Why Do I Keep Tripping Over The Same Thing?
Part 1
Admitting the Stronghold
(if you e-mail me a request, I will send you the power point for this sermon)
Why Do I Keep Tripping Over The Same Thing?
Part 1
Admitting the Stronghold
The Story of Samson
A. Beginning in Judges chapter 13, we begin to read the story of a very special man named Samson
a. According to the scripture, Samson was chosen even before he was conceived in his mother’s womb—think about that
i. Samson’s mother was barren and could not have any children, but an angel visited Samson’s mother and father and declared that they would have a son, a very special son…
1. he was to be a Nazirite to God—which means dedicated or consecrated
2. he was chosen to deliver Israel from the Philistines
3. he was born with a very important destiny
ii. and since he was to be special, the angel gave Samson’s parents very specific instruction on how to raise this special newborn baby
1. he was never to drink any wine of any kind
2. he was never to eat or drink anything that was made from the grapevine
3. he was never to come near anything that was dead
4. and he was never to cut his hair
iii. Samson was to be separate—different—and he was to live a separated life
1. Samson was not an ordinary man
2. he was called out for greatness
b. So as we read on, we find that Samson was given a very special gift, Samson was very strong—probably the strongest man that has ever lived
i. Some of his feats of strength include…
1. He carried away the gates of a city
2. He caught 300 foxes and set there tails on fire
3. He killed one thousand men with a donkey jawbone
4. And that is just to name a few
c. And the source of his strength was not in his physical body—nobody could possibly be as strong as Samson was in themselves…
i. It was not because he lifted weights and worked out
1. And his strength didn’t lie in the particulars of the vow he made to be a Nazirite
2. his strength did not lie in his hair
3. his strength did not lie in any bargain he had struck with God
ii. but Samson’s strength came from the presence of God and the spirit of God that was in his life
1. on every occasion that Samson needed his special strength, the Bible says that “the spirit of the Lord” came upon him.
a. every time
2. never could he have—or did he—do any of this on his own
a. it was the power of God that would come over him and work in him
b. it was the anointing of God on his life
i. because Samson was chosen
ii. because Samson was set apart
iii. because God loved Samson and God loved his people
c. Samson’s strength came from the love and grace of God
d. Now as you read the story of Samson, you will find that Samson was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary gift…
i. but Samson also had an extraordinary weakness
1. Samson liked the ladies
a. and not just any ladies, Samson liked the wrong kind of ladies
b. it seems that Samson was intrigued by what was forbidden to him
2. Samson was born to defeat the Philistines, but instead he kept getting involved with Philistine women
a. he married a Philistine woman in chapter 15
b. he visited a Philistine harlot in chapter 16
c. and then he fell in love with another Philistine named Delilah in chapter 16
i. and everyone of these relationships ended up in disaster
3. And understand that It was absolutely forbidden by God for an Israelite to marry or to become involved with a heathen woman—and it was especially forbidden for Samson being a Nazirite
a. But Samson always played around with sin
b. he always flirted with the forbidden
c. he was always pushing the parameters of right and wrong
d. Samson was playing a very dangerous game
ii. And when the enemies of Samson finally discovered his weakness—they began to exploit it to try and ensnare and destroy him……and it worked
1. so let me read you a small excerpt from the story of Samson that explains it all…
a. these verses explain how easily it is to get caught up in the deception of sin
b. these verses explain how the enemy is always working to capture and destroy us
c. and these verses explain the consequence of sin.
Judges 16:4-21 (NLT)
4 Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek.
5 The leaders of the Philistines went to her and said, “Find out from Samson what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.”
7 Samson replied, “If I am tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I will be as weak as anyone else.”
8 So the Philistine leaders brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them.
9 She had hidden some men in one of the rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as if they were string that had been burned in a fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Afterward Delilah said to him, “You made fun of me and told me a lie! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
11 Samson replied, “If I am tied up with brand-new ropes that have never been used, I will be as weak as anyone else.”
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread.
13 Then Delilah said, “You have been making fun of me and telling me lies! Won’t you please tell me how you can be tied up securely?” Samson replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I will be as weak as anyone else.” So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric
14 and tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.
