few more miles but you are going to get wet again and you’re going to have to figure that out. You can keep going that way and keep going west and as long as you keep going, you’ll still be heading west. What are you saying? East and west are infinite. You never run out of east, you never run out of west. And that’s why the old saying of the east is east and west is west, and never shall the twain meet, and they can’t.
Child of God
So how far can God remove our sins from us? You trust Him and He forgives you. He removes your sins so far that they can never come back. They can never be found. Why is God like that? Look at verse 13:
Psalm 103:13: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
I don’t know if you have any children that have gone astray. You may have. But if you do, they’re still your children. When God’s children go astray, when God’s children fail, when God’s children fall, they are still His children, and He still cares. When we are born again, we become a child of God. Now listen very carefully:
Galatians 4:4: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”
Galatians 4:5: “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
You’ve been born into the family of God. You are God’s child. You cannot be taken out of the family of God. So, David writes, “as a father pitieth his son,” the Lord taught us to pray, “Our Father, which art in heaven.” For those of us who have placed our faith in the Savior, for those of us who are born again and have received the adoption of sons, He is our heavenly Father and He understands our weakness. And He forgives His children, He has pity on us. He bids us return to Him and He allows us to return to Him. 1 John 1:9 was written to the believer where it says:
1 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.”
“You say He takes sins away but what if I sin again?” 1 John 1:9. You come back, you confess, and He’ll forgive you. That brings us back to verse 14 where we started
Psalm 103:14: “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
He knows our frame. Many years ago, a friend of mine had a German Shepherd dog. He called the dog Boog. I don’t know why but he did. The important thing is he didn’t have a place to keep the dog. He had a fenced yard, but he didn’t have a doghouse. I said, “I’ll make a doghouse for you.” So, I got some 2” x 2” pieces of wood, I measured them, I cut, and I fastened them together. I built a rectangle which was a frame. And then I took some more of that same wood, and I made a peak frame to make a roof. And then I got some plywood and put it over the frame so that I had walls and then a roof. And I took roofing paper and put that on top and put shingles on the top and I made a doghouse for that dog. He came with his pickup truck and picked it up and he had a doghouse now.
I told you how I did that because I can tell you exactly how that doghouse was built because I built it. I remember building that doghouse. You’d say, “Big deal, I’ve done more than that.” I’m sure you have. But my point is this. He remembers our frame because He built us. He is our designer. When I was building that doghouse, my grandmother said, “Don’t you need to make some drawings or something?” I said, “Nope, got it all up here.” Not all I had up there but I did have that. But I remember that doghouse.
Genesis 2:7: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
God forms man from the dust. After the fall of man:
Genesis 3:19: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
That’s it. That idea is repeated in”
Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
So, verse 14 says, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” – because He made us. He understands our frailty, He understands our weakness, He understands that we are not strong enough to make it without His help.
In the 1800s, Joseph Scriven wrote, “Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?” Listen. “Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” He does. He knows your weakness. He remembers your frame. He knows that you’re just dust.
Scriven’s poem went on to say, “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms, He’ll take and shield thee. Thou wilt find a solace there.”
Falling Down, Getting Up
Take your Bible if you will and leave Psalm 103 and turn with me to Proverbs 34. You’ll find this verse on the cover of your bulletin this morning. Look at verse 16:
Proverbs 24:16: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
When the Bible calls somebody a just man, the word “just” means righteous. You’ll find in the New Testament that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was called Just Lot. That means he was righteous. He didn’t live like a righteous man, at least not in Genesis chapter 20. But the fact of the matter is God calls him righteous. Why? Because man looks at the outward appearance and God looks on the heart. You find in Matthew chapter one that Joseph was called a just man, a righteous man.
So, it says here in Proverbs 24:16, “a just man falleth seven times.” He falls seven times. You know, that means he falls and gets going again, and then he falls again and then he gets going again, and then he falls again – this guy just keeps falling, but he is a righteous man.
