Today – A message of Hope...Restoration...Coming Back...
About –
Regrets...Failure...Mistakes...
Not just 1 or 2 little ones –
LIFE of them...
OR Many Over & Over & Over...
PRAY
Today –
A Life in the Bible that in 1 – Not Only of Regrets or Failures...
A LIFE that was Literally From Conception On – Destined for Greatness
He was Sent for Greatness...Purpose...
A Life that Was Literally Ordered of the Lord...
Platter...
We will Not ONLY Look at FAILURE –
??? Life After Failure...
READ
I. Scripture
Judges 13:1-5, 24, 25
Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (24) So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Hebrews 11:32
What more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, & of Samson, Jephthah, & of David.
IT Should Give US ALL HOPE!
That SAMSON is in Heb. 11
AKA – Faith Hall of Fame
SETTING
Israel – Doing whatever was right in their own eyes...
Rebellious toward God...Disobedient...
Idolatry...Abandonment from God...
Being Over run by Other People – PHILISTINES...
Rather than Removing the Immoral Traits of the land – They Contract the Disease
The Book Describes a Cycle over 400 years of:
Apostasy...Oppression...Deliverance...
God used the Judges...
They Speak of a Judgment...a Right Living...Ruler...
There were 17 Judges mention in the OT (I Sam)
A few that Come to Mind –
Deborah...Barak...Gideon...Samson...
It was to this that Samson Was Born –
II. SAMSON
Let’s Talk About Samson
Samson – Was an Answer to Prayer 2x
1 – Parents were Childless
2 – Nation of Israel Needed Greatness
HIS NAME = Like the Sun.Zenith...Quasar...
Born:
As a Judge...
As a 1st Child
As an Answer to the Needs of the Times
Meant to Live a Life of & For God
NAZARITE = Devoted or separated one
Took an Oath to ABSTAIN from worldly Influences & CONSECRATE to God...
4 Commitments were Common to the Nazarite (3 Most Noted)
1 – To Abstain for All Intoxicating Drink & Grape Products
2 – To Not Cut the Hair
3 – To Avoid Contact with the dead
4 – To Refuse to eat Food Regarded as Unclean
The Vow Could be Taken BY Any Jew for a Period of Time to
COMMIT to God & Serve Him & Humanity
Typically 30 days...100 Days...
ONLY 3 in the Bible were thought or Known to be LIFE LONG Nazarites –
Samuel...John Baptist...SAMSON
Meaning that They were Born with the INTENT of Serving God their Entire LIFE = Priesthood...
AND Refraining from Worldly Influences...
Samson Had it Made
In many Respects
Parents were Godly...
Purpose was Revealed Clearly to Him...
Spiritual Heritage...
Path was Carved Out...
ALL he had to Do was WALK in it!
His Greatest Challenge = Ours –
Living Up to his Divine Potential...Calling...Expectations...
To Become the Person HE KNEW He was Supposed to be...
Unlike Many Here Today –
All HE had to Do was Keep His Nose Clean!
Many Here Have Went Into the World & Are Trying to Come Out
Remember the 4 Commitments
1 – To Abstain for All Intoxicating Drink & Grape Products
2 – To Not Cut the Hair
3 – To Avoid Contact with the dead
4 – To Refuse to eat Food Regarded as Unclean
STAY from the World & To GOD
With that in Mind – Let’s Document His Life Quickly
III. A Life of Failures
1 – He Sees a Woman he wants to Marry – a Woman he was not Supposed to Marry
"She pleased him well" = right in my eyes
I Don’t get it – "of the Lord"
2 – He kills a lion with his bare hands...
(He didn’t tell his parents)
3 – Honey form the Carcass
He fed some to his parents
(He didn’t tell hiss parents)
4 – Marries her – Poses a Riddle to her family
Bets 30 Garments to the Winner
She Betrays him & tells them the Answer
5 – He Kills 30 men & takes their Garments
His wife goes to the Best man at his wedding
He Comes back to get her later
Her father "no – Taker her Sister"
6 – Takes 300 Foxes – Sets Fire to them & Sets them free into their fields...
