JUDGES 16:15-21 "GOD’S BLESSINGS CAN BE LOST"
A) Our lives today are full of questions! * We question the matter of security!
* I am secure in Christ, but the truth is that I can shipwreck my faith by making a conscious
decision to leave the Lord! * I don’t like the phrase, "losing your salvation." (Depart from)
* That’s just as bad as, "once saved, always saved!"
B) However, there are some blessings which can be lost!
* The Bible records many spiritual blessings which men received from God, and then lost!
* Let us look at some of them today.
(1) POWER WITH GOD CAN BE LOST!
* In our Scripture text today, we find a man who lost the power he had with God!
* He did so because he made some mistakes! * Let’s examine the life of Samson.
A) He was a man called by God to a deliverance ministry! * Judges 13:24-25
* His fall was caused by several factors ... These things could happen to us too, so beware!
B) First, he broke his separation unto the Lord! * He fooled around with the enemies of God.
* In chapter 14 he marries a wife from the Philistines; in chapter 16, he spends the night with a
prostitute, and later in the same chapter, he falls in love with Delilah.
C) He frustrated the will of God for his life by his failure to live a holy life.
* God has called us to live a life of holiness ... Heb.12:14 "Follow peace with all ......."
D) He sinned through presumption! * He presumed that because God had called him,
* And because he’d done exploits in the name of the Lord, he would be forgiven, no matter what
he did. * He fell because his life was controlled by fleshly desires.
E) He had the power of God restored in his life by repentance, but paid a high cost for it!
* He died with his enemies after they had put out his eyes.
* Have you lost the power of God from your life?
F) "Far too many Christians live their life on the battery system."
* Some kids have these battery operated cars. * When the battery is charged all was well!
* But when the battery goes dead, so goes the car.
G) There are Christian believers who seem to run their spiritual life & service on that system.
* They go to an altar and ask God to give them a deeper life and when they get up from the altar,
they are altogether different ... for several weeks.
* But something happens to them and their battery goes dead, and instead of coming to church and
getting their battery charged so they can keep on going, they stay away from the charger!
H) Often, we do not realize how important little things are! * Samson did not.
* Perhaps he thought that most of his sins were unknown. A famous explorer in South America
was once driven back and forced to abandon his journey by an almost invisible foe.
* He was equipped to meet leopards and serpents and crocodiles.
* They proved to be no threat, but he had failed to reckon with the little fellows - the million of
"chiggers." They are so tiny we call them the "no see-ums."
* Someone has composed the following poem about these tiny invaders:
* Here’s to the chigger, the bug that’s no bigger ... Than the end of a very small pin;
* But the itch that he raises simply amazes ... And that’s where the rub comes in!
I) Today, watch the tiny things which may spoil your testimony!
* Remember, "He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much." Lk.16:10
* Be on guard against the "little foxes" - that evil thought, that hasty word, that burst of temper,
* That snap judgment which may bring defeat! Put on the whole armor of God by prayer, Bible
study, and spiritual exercise, and you will be able to ward off enemies both large and small!
(2) JOY OF SALVATION CAN BE LOST! * David is known as a man after God’s own heart,
* And on many occasions in his life, the joy of the Lord was certainly present, and was one of the
outstanding characteristics of his life.
* But, because at a weak moment he gave in to the desires of the flesh, he lost that joy.
A) David was called by God to his place of leadership in Israel.
* He was a man used of God, and a man who had joy in the Lord. * An outstanding example was
his joy at the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem - 1Chron.16:7-36
B) David’s fall was caused by several factors!
* 1st, he was in a place where he should not have been!
* His place was leading the people, not relaxing at home during a time of battle.
C) 2nd, he did not control his eyes ... rather, they controlled him!
* He sinned through allowing temptation to stay in his mind! * He stayed to watch Bathsheba
when he should at least have gone back inside his house and quit looking.
* 3rd, he fell because he allowed his life to be controlled by unbridled passion!
D) He had the joy of the Lord restored to him through repentance, but at a great personal cost!
* The child born of this sin died and trouble followed the house of David the rest of his life.
* How we need the joy of the Lord today. In one of his booklets, Adrian Rogers tells of some gold
prospectors who discovered an exceptionally rich mine.
* One of them said, "Hey, we’ve got it made as long as we don’t tell anybody else before we stake
our claims." * So they each vowed to keep the secret.
E) Because they had to have more tools and provisions, they headed for town.
* After buying all the supplies they needed, they hurried back to the mine site, but they weren’t
alone.