15 Then Delilah pouted, “How can you say you love me when you don’t confide in me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!”
16 So day after day she nagged him until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
17 Finally, Samson told her his secret. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”
18 Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine leaders. “Come back one more time,” she said, “for he has told me everything.” So the Philistine leaders returned and brought the money with them.
19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and she called in a man to shave off his hair, making his capture certain. And his strength left him.
20 Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the LORD had left him.
21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and made to grind grain in the prison.
Strongholds
B. Samson was born with a great destiny and a great calling…he was given special gifts and talents for the purpose of protecting and serving his people and his God
a. but God being the loving God that he is, allows men the opportunity to create their own destinies—and this is what Samson done
i. he was chosen to be one of the great, but chose to be one of the common
b. this is the destructive journey that Samson took
i. from the presence of God dwelling in him
ii. to the presence of God coming on him sometimes
iii. to waking up one day and not even knowing that the presence of God had left
1. this is the destructive pattern that sin has on our lives
2. it slowly destroys us by the choices that we make to give it control
3. and it slowly chokes out the presence of God that is in our lives
c. Samson was chosen and gifted for something special…
i. but just because you are chosen, and just because you have talents and gifting does not mean anything—there are still choices to be made
1. we are have to make choices that will affect our lives
a. and those choices either build up resistance in us toward sin
b. or they allow strongholds to be built in our lives
2. this is what I want to speak to you about today, strongholds in our lives…when ordinary sin becomes a stronghold
a. “why do I keep tripping over the same thing”
b. “why do I keep falling on my face over the same stumbling block”
c. “why is it that every time I make a stride forward, it seems I end right back up in the same mud hole”
d. “every time I climb up, I slide right back down”
e. “whenever I think I am finally doing good, this same thing comes into my life and lets me know that I am not”
f. “whatever advances that I make, it seems this same ugly sin always rears it head…”
i. does anybody here, understand what I am saying?
ii. Does anyone here face this in their life?
iii. Is anyone here tired of getting hung up at the same place over and over again?
iv. …I know I am…
3. we all make mistakes and slip and fall…EVERY ONE OF US
a. but when we slip and fall over the same thing all the time, that sin is probably a stronghold
b. that is something that you must receive victory from
ii. a stronghold is best described as a city under siege
1. if you can get in your mind a city that is surrounded by the enemy and although there has been no attack yet—the city is immobilized
a. it cannot move and it is simply waiting to defend itself
2. strongholds in our lives are much the same
a. they are sin in our lives that grow to a point of controlling our lives…
i. they place us under siege
ii. they immobilize us
iii. they put us in a survival and defense mode
b. strongholds keep us from advancing and doing what God has called us to do
i. strongholds keep us frozen from fulfilling God’s purposes in our lives
d. take Samson for instance
i. You would think that Samson would have learned his lesson the first time that Delilah tried to snare him
1. you would think that he would be smarter than that
2. you would think that he would have figured out how dangerous it was for him to be there with his head in her lap
a. if not the first time-then surely the second time
b. and especially the third time
ii. but he just kept coming back and laying his head right back in her lap
1. he was so intrigued by her
2. he was so infatuated and in love with her
a. she would stroke his hair and tell him how much she loved him
b. she would make him feel good
c. she made all kinds of good feeling erupt in him
3. and he ate it up
a. he fell for it every time
b. and he kept on coming back for more
c. he could not stay away
d. …as many times as it took for him to fall.
