“Fame to Shame”
Judges 16: 15-22, 28-30
May 5, 2013
Intro: Mike Tyson was no doubt the MOST feared fighter of the 1990s. Even his nickname’s scary--Iron Mike! Mine pales in comparison--Elmo. Tyson was so dominating he started his career off by winning 19 straight fights by knockout. He finished up his career w/44 KO’s in his 50 victories. He was also the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion at 20.
-But as dominating as he was, by the end of his career he was simply a shell of himself. And it manifested itself in the ring when he became so desperate that he bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear! Tyson’s career ended w/him winning only 5 of his last 12 fights. When we think of him now, we tend to think of him as being a caricature of himself. We think of him biting a guy’s ear off, going to prison and getting that weird tattoo on his face.
-Tyson is one of many examples of people who reached incredible fame only to finish his career a shell of what he once was. This fall doesn’t just happen to people in athletics. It happens to people in all walks of life. We all know stories of businessmen who attained great success only to end up in trouble b/c they compromised their principles trying to get just a little bit more. We know stories of people who had a great family life only to see it be totally dismantled by unfaithfulness in marriage.
-We’re continuing our series “Breaking Bad” by examining how there’s a very slippery slope that can lead us from great fame, great success, to shame.
Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see the story of one of the great heroes of the Bible...Samson. But as you track his life you’ll see that there were some missteps that moved him from fame to shame. And it’s my hope that we can look at the life of Samson and learn how to keep from following his path.
TEXT: JUDGES 16: 15-22, 28-30
Bckgrd: Throughout the book of Judges you’ll read @ Israel finding herself in trouble time and time again. Israel would be overrun by a neighboring nation or people and find herself in bondage. And then they would cry out to God for help. And God, in His mercy, would send a long a person to lead the Israelites back to freedom.
-Samson was one of these guys who was chosen by God to bring freedom to his people. And God worked thru Samson in a unique way. An angel told Samson’s parents that they were going to have an especially strong son who would bring freedom to the Israelites. But the angel told them to make sure they didn’t cut Samson’s hair b/c if his hair was cut then it would mean the loss of his power.
-Well, they didn’t cut his hair and Samson became known as a great warrior. Unfortunately, he also had a penchant for getting himself in tempting situations w/women. And there came a day when he went from fame to shame. There came a day when his continual playing w/temptation finally caught up w/him and destroyed his life.
-You know, there are a lot of us who can identify w/Samson. Maybe not in strength, but in our continual piddling around w/temptation; piddling around w/things we shouldn’t mess with. Some mess around w/drugs and alcohol, others w/lying, others w/seeing how much they can get away w/before they get caught. But I want to share this very important truth w/you. When you mess w/sin, it will leave it’s mark on your life and it’ll move you down the path to shame.
-For the next 20 minutes I want to share w/you from Samson’s life what messing w/sin does. 1st, when you mess w/sin:
1: IT WEARS YOU DOWN (vv. 15-17)
Exp: Samson was a man who’d reached incredible fame at this point in his life. He was known for his super-human strength. Let me just name a few things he’d done at this point that made everyone’s hero. He killed a lion w/his bare hands. He killed 30 Philistines on his own. The Philistines captured him, bound him w/rope, and Samson snapped the ropes off, grabbed the jawbone of a donkey and smote an army of men! It’s like reading a comic book!
A.But his powers weren’t b/c he did P90X and hung out at CrossFit w/James. His power came from a unique gifting from God. At this point all Samson knew was success. And, as w/so many of us, he had a hard time handling it. He got to a point where it seems that he didn’t think it mattered what he did, he’d always come out on top.
1.But let me tell you something. When that happens, we’re ripe for the picking. This is where our text picks up. Samson was at a point where my guess is he rationalized his behavior. His thought process could’ve been, “Every time I get in a bind, God delivers me. I’m uniquely blessed so it doesn’t matter how I live.”
a.And as we look at our text we see he’s hooked up w/a woman he should’ve never been w/in the 1st place. V. 4 tells us he fell in love w/a lady named Delilah. Now Delilah was more than likely a Philistine. For a Jewish man, this was an absolute NO-NO! God had already commanded His people that they were to separate themselves from people who didn’t follow God.
b.Obviously, God’s not too interested in being politically correct! But did you know believers have a similar command? 2 Cor. 6: 14, “Do not be mismatched w/unbelievers. For what partnership is there between unrighteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have w/darkness?”
