We Fall Down We Get Up Trek for Truth
The Clumsy Christian Club
Are you tired of falling down
Feeling like a Christian clown
Can't believe you tripped again
Not just once but ten times ten
You may have mud upon your face
But forget not about God's Grace
Here's a cure for your complaints
Join the club of stumbling Saints.
The Christian Fall ... As Christians, we fall down we get up. But, why do we fall down? As the song goes, Saints are just the sinners who fall down and get up!
Why do we fall down? Well, before we begin this enlightening Christian fall journey, let's give credit where credit is due first. The lyrics ... We fall down we get up, derived from a Christian song by an artist named Bob Carlisle. Some Christians believe that if they fall down as they travel along their Christian path that they are doomed and are then unforgivable which is simply not the Truth according to the Bible.
Just as when we were a child taking our first steps ... If we fell down, we got up and tried again and again and again. In like manner, as adult Christians, if we fall down we get up now and carry on our Christian walk as well. Remember that you have already accomplished this cycle many times before and you will again.
Famous Falls
Why do we fall down Bible study point of interest ... This was the first, and most memorable of all falls. The first two people who God created, were pure in every way. They had no original sin so you might think it would be easier for them to avoid it. All their needs were met, wanting of absolutely nothing. Yet, Satan approached mankind at it's height of promise and with less than 50 words, sealed our fate. Or so he thought.
Genesis 2:15-25
15 And the Lord God took the man [Adam], and put him into
the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die.
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast
of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam
to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every
living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of
the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not
found an help meet for him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam,
and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man,
made He a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh
of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of
Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and
were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of
the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely
die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
That is how the Original Sin curse came about.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
We Fall Down We Get Up Stories
Abraham and Sarah doubted that God would keep His promise God promised that Abraham and Sarah would have a son ... An heir
through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Even
though Abraham was a man of great faith, as time passed, they began
to have doubt. They took it upon themselves to appoint Sarah's
handmaid, Hagar as a surrogate.
Genesis 16:1-3
1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had
an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath
restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may
be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the
voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian,
after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her
to her husband Abram to be his wife.
But God did deliver on His promise after their mistake. He gave them
Isaac.
Remember the story about the burning bush? It was then, when Moses
debated with God to the point of God's anger. Moses wanted God to
send someone else to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 4:1-14
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will
not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The
Lord hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand?
And he said, A rod.
3 And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on
the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and
take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it
became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
hath appeared unto thee.
6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine
hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he
took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7 And He said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he
put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom,
and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe
thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will
believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also
these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take
of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the
water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the
dry land.
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy
servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth?
or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have
not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and
teach thee what thou shalt say.
13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the
hand of him whom thou wilt send.
14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses,
and He said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can
speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when
he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
Moses got in trouble after bringing water out of the rock at Meribah.
Numbers 20:12
And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me
not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore
ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given
them.
We Fall Down We Get Up Lessons Learned
While Moses was up in Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from
God, the children of Israel grew impatient waiting because Moses was
gone for 40 days and 40 nights. So Aaron collected all their gold and
built a golden calf for them to worship.
Exodus 32:1-6
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down
out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron,
and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as
for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
we wot not what is become of him.
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings,
which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your
daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which
were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it
with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they
said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and
Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to
eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
This symbol of strength fell to the temptation of a woman. Delilah
coaxed Samson into telling her where his strength came from.
Judges 16:17
That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not
come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from
my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me,
and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
We Fall Down We Get Up Warning
Samuel judged by appearances.
1 Samuel 16:6-7
6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked
on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him.
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his
countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused
him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Israel's first king fell to the temptation of greed. God told him to
utterly destroy the Amalekites and all that they had, including
women, children and livestock. Instead, Saul saved the king alive,
along with all the best of their livestock.
1 Samuel 15:16-28
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee
what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say
on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own
sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the
Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and
utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them
until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the
Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight
of the Lord?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice
of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have
brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the
Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the
chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to
sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than
the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected
the Word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have
transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I
feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn
again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee:
for thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord hath
rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold
upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the
kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a
neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
We Fall Down We Get Up Danger
You might think that the apple of God's eye would have no troubles
with temptation, but David desired Uriah's wife Bathsheba, so David
had Uriah killed, and took Bathsheba to be his wife.
David also fell to the temptation of pride. He desired to know how
great the kingdom that God had given him had grown, so he had a
census taken of the children of Israel.
Even the wisest man to ever live fell to the temptation of women. He
had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned
away his heart to idolatry.
1 Kings 11:1-4
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with
the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites,
Zidonians, and Hittites:
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the
children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they
come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after
their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three
hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his
wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not
perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his
father.