Do you know why God puts that in the Bible? Because He knows that’s you and me. You and I may be righteous in that we have been saved. We’ve been forgiven, our sins have been removed, we’ve been born again, but we can still fall. We’re not going to lose our salvation. Once you are a child of God you have your salvation forever. You have eternal life, but you can fall. You can mess up. You can have failure. “For a just man falleth seven times,” AND “riseth up again.” You may not be able to keep yourself from falling but you can get up again, you can.
When you fall, the first thing you need to do is get back up. Now, there is a very popular teaching today, you may not have come across it but then again maybe you have, that says when you’re down, stay down. Stay on the ground, don’t even try to get up. Fight from the ground and fight for victory while you’re on the ground. Does that idea work? It can in certain circumstances. But if you’re not in those certain circumstances, that’s not going to work.
When would it work? If you’re down and your opponent is down with you and it’s just you and one other opponent, yeah, you can win on the ground. You can, it’s possible. But what if there is more than one opponent? What are you going to do then? You’re busy on the ground with that one fellow and he has six friends. What are you going to do then? You’re going to be in trouble is what you’re going to do.
So, I’m going to say to you, when you’re down, get back up. Because that’s what God says. He says:
Proverbs 24:16: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
I’m saying, get up and back on your feet. Maybe you got tired. Maybe that’s how you got down in the first place. You may have been sore, you may have been wounded, you may be hurting. Get up! You are not going to be able to do better until you are able to get back on your feet. If you need to run, the Bible says:
Isaiah 40:31: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
You know what? In order to run and not be weary and walk and not be faint, you’ve got to be up on your feet. You can’t do that down on the ground. Anybody can find themselves down, the key is to get up again. Well, it’s hard to get up again. Sometimes it is, not I’ll argue that point with you. But you’ve got to do it anyway. “Well, I don’t think I’m strong enough.” You’re probably right, you’re probably not strong enough. You probably need help to get up. You probably need God’s help. But the “just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” – so, don’t stay down, get up. Don’t quit, don’t give up. Don’t say that you’re through. Get up.
Let me help you with something. Psalm 51 is one of the most beautiful of all the psalms. We talked about this a little bit in Sunday School this morning. I did a study some years ago to try to figure out – David didn’t write all of the psalms, but the ones we know that he wrote – I tried to figure out what point in his life he wrote them. Sometimes it tells us and sometimes it’s obvious from the wording but sometimes it’s hard to figure out when he wrote them.
Not Psalm 51. You know exactly when he wrote that one. After David had been king. After God had blessed him and used him unlike any other man, David fell into sin. And the Lord convicted him of his sin and the Lord dealt with his sin. And he had some tragedy in his life as a result of his sin. But he got back up. It was after David’s great fall that he wrote that beautiful psalm, Psalm 51.
When you’re down and you feel like you can’t make it. When you say, “I’ve blown it. God was good to me, and God has blessed me, and I’ve ruined it all.” Read Psalm 51 because that’s where David was when he wrote it.
It was after Samson’s fall that he had his greatest victory. It was after Peter denied the Lord that he became the great preacher on the day of Pentecost and the author of two New Testament books. God may not be finished with you, but you need to get back up.
Many years ago, Mrs. McClure and I went to a huge conference and at that conference, they were teaching many things and it was good teaching, all of it. But one of the things they did at the conference, was they gave everybody there a pin like a lapel pin. It was about that big (1-1/2”) around and it wasn’t very fancy looking. I’ve seen some beautiful lapel pins, I’ve was looking at somebody’s lapel pin this morning, and I liked that. But this was just a plain disc like that, it was white, and it had black letters on it. What did the letters say? They really didn’t say anything. The letters were P-B-P-W-M-G-I-N-F-W-M-Y. What does that spell? It doesn’t spell anything at all. But it represents something. What does it represent? It represents “Please Be Patient With Me God Is Not Finished With Me Yet.” That’s what it represents. You know what? God’s not finished with you yet. It’s not over yet.
Ecclesiastes 4:10: “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
When you get back up, help somebody else who has fallen, “if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow” – that verse says. When they fall, don’t leave them alone, help them up. Somebody needs help. I was in a Publix one day and when I came out of the store there was a man standing by a support post there. He’s hanging on to that post and he’s weaving like this, and I thought he was drunk. I did.
