The Gift of Failure

October 11, 2015               NOTES NOT EDITED

The Gift of Failure

2Kings 6:1-7

SIS—Failure can be success in progress by practicing four powerful principles.

A little boy got a new pair of ice skates and headed for the local skating rink.  He donned his new treasures and headed for the ice. As soon as he hit the ice – boom – down he went for the first time.  He struggled to pull himself up using the rail.  No sooner was he up and - boom - down he went again.  This went on for quite some time.  The kids face was bruised and cut. A lady who had watched this little boy skated over to him and said sympathetically, “Honey, why don’t you quit before you get really hurt.”  The little boy answered defiantly, “Lady, I didn’t get these skates to learn how to quit, I got them to learn how to skate!”

I think the little boy could teach us all a good lesson – failure,

sometimes many failures – are the key to mastering life.

We all fail sometimes–some more than others.

Perhaps you have been in a marriage that has failed.  Perhaps you have experienced some great moral failure.  Perhaps you have been in a business venture that failed.  You may be hurting from a failed relationship.  Our question tonight is: How Can We Overcome Failure? How can we keep failure from becoming final?

The Bible gives us the answer.  Let’s read it together: 2 Ki 6:1-7

This is by far one of the most intriguing and enlightening miracles in the Bible.  It is a short, tightly packed pericope that at first seems out of place in the stream of thought.  Upon further investigation, it becomes clear that this passage is a rich vane of positive principles for overcoming failure.

Robert Burns, a Scotish Romanitcist wrote a poem entitled, “To A Mouse.”  Later the American novelist, John Steinbeck, wrote a book inspired by Burns poem.  Later the book, Of Mice and Men, was made into an award-winning motion picture. In Burns poem he poetically describes a farmer who unknowingly, and without malice, plows up the nest of a field mouse.  The farmer is so very sad because his necessity for making a living caused another creature much grief.  The farmer in the poem consoles himself by reasoning that the mouse had not planned his domicile well.  That leads to these famous lines (translated from Scottish baroque to English):

The best laid plan of mice and men, often go awry!

Failure at some time in your life is inevitable, but it need not be final. When even your “best laid plan goes awry,” you do not have to give in or give up.   Four powerful principles from our passage this morning can turn “obstacles into opportunities, scars into stars, and disappointments into God’s design for success.”  

HERE’S MY MOTTO FOR LIFE: “If my heart is right and I do right God will bless it.  If my heart is right and I do wrong, God will fix it. . . .either way, I win!” You simply can’t go wrong when you go for Jesus!  Our text gives us four powerful, positive, principles for dealing with failure, and letting failure lead us to success.

1.  First, Don’t Be Afraid to Try!  (vv. 1-4)

6 The sons of the prophets  said to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision  is too small for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.” “Go,” he said. ³ Then one said, “Please come with your servants.” “I’ll come,” he answered.

⁴ So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.

I thank God for an important lesson my Dad taught me, “The only person who never fails, is the person who never does anything!” What a wise man my father was!  I wished I’d paid more attention.

How many of you know that “Any successful life requires risk?” Have you considered the “risk” that Jesus took in becoming man? What if He had not taken the risk of leaving the glory of heaven, being born of a virgin, living a sinless life, dying an agonizing death? Without that risk, there would never have been a resurrection!

The fear of failure will sterilize our witness,

paralyze our potential, and fossilize our faith.

The abundant life is indeed full of risks.  Charles Swindoll points out, “All who fly risk crashing.  All who drive risk colliding.  All who run risk falling.  All who walk risk stumbling.  All who live risk something.”

Dr. Henry Link, a psychiatrist, once pointed out, “I venture to say that at the bottom of most fears [failures] is an overactive mind.” Some people can give you a thousand different ways in which an idea will fail. That itself, dooms great ideas to failure.

Some people spend so much time analyzing the risks, that they never take the plunge.  You can easily become paralyzed by thinking too much about “what might happen.”  Abundant life is full of risks, but remember:  “You’ll never fly until you try!”

The mere act of living is a risk. Yet, not to risk . . . is to guarantee mediocrity in life. Avoiding risk is to guarantee missing the best life offers.

Notice verse 1 .  There is a problem –not enough space.

Notice verse 2 .  There is a proposal –let’s build.   Notice verse 4.  There is perspiration –“they . . . cut down trees!”  This is the first step in dealing with failure–NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING!  There is a blessing formula here in verses 1-4:

Imagination (v2) + Perspiration (vv 2,4) = Accomplishment (felled trees) Never be afraid to try.