We Fall Down We Get Up Secret
The prophet Elijah gave in to the temptation of fear. Not long after
his great triumph of killing 450 false prophets of Baal, he ran and
hid in fear, in the wilderness, from a woman named Jezebel because
she threatened his life. A man who had just killed 450 men, afraid of
one woman ... Major fall.
1 Kings 19:1-3
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So
let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the
life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life,
and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his
servant there.
Zacharias, didn't believe when the angel of
the Lord brought tidings that he and his wife Elisabeth would
have a son (John the Baptist) in their elderly years, who would
announce the arrival of Jesus.
Luke 1:18-20
18 And Zacharias said unto the Angel, Whereby shall I know
this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the Angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel,
that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee,
and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,
until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou
believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Peter fell into double doubt one night. As he and the other disciples
were in a ship being tossed by waves, Jesus walked out to them atop
of the water. The disciples were afraid, having never seen such a
thing and thought it was a spirit. Jesus told them not to be afraid
because it was Him. In doubt, Peter said, If it's really you, invite
me to come out to you. When Jesus did, Peter began to walk on the
water, and even after experiencing that, Peter lost faith and began
to sink.
Matthew 14:24-31
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed
with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto
them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they
were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be thou,
bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And He said, Come. And when
Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water,
to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and
caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
We Fall Down We Get Up Concerns
Then there was the time when Jesus broke the news to the disciples
that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised on the
third day. Peter rebuked Jesus, telling Him it wasn't going to
happen, to which Jesus replied, Get thee behind me Satan, you're a
hindrance to me because you don't understand the things of God, but
the things of men. Jesus wasn't calling Peter Satan, He knew that
satan tempted Peter to question the Word of Jesus.
Matthew 16:23
But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee
behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not
the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Don't forget about when Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to
the garden of Gethsemane, and they fell asleep three times while they
were supposed to be watching out for those who were pursuing Jesus.
To Peter's list, add denial of the Lord. While Jesus was being
condemned, beaten and humiliated, Peter cowardly denied ever even
knowing Jesus to a girl at a campfire and others outside the palace,
three times. Even after three and a half years of following Jesus as
an Apostle and being called by Jesus, the rock upon whom He would
build His Church ...
Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.
And after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, that Peter
witnessed ... He still fell. The Lord sent Peter to the home of a
Gentile named Cornelius. During a moment of extreme hunger, while
Peter was praying, the Lord sent a vision to Peter of a sheet with
all kinds of animals and fowl, and He told Peter to get up, kill and
eat. Peter refused, saying, No, Lord, I've never eaten anything
unclean.
Peter, being Jewish, was still holding in his heart that it was
unlawful for a Jewish person to keep company with Gentiles, but the
Lord was showing him that since Jesus died for the sins of all
mankind, the Gentiles are now His people too. The Lord then told
Peter, What God has cleansed, don't call unclean.
Acts 10:9-15
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew
nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the
sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but
while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw Heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending
upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and
let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the
earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him,
Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten
any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time,
What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
We Fall Down We Get Up Again And Again
There's always doubting Thomas to consider when you're feeling like
you're the only one who has trouble standing firm in the Faith.
Thomas wasn't with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to
them after His resurrection. He didn't believe they had seen Him, and
you can almost picture Thomas pinching his chin while saying, Unless
I see the print of the nails in His hands and thrust my hand into His
side ... I will not believe.
John 20:24-27
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not
with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have
seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands
the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again His disciples were within,
and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith He to Thomas, Reach
hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand,
and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
The Apostle Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners.
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Paul explains it best ... How we feel when we fall.
Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal,
sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the
law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth
no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform
that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which
I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do
it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with
the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of
sin.
We Fall Down We Get Up Fear
And what of Judas Iscariot?
Check out this study to learn more about Judas Iscariot:
Again ... Just as a child has to crawl before they can walk. But, not
without many falls. The Christian walk is the same.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that He [God] which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it [continue to perfect you] until the
day of Jesus Christ:
Until the day of Jesus Christ! Never lose hope, because He who formed you in the womb has hope for you and what greater hope is there than that!
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our
Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace,
17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good
word and work.
If We Fall Down We Get Up Summary
In this Christian Fall Adventure seeking the answer to the question ... Why Do We Fall Down, we have learned that we fall down to establish patience and persistence for the path ahead. So, beware allowing anyone or anything to have you condemn yourself as well, as it may not be Truth. Jesus Loves us and Forgives us our sins. All manner of sins, if we repent. All Christians fall. We all sin and we need only ask forgiveness and carry on.
See the Truth of Grace.
Saints, are just the sinners that fall down .... And get up!
When you feel you must be blind
Always falling on your behind
Don't let pity be your vice
Guilt and pride are nothing nice
Get yourself up on your feet
Ask for mercy, not defeat
We don't like it when we fall
But God still loves us, scabs and all
