Failure Is Not Final

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Luke 22:31-34Adrian Rogers says, “Failure doesn’t need to be a hitching post to tie us to the past. Failure can be a guidepost to lead us into the future.”God is not finished with us in the dark nights of failure; His mercies are new every morning. Simon Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ in Luke 22 reminds us that failure is not final.In times of failure, we must first remember that Jesus is sovereign.“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times’” (Luke 22:61).Peter remembered that Jesus, who knew long before he did, that he’d deny Him, told him this would happen. This revealed that God was still in control, even when it doesn’t seem so.We can find comfort knowing the Lord sees our failures. These missteps do not come without His permission.In his failure, Peter also learned the sympathy of Jesus.In the midst of His own agony, Jesus turned to look at His backslidden disciple. Christ’s sympathetic love is what convicts and changes us.In our times of failure, we need to see our security in Jesus.“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’” (Luke 22:31-32).As the enemy sifted Peter to find out his sins, he also wants to find our flaws to use against us and condemn us. Jesus wants us to be sifted, too—not to exploit our impurities, but to cleanse us.Jesus prayed for Peter as he was sifted. Jesus prays for His believers, even to this day. He convicts us of our sins so that we will not wander for long. And when we return to Him, He is faithful to forgive.Adrian Rogers says, “The same Jesus who prayed for Simon Peter… is now in the glory praying for you.”Apply it to your lifeWe will all fail at some point, but even in the darkest nights, a new day is dawning. God’s mercies are new every morning. Know that Jesus Christ intercedes for you, even now. Ask God for forgiveness and come back to Him.