TEXT: Judges 16:19-31
TITLE: Growing Pain #4: Growing through weakness! (Lessons from Samson)
TOPIC: Spiritual Maturity
SERIES: The Growing Church (part one)
OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, April 27, 2008
PROP.: In our times of weakness, we will grow because we will have NO choice BUT to ask God for His help!
INTRODUCTION: Good morning! We have been learning how to grow! And one of the most notable things about growth is this: GROWTH is NEVER easy or comfortable. This month we’ve studied what God has to say concerning growing through difficult circumstances: We learned that in the midst of Failure, when you’re waiting on God, and when your faced with Fear that during those conditions that Spiritual growth is favorable!
The reason you grow in those circumstances is because you must trust in God! And each time you trust God, it causes your FAITH TO GROW!
Today, we are going to come to the conclusion that God desires us to grow
THROUGH WEAKNESS!
Today, as we talk about weakness; I want our attention to focus on Samson. Turn in your Samson‘s story is recorded in just 3 chapters of Judges. Judges 13 - 16. And maybe you’re wondering if I know my Bible characters. I assure you, in this case, I do.
T.S..: Let’s see what we can learn from Samson about spiritual growth. Our story begins in Judges chapter 13.
ISRAEL WAS BAD AGAIN --The nation of Israel has yet once again turned her back on God. So God allows the Philistines to persecute the Israelites for 40 years!
MANOAH AND AN ANGEL --But a man by the name of Manoah had a wife who was told by an angel that they were going to soon give birth to a son. And this son that was going to deliver Israel from her enemies! Good news to say the least! Not only was he going to finally have a son…but his son was going to be a hero! How many of you would like to hear the news that your son would be the hope for America? Now you’re kind of experiencing the excitement that Manoah was beginning to sense.
DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD
But this angel gives some specific instructions on how to raise their child…
The angel told them that their son was to be a Nazirite. Set apart from birth. Samson was going to act different and look different than the rest of the world. He wouldn’t drink alcohol. He wouldn’t go near dead or unclean things. And he wouldn’t cut his hair.
It was obvious from looking at Samson that he was different. Can I take a moment to say the same thing about Christians? From the time you were born (born again), you were called to be set apart! Called to look differently and act differently than the rest of the world. How are you doing?
This is part of the litmus test of Spiritual Growth. “DO I LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THE WORLD IN WHICH I LIVE?”
I think we’ve swallowed the hook that says, “I’m no different than the world…I’m just forgiven.” You ARE different! You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you! You have an eternity that is glorious! You are called to LIGHT and SALT to a dark, bland world! There better be some differences in our actions, behavior and attitudes!
Moving on.
So anyway, Samson grows up as a Nazirite, dedicated to God. Called to be Israel’s defender and deliverer from the Philistines.
SAMSON VS. THE PHILISTINES--
Chapters 14 - 15 have stories of Samson’s dealings with the Philistines. He sets the grain fields of the Philistines on fire using 300 foxes. His wife ends up being burned to death by the Philistines as a result of these fields being burnt. So Samson attacks and kills 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey.
That brings us to chapter 16 and the main focus of our sermon.
SAMSON: SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY--
In chapter 16, it’s the beginning of the end for Samson. He falls in love with a woman named Delilah. And Delilah was given 28 pounds of silver from each of the rulers of the Philistines in order to deliver Samson into their hands. 28 pounds of silver is worth approx $7500.00!
So his girlfriend tries to coax his secret out of him a total of 3 times. And finally Samson ends up with a shaved head. Let’s pick our story up in
Judges 16:19-20
19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. [d] And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!"
He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I’ll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
1. Don’t put yourself in the position to be weak -
Recognizing the danger of sin (vs. 19-20)
A. Samson’s position
Our hero was set apart from birth. Called to deliver and defend his nation from the philistines. And where was our hero? Lulled to sleep in the lap of the enemy!
This wasn’t the first time Samson put himself in this position! Samson had repeatedly put himself in the position to fail spiritually.
--He married a Philistine woman! (Judges 14:1-3)
His family tried to convince him otherwise, and Samson’s response to his dad was: “She is the right one for me.”
--He slept with a prostitute (Judges 15:1)
Are you getting the picture? His sexual appetite was an area that could put him in the position to fail! As I was talking with my dad about what I was going to be preaching about, I told him I just didn’t understand Samson. 3 times Delilah came to him. And I told my dad, “How could Samson have been such an idiot? This is what he said to me: Are you any smarter when it comes to sin? I just laughed. Because I knew he was right!
Time and time again, we set ourselves up to fail, don’t we?
B. Your position
Is there an environment or situation that keeps causing you to be weak? Are you repeatedly putting yourself in that position to fail?
Parents: I know you love your kids. And I want to ask a question with gentleness and sincerity: Are you putting your kids in a position for them to be weak? What Do I mean? Well, let me give you some insight into my life a little bit. I grew up a preacher’s kid with two sisters. One was my twin sister. We had rules just like any family of things we were allowed to do and not allowed to do. One of the things each of us kids knew growing up was that we weren’t allowed to go to dances. Why did our parents make this rule? This is something I couldn’t understand up until I became a youth minister and started to understand some things. My dad was wise and knew what went on at dances and what goes on after dances. He understood that his teenage son had raging hormones and that I probably didn’t need to be put in a dimly lit room, in close proximity to a scantily dressed female. My dad was keeping me from a position of weakness. Did each of us kids like this rule? No. Each year did we ask to go the dance? Yep. Did my parents ever change their mind? No. Do you think Lindsay was glad that my parents made that rule? Yep.
