Transparency - Part 2 — K.P. Yohannan

The Lord’s Response to Failure

How does the Lord deal with those that fail, and how should we deal with them? The answer, next, on the Road to Reality. Imagine how Peter must have felt after his denial of Christ. No doubt a feeling shared by many of us after we fail the Lord.

Nobody is perfect, and we all sin, that is for sure. So then it becomes necessary to learn how to respond rightly after we do fail. Today on the Road to Reality, Brother K .P. Yohannan will offer biblical encouragement for not only those times when we blow it, but also help us help others when they fail.

With John Chapter 21 in mind, K .P. first will have us consider how the Lord deals with failures.

Jesus’ Compassion for Sinners and Rebuke of Hypocrisy

As you read the Gospels, you will never find Christ speaking such harsh words to prostitutes, the drunkards, and the worst in the society. He never did that. You know the story about this woman being brought before Christ who was caught in the act of adultery.

The law says she must be stoned to death. But Jesus looks upon her with such love and compassion, not one word she hears from Christ condemning her. Her dignity never marred. But Jesus talks to the Pharisees who knew, these people knew the scriptures, they made themselves appear to be so spiritual, they pray so many times, they fast, they make their face look so sad and gloomy and donkey-faced.

And somebody asked, why you look like that? Oh, I've just been fasting for the last 25 days. Oh, now I understand why you look so tired. You are so spiritual. And Jesus said, you are snakes. You are whitewashed tombs outside, nice and clean, inside it is rotten and stinking.

You will never make it to heaven. Your father is a devil. Wow. You talk about preachers, here is a hard preacher. But these Pharisees who pretended, hypocrites, acting a role. It's like in the movies, this gentle, skinny little fellow, now he's a police inspector, he's an army commander.

Well, in the movies it works, but letting go and try to do that, that will be the end of his life and his career. No, it don't work. In Christendom, if you are not careful, now I talk to you as an individual, you in your own world and in my own world, we can begin to pretend.

The reality is different. There are people who talk about prayer, you know, how we need to pray and wait upon God. By the time you hear this incredible speech, you think, wow, this man must know God, he prays 10 hours a day and this and that, the whole thing, this guy don't even pray even for one minute.

But he's expert in projecting about prayer life and then people think something that he is not. In all areas of life, we need to be careful like that. Now I thank God for this example, which becomes such tremendous encouragement for me, that is Peter, who made such a horrendous mistake.

Peter’s Denial and the Honesty of Repentance

He not only could not live with himself because of his rejection and his feeling of such utter lostness because of his failure, he says, I can handle it. So he walks away. He could have pretended, said, oh yeah, you know what, I was going to lose my head.

You know, in my heart, I really love the Lord. Yeah, I was caught in this horrible mess. What I was supposed to do? The Lord understand. No, he wept bitterly, honesty. And now he's going back to the old business.

When Jesus rose again from the dead, if you remember, Jesus said, you know what, you go and tell my disciples I am risen. Two more words he added and Peter, amazing, there's John, there's Thomas, there's Matthew and all these disciples.

But then he picks out one name and single him out and Peter, don't forget to tell him. Him being God, he knew exactly what was going on in Peter's heart. He knew exactly how he failed so miserably. He knew exactly what Peter is going through.

By the way, the Lord knows you also. The Lord knows that very private sin and struggle that you live with. He knows the number of times he repented in agony and with such tears saying, I will never do it again.

He knows he failed again. Nobody ever discovered. No one ever discovered. They may never will, but the Lord knows what you have done. Nothing, nothing is hidden before his eyes. But this is the most beautiful thing.

He not only knows me and knows you, but he says, and so on, so, and so on, so. This mother gave birth to four children. Three of them are healthy and normal. And one is sickly and weak. Majority of the attention the mother now gives to this weak and the failing one.

Devil tried to tell us continually, God is angry with you. There's no way you're going to make it to heaven. He lost his salvation. Yeah, keep pretending, but you are, God is not on your side. Why you pray like this?

It has no meaning. He will never hear your prayer. You sinned so much and on and on and on. He being the deceiver, just as it did with Eve, he comes and talks to us to make us question the goodness of God.

Please understand. Your father loves you. He knows you to Jeremiah, he said, before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you. He knows everything about us, but he loves us so much with all the failures and misery and tragedies.

His love never changes. He waits and watch that we will make our own decision to come back to him because he can enforce us. Question is, what must be my attitude to those that fail? In the book of Galatians, we read, the scripture says, those who are spiritual among you, restore those that are weak and failing.