He called out to me and said, “Will you help me?” I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t want to deal with somebody who was drunk. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have felt that way, but I did. He said, “Will you help me?” Well, he asked for help, what are you going to do? You’re going to help him. So, I walked over to him, and he said, “I’m not drunk, I realize I look like it but I’m not. I have a brain tumor. I need help just getting across the parking lot. I just live across the parking lot there. If you could just help me get across the parking lot, I’ll get home, I’ll be okay.”
Now, I almost walked by that man thinking he was just drunk. But he wasn’t, he needed help. So, when you get back up, you help somebody else. You help them because you needed help yourself and now you know how to help.
Guard Against Falling
1 Corinthians 10, look at that if you will. I was going to read it to you, but I think it will help you to look at it a very important statement, it says:
1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The man who thinks he’s okay, the man who thinks he’s got it, the man who thinks he’s on a sure footing, needs to watch out, needs to be on guard because he can fall. When you look at that other person and say, “Boy, they have messed up. I would never do what they’ve done.” – and you find yourself doing the same thing or worse.
So how can you keep from falling? Don’t be proud, don’t be trusting in your own strength. Be aware of the fact that you can fall. I’m not saying you’re going to fall every day. But I’m saying be aware that it can happen. So, guard against it. Don’t look at someone else and think like Peter was thinking when he said to the Lord at that last supper:
Matthew 26:33: “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
We already saw that one, but he didn’t stop there. Peter when on and said:
Matthew 26:35: “Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.”
Before the night was over, he denied the Lord three times. “I’ll die before I deny you.” He thought he’d never do it. If you had told him, “You would do it.” – he would have gotten angry with you, “You might do that, not me.” But it doesn’t stop there. Let me read it to you again in Peter’s words:
Matthew 26:33: “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.”
Matthew 26:35: “Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.”
They all said yeah, we’re with Peter. Yeah, you got us, Lord. No, we’d never turn on you. We’d never deny you. We’ll never let you down. You can count on us. We’re there. That same night just 21 verses later in Matthew 26:56 it says this:
Matthew 26:56: “But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.”
Peter was first, “Not me. I’ll never do that.” All the others said, “Yeah, Peter, we’re with you. We’ll never do that.” By the time the night was over they all did it, exactly the thing they said they’d never do. It was what Paul means when he says:
1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
“I’m better than that. My buddy over there, I’m not sure he’ll make it but I’m better than that.”
1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
And then verse 13 and then we’re finished.
1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Understand this, “There hath no temptation taken you” – temptation will take you, but “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.” What does that mean? That means the temptations you have, the problems you have, and the struggles you have, other people have the same temptations.
We talked about this in Sunday School. We sit in a circle in our class, a semi-circle, more of an oval, I guess. But the fact of the matter is we’re sitting there, and I can say, “My back hurts.” – and probably everybody in that circle or oval can say the same thing. And I say, “Does it make it feel any better that everybody else’s back hurts?” Does that make your back hurt any less? It doesn’t, does it? It really doesn’t comfort you.
But you do need to understand the point Paul is making here is that temptation that’s taken you happens to other people. And more than you being comforted just by that, understand that you are subject to the same things that trap other people.
“Not me, no, never happens with me.” – that’s what all the disciples said, every one of them. But they were wrong. They did fall in just a matter of hours. Understand that our Lord understands that you are subject to temptation just like everybody else. But also understand that He has not left you without help.
A Way to Escape
Notice what the verse says, look, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” – now I want you to read the next four words out loud with me, “but God is faithful,” – that’s it. You and I fall to temptation, but God is faithful. And notice the next phrase, “who will not suffer” and the word “suffer” there means allow, He will not allow “you to be tempted above that ye are able.” What does that mean? It means you always have a way out. You always have a way to escape.
How do you know that? I read the rest of the verse. God “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make” – it doesn’t mean that God is making the temptation, it means alongside the temptation – God will “make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
What do you mean “a way to escape”? Well, let me illustrate. Paul is writing a letter to Timothy. Timothy is a young preacher. Many people would call Timothy Paul’s protégé. I think that’s pretty accurate. He writes a letter to Timothy, First and Second Timothy, we call it.
