NJ - No Condemnation

Nathan Jones

Epic Fail Moving Forward • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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No Condemnation

Dear ACC Pastor, Many pastors have been asking how to address the marriage plebiscite with their congregations. The ACC National Executive discussed this complex issue when we met in Sydney this week, and over the next few weeks we will be rolling out information you can share with your congregation as to why they ought to vote 'no' to same sex marriage. The FIRST STEP is to remind everyone that this is a critical issue for our nation and the Church, so please be encouraging everyone to have their say and make their vote count.

THIS SUNDAY the most important thing our pastors can do is to urge people to ensure that:

1. They are enrolled to vote

2. Their postal address is up to date with the Electoral Commission

Please impress this upon people this weekend. If you are currently on the electoral roll, you do not need to register separately for the Australian Marriage Law survey which opens on 12 September 2017.

For those unsure if they are registered to vote, they will need to update their details with the Australian Electoral Commission before 24 August 2017 (next Thursday). You can check your enrolment status at: www.aec.gov.au/enrol or call the ABS on 1800 572 113.

If you are enrolled but have recently moved, you can update your details online. This Sunday is our last opportunity to remind people they must have their details up to date if their voice is to be heard on this issue of vital importance to our nation. Thank you for your assistance.

In our faith journey, we must be constantly moving forward. If we stop, we start to live in fear, we start to complain, and our past can even catch up with us. Move forward, constantly growing spiritually and watch God do the miraculous!

No Condemnation

You have to learn how to fail in order to succeed. Here are some famous failures from history.

• Walt Disney: Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney had many personal failures. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

• Michael Jordan: Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team.

• Fred Astaire: In his first screen test, the testing director of MGM noted that Astaire “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Slightly bald. Not handsome. Can dance a little.”Astaire went on to become an incredibly successful actor, singer and dancer and kept that note in his Beverly Hills home to remind him of where he came from.

• Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. One day, an assistant asked him why he didn’t give up. After all, he failed over a thousand times. Edison replied that he had not failed once. He had discovered over 1,000 things that don’t work.

• J. K. Rowling: Rowling may be rolling in a lot of Harry Potter dough today, but before she published the series of novels, she was nearly penniless, severely depressed, divorced, trying to raise a child on her own while attending school and writing a novel. Rowling went from depending on welfare to survive to being one of the richest women in the world in a span of only five years through her hard work and determination.

What do these people have in common? Two things.

1. They failed.

2. They had the courage to continue.

In our key verses

John 8:10–11 NSFLB

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Romans 8:1 NSFLB

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

We learned that condemnation is not something that comes from God. We may fail. We will fail. It might be our fault, like the woman in , or it might be by accident when we were trying our best. Failure has the power to make us want to quit, and, if we stop there at our failure, we are making a detrimental mistake. Why? Because God isn’t finished yet, and neither should we be finished.

This is where courage comes in.

Message 2

GET GOING ‘BELIEVE’

We all have times when we mess up. We all have moments we wish we could do over. Too often we define ourselves by our failures and allow our darkest moments to become a forecast for our future. How do we move past our epic failures and come to the place of actually believing that our failure our not our finale?

a quote from Perry Noble’s book Overwhelmed that talked about the tension that we all face to appear perfect. Why do you think so many people are tempted to hide their failures, especially in the church?

4. One of the biggest obstacles to faith is the belief that we are too messed up for God to love. In what ways have you been tempted to believe this lie?

5. Read

John 18:15–26 NSFLB

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. “Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?” Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”

Peter experiences an epic fail moments as he is pursuing Jesus. What are some ways you’ve tripped up in your pursuit of Jesus?

6. After Peter messes up and fails Jesus he goes back to what comes most naturally to him. What are those habits you fall back on in times of stress and failure? How do you feel after you revert back to those old habits?

7. Read

John 21:1–19 NSFLB

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. “Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

. Three times Peter denied Jesus, and three times Jesus offers Peter forgiveness. No matter how many times we fail Jesus, he never gives up on us! How can Peter’s story encourage us to continue to pursue Jesus even though we’ve mess up?

Three times Peter denied Jesus, and three times Jesus offers Peter forgiveness. No matter how many times we fail Jesus, he never gives up on us! How can Peter’s story encourage us to continue to pursue Jesus even though we’ve mess up?

WRAP IT UP Don’t let your past mistakes rob you of an amazing future. God doesn’t want your failure to be your final. Jesus is relentless to love, pursue, and forgive you.

Romans 5:8 NSFLB

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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