Failure Without Christ
Without Christ, even the strongest men will fail, but with Him, we can overcome and achieve success.
D.L. Moody emphasizes that without Christ, every human endeavor ultimately leads to failure, citing biblical figures like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Peter who faltered when they took their focus off God. He illustrates that even the mightiest men of faith experienced weakness and failure at critical moments in their lives, demonstrating that reliance on one's own strength is futile. Moody encourages believers to maintain their focus on Christ to overcome the challenges of the world, as true victory comes through faith in Him.
Text
"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith"
(1 John 5:4).
Notice that everything human in this world fails. Every man the moment he takes his eye off God, has failed. Every man has been a failure at some period of his life. Abraham failed. Moses failed. Elijah failed. Take the men that have become so famous and that were so mighty--the moment they got their eye off God, they were weak like other men; and it is a very singular thing that those men failed on the strongest point in their character. I suppose it was because they were not on the watch. Abraham was noted for his faith, and he failed right there--he denied his wife. Moses was noted for his meekness and humility, and he failed right there--he got angry God kept him out of the promised land because he lost his temper. I know he was called "the servant of God," and that he was a mighty man, and had power with God, but humanly speaking, he failed, and was kept out of the promised land. Elijah was noted f or his power in prayer and for his courage, yet he became a coward. He was the boldest man of his day, and stood before Ahab, and the royal court, and all the prophets of Baal; yet when he heard that Jezebel had threatened his life, he ran away to the desert, and under a juniper tree prayed that he might die. Peter was noted for his boldness, and a little maid scared him nearly out of his wits. As soon as she spoke to him, he began to tremble, and he swore that he didn't know Christ. I have often said to myself that I'd like to have been there on the day of Pentecost alongside of that maid when she saw Peter preaching.
"Why," I suppose she said, "what has come over that man? He was afraid of me only a few weeks ago, and now he stands up before all Jerusalem and charges these very Jews with the murder of Jesus."
The moment he got his eye off the Master he failed; and every man, I don't care who he is--even the strongest--every man that hasn't Christ in him, is a failure. John, the beloved disciple, was noted for his meekness; and yet we hear of him wanting to call fire down from heaven on a little town because it had refused the common hospitalities.
Sermon Outline
- I. Human Failure Without Christ
- A. Even the strongest men fail without God's guidance
- 'B. Examples of biblical figures who failed: Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter'
- 'C. The reason for failure: losing sight of God'
- II. The Consequences of Failure
- A. Denial of faith (Abraham)
- B. Loss of temper (Moses)
- C. Cowardice (Elijah)
- III. The Importance of Christ
- A. Having Christ in us is the key to success
- B. Christ gives us the strength to overcome
- IV. The Example of John the Beloved Disciple
- A. Even the meek can be prone to anger
- B. The importance of humility and dependence on God
Key Quotes
“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” — D.L. Moody
“The moment he got his eye off the Master he failed; and every man, I don't care who he is--even the strongest--every man that hasn't Christ in him, is a failure.” — D.L. Moody
Application Points
- Recognize the importance of having Christ in our lives to avoid failure.
- Depend on God's guidance and presence to achieve success.
- Cultivate humility and a willingness to submit to God's will.