Following Christ’s Example in Relationships

John, the beloved disciple, writing in 1 John chapter 2 verse 6, whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. In the living Bible says, anyone who says he's a Christian should live as Christ did.

Then, this beautiful verse in the book of Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 21, to this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. Jesus suffered, leaving this example that I must follow in his footsteps.

What are we talking about? This is not the cross, the nail, the blood, and the anguish that Christ faced, no. This is talking about lifelong he suffered in his relationship with others. How? The way he responded to those who mistreated him, accused him, abused him, spat on his face, misunderstood him, called him all kinds of evil names.

Suffering, a choice he made. So if I must represent Christ now in my life, in my generation, with people that are livid, representing him, I must choose to walk in his footsteps. The passage we read in the Gospel of John chapter 21 is a classic example of the way the Lord deals with those that fail.

How much he suffered when Peter so blatantly said, I don't know him, then he started using curse words. When you are rejected by anyone, it causes much pain. When you are rejected by someone that you are so close to, how much more we suffer.

Aren't you amazed by how our Lord lovingly and graciously responds to us, even after we fail, time after time? Brother K .P. Yohanan encouraging us to get on the road to reality, and we'll hear the second half of K .P.'s message, Transparency, in just a moment.

Our 2008 Gospel for Asia calendars are available. This year's calendar features the faces of Asia, representing the more than one billion lost people in the most unreached area of the world. In addition to beautiful photos from the mission field, you'll find compelling stories, reports, and prayer requests from the people of Asia.

You can order the Gospel for Asia 2008 calendar through our website, winasia .org, that's winasia .org, or call 866-WIN-ASIA, that's 866-WIN-ASIA. As we return to Brother K .P. now, he poses this question.

Cooperating with God for Others’ Restoration

What must be my attitude?

A couple of years ago, I went through this struggle. I was dealing with one individual that really was creating a lot of problems. I counseled him and talked to him and all kinds of things, but nothing seems to work.

In the end, I decided the best thing to do is to let him go. He couldn't work with us anymore. I remember coming home and talking to my wife about it. She heard all what I had to say and then she said, I wonder if this is what the Lord wanted to do.

I said, what do you mean? I mean, didn't I tell you all what happened? She said, I know. Then she said this incredible statement that I wrote it down as a quote that I use once in a while in my Bible.

The Lord never wants anyone to fail. He wants them to succeed. To the last second of their life, the Lord is fighting for them to succeed and we must cooperate with God for them to succeed. Well, what do you say for that?

I was convicted and I realized that I looked upon this individual with such pain and anger and disappointments and there's no hope. I'm not saying there are not times that we have to say to someone we love you so much it is better for you to leave.

But are we doing it the way the Lord wants us to do it? That's a question. I thank God for the way Gisela talked to me about that and that turned out to be a great blessing. In it, my attitude changed and my response changed and I said I must cooperate with God.

My response to those that fail must be same as of Christ. So I want to just give you a few suggestions as to how we must handle failures, especially those who hurt us. I already told you how the Lord look upon you and look upon me when we fail so miserably, even when we try to hide it from the whole world.

The only problem is that we are not willing to come clean and say, Lord, this is me. That's what Peter did and he succeeded. May we do the same. In Christ, I see his relationship with others, the way he dealt with others, he prayed for them.

Peter, I prayed for you. The enemy wanted to just wipe you out, but I prayed for you. When you see people around you, it could be your son, your daughter, your family members, your friends, colleagues, people, those who work with you, neighbors, whatever, granted they have done wrong, they failed.

The Church’s Responsibility Toward Suffering Families

I just heard a very sad story from a local church that's supposed to be 100 Holy Spirit filled with God and gifts and everything and the whole thing. It's a sad, sad story. One Sunday, this young woman and her husband, her four children, and because of some deep emotional problem, the husband committed suicide.

The next Sunday, the church pastor and the people decided they must dismiss her and her family from the church. I know this family. I know the story. I wonder if ever this so-called spiritual Holy Ghost people took time to go and pray and fast and help.

I wonder if anyone in their congregation, few of them I know, with lots of money, thought about selling a portion of their property and give money to this poor, suffering family that this man didn't have to kill himself.

What a phony, plastic, stupid Christianity we live with. No wonder, my friend Sackman says, India has not rejected Christ or the New Testament. They have rejected the Christ that is shown, the people have seen, represented by the church.

