Three Sure Ways to Fail

 Three Sure Ways to Fail

Subject: What We Can Do to Assure Failure 

Rick Welborne

Mark 6:30‑44 (NKJV) 

30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 

31 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 

32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 

33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 

34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. 

35 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. 

36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." 

37 But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" 

38 But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." 

39 Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 

40 So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. 

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. 

42 So they all ate and were filled. 

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. 

44 Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. 

–Tonight I want share with you three sure ways to fail and all you have to do is emulate the disciples in this situation.

–This story is repeated in all four of the Gospels and must have been so important to the Holy Spirit as He moved on these disciples to record it.

–So how can we, like the disciples, fail?

1. To fail we need to see the impossibility of the situation. 

–We must admit that feeding 5000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish is an impossible task.

–We can simply choose to fail because nothing can be done to fix it...it is beyond us. Humanly impossible. 

–My situation has been like this for a long time, things are spiraling out of control and obvious disaster is on the horizon...what will be will be!

–This habit, this relationship, this marriage, (you fill in the blank) is such an insurmountable obstacle...I know that I am doomed...no way out and no hope!

–He will never change...she will never change...they will never change...this situation will never change...it cannot be taken care of...pass restoring.

–You keep concentrating on how big your problem is and you are assured of failure! Keep magnifying what cannot be done and you will surely fail.

2. To fail we need to look at our limited resources and know it is impossible.

–Who can argue with the disciples about the fact (5 loaves and 2 fish)...what is so little among so much need...A Year’s wage could not feed so many people...No Wal-mart! 

–Who could possibly fault you not being able to succeed with such meager resources...why try when you do not have sufficient supply?

–When we see the size of our giant and we see the little we have in hand...obviously someone has to be the adult in the room and concede to failure. Taking the promised land.

Numbers 13:30-33 (NKJV)
³⁰  Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
³¹  But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."
³²  And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
³³  There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

–You may be saying...I am up against it...this is bigger than I am...time to give in, time to give up, time to raise the white flag, time to concede defeat because there is nothing I can do about it.

–Nothing ticks me off more than being on a sports team that thinks it cannot win...why bother playing...it’s not over until it is over...tell our tennis team...go out swinging!

–Focus on your own little resources and I assure you that you will fail.

3. To fail we need to ignore the fact that Jesus is with us to work miracles.

–Had the disciples already forgotten the miracles Jesus had already done in their presence?  When they were overwhelmed didn’t He show up?

–Couldn’t the One Who healed the man at the pool, delivered a demon possessed man, had power over the wind and waves of the sea, couldn’t He handle this problem.

–How is it possible for Jesus to have such a great track record before the disciples and they still fail to see He could handle this situation too?

–How about us...Jesus has saved us from our sin that had us headed for destruction, felt His keeping power in times of testing and temptation, and we have seen Him work in impossible situations...but this one is bigger!

–Jesus has healed us, healed others...we have seen Him rescue us just in the nick of time when it seemed financially we were going under, we have seen Him save the un-savable.

–Someone should be shouting tonight that if it had not been for the Lord you would have crashed and burned a long time ago...He sustained you by His mighty hand!

–We have testimony after testimony of the awesome power of God and we are going to let this present giant, this present situation makes us forget that Jesus is present and ready to work miracles.

–Are we going to ignore the fact that with God all things are possible?

Mark 9:23 (NKJV) 

23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." 

–Are we going to ignore the fact He said we could speak to our mountain?

Mark 11:22‑24 (NKJV) 

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 

–If you want to fail...Ignore the fact that Jesus is with you, He is for you, and He is in you!

–I am sure doubting Thomas said...Lord, you bless this bread and these fish and we will give it until it runs out!

–Key - The disciples wanted to start with much and end with little but Jesus wanted them to start with little and end with much.

Mark 6:41‑42 (NKJV) 

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. 

42 So they all ate and were filled. 

–God wants us to end better than we started...He wants us to witness Him multiplying His life, His resources, and His love each time we face what appears to be an insurmountable situation.

Romans 8:30‑32 (NKJV) 

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?