The Strongman - Pt. 2
The Demands of Deliverance
I. Introduction
Although his story only encompasses 4 short chapters in Judges, The Strongman has captured the imagination of Hollywood and Christians alike. A comic book hero with Hulk like traits minus the green skin. Meek and mild one moment and seething with uncontrollable anger and power the next. He was otherworldly strong and ironically real world weak.
We began to examine his life last week. We learned that God used The Strongman but didn’t change The Strongman. Samson settled for outward demonstration but resisted and failed to submit to inward transformation. We learned that The Strongman loved himself more than anyone else. He would constantly use his gift for his own good, benefit and pleasure although he was called to use his gift for the greater good. Out of our overview last week I asked you whether or not you are being changed by God and if your gift is being used to help anyone but you?
So let’s begin a more focused look at specific moments in The Strongman’s life. This morning I want to talk to you about "The Demands of Deliverance."
II. Text
Judges 13:1-5
And then the People of Israel were back at it again, doing what was evil in God’s sight. God put them under the domination of the Philistines for forty years. At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, “I know that you are barren and childless, but you’re going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God’s Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression.”
III. The Demands
Just a few thoughts before we deal with the demands.
a. Back away from the back ats!
The opening stanza describes The Strongman’s environment and it screams to me and speaks about me and you! The Children of Israel were back at it! They have reverted to their evil.
How many of us are back at something that we should have at our back?
We continue to repeat and revisit our history rather than look back at our history. What we go back to brings us back to bondage and slavery. You would think we would just keep walking. We walked away but we fail to stay out! Too many of us are living back! We want God to fix the results of our decisions without dealing with the decision making process so we end up back at it! It doesn’t seem to matter what promotion, what raise, or what change you end up back at it. It is time to deal with the back so you can move forward. You can’t seem to be happy because you won’t deal with the back. New spouse but back at it. New car but back at it. New house but back at it. New job back at it!
What are you back at this morning? What is it that God set you free from that you continue to go back to? What habit? What addiction? What attraction? What are you back at? It is time to get out and stay out!
Many of us would be much closer to freedom if we would quit being back at!
b. Are you the least likely or the likely least?
The Strongman’s mother was the least likely to give birth to deliverance. She is unnamed. She is barren. She is unknown.
Some of you have disqualified yourself from being a carrier of the supernatural because you think you are the least likely. You have been barren. You have been dry. You have been hurt. You have been divorced. You have been broken. You have been passed over. However, the encouraging truth is you aren’t the least likely. You are the likely least! God loves to birth greatness in folks that can’t take the credit! He specializes in using the passed over, overlooked, and unexpected. Unknown to man doesn’t equate to unknown to God!
c. Deliverance always comes with demands.
Samson’s mother receives a mandate from God. Take much care. In other words, you have been given a great, God gift and it is now your responsibility to handle that gift with care. Don’t take the gift for granted. Don’t squander it. Don’t mismanage it. Don’t pollute it. Don’t just ponder the gift . . . protect the gift. Some of us examine our gift; think about our gift, parade our gift but most of us never protect our gift! Take much care! Refuse to pollute your gift!
The Angel of the Lord tells The Strongman’s mom you are going to carry deliverance to full term. You are going to give birth to deliverance. However, in order for this deliverance to come to pass you have to meet the demands of deliverance.
We want deliverance with no demands! Let me live like I want to live and then God set me free from the results and fruit of my choices!
We like deliverance. We don’t like the details! We don’t like demands. However, deliverance always comes with conditions!
The demands that were placed on The Strongman’s mom were passed down to The Strongman! Our problem is that we want the strength of our forefathers without the sanctification of that generation!
And what we discover is that we never truly taste freedom because we refuse to truly embrace the conditions.
The Strongman’s mother was given a charge/challenge that was also a demand that was placed on the boy. "Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God’s Nazirite from the moment of his birth."
In other words, The Strongman’s strength was going to be determined by his separation. His clout was established by his character. His power was produced by his purity!
Do I even need to decipher the truth down to us? Perhaps we have no strength because we are unwilling to embrace the "come out from among them and be ye separate" demand of deliverance. Perhaps our lack of "be ye not conformed to this world" character curbs our clout. Almost to our surprise our power matches our purity.
Samson’s mother didn’t get to negotiate. Wait just a minute I am willing to carry this baby but we need to work out the details. There are few of the demands that I am uncomfortable with! We need to discuss these and see if they can be changed! God’s demands can be accepted or declined but never negotiated! Either we accept and see freedom, anointing, joy, peace, comfort and provision or we decline and walk in defeat, judgment, and lack. There is no negotiation! The demands will not be decreased or altered.
God never alters the robe of righteousness to fit man; He changes the man to fit the robe.
Like begets like. Samson’s mother had to live by the Nazarite vow in order to birth a Nazarite. You can’t birth deliverance if you don’t live a delivered lifestyle. It is not enough to bring Jesus into your life and refuse to allow Him to mark your lifestyle! The fruit of your life will simply be a reflection of the seed of your life! Some of you live with no separation, character, or purity and then you seem to be shocked that you never give birth to deliverance, freedom or blessing!
Paul, dealing with Galatians that had forgotten the demands of deliverance, wades into this truth and in Galatians 5 he reminds them and us that we have a choice to make. Our way or God’s way!
Galatians 5:19-23
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time (No Demands): repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom. But what happens when we live God’s way (meet the demands)? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
If you desire deliverance then you must embrace and live up to the demands! It is living up to our vow that leads us to victory.
As Eugene Peterson in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction writes, “It is not difficult in our world to get a person interested in the message of the Gospel; it is terrifically difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier Christians called holiness.”
Deliverance comes packaged with demands!
V. Close
Those here that are back at?
Back at depression. Back at fear. Back at gossip. Back at porn. Back at rebellion.
If you are here and you are back at something, then why not find yourself back at the altar this morning?
Those here who feel least likely?
Review the demands. Accept the demands. What are the keys to your door?
