Pride makes the Strong Weak.
Judges 15:15ff
***We have been looking at the life of Bible Hero Samson. He is known to be physically strong, no one stronger, but morally and spiritually weak. We saw how Lust ( I want it), Entitlement ( I gotta have it), Pride (I can handle it) and Emotions (Anger) have brought him nothing but trouble. Today we will look at Pride again but from another angle, his pride (No one better/stronger/faster), the 6 million dollar man syndrome, will lead him further downward.
He was filled with pride. Still dealing with his anger, he goes out and because of the strength that God has given him, what does he do? In verse 15, here's what he does, and this is all because of God's strength:
***Judges 15:15
Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
This is off the charts, I heard one describe this as UFC on steroids with GOD. That is powerful, yet look who Samson gives the credit of this magnificent feat…
***JDG 15:16 Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men."
This is like the kid who comes home with a report card,
The teacher gave me a C or the teacher gave me a D, but when it is a B or an A, they say I GOT AN “A”
Pride takes credit where credit is not due… and does not give credit where it is due. I have heard acceptance speeches for many events, how many give the credit to God or thank God for the ability God has given us to accomplish what has been accomplished?
What Samson is saying “I HAVE MADE AN ASS OUT OF THEM!”
Publicly he is boasting of his accomplishment…publicly he is saying
1. Look how strong I am
2. Look how skillfully I fight
3. Have I impressed you enough yet?
He wears his victory like a gunslinger, with notches on his belt or feathers in his cap.
Pride is always born out of our insecurities. When we don't know who we are in Christ, pride is the first emotion that will rise up to take us down. Scripture says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Scripture says that pride comes before a fall. But for so many of us men, it's "Hey, look at me! Didn't I do good? Don't I have worth based on what I've accomplished?"
***Proverbs 8:13 says:
PR 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
****Proverbs 6:16-19
PR 6:16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Samson is swiftly falling into a deep hole.
Some of us sitting here this morning are in that hole, my advice, to myself and others is
STOP DIGGING.
Some of us are so full of pride that won't ask for directions on how to change or to tell anyone else they're in need because they're too full of pride. Why is it that that's such a problem for us? It's because most us want to be the main character in the story. We want it to be about us, we want to win. When we win we're proud, when we don't win we're angry because we want to be in control, we want to be the main character in the story. But people, we are never the main character of the story. God is always the main character in the story! And when we understand that God is the main character in the story, then we won't be tempted to be driven by our emotions, but we want to be led by the Spirit. So I say live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of your fleshly nature, because your fleshly nature is in conflict with the Spirit and the Spirit is in conflict with the fleshly nature, so you do not do what you want. If you are continually driven by emotions, you will end up just like Samson, a man with divine potential who continues to self-destruct, but if instead you will put your emotions on the altar of God and sacrifice them and say, "Yes, I may feel them, but I won't be driven by them. I want to be led by the Spirit!" Then God becomes the main character in your story and suddenly you're not living for the approval of other people, pride; but you're living from the approval of God and that changes everything. All of a sudden, you can be who God created you to be.
Look at the early life of David, when he was a boy, a shepherd in Bethlehem and he comes to visit his brothers in the battle…he hears the taunts of Goliath and he is amazed no one will defend God’s honor. Goliath, like Samson, is a man full of pride, he is taller than most men, he is undefeated, a warrior like none other. Yet, because David honors God and starts out by giving God the credit…”God in heaven will deliver you into my hands…I will strike you down and cut off your head and feed you to the birds. (1 Sam 17:45-47).
This may be our story, we have been led by our emotions and it has gotten us in deep trouble. We see no way out, but today I tell you, there is a way out.
Samson became thirsty and it leads him back to God. V18
*** JDG 15:18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"
He is humbled…he gives credit to God for his victory…he confesses his need before God.
You do not have to tell me your sin, I CANNOT GIVE YOU FORGIVENESS, I can pray for you, and I ask you to pray for me in the same way…pray that I be led by the Spirit and not by my emotions, pray that I will not let pride take a front seat with me and I will pray the same for you. Confess your need before God.
God I cannot do this alone, I NEED YOU.
Pride will not let us confess our sins, we start thinking:
1. If they knew they might not associate with me
2. If they knew they might look down on me
3. If she knew she might leave me
That is the flesh speaking…no one here is perfect…everyone sins…everyone falls…everyone here NEEDS GOD.
Let go of our pride…even if you will not confess it publicly, confess it to GOD, only God can forgive us, only God can give us what we need, only GOD can do what we need done in our lives.
God gives Samson water.
****JUDGES 15:19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. JDG 15:20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Confess our sins to God and let HIM lead us to refreshing waters and give us strength to live for HIM.