iii. and even though he knew the danger—he kept coming back for more
1. he had to have known the danger…I don’t believe that Samson was a stupid man
2. that is why he lied to her the first two times about where his strength lied
a. he knew that he shouldn’t be there
b. he knew that something was amiss
c. and he knew that this was wrong, but he couldn’t help himself
d. something—something almost animalistic—drove him back there for a high that he could not get or find anywhere else
3. and each time he got a little bit more comfortable
a. each time he got a little bit more closer to the truth
b. and soon he was totally ensnared by her deception
c. and soon he was destroyed
C. this is the very nature of sin
a. it entices you, it makes you feel good, it pulls you into it’s clutches
i. you know that it is wrong, but something keeps bringing you back there—something keeps attracting you
1. and so you find yourself back down at Delilah’s house in the camp of the Philistines
2. and you find yourself laying your head in the lap of the Devil
3. and he strokes you hair, and makes you feel good all over
ii. and before you even realize it, you are completely ensnared by the enemy
1. before you realize it, you are so completely entangled in sin, that you cannot break free
2. this is when sin becomes a stronghold
3. when you continually give in to sin, and your choices cause your flesh to be enslaved
iii. and it is the same destructive journey that Samson found himself in that we find ourselves in….
1. from the spirit of God dwelling in you
2. to the spirit of God coming upon you on occasions
3. to the spirit of God completely departing from you and you not even know it
iv. you cannot hide and ignore the strongholds in your life
1. you cannot be deceived in thinking that as long as no one sees them it is ok
2. these strongholds will destroy you and must be dealt with.
3. if there is an issue in your life that you keep visiting—it is a dangerous tactic of the enemy to destroy you…and you must regain control of the situation
b. You see, just like Samson you are called out, and you are chosen for a great and awesome work
i. You have a specific purpose and a special calling from God
1. and so the enemy wants to ensnare you
2. he is always laying traps for you
3. he is always enticing you with things of this world
ii. because he knows that if he can enslave your flesh, that he can destroy your spirit with guilt, condemnation, fear, and confusion
1. if he can stir a big enough hunger in your flesh, the spirit will depart from you
2. you must be aware of this reality—that even though it feels good for a moment, that the wages of sin are death
D. When I was a teenager, I had an outlet for expressing my frustrations and feelings, and that was through writing
a. I would write short stories and poems about the turmoil and the inner struggle that was going on inside of me
i. One of those short stories I recall was about a young man traveling on a path—I wrote this particular short story when I was about 15
1. as he traveled down this path of life, he would come up to this wall that would completely cover the path…
a. he would try to go around it to the left, but there was no way around
b. he would venture to the right, but there was no way around
c. and eventually he realized that in order to keep going forward in life, that he had to climb over this wall
2. well, on several attempts to scale this wall, he soon realized that he could not do it.
a. He kept falling
i. He kept slipping
ii. He kept loosing his hold
b. So finally the young man gave up altogether, and with his head down turned and went back the way he came
i. Broken, beaten, and defeated
3. now the story did not end there, because one day the young man got a second wind and he decided to move forward in life again
a. he took off down that trail one more time
i. every thing was going great
ii. he was really making strides
iii. he was really making progress this time
iv. he was excited about life
v. he was energized and motivated
b. but soon, he found himself right back to the same place—that same wall
i. and again he found himself faced with the decision of trying to scale that wall—or just giving up…
c. and the same process continues over and over, with the young man in the story always coming back to the same place
b. we all have strongholds in our lives
i. some may be bigger than others, and some may be more open and prominent then others
1. but we all have walls that need to be scaled
2. we all have barriers at some point in our lives that keep us from moving on if we do not overcome them
ii. and the truth of the matter is,
1. these walls can not be bypassed
a. you cannot go around them
b. they must be faced and they must be defeated
c. and even if you give up and quit—one day when you start again you will be faced one more time with the same wall
2. and I am sorry to say that once you get over this wall in your life, there will be more walls just up the road
a. it is the process of growth
b. it is the process of sanctification
iii. where do these walls come from?
1. they come from our past choices
2. they come from sin
a. and these walls are real
b. they are built by sin and designed by the enemy to keep you out of God’s best
i. to keep you defeated
ii. to keep you down
iii. to keep you oppressed
c. Sin is a powerful, powerful thing
i. And you may feel like you are in a hopeless situation so ensnared by sin that you have no hope
1. and yes, it is your own fault
2. let’s put blame where blame is due
a. don’t blame the devil
b. don’t blame society
c. don’t blame anybody of anything else—it is your fault
d. when you sin, you allow yourself to be enslaved
ii. But don’t loose heart, because although the wages of sin is death…….the Bible says that there is a gift that is more powerful then death…a gift that frees me from the bonds of sin
1. Romans 6:26. BUT, the gift of God is eternal life
2. John 3:16. that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life
a. I have been give the power to overcome
b. I have been brought up to sit in Heavenly places with him where all these things are under my feet
c. In his resurrection, I have been raised up into newness of life
d. Or as the scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods.