2.Why would God make a command like that? What’s so bad @ being “open-minded; being a little cosmopolitan?” I’m sure we all know people who have different faith backgrounds and their marriage seems fine. Maybe it is. Here’s the deal, though. We’ve not been called to make choices and decisions off what feels good or what we THINK is right. We’ve been called to obedience to Jesus! This is what God has commanded and if we’re going to say we’re His followers, then we take His Word and live by it, trusting He knows what He’s talking @!
a.But if we act like Samson, we’re going to get to a point where we start making decisions and choices off what we want regardless of what God calls for. Samson started living w/Delilah and it led him down an ungodly path. His act of disobedience led him to fornicating. Unbeknownst to him, the Philistines, who were sick of Samson kicking their tail, offered a bribe to Delilah to get him to share the secret of his strength.
b.For a while Samson staved her off. But in v. 15 Delilah said 3 times Samson hadn’t told her the truth @ his power. 3 times! How in the world did he know something wasn’t up at this point? This is a reminder to me that sin is persistent! As long as we keep messing around w/it; as long as we keep messing around w/disobedience to God, it’s going to keep coming after us until we finally are worn down and give in to it.
B.In v. 16 we’re told that her constant nagging finally wore Samson out. Sin kept beating on Samson’s door until he finally gave in to it and made the fatal mistake of opening up his life to it. He told her the secret. You know how he could’ve avoided this? Made sure she wasn’t knocking on his door. In other words, when you see sin coming, you get AWAY from it!
1.It’s what Joseph did in the OT. His master’s wife was after him and she said, “Come sleep w/me.” Remember what he did? He didn’t pray @ it. He didn’t say, “Grab a seat w/me and let’s talk this thru.” He didn’t smile at her and keep on going @ his chores. He RAN AWAY!
a.Guys, there are some things in our life that we need to quit playing around w/and RUN AWAY from it! You struggle w/drinking? Then stay away from it! Don’t go out to parties where the drinks are freely flowing. You struggle w/lust (if you say no, you’re lying)? Make sure you don’t put yourself in situations where you’re going to be tempted. Have some friends hold you accountable to what you’re watching. When you go out of town make sure you don’t turn on pay-per view!
b.You hang w/sin, you put yourself around people who are involved in ungodly lifestyles, and sin’s going to beat on your door until you open up.
ILLUS: Manfred Richthofen was a famous German First World War fighter pilot. You know him better as the Red Baron because he flew a distinctive a red plane. He shot down more combat planes than any one else on either side in the first World war. His known kill tally was 80. -On 21st April 1918, he began chasing a Canadian plane - that was trying to escape a battle. As the Red Baron pursued his prey, he strayed behind Allied lines. He dived too low into the enemy lines. And he also he missed a Canadian pilot "Roy" Brown coming up on his tail to help his comrade. The Red Baron’s plane was shot down behind enemy lines. -His life came to an end because he made the mistake of pursuing that Allied 'plane "too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory" (as one report so succinctly put it). And many committed Christians have been shot down because they have followed temptation for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory. -And as with the Red Baron -- they are then caught unawares and then have to deal with the consequences.
Reit: 1st, when you mess w/sin it wears you down. 2nd, when you mess w/sin:
2: IT WILL ENSLAVE YOU (vv. 18-21)
Exp: When we play w/sin, it eventually is going to leave its mark on you. James 1: 14-15, “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”
A.Samson finally gave in to sin. And Delilah took what he said @ his strength and immediately told the Philistine leaders @ it. Now why in the world would Delilah, who shared a home w/Samson, do something like this? The end of v. 18 lets us know. We’re told the Philistines brought the $ w/them.
1.Back in v. 5 the Philistines told her if she betrayed Samson they’d give her 1,100 pieces of silver A PIECE. The value would’ve been anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000! We’re talking a wad of $. Sin looks so appealing. It tempts us b/c so often sin is appealing to the eye (like Delilah). The practice of sin looks like it’s going to bring joy and satisfaction into our lives.
a.But it does the exact opposite. It comes into our lives and enslaves us! In our text, Delilah is a representative of sin. Samson thinks she’s going to fulfill him. He thinks she’s going to bring him joy and happiness. But little did he know she wasn’t interested in him. She just wanted to have him enslaved.
b.What was the symbol of his strength? His hair. It had never been cut. What did she do? She took his greatest strength and cut it off. Our text says she “rendered him useless.” Samson found temporary joy in Delilah, but it was only temporary b/c he ended up tied up by the Philistines.
2.When we give in to things God’s commanded us to stay away from, they can bring us some relief and joy. But it’s not lasting. Giving in to anger and blowing your stack might bring some relief, but it’s only temporary. After you’ve blown your stack you’ve damaged the relationship of the person you’ve yelled at.
a.Giving in to sexual promiscuity can bring pleasure for a time. But it carries w/it the price of lost trust and broken hearts and a loss of respect. Samson had relief when he gave in to Delilah. He fell asleep!
b.How long did it last? Temporarily. When he got up he was tied up by his enemies and ended up in shackles.