Wouldn’t you rather fail at a “Big Idea” than succeed with ideas that do not matter?

2.  Don’t Be Afraid to Admit Your Failures (v 5)

As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed!”

Take responsibility when you fail.  Admission is not weakness, it is wisdom. Again, The Book of Proverbs gives us wise counsel:  Prov. 28:13 tells us “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”

Can I paint you a really ridiculous picture?  This young disciple was chopping down trees.  He was really going to town.  Timber . . . timber . . . timber.  Single-handedly he was thinning out the forest.  Then the axehead flies off.  Instead of admitting what happens, he just begins to swing harder with the axe handle.  Harder and harder he beats against the tree.  Blisters form on his hand and beads of sweat on his brow.  He works harder and more feverishly–but you never hear the word “timber.”  His axe has no edge.

My friends, who are you fooling if you keep beating at life with a blunt axe handle. Sin blunts your axhead and the sooner you confess your sin, the sooner you can get the edge back and continue chopping down trees.

Perspiration without inspiration is folly.  I say, “better it is to admit your failure then to foolishly wail away at life with a blunt character.  You only end up frustrated and exhausted.  The proof of a cutting edge Christian character is fallen trees, not blisters from beating the trees.   You can’t fool God.  He knows when you have lost your edge.  Admit it, so that healing and help can come your way.

We need to get honest in church.  We need to take off our masks.

The masks we wear impair our vision and impede our spiritual growth. Christianity is about reality and truth, not vanity and deception:

It’s not what you say that counts, Nor merely what you do;

Your words may seem genuine, your deeds be not a few.

Yet, after all, God looks within, and sees the inner “YOU.”

Your doctrine may be error free, your creed be all so true.

Yet God looks past all these to see, If you, yourself, are true.

BE TRUE TO YOURSELF and TO GOD–ADMIT WHEN YOU’VE FAILED.  Here’s a little secret: “God already knows your failure.”

3.  Don’t Fix the Blame - Fix the Problem (v 6)

Then the man of God  asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.

Notice: Elisha took action, not offense. The young disciple could have blamed someone else, perhaps the owner of the axe.  But, he did not.  You must remember that an iron axe head was quite expensive and this one disciple’s action jeopardized the entire project.  This young disciple was the responsibility of Elisha.  His carelessness could have caused great difficulty for the Prophet.   Elisha had every right to be upset and angry.  He could have taken this opportunity to “dress down the young disciple.”  This seemed to be a perfect opportunity for Elisha to “give the young lad a piece of his mind!”   Instead, Elisha gave the young man a “piece of his heart!”

It is human nature when trouble comes our way to look for someone to blame.  If the disciple would have started to fix the blame, or if the other disciples concentrated on fixing the blame, or if the prophet Elisha would have tried to fix the blame–nobody would have been available to “fix the problem!”  The axe head would still be at the bottom of the lake!  Too many people in church are too busy pointing fingers, when they should be “lending a hand!”

The Bible says, “Bear one another’s burdens.”   It doesn’t say, “Be faithful and  diligent to blame one another.”

I read a story just the other day that illustrates the human propensity to “fix the blame, instead of fixing the problem.”  A young man was having a really bad day.  He lost his job and he wrecked the car.   Yet, in spite of all the trials and tribulations, he took it like a man–and blamed everything on his wife!

I might remind you, this is nothing new. Remember in the Garden of Eden.  When God asked Adam and Eve why they disobeyed Him and ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, each in turn promptly fixed the blame on someone else.  Adam blamed Eve.  Eve blamed the snake, and the snake said, “Flip Wilson made me do it!” Not really that’s a joke for people over 40!

It is human nature when trouble hits to “Fix the blame.”  If you want freedom from failure–DON’T “Fix the blame, fix the problem.”

John Wooden was the spectacular basketball coach at the University of California, Los Angelos (UCLA).  Wooden’s remarkable teams set several records–most consecutive victories, most consecutive national championships, and most consecutive NCAA basketball tournament victories.  Wooden knew how to win at basketball.  He also gives us a powerful statement on how to win at life.  Coach Wooden said, “Nobody is ever defeated until he [or she] starts blaming someone else!”  Don’t look for someone to blame, look for a way to fix the problem.  The Bigger Your Idea, the bigger problems you can expect.

If you want to win at life, “Don’t play the blame game!” When failure falls upon you, don’t fix the blame fix the problem!

