7 LIFE LESSONS FROM SAMSON
Judges 15-16
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Samson Jokes
1. Samson was probably the best actor in the Bible. His last performance actually brought the house down.
2. Who is the world history's worst hairdresser? Delilah. She gave Samson such a bad haircut that he never got another haircut the rest of his life!
3. Finally, Samson said that he ‘made donkeys out of the Philistines’ by jawboning with them!
B. TEXT
[Samson said,] ‘I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.’ He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them” Judg. 15:7-8. “We’ve come [3,000 men of Judah] to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines” 15:12. “One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her" 16:1. “Samson [blinded and in shackles] 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.” 16:30.
C. THESIS
1. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 10:11 that O.T. events “happened as examples and were written down...FOR US,” NIV. This means that God used the patriarchs as living parables to teach us how to live and how NOT to live.
2. This being the case, I’ve noticed seven lessons in the life of Samson that we can apply to our lives to help us run our race better and without stumbling.
3. The title of this message is “7 Life Lessons from Samson.” The first point is...
I. CHRISTIANS DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE USED
A. THE TRUTH ABOUT BIBLE HEROES
1. If God required perfection in order for people to be used by Him, then NO ONE would be used, because no one is perfect except God Himself. I believe even the angels are imperfect (since one-third of them were deceived) and make innocent mistakes like we do. But (thank God), God accepts all grades of imperfection among His servants.
2. Somewhere we got the idea that the people God chose to work through in the Bible we’re very saintly or had perfect lives or were people always dominated by great faith.
3. But the truth is that most of the Bible “heroes” were people filled with doubts and fears and weaknesses. They often wondered if God was really going to come through for them. They struggled with life’s difficulties just like we do.
4. They felt inadequate to do what God had called them to do. They felt unworthy; they couldn’t figure out why God would choose them.
B. IMPERFECT PEOPLE WELCOME
1. We can draw strength from their examples. If God could use them, then there’s a real possibility God could use us! If God doesn’t require perfection or mountain-moving faith, then heck, WE might be a candidate for God to use.
2. ILLUS.: THE PERFECT MAN & WOMAN
a. The story is told of a perfect man who met a perfect woman. They had a perfect wedding and their life together afterward was, of course, perfect.
b. One snowy Christmas Eve this perfect couple was driving along a winding road when they noticed the abominable snowman in distress. Being the perfect couple, they stopped and gave him a ride.
c. Alas, a few miles later they had a wreck and only one of them survived the accident. Who was the survivor? Answer: The perfect woman. She's the only one that really existed in the first place: everyone knows there’s no such thing as an abominable snowman or a perfect man.
d. A Male's Response: If the other 2 didn’t exist, then the perfect woman must have been driving and that explains why there was a car accident! [Source Unknown.]
3. Thank goodness, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect!
II. GOD USES THE PEOPLE HE HAS AVAILABLE
A. WHY GOD USES FAULTY PEOPLE
1. Think of all the bad qualities of Samson; ignorant, bad tempered, lustful, revengeful, lazy, indulging in illicit pleasure, braggadocios/ prideful, etc. Why would God put His Spirit upon such a person? Why use him?
2. I knew a pastor who was, overall, a good pastor. But if you got close to him, you found out that he was insecure, somewhat of a bully, at times jealous, and other times he was mean. He had several prejudices. I asked the Lord, “Why do you use him?” And the Lord said to me, “I have to use what I’ve got.”
3. Why did the Lord use Samson? King Saul? Jeroboam? David? Jehu? Doubting Thomas? James & John who wanted to call down fire on people?
4. Wouldn’t it be nice if the most articulate, the nicest looking, the best educated people offered themselves to be used by God? But they don’t. Oh, there’s a few, but most of the time God has to use those who are broken and reclaimed.
B. GOD GETS THE GLORY WHEN THE VESSELS ARE WEAK
1. Paul captured this beautiful truth; “Not many of you were wise...were influential...were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things…to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” 1 Cor. 1:26-29.
2. Most worldly people have too many resources and pride to surrender themselves to be poor, itinerate preachers. So God uses the “offscouring of the world” 1 Cor. 4:13 KJV (NIV – “the scum & garbage of the world”) to accomplish His work.
3. You may think, “Why did Jesus choose me? I don’t have many talents!” God doesn’t need talents. He delights in overturning the world with a few maggot-folk!
4. What a surprise there will be at the Great Judgment – the world in its wisdom rejected God and registered themselves as unworthy of eternal life.
III. CHURCH PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT
A. THEY REFUSED TO AID SAMSON!
1. Samson was a “one-man army” and invincible. He was inflicting heavy losses on the Philistines, Israel’s oppressors. You’d think the God’s people would rally around him and press for their deliverance, but they had a “defeat” mentality.
2. In one of the most disgraceful scenes in the Bible, 3,000 men of Judah came to tie Samson up and turn him over to the Philistines! If they had let Samson lead their army, they would have been invincible!
B. CHURCH PEOPLE TODAY – ALSO FAULTY
1. Oftentimes God’s people let politics, dogmas, or prejudices separate them and divide them. Some church goers act no different than lost people. Don’t let this discourage you; Jesus said it would happen.
2. He told us the “wheat and tares” would grow together in His field, the church, until the harvest (end of the world) Mt. 13:30. All are invited to His wedding, both good and bad (Mt. 22:10). At the rapture He will separate the good from the bad (Matt. 13:47-48).
3. So don’t be surprised if some of God’s people don’t get it right. After all, they didn’t get it right with Jesus either; “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” John 1:11.