He says a lot to Timothy. One of the things he says to Timothy is to flee youthful lust. Why? Timothy is a young man and Timothy is subject to the passions of any young man. He says, “Timothy when you’re tempted, flee youthful lusts.” What does that mean? It means running in the other direction is what it means. Find a way to escape. Find a way out of it. I wish I had the time. I could show you some very simple escape things. There are ways out.
Let me do just one really quick (calls up Mike for demonstration). Have you noticed he’s a bit bigger than I am? Yeah, a little bit. So, are you left-handed, or right? “Right.” Okay, face me and I want you to grab my fist with your right hand and hold on as tight as you can (hand slips out). No, tight as you can (hand slips out). Do not let me out. No, Mike, hold on as tight as you can hold on (hand slips out). Do not let go. Oh, he’s really hanging on now, isn’t he? (Hand slips out.)
Okay, let me show you how simple that is. This is simple. On most people’s hands – some people in the world this isn’t true of – but most people have four fingers and one thumb. If you pull against the thumb, you get out every time. Why? Because it is out there all by itself. Do you know what most people do? They don’t do that. They do this (pull away, unable to get free). You are never going to get out that way. You are just going to struggle and struggle.
You pull against the thumb, then you’re out. See how simple that is. That’s a way to escape. Does that make sense to you? Okay. I can struggle and struggle and struggle or find a way to escape. What’s easier?
God is faithful who also with the temptation makes a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. There are many ways to escape that God prepares for us. Sometimes, it’s just to run away. Just get out of there. Just don’t be there. Don’t be in that place where you are tempted. Don’t be with that person who takes you into temptation. There’s a way to escape that you may be able to bear it.
God loves you and He understands that you can fail. You and I need to understand that we can fail. We need to understand that when we fall, we have fallen because we have trusted in our own strength. Let me say that again. We need to understand that when we fall, we fall because we trusted in our own strength. We need to understand that when we trust in His strength, we can get back up.
It may not be easy, as I said, you may be tired, you may be hurt, you may be sore but with His help and with His strength, you can get back up and you can go on and you can make it. You need to understand that God has not forsaken you. He is not finished with you. You’re still living, you’re still breathing, He still wants to use you. You may not be able to go back to exactly where you were before but that does not mean you can’t do anything for God. Then you need to understand that you can get back up and begin again and be faithful to the very end. You can do it. That’s what to do when you fall.
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Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for blessing us. Thank you for all that you have given us. Thank you for being so loving and kind, so gracious and so forgiving. Thank you for remembering that we are dust, you know our frame. Thank you for loving us and sending Jesus who gave Himself on the cross to pay for our sins to take the wages of sin for us. Thank you, Lord.
Our heads are bowed our eyes are closed. I don’t know where you are in your spiritual growth right now. I hope that things are going well for you. I hope that you’re growing daily. But if you fall, don’t stay down. Call on the Lord, trust His strength and get back up and go on faithfully serving Him.
If you think you may be about to fall, find the way to escape. Get out of it. You don’t have to give in. Maybe you are at the point where I haven’t even started the journey. I haven’t come to that point where I’ve been born again and that is exactly where you need to come. You need to come to Jesus, and you need to call on Him. You need to say, “Lord Jesus, I believe. I believe that you love me. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sin and right here, right now, I am trusting you to forgive my sins, to save me, and to give me everlasting life. Thank you, Lord Jesus.”
“You went a little fast there, preacher. I’m not sure I got all that.” That’s okay, we’ll be glad to help you with that. The main thing is to trust that Jesus paid for your sins at the cross, that He is alive today, He’ll forgive you if you trust Him to do it.
Now, again, if you’ve already done that and you started your path on spiritual growth, but you’ve fallen, ask Him to help you. He saved you, He’ll help you again. Get back up and start back in following the Lord.
We’re going to sing the song of invitation. If God spoke to your heart, we’ll be down front here. We’ll help you, pray with you. You come and follow the Lord’s leading. Father, bless and move now in this invitation time we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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