Sermon Central
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Lion Tamers - Pt. 1 Series
Contributed by Steve Ely on May 5, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: Lions are loud. They are scary. All we see are teeth. So how do you tame the lions in your life?
Lion Tamers - Pt. 1
I. Introduction
The king of the jungle. Fierce. Loud. Teeth bared. Claws sharpened. Ready to pounce. Ready to destroy. Infinitely powerful. Striking fear in everyone! Lions. One of the top attractions at zoos and circuses! We don’t mind watching them when they are caged up and at a safe distance. However, the truth is most of us, even though we may not have on the costume, carry a whip, or have a chair handy, are daily squaring off against lions. An issue, a sickness, a relationship, a reoccurring problem that is just as much a man eater as if it had a mane and a nerve shaking roar. So how do we tame lions? How do we handle the beast that is trying to handle us?
II. Text
1 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” 4 However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 So he went down and talked to the woman; and she looked good to Samson. 8 When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. 9 So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.
10 Then his father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men customarily did this. 11 When they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 Then Samson said to them, “Let me now propound a riddle to you; if you will indeed tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. 13 But if you are unable to tell me, then you shall give me thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes.” And they said to him, “Propound your riddle, that we may hear it.” 14 So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.”
III. Lion Taming Truths
From this encounter with a lion Samson teaches us some powerful Lion Taming Truths.
A. Lion Tamers Need a Good Eye Doctor
Samson was a man driven by impulse. He finds himself squared off against this big cat simply because his eyes got him in trouble! He allowed something he saw to take him into the pathway of trouble. He could have taken control over his eyes and denied himself and he would have avoided this cat.
How many of us wind up in dangerous, life threatening, faith threatening, family threatening, lion filled moments simply because we won’t walk away from what looks good. Everything that looks good isn’t necessarily good. Just because the job looks good doesn’t mean that it is. Just because the friendship looks good doesn’t mean it is life it could actually be death. Our eyes can lead us into trouble. That is why one of the key Lion Taming Truths is that as children of the King we are not allowed to walk by sight! We are required to walk by faith. Our sight can take us right into a face to face encounter with lions! Most of the lions we face could be avoided if we would simply control our eyes! We need a good eye doctor that will help us monitor our sight!