Question, are you praying for someone that you know that is struggling emotionally, spiritually, materially? You see, the mission which you give and judge, it will be given to you also. In Malayalam there is a saying, people who sit on the elephant, they never need to fear some dog is going to bite them.

But how long can you, my friend, sit on the elephant? You have to go bathroom at least? Let's be real. Let's be honest. When somebody fail, somebody go through struggle, why all of a sudden you become so spiritual?

Oh, I will never do anything like that. Yeah, you will do maybe more stupid things. But the question is, is there any space, any time in me that I will say, oh father, your son died for this brother, this sister, this neighbor, this poor man, this family.

Jesus, you care about them and I am here in your place. Lord, I pray and intercede and cry to you, oh father, do something and change their life and help them. How sad that we don't understand it. Because life has built into it good times and bad times.

Humility, Repentance, and the Reality of Christian Failure

After 20 years of preaching, Paul said, I am the chief of sinners. By the way, people who talk all high heavenly spiritual words and all this hallelujah, be very careful about them. Usually they're hypocrites.

They're trying to cover up something. When people preach or pray, their voice changes and instant transformation take place. Their vocal cord is now abandoned to some strange voice and power. I tell you, usually they're phonies.

I call them cuckoo prophets running around. They just close their eyes and open one eyes and see who is looking. And they just start saying all kind of fancy stuff. And the poor new believers just totally amazed and they're lost.

They don't know what to do and they're deceived. Hey, we all fail. Do I get angry with people? Dear me, I do. Do I repent? Yes. Some of the saddest moments of my life for repentance is right after I preach and teach.

I walk away and in me it says, wow, that was a great message. Everybody's impressed. I'm looking around to see how many are coming to tell me how great I was. Then I realize I'm committing the most serious sin anyone can commit.

Taking God's glory, pride, arrogance, reputation, honor, all those stuff I seek. Why can't we, for kindness sake, be normal human beings? That way we can show kindness to others and pray for others and stand in the gap.

Learning from Jesus’ Care for Peter

Jesus demonstrated the way he handled Peter's failure and his denial. And Jesus cared for him from beginning till end. No matter what Peter did to Jesus, how painful it may be, he never looked at Peter with pain or anger or hatred.

He looked beyond those things and wished for Peter to succeed. And that's what Jesus did. May we also learn from this. It may be a son. It may be a daughter. It may be a dad. It may be a mom. It may be a friend or a neighbor.

As long as you live, you are going to run into people that fail you, fail God, and fail everybody. And they need someone to pray for them, to strengthen them, to help them succeed. Let us make a choice that we'll be that kind of people like Jesus, who responded to Peter, going after him.

What a blessing to know that Jesus did it because Peter, even today, continues to bless us. So, make your list. Write those names down and start praying for them. And somewhere, sometime, someday, someone will write your name on their sheet of paper, in their diary, and they will pray for you.

Because then you will need their prayers. Shall we pray? Lord, thank you for this evening. We all stand before you as needy people. Lord, there's no one here that can say we are perfect, we don't fail.

Lord, how many times I fail. Thank you for your forgiveness, your mercy, for all those dear friends around me that understand my humanity and continue to pray for me and help me to survive. Lord, give us your heart that we may truly represent you with our forgiveness and love and kindness toward those that fail.

Thank you for your word. We praise you, wonderful name. In Jesus' name, amen.

Aren't you glad the Lord doesn't just write us off after we sin? Instead, he offers life and forgiveness. And that's amazing grace. You're listening to The Road to Reality with Brother K .P. O 'Hannon of Gospel for Asia.

Maybe like Peter, you've failed the Lord here recently. We hope you found today's study encouraging and that it has served to help you see God's redemptive plan and power for your life. K .P. also has written a booklet on the subject, and we'd like to offer that to you today.

It's called, When We Have Failed, What Next? It's just $3 through our website, which is found at WinAsia .org. And as the name of the booklet suggests, this will serve to help you with what to do after your failures and help you get back on track.

Again, go to WinAsia .org to get a copy today, or give us a call, toll free, 866-WinAsia. As I mentioned at the mid-break, our 2008 Gospel for Asia calendars are ready to go. Order as many as you like at WinAsia .org.

Oh, by the way, you can even get a glimpse of the calendar at our website and see what you'll be receiving. Again, at WinAsia .org or call 866-WinAsia. The Road to Reality with K .P. O 'Hannon is brought to you by Gospel for Asia.

May God richly bless you.