Philistines – Go & Burn his wife & her father
7 – He goes & Slaughters many "Hip & Thigh"
Philistines Come after him
3000 Men of Judah Come & Arrest him & Turns Him over to them
8 – Jawbone of an Ass –
Kills 1000 of them...Tosses it to the Side
Water Supplied to Him By God
9 – Gaza – Harlot
Surrounded the place
He takes the gates of the City to the top of a Hill
10 – Delilah
Philistines Enticed her with 1100 Pieces of Silver
HE Toys With His Destiny Now More Arrogantly Than Ever
"She Lulled Him to Sleep"
Cut his Hair off
"I will go as before & Shake myself free – BUT He Didn’t Know that The Lord Had Departed from him"
Philistines Took Him
PUT his Eyes Out
SCOOP Them Out
PIERCE the EYE
HOT IRON
Bronze Fetters
Grinder in Prison
I.e. –
He HAD HIT BOTTOM!
PRISON!
IV. OPTIONS
MANY OPTIONS HERE for Samson’s Heart!
ANGRY
With God...Self...Others...
Lighter Side –
He was a Poor Judge of Women & of Barber Shops!
DEPRESSED
Result of His Own Actions...Choices...
DWINDLE AWAY
Burn Out Literally...
Waste Away until Nothing to Work With...
Cry in his Beer – to Other Inmates...
"You don’t know what I’ve been through"
"You don’t know haw bad it really is"
HEART
Cold...Hard...Indifferent...Run...
Philistines Were Having a Festival – DAGON ( Fish god)
SPORT of Samson
However, they Missed Something
V. What Happened?
16:22
"HOWEVER – His hair began to grow again"
More than That
Somewhere Between Barber Shop & the Coliseum
SAMSON Got Something He Hadn’t Had in a LONG time –
He Got real with God!
BROKEN HEART!
You Couldn’t See it readily – yet
Within, HE Must have Been Tracing His Steps
ALL the:
Missed Opportunities
Unbridled Emotions
Failures to Yield to God
Disobedience – to God...Parents...Self & the Call...
Immorality...
Stuff...
Samson – Became Broken Before God
Ps. 34:18
The Lord is NEAR them that are of a Broken Heart
Ps. 147:3
He heals the Broken heart & Binds Up their Wounds
Ps. 51:17
The Sacrifices of god are a Broken Spirit – a Broken & Contrite Heart – you Will Not Despise
Is. 61:1 (JC)
The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives & the opening of the prison to them that are bound...
Judges 16:28
Samson Can’t See – We can’t readily see the prayer – Feel it...Sense it...
A Prayer of REPENTANCE...REDEDICATION...STARTING OVER...
Numbers 6:12
He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation & Bring a lamb of the 1st year for a trespass offering – but the days that were before shall be lost – because his separation was defiled
Speaking of a NAZARITE that Defiles Himself & the Vow
REPENTANCE...
Means – They START ALL Over & the Former is GONE...
That’s Exactly What happened With SAMSON
Right There in the Middle of the SPORTING of HIS FAILURE – He Cried Out to God
"Boy Take me to the Pillars..."
ALTAR
God
Use me 1 More time
Restore me the Joy of My Salvation...
Let me Feel Your touch...
Love...Anointing...
Speak through me like you used to...
Pray through me...Holy Spirit Flow Though Me...
The PILLARS Began to Creak...Rattle...Roll...
Soon – the Foundation began cracking...
"Those that he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life"
HERE TODAY
VISION is Gone...
Lost it to the PAST...WORLD...FAILURE...DECISIONS...
IN a Prison of the PAST
"GONE"
You haven’t Noticed – Hair has been Growing again...
Spirit has been dealing With you...
Calling you back to Jesus...
Word...Songs...People...
Lord – Restore Me
VOW – Starting Over...
