Samson's Challenge

Turn please to Judges chapter 13. Thought Frank was going to steal my message there for a moment but he didn't quite get it all so we'll keep going. I'd like to look at the last of the judges here.

As you and I know we've been spending some time in the state and the different judges looking at them and today I'd like to end that with Samson and really many good scholars have likened the seven judges to the seven churches of Asia. Some have likened them to the seven dispensations and it's a very interesting study and Frank has already linked Samson with Laodicea and as we look at this man I want you to think about this man and his communion so it's going to tie in everything with what you've heard already this morning. So with that I want you to notice we're not going to read all the three chapters about him.

We're going to focus primarily on the times the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. This man was not a man of communion. He prays twice in the record of him.

Just twice. He asked for water and he asked for his strength one more time that he could die. That's all the extent of this man's prayer.

This man was of all the judges the most gifted man. You take the judges from Othniel all the way down to Jephthah. This is the man with only he has the most gifted man and yet he is the least spiritual man of all the judges.

Even Jephthah even though some might disagree with that. He is the least spiritual man. He is indeed a beautiful picture if I could say beautiful and accurate it'd be more a more better description of Laodicea.

And so I would like to speak to every Christian here today and when you go down through this this portion I want you to put yourself in here and are you like Samson? You'll notice it is in America when it comes to men and they're in the full-time service of the Lord under the age of 70 we're down to about 10. There are many more gifted men and the assemblies in America than the ones that are doing the teaching. So do you believe that? Has God not gifted assemblies? Has not God not gifted men and gifted women in their own way to do something for God? He has.

When you were saved you were given a gift. How many in this audience know what their gift is today male or female? This man was the most gifted man but he was the weakest spiritually. And the reason as Frank was talking about revival the reason that there's no revival is because there's no need in the minds of the people for revival.

That was Laodicea. They were rich and increased with goods and they had need of nothing and this is this is the man Samson. So we're going to just break in in chapter 13 and we'll read together at verse number one.

It says then the children of evil the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines 40 years. Now this is the last time that it's recorded that the nation did evil in the sight of the Lord before the kingdom was going to be set up. And so the Philistines now some have said that these Philistines were the original Philistines were come out of Egypt with Israel and they knew not the bondage of Egypt neither did they understand the redemption of Egypt and so it would be the Christendom world that really really knows not the Lord in our day and age.

And these people were with them continuously and it's now to the point in their existence that they're not even crying for deliverance. Such is the oppression of the Philistines such is the amalgamation of it that the people don't even have a desire to be free. Before the bondage was severe they were oppressed by it they were brought down they were impoverished they were enslaved and there was a desire to be free and they cried unto the Lord but here not one cry from the people.

No desire to be free. In fact it even gets worse. His own people 3,000 of them came to Samson and bound him to deliver him to the Philistines.

His own people. They come up with their cords 3,000 Philistines come up we're not going to read it I'm just using it as an introduction. So not only there's no desire to be free from the Philistines but the man that with God was raising up to deliver them from the Philistines they went up and they bound him and they delivered him into the hand of the enemy.

What a sad state of the nation of Israel. So now drop down to verse number 22. So the people there was no cry for deliverance they didn't know God this is proof of it in verse 22 and Manoah said now the angel of the Lord came to his wife said she's going to have a son.