Having said that, parents, does your teenage son have a computer in his room? That is a position of weakness! Get it out of his room! Put that computer in a place where the rest of the family is!
Do you know who your kids hang around with? What content there are putting on their face book and myspace sights? These are things YOU AS A PARENT need to know.
Friends? -- Do you hang around friends who are a poor influence on you? Who constantly use language that is inappropriate for you? Or tell stories that are not right?
Co-workers -- Or are you working with people who continually cause you to have bad thoughts or bad habits? Who influence you to cheat the company out of money or time
REMEMBER:
1st Corinthians 15:33
“Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character!”
ILLUSTRATION: Superman avoided Kryptonite at all costs because it was deadly! What is your Kryptonite? If it’s alcohol, DON’T EAT AT A BAR EVEN IF THE FOOD IS GOOD! J If you have trouble watching your mouth because the people you are around use bad language, time to get new friends.
Well let’s continue reading this morning…
Judges 16:21-23
21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands."
2. Recognize when you’re strong, and when you’re weak! (vs. 21-23)
You see, even though Samson was known for his strength, there was a point in his life that he became weak. And I firmly believe that each of us can relate to the story of Samson. Because Samson wasn’t strong all the time and he wasn’t weak all the time. And I know that’s how it is for me. I am not spiritually strong all the time. But I’m not spiritually weak all the time either.
It’s important to recognize where you’re at!
Spiritually speaking, today I am _______________________________
Are you strong or weak in your faith this morning?
Maybe it’s when you are under stress. Maybe you have a particular sin that keeps coming back to haunt you. Maybe it’s when think back to a situation that happened that caused you embarrassment and failure.
A. Samson’s situation
Did you catch it? Three words. But profound. “PHILISTINES SEIZED HIM” Something they could not do except he was now weak!
As the Philistines gouged his eyes out, it was then that he realized he was weak. And it was about to get a lot worse.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS…
B. Our enemies want to take advantage of our weakness!
1. Delilah…She may have asked the secret of his strength, but she was wanting to
really know his weakness! So she can EXPLOIT that weakness and defeat
Samson!
2. Who is our enemy? Wal-Mart? Disney World? Is it lost ones? Is it other
churches? Is it your church family? NO! It’s time we recognize our enemy!
Our enemy is described as a PROWLING lion! A lion on the hunt. Stalking
his prey! And WE ARE HIS PREY!
Satan…prowling lion…knows our weakness! Wants to tempt us!
ILLUSTRATION: Like a shark who smells blood in the water of life so does Satan seek to destroy us!
But here’s the good news!
C. God wants to use you despite your weakness!
Bible examples:
Numerous examples of how God used men and women who were weak!
David’s sin with Bathsheba - started out as an adulterous affair, which led to lying
which led to murder.
Moses - Killed a man in anger.
(note: God will use people despite their weakness once they RECOGNIZE their weakness and repent of any sin found in their life)
David repented of his sin with Bathsheba when Nathan came to him to confront
Him
Moses recognized what he did was wrong and fled to Midian…
God is a God of second and third chances. His grace and patience endures a lifetime!
So where are you? Are you in a season of spiritual strength or spiritual weakness? RECOGNIZE WHERE YOU’RE AT IN LIFE!
Let’s finish our scripture this morning:
Judges 16:25-31
25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.
When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
31 Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led [e] Israel twenty years.
If you recognize that you are weak, then here’s what you can do:
3. Rely on God for strength! (vs. 25-31)
This is where the GROWING THROUGH WEAKNESS comes into play.
When you are weak and have no where to turn, God often times ends up being the one we look to!
ILLUSTRATION: Cancer has made a lot of people weak…but it has made a lot of people strong in their faith!
How ironic is it that Samson begs God to ‘remember him’? The problem wasn’t that God forgot Samson, the problem was that Samson forgot God! But in his moment of weakness, he remembered one key FACT: GOD IS STRONG!
A. God is the source of Samson’s strength! (vs. 20)
--Source of Samson’s strength:
It says, “the Lord left Samson.” We wonder, LORD HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? It was Samson’s decision…not God’s
David learned from Samson’s lesson:
Psalm 51:10,11
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
David saw what happened to Samson. How the Lord was the giver of strength and victory. And so he writes this song after being confronted by his own sin.
So Samson places his hands on the pillars of the temple and pushes. And God is glorified!
Just as God is the source of Samson’s strength…so too
B. God is the source of OUR Strength!
Moses knew this - Exodus 15:2 Moses sings a song after they cross the red sea. Listen to what Moses sang:
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD :
"I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
David Knew this - Psalm 18:1 simply says: “I love you, Oh my Lord. You are my strength!”
Paul knew this - Phil 4:13 “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who gives me strength.” Even be content in times of need!
The question remains: DO YOU KNOW THAT GOD IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR STRENGTH? When you are weak, you need to rely on God’s strength.
Why is it that we don’t like to ask for help? Because we don’t like to admit that we’re weak. So we mask our weakness by putting on a brave face. Well that’s just a
Pride issue.
And you know what happens when you have pride in your life, right?
Proverbs 16:18
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
DESTRUCTION AND FAILURE!
CONCLUSION: Samson’s life was characterized NOT by his weakness, but by his strength. Why is that? Because he grew through his weakness. He turned to God in his time of weakness and God turned that moment when Samson was weak, into something great! God can and will do the same for you if you but turn to Him in your weakness!