4. Sometimes they don’t demonstrate the character of Jesus; they gossip, they are selfish, some are controlling, some are prejudiced, etc. Remember: God will use them to test us, to help us learn to resist the same impulses, and to help us to become better people!
IV. PLAYING WITH SIN WILL WEAKEN US
A. DELILAH WANTED TO DESTROY HIM
1. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Delilah’s name means (#1807, derived from #1809) “to slacken, be made feeble.” Samson had spiritually slackened and she helped make him ‘spiritually feeble.’
2. Like Proverbs says, she “hunted for his precious life” (6:26). She (like Satan) didn’t just want to corrupt him, she wanted to utterly destroy him. John 10:10, “The thief…”
3. She wanted to sever his last connection to God. Once she discovered his hair represented his vow, she put him to sleep and cut off his hair! The Spirit left him & his enemies blinded and enslaved him.
B. YOU’RE NOT IN CONTROL!
1. Don’t think you can be in control of your sin. It’s the nature of sin to make YOU the slave. Jesus said, “He who sins is a slave to sin” John 8:34.
2. Many people feel they can continue to sin and yet maintain their freedom. Don’t be deceived! Sin will always make you go farther than you want to go; pay more than you want to pay; and stay longer than you want to stay.
3. Once you have yielded to temptation, it's harder to resist the second time. Sin opens up an avenue through which Satan can work to destroy you. Paul said sin is “ever-increasing” (Rom. 6:19) and leads to a “continual lust for more” (Eph. 4:19). Don’t think you can stop when you want to; it will take you over.
V. WE MAY GET AWAY WITH SIN, BUT EVENTUALLY JUDGMENT WILL FALL
A. SIN AND JUDGMENT ARE INSEPARABLE
1. God has warned us that sin has a way of entangling us. In Numbers 32:23 God said, “Be sure your sin will catch up with you” HCSB. The MSG Bible interprets it, “You can be sure that your sin will track you down.”
2. Each sin contains a germ of judgement inside itself. When we sin, it’s just a matter of time until the germ grows and judgment falls on us. Many examples of this could be given.
3. Someone asked, “Does the worm in the apple come from the outside or is it already in the inside?” Studies have revealed that it began on the inside; its egg was laid in the blossom of the apple fruit so that the fruit grew around it.
4. If we “sow” or “plant” sin, we will “reap” corruption, Gal. 6:8. It’s as certain as planting crops & knowing they’ll grow.
B. JUDGMENT’S DELAY IS DECEPTIVE
1. “Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong” Eccles. 8:11, TLB. The only reason God is delaying judgment is to give as many people as possible the opportunity of salvation. God is being kind. He doesn’t want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance, 2 Pt. 3:9.
2. But judgment will come. God has already set the exact day of it on His calendar (Acts 17:31). Beware of getting entangled in sin!
3. ILLUS. A man in St. Petersburg, Russia tried to steal some sausages at an open-air meat market. He didn’t know that the one he grabbed was part of a string of 45 sausages, which got wrapped around him and tied him up until police arrived! [7,700 #5714] Such is the future of all who sin!
VI. OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR CONSECRATION
A. WHAT IS CONSECRATION?
1. The key to Samson’s strength was his Nazarite vow, symbolized by his hair (Judg. 16:17; Numb. 6:9). Samson had defiled himself many ways, but cutting off his hair was the “final straw” so to speak. It “cut off” Samson from God’s protection and blessings.
2. To consecrate something is to surrender it -- to set it apart -- to God. We belong to God. Paul said to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices” Rom. 12:1.
3. We’re NOT supposed to do what we want; Our life is no longer our own. That’s why the Lord Jesus said, “Not MY will, but Thine be done.”
4. Samson’s body belonged to God. The same is true of every true Christian: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” 1 Cor. 6:19-20.
B. GOD WILL BE LORD IN OUR LIVES
1. “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord” Heb. 12:14. If you want to know God, the first step is to get your sins under the blood and then surrender your all to Him.
2. LORDSHIP Illus.
a. Imagine you've got a yacht, and Jesus is also on board. He knows everything about the boat, and He knows every aspect of the ocean you're in.
b. Are you going to let Him be the CAPTAIN or are you going to make Him the CABIN BOY? How do you know whether He's the captain or the cabin boy? The captain steers the ship; the cabin boy runs his errands. (George Miller)
VII. ONE THING SAMSON GOT RIGHT: RELYING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. TAPPING THE SOURCE OF POWER
1. No one else in Israel seemed to know that there was supernatural power in the Holy Spirit. With all his faults, Samson was the only one who tapped into that power and found power to overcome all his spiritual enemies.
2. Some undoubtedly made fun of his “shaking himself” to surrender to that power (Judg. 16:20), but they couldn’t argue with his results; he alone could overthrow the yoke that held everyone else in thralldom.
B. BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
1. This picture could be transferred to the Church-world today. Most of them know nothing about the Holy Spirit and don’t even know that power is available through Him.
2. Maybe we should look again at Jesus’ final instructions about the Holy Spirit and how He would revolutionize the church-world. Do we think we can put God in the confines of our rational template? Do we demand He be tamed?
3. God made some creatures, like Himself, that no man can tame (Job 41:5-8)! I’m happy to serve a God who is beyond my comprehension and whose power shakes the universe.
4. Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4-5.
5. We all need to let the Lord Jesus fill us with the Holy Spirit however He wants to do it. Are you open to that? Why don’t you do it right now.
ALTAR TIME
1. Why don’t we all come to the front and ask the Lord to fill us. He said, “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
2. PRAYER.