* A crowd of people followed them because their discovery was written all over their faces.
F) What happens on the inside shows on the outside!
* Joyful Christians with the light of God on their faces are needed in the darkness of this world.
* Don’t do anything that will cost you the joy of the Lord.
(3) TESTIMONY FOR THE LORD CAN BE LOST!
A) Peter knew what it was to have a personal testimony.
* Had he not been among the first to be called, and the first to respond to the call of the Lord?
* Had he not walked with the Lord for over 3 years, seeing Christ perform many signs and
wonders, hearing Him preach and teach?
* Had he not seen the ear of the high priest’s servant, which he himself had severed from that
man’s head, restored? * Yes, Peter knew what it was to have a testimony for the Lord.
* Yet in a time of pressure, Peter lost what testimony he had - Luke 22:54-62
B) We never know who is watching us! * Peter was called by the Lord!
* He was a spokesman for the 12 on several occasions!
* He was a man destined to leadership, as shown later on the Day of Pentecost.
* He was a man loved by Christ, who had asked him a series of searching questions about Peter’s
love, and ended with a commandment for him.
C) Peter’s fall was caused by several factors! * Peter was too boastful; too self-confident.
* "All might desert you, but not me." How often we have to eat words spoken in haste.
* Peter followed the Lord that day, but afar off!
* He did not stay close to the source of his power.
D) Peter was in the company of the wrong people that night!
* He was in the company of unbelievers, warming around the fire.
* Peter lacked the courage he thought he possessed. * A little serving girl and her questioning was
enough to make him deny the Lord.
* Peter was restored, but only after a time of extreme soul-searching and grief!
* Only after a personal invitation was again extended by the Lord.
E) Our witness is so important!
* One winter’s day in 1850 a teenager who was deeply in trouble with God ... (C.H. Spurgeon).
(4) FIRST LOVE FOR THE LORD CAN BE LOST!
* There was a church, to whom a message was sent in Revelation chapter 2:1-7!
* This was the church at Ephesus. * Christ told that church that "they had left their first love."
A) This was a church called to serve the Lord!
* It had been a great church, with the blessings of God.
* Paul had written to this church, telling them in Ephesians 1:3-14 that they were blessed, chosen,
predestined to adoption as sons, they were accepted, had received redemption, revelation,
* An inheritance, and were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
B) Christ knew this church! * It had worked hard, had deeds in abundance, perseverance,
* A lack of tolerance for evil people. * It had cleansed itself from false leaders,
* Had persevered and endured hardship, yet it fell.
C) This church fell for several reasons!
* They had not stayed in a proper relationship with Christ.
* They had grown proud of their accomplishments and works.
* They had trusted in their own strength rather than the strength of God.
* Knowing the Word, obeying part of it, worshipping in the church is not enough.
* We must have a heartfelt love for Jesus and His Word, which results in single-hearted devotion
to him, purity of life, and a love for the truth.
(5) SOULS CAN BE LOST IN ETERNAL DARKNESS!
* The loss of his soul is the most serious loss a person can suffer.
* Yet we know that there are many who are going to do so! * Matthew 25:41, 46 says,
* "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart ... And these shall go away ..."
A) The soul is a real thing and can be destroyed! * Mt 10:28 "And fear not them which kill ..."
* The soul can be saved! * Heb 10:39 "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition;
but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."
CLOSE
A) Where are you today? * Are you conscious of God’s power and presence in your life?
* Or are you unsure if it is there or not? * If you do not know, you must repent,
* Bring your life back into a right relationship with God, and then the presence of God, and His
power will return to your life!
B) Is your life filled with the joy of the Lord today?
* Are you daily delighting in the Lord, and His Word? * If you are not, you need to repent,
* Allow the Lord to cleanse you, and restore the joy of His salvation to your life.
* He desires to do that today.
C) How about your love life with the Lord?
* Do you still have that first love you felt when you had given your heart to Him, or has your
passion dimmed? * If you do not have a warm, vital, and loving relationship with the Lord,
* You must also repent and return to Him, doing again the things you did when you were first
saved.
D) Do you still have a love for the lost? * You need that in your life. * Are you saved today?
* This is the most important question I have asked, for unless you are sure, you will not have the
presence and power of the Lord evident in your life,
* And you will certainly not have the joy of the Lord, nor the proper love for Him.
E) We must make sure all these things are still present in our lives!
* Make sure right now that you have not lost these blessings of the Lord.
