TEXT: Judges16:17 (13-16)
TIME & PLACE: 02/03/08 ELBC
SUBJ: GODS
POWER
THEME: LOSING
GODS POWER
P/S: E.C. SHOULD BE
WARNED OF LOSING GODS POWER
T/S: BECAUSE OF
THE MISTAKES FOUND IN THE
LIFE OF SAMSON WITH REGARDS TO HIS VOW THAT ARE SET FORTH IN THE SCRIPTURES.
INTRO: Samson’s
story is possibly one of if not the saddest story found in the Scriptures. Now
I understand....the “rich man” going to hell was sad. As well as
Judas last days and life was very sad, but this one is sad because Samson had
so much going for him. There was nothing possibly that he could not have
accomplished if he continued to walk with the Lord. I just want to lists some
things concerning Samson before we get into the message.
1. His Parents - His
mother was one of only 4 women recorded in Scripture to receive notification
prior to the birth of a child.
2. His Position - Samson
is the 12th Judge of Israel as recorded in this book.
3. His Promise - He had
taken a Nazarite Vow to serve God.
4. His Power – Samson
is recorded as the strongest man in Scripture. And it came from his commitment
to serving God. He is as well mentioned in “The Hall of Faith”
Because of his faith in where his Power truly came from... “out of weakness were made strong,”
However he made some very costly
mistakes that ended a very bright future and powerful life which makes his
story one of sorrow. However much in the book of Judges is sorrowful. I do
believe we can, as the scriptures teach, learn from this time in
The Nation of Israel had 3
problems that affected them and led them down this road and more than likely
even eventually effected Samson.
1 Apostasy – They
Departed from the Truth.
2 Apathy – They
were Dead (Indifferent) to Truth.
3 Anarchy – They
Disregarded the Truth.
So we see that what was taking place during this
period in the life of
The Nazarite Vow - (Christian) Num6:1-21 And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 6:2 Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to
vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: 6:3 He
shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no
vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor
of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. 6:4 All the days of his
separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels
even to the husk. 6:5 All the days of the vow of his separation there
shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the
which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall
let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6:6 All the days that he
separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. 6:7 He
shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his
brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is
upon his head. 6:8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto
the LORD. 6:9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled
the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his
cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
So we see the responsibility that
was placed upon Samson for the vow he had undertaken. Now that we have looked at what the
scripture tells us about this vow I want to begin to bring this around to where
I want to look at this morning. So we can see....
*
THE PERSON OF THE VOW – Samson (a type of believer)
*
THE PECULIARITY OF THE VOW – Unique to others around
him. (We as believers are a Peculiar People, Royal Priesthood)
*
THE POWER OF THE VOW – Was in keeping it and
honoring it. Obedience = Power of the Holy Spirit
*
THE PICTURE OF THE VOW – This vow pictures us as
believers and the commitment we have made to Christ and the power in which He
gives us to live Godly and be an example and set apart from those around us.
However
Samson breaks this vow and as it states in Chapter 16 three times.... he
“becomes like any other man”.
I want to take the 3 areas of this
vow that Samson vowed and apply them to us as Christians who have
“vowed” to follow God and see what we can learn....taking my
thought from verse16:17 Preaching on this thought.... “BECOMING LIKE ANY
OTHER MAN” Listen all that Samson had and enjoyed was taken away in a
moment because of his disregard for the things of God. Listen I’m a lot
more different now than when I was a lost man. I don’t want to ever go
back to being what I was. Now I’m not talking about losing your
salvation...that’s obvious for the Scripture doesn’t teach that.
But the Scriptures do teach in 1Pe
2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light: Others
don’t have a peculiar walk like they should, but I do and I should
understand it and protect it so as to not become like any other..... and I nor you should want to go back to being considered to
be just like any other man.
I.
VOW #1 (No Wine – It Concerned His APPETITE)
HE SATISFIED HIS SINFUL SPIRIT
A.