4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds.
5 With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.
i. Even though we make bad choices and allow strongholds to be built in our lives…God gives us the power to knock down those strongholds a
1. But the first thing we must do is admit that we have a problem
2. we must admit that our bad choices have ensnared us
a. we must quit trying to argues, explain, and justify our sin and just except it for what it is
b. we must admit that we are under siege by the enemy and we need to be free
E. In a few weeks, we are all going to go and see the new movie “The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe” that is based on the book by the Christian author C.S. Lewis
a. I do not want to give to much of the movie away, because I know that many of you really do not know what to expect, but there is a piece of the book that is so relevant here that I must share it with you
i. In the story, these four children find themselves in an exciting new world called NARNIA.
1. It is a magnificent world where animals talk and strange creatures exist
2. but it is also a world that is plagued by an evil that is captured in a person called the White Witch that has cast a spell on the land making it always winter, but never Christmas
ii. One of the children’s name is Edmund, and Edmund is one of the first to discover this new world
1. and on his first visit he encounters this White Witch who tricks Edmund into thinking that she is good and that she is the Queen of Narnia
iii. The White witch is very soft spoken and deceptive to Edmund because she has ulterior motives, and she offers Edmund his favorite candy called “Turkish Delight”
1. as soon as Edmund begins to eat this candy, he is snared
a. he can’t get enough
b. It never satisfies him
c. the more he eats, the more he wants
d. it does not fulfill his desire, it only fuels his desire
e. and even though he feels himself getting sick, he cannot stop himself from eating it
i. he wants it
ii. he craves it
iii. it is all he can think about
2. and when the Turkish delight finally disappears, he is so hungry for more that he is willing to do whatever she asks just for a little more
a. and so he betrays himself, he betrays his brothers and sisters, and he even betrays the land of NARNIA for the hope and promise of more Turkish Delight
iv. finally, later in the book, Edmund realizes what he has done and tries to make amends
1. but he quickly learns that he cannot be free from the White Witch, and that now he is condemned to die because he gave in to her deception—this is the law of NARNIA as was set up by the creator of NARNIA, the great Emperor
v. so Edmund is condemned to die, and there is nothing anyone can do…
1. but the emperor’s son—the great Lion Aslan—makes a deal with the White Witch
2. and he gives his life in place of Edmunds
3. he lays down his own life so that Edmund may be free from his bad decision and also that he may be free from any ill-effects of that decision
a. and Edmund walks away—free from the Witch
F. I don’t think it takes a genius to understand what this book and movie is about
a. Sin in this story is Turkish Delight
i. It has a very hypnotic power that promises everything but delivers nothing
1. It never satisfies, but we will give up everything to experience it
2. And that is what everyone of us in this room has done
3. We have traded our freedom for a little Turkish delight
ii. the consequences of our decisions based upon the law of God says that we now owe our lives to Satan
1. that we have traded our very lives for a moment of unfulfilling pleasure
iii. but the great Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, the son of God…
1. gave his life up for us
2. he paid the full price of sin
3. and freed us from our debt
b. now here is the very important part…that stronghold in your life that keeps you bound up and keeps you tripping and keeps you down
i. that stronghold has no place in your life
1. the price of that sin has forever been paid
ii. HE WHOM THE SON HAS SET FREE—IS FREE INDEED
1. completely free
2. totally free
3. all the way free
iii. you do not have to live under siege
1. you do not have to accept this stumbling block as a part of life
2. you do not have to listen to the voice of the enemy that is telling you that you have lost and that you will never win
iv. but by the blood of Jesus, you are free
1. you have been given the power to pull down your stronghold
Listen to this song and watch this power point presentation. (This is a power point presentation that I prepared to the song "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns. If you would like the power point, email me and I would be happy to send it to you.)