ILLUS: In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the “sundew.” It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed w/hairs that glisten w/bright drops of liquid that look like dew. These bright drops attract a lot of insects to it. While most of the plant is harmless, the leaves are deadly. You see, the shiny moisture on each leaf is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. And the insect struggles to set itself free. But as it wiggles around, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around the bug. The plant then feeds on the bug.
B.Sometimes I get to feeling pretty good @ myself and where I am in my walk w/Christ. And I look at Samson and think, “What an idiot! I’d never be that stupid.” But I’m missing the lesson. Samson, a guy who was like a comic book hero, was enslaved by sin.
1.The lesson for us is don’t ever think we’re too good or too strong to be able to mess around w/sin and come away unscathed. When you open the door to sin, God will remove His hand from you. The end of v. 20 tells us Samson didn’t know the Lord had LEFT him. Then v. 21 tells us that after Samson was captured, they gouged out his eyes and he began to grind grain.
a.Not only does sin capture us but it also blinds us. Have you ever seen people living a totally destructive lifestyle and you think, “Why can’t they see that what they’re doing is going to destroy them?” Here’s why: sin blinds us to the truth. Sin puts the shade down on the truth where as God’s leadership is a light that guides us in our living. Look at Ps. 119: 105. It says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a LIGHT unto my path.”
b.Remember what Jesus said in John 8: 12? He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Samson let the darkness of sin cover him and it cost him his sight, not just physically, but spiritually.
Reit: 1st, when you mess w/sin, it wears you down. 2nd, when you mess w/sin it enslaves you. The story of Samson is a tragic example of how destructive sin is in our lives. But I want to leave this story on a positive note. And that is this:
DIV 3: SIN CAN BE OVERCOME (vv. 22, 28-30)
Exp: My favorite verse in this whole story is v. 22. We’re told Samson’s hair began to grow again. There’s great significance in this verse. I don’t want you to misunderstand and think Samson’s great power came from the length of his hair. His power was diminished b/c he allowed sin to take control of his life instead of keeping God in His rightful place.
A.The growth of his hair was a symbol of God’s forgiveness. That’s why I like this verse so much. No matter how far we’ve strayed from God, no matter how far into darkness we’ve stepped, God is willing to redeem! You need to know that you can’t ever get too far from God for Him to restore your life.
1.Samson was humbled by his predicament as he was bound by chains; as he was bound by sin. He was so humbled that he called out to God and said, “Lord, remember me. Strengthen me again.” And that’s exactly what God did. Samson pushed on the pillars of the pagan temple where he was enslaved and he had victory over those who had captured him.
a.It turned out to be his greatest victory. Did he pay a price for it? Yes. You can’t sin and not have consequences to pay. But he was restored again. And I want you to know that you can be restored as well. It could be that God has allowed your disobedience to Him to get your attention to help prod you to make a readjustment in your life.
b.1 John 1: 9 gives us a hint in how to begin the process of turning the corner to where our sin can be overcome. It says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Take this time to think of some things that you’re involved in right now that are contrary to how God desires you to live.
2.It could be the way you’re spending your time. Maybe over time you’ve started giving the things of this world precedence over your walk w/Christ. Repent of that. Turn away from it and ask God to forgive you and begin a new work in you.
a.Maybe there are relationships you have, like Samson, that are unholy. Some of those relationships don’t do anything but pull you away from God’s leadership. Start surrounding yourself w/people who desire to follow God. That’s one of the reasons we find the church and our VGroup ministries to be so important.
b.You may think, “Man, I’m too far gone for God to do anything w/me. I just feel helpless.” This is where faith comes into play. It’s trusting that when God says He can redeem and restore us that we hang on to that promise and wait for it to happen.
B.Samson trusted God was going to strengthen him once again. And his faith moment was when, as a broken and blind man, he put his hand on the pillars and began to push.
1.It’s time for some of you to put your hands on the pillar, as blind and broken people, and begin to push. Is. 1: 18-19, “Come, let us discuss this,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land.’”
a.You have infidelity in your past? God can restore. You have anger harbored deep w/in you? God can remove it. You have your priorities out of order? God can reestablish the right order. But you must respond w/repentance and obedience, trusting He can change you.
Conclusion: Sin is devastating. It destroys our relationship w/God. It robs us of the joy and fulfillment God desires for us to have. When I look at Samson I see his sin wore him down and enslaved him. That could’ve been the end of the story, but it wasn’t. B/c he was willing to take a step of faith God restored him.
-I know some of you are in desperate need of restoration. You know firsthand that living under your own leadership hasn’t panned out like you thought it would. You’re empty. The things you thought would bring you happiness and joy have had a very short shelf-life.
-Why don’t you respond in faith to a God who has power to forgive and clean you up. You can do that by surrendering yourself to Jesus. If you’d like to do that, pray this prayer after me.
-Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I’m asking for your forgiveness and I choose to turn away from my sin and seek you. I trust you died for me and rose from the grave. I invite you to be the Lord and Savior of my life.