WITH WANTS – Unrestrained desires, even under a Vow 1Co 6:19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
B.
WITH WOMEN – Wanted relationships with the ungodly ones
and he found them at the wrong places. 14:1-3; 14:15; 16:1, 4
C.
WITH WEALTH – 14:12-13
D.
WITH WHEREABOUTS – 14:5 Around drinking and drinkers
Note: Also while violating the 1st
vow he kills a Lion and then comes back and eats honey out of it thus breaking
the 2nd vow. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this
world will always make light of and attract us to the things that God would
have us to stay away from. Listen...there is a lot of honey out there in the
world, but it’s just honey and I ain’t gonna
eat it...unless I want to become like any other man!
Appl: Do you resist the things that this
world throws at people or do you just accept everything and explain it away by
saying you have “liberty” let see what the Word of God has to say
about real Liberty.
Gal
5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Gal
5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
2Pe
2:18-19 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they
allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those
that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he
brought in bondage.
Appl:
Listen....how we you doing? Are you misinterpreting the “liberty”
you have and enjoying things “for a season” that God never intended
for you to participate in?
II.
VOW #2 (No Death – It Concerned His ATTITUDE)
HE SACRIFICED HIS SOCIAL STANDING
Note: Listen we see in this situation
with the dead lion that he is not seriously considering what he is losing along
the way to get what he thinks is pleasing.
A.
IN HIS ACTIONS 14:1,5,9
B.
IN HIS ACQUAINTANCES 14:10
C.
IN HIS APPETITE 14:10
Note: Samson sacrificed a lot more than
he realized when he was out and about. From this point on even those around him
began to look at him differently. And he knew he was wrong because he hid
things from his family.
Appl: Let me ask you a question....Have
you not guarded your attitude about the things of God and sacrificed your
standing with others because of it? You may just be on your way to Becoming
like any other
III.
VOW #3 (No Haircut–It Concerned His APPEARANCE)
HE SOLD HIS SPIRITUAL STRENGTH
Note: Now I do want to say, concerning
his strength, it involved much more than his hair. It was the whole vow. Yet
over the course of his life he had already broken the other 2 leaving just this
one. It was his last stage before losing all of what he possessed.
A.
BY COURTING A HARLOT vs16:1 “Then
went Samson to
1.
Notice Her WAYS vs5, 9-10,
2.
Notice Her WORDS vs15 And
she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is
not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me
wherein thy great strength lieth.
3.
Notice Her WICKEDNESS vs16-18
B.
BY CONNIVING (scheming) WITH HEATHENS – Playing with
the things of God...posing riddles to them about what we do.
C.
BY CUTTING HIS HAIR 16:17-19
Note: The hair was an act of humility
so as to be humbled in the sight of others in our service for God. Samson
turned it into his own glory and used it to sell out his Spiritual Strength!
Note: As a result of his out and out
sale of his Vow he ends up losing 3 important things along with all of what he
had left...he....
1.
LOST HIS SIGHT vs21 “put out his eyes”
2.
LOST HIS STRENGTH vs19, 21 “bound with fetters of
brass”
3.
LOST HIS STANDING vs21 “did grind in the prison
house” (women’s work)
He
became just as he said he would....JUST LIKE ANY OTHER MAN! No Sight, No
Strength and No Standing... He Appeared to be just like any one else.
Note: I think sometimes we forget what
it all will cost us. You young people in here this morning....if you
don’t hear anything else I say hear this. You can always be what these
other young people that waste their life are.....but they can never be what you
are if they have already given their bodies and lives to this worlds system.
Listen don’t worry if you ain’t never tried what all they have
tried because they are all just like any other person. Chose today to be
someone powerful for the Lord!
Note: vs26 is probably the saddest part
of the whole story..... “And Samson said unto the lad that held
him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house
standeth, that I may lean upon them.” He sends a young Philistine boy to hell while
holding his hand.
“Holding The Hands of a Hero and Headed To
Hell”
Inv: Hymn 407 “Is Your All On The Alter”