4.  Fourth, to gain freedom from failure Don’t Just Stand There–Do Something! (V7)

So often we find ourselves in situations where we need God to intervene.  It does absolutely no good to sit and soak in a tub of self-pity.  Often, God will put the miracle we need right in plain sight.  Just like, Elisha made the iron float.  Notice however what it says in verse 7:

Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it.

Success in life often requires that we “do something.” God gives us our salvation for free, and then tells us to “work out our righteousness with fear and trembling!”   There simply is no substitute for HARD WORK!   God can and will multiply even our feeblest efforts.  With rare exceptions, God blesses us only after we make some effort to participate in our own blessing by planting a seed of faith.

God could have made the iron axe head jump right up onto the handle.  In fact, God could have made the axe chop down all the trees.  In fact, God could have completed the whole project by Himself .  God could have–but He didn’t! God has chosen to make His people partners in the Kingdom, not puppets in His court.

God does the hard stuff–He made the iron float. But, God is so wonderful and gracious–He lets us have part in finding freedom from failure.

I remember a lady who lived with a lazy husband.  He didn’t have a job—and, he didn’t want one.  One day, in tears, the wife said, "I'm ashamed of the way we live.  My father pays our rent, my mother buys all of our food, my sister buys our clothes, my aunt bought us a car. I'm just so ashamed." Her husband rolled over on the couch to look at her. "You should be ashamed," he agreed. "Those two worthless brothers of yours never give us a thing!"

God has never used a lazy person.  The Bible says (Prov 13:4)  The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

Remember Dr. Henry Link, the  psychiatrist I quoted earlier that said, “I venture to say that at the bottom of most fears [failures] is an overactive mind.”   He completed that sentence by saying , “and underactive body.”  If God only wanted you to “think big ideas,” you’d have only a head and no body.  God gave us feet to get us to the mountain and hands to hold the shovels to move the mountains.

To say it another way: “There ain’t no such thing as a FREE LUNCH! This is why gambling, sweepstakes, and the lottery are so wrong.  They violate God’s command to earn a living by the “sweat of your brow!”  Inspiration without perspiration leads to frustration. Jesus was clear. He did NOT say, “Watch me move that mountain.”  He DID say, “With faith, we can move mountains!” (Mt. 17:20).

As Christians we must always be mindful of our heritage. We are created in the image of God.  We are NOT NOW, NOR NEVER WILL BE God, or even gODS.  We are however, filled with God’s Spirit.  We have great potential to do much good – the key is that word “DO.”  God cannot bless us if we “do nothing.”  No matter how many times God multiplies nothing – it still comes out nothing!  To get blessed we must “Do Our Part.”  Nobody can do everything, but every one can to do SOMEthing.

Most people have “no ideas” for changing the world.  Consequently, nothing happens. Some people have “little ideas” for changing the world; and, little things happen.  What God is looking for are disciples like those disciples of Elisha, who had a “Big Idea.”  That “big idea” led to a “big failure,” but that “big failure” led to an even bigger “miracle.” The failure was the greatest gift those disciples could have received that day.  As I said earlier, from a Christian perspective, failure is success in progress.  The bigger your idea, the bigger the risk of failure, but the greater the potential to see the miraculous Hand of God move in unimaginable ways. 

If we, I am talking about you and I.  I am talking about this church.  I am talking about right here, right now.  If we want to see God move in a miraculous way we need to have an idea so big that if God doesn’t intervene, it will fail miserably.  Such a big idea will face challenges along the way . . . but, I guarantee you this:  there is no challenge so big that God is not bigger still. The same God that can make a stick float, can make iron float.  Failure is never final for the follower of Christ.  God will not call you to leap into His arms and fail to catch you. God isn’t looking for “successful people.”  God is looking for people willing to be a success.  All the glory for any success always goes to God.  Any man can make a stick float, but only God can make iron float.

If you have a “Big Idea” you will be challenged in life—and you may fail miserably many times.  But, if you don’t have a “Big Idea” you are pursuing, your life may be safer, but it will never be satisfying.  Don’t worry about trying and failing—worry about failing to try! If you have failed, just step back up to the place that you failed, repent, and begin living the life God intends for you to live.

If you have failed in GIVING—start tithing!

If you have failed in SERVING–start serving!

If you have failed in LIVING–start confessing!

If you have failed in READING YOU BIBLE–start in Mark.

If you have failed in PRAYING–start today!

DON’T SIT STEWING IN SELF-PITY–DO SOMETHING!

Don’t fear failure.  You can be free from failure.   Failure is success in progress.

Don’t be afraid to try.

Don’t be afraid to admit when you fail.

Don’t fix the blame – fix the problem.;

Don’t just stand there – do something.