Manoah wants to speak to the same man I'm just summarizing it for us and so now they have a sacrifice and the spirit of the Lord went up in the fire verse 22 and Manoah said unto his wife we shall surely die because we have seen God but his wife said unto him if the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands neither would he have showed us all these things nor would as this time have told us such things as these. They didn't know God at all. They had learned that if they no man can see God and live they understood that but they had no understanding of the living in the true God and obedience to him and and provision from him they had no understanding of the bondage that they were in they had no understanding that really as a nation if they continued in that they wouldn't even exist in due time and I wonder do we understand that today such as the effect of Christendom upon us such as the effect of the world upon us and that we have no need of anything we have no need of spiritual revival we're content to be in our assemblies and just and can I put it this way just let them fossilize young people are just content to chase after chase after the things of time and sense gifted young people good young people young people that God would long to raise up to do his work and to feed his people and to shepherd God's people so then Samson's born so what we're seeing here now in verse number 24 is the woman bear a son and called his name Samson and the child grew and the Lord blessed him and the Spirit of the Lord this is now the first time that the Spirit of Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zora and Eshter so this is the first movements of the Spirit of God when the Spirit of God begins to move a Christian what does it look like what can you recognize it when the Spirit of God is beginning to move you what is that like it may be as simple as something keeps coming into your mind for God it might be something as as real as an opportunity or door might open have you ever had a someone come on come to your mind time and time and time again and you wonder wonder what how they're doing I wonder what's going on I'll give you a silly illustration I was knows this is probably 30 years ago maybe not quite one of my classmates was kept coming to my mind I had an opportunity to share the gospel with her when we were in school and so I got on the I called two people to get her number and I called her and she picked up the phone in tears she had already been bawling her eyes out that wasn't me putting the thought in my head that was the Spirit of God prompting me putting her on my mind laying her on my heart that there was that I needed to somehow get a hold of her what does it look like young people when the Spirit of God is beginning to move with you he's in you if you're saved things start stirring don't they the thoughts start coming a burden is starting to form this young Samson now the Spirit of God is beginning to move him and what we have here is the great potential the Spirit of God comes and starts to move him and there's great potential for God there's great potential for the deliverance of God but what happens is this we don't recognize the Spirit of God working so think about that older ones as well are we sensitive to the promptings to the movements of the Spirit of God are we sensitive to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit when there's conviction where does that come from you read your Bible and you see something you ought to do and you don't do it and then it starts to come back again and you're wondering I wish I just leave me alone so we usually say God is calling for an action the Spirit of God is prompting for a movement but we try to put it down this is Samson now his Spirit of God is starting to move and what happens there's a snare right away he sees a beautiful woman and now he's go he goes down to Tim Tim Nath and he sees a beautiful woman and he wants this woman and now he's gone now from the movements of the Spirit of God in him to him moving down and away from the will of God now we understand as we read down further here that it that he that there was the Lord's will that he went down there but it was never the Lord's will never the Lord's will for a Christian to marry an unsaved person to put it in today's language never has been the will of God to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers never will be the will of God to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers it's contrary to the commandment of God now God has God moved in grace from time to time he has we will not deny that we cannot deny that but the reality is this that God intends his people to marry like-minded believers in Christ is one thing saved in the Lord is another thing it's not good enough just to marry someone that is saved that's just the beginning if you will that's the lowest standard possible but what you're looking for in a mate is someone who is in the Lord who is going on to please the Lord and wants to obey the Lord and you have the same convictions married in the Lord so he's going now down and so his eyes are getting him to trouble you know what happens to his eyes at the end of the day what gets him in trouble in the very beginning is what comes out at the end of his life is he going to reap what he sowed yes he's going to reap what he sowed so here's this man now the Spirit of God is is moving but his appetite is selfish what about Laodicea all they were thinking about all they were worried about was themselves wasn't it it was just living in the now and this man is no different he's there's no spirituality to him there was no moral exercise to him he's doing what is pleasing to himself there's no love there's no devotion to deliver the people of God and yet he's a gifted man that's just the beginning he's indifferent to the to what's going on around him now drop down to verse number five then went Samson down and his father and his mother to Timnath and came to the vineyards of Timnath and behold a young lion roared against him and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and he rent him he tore the lion as he would have tore a kid and he had nothing in his hands but he told not his father or his mother what he had done so now the Spirit of God moves mightily if the first movement was the potential the second movement of God is the power it's the power now he wasn't supposed to come upon a dead body for his Nazarite vow but the Spirit of God moved mightily upon him and he destroys this line with his bare hands I almost wonder if David didn't get the same thing when he killed the lion and the bear with his own hands the Spirit of God was able to do it here he's able to do it for David in a day to come but the reality is this the mighty power that the Spirit of God brings to the believer we need more of the Spirit of God no the Spirit of God needs more of us you've got all the Spirit of God you're ever going to get at salvation and the reality is this there is so much potential in every Christian here today and the power is there by the Spirit of God to do great things for God there's even power for revival today if there was a need for it just like Frank was teaching us I agree 100 percent I didn't say amen out loud but I was amen in all the time sorry okay is that going through my head huh this man had the potential this man had power he's never even prayed yet he doesn't know what communion is he's clueless what it is to call upon God for help he's clueless what it is to to to pray and to seek the Lord's will he's just now only moving in his own will and for his own gratification and for his own desires and when he comes to fight the philistines what is his motive it's his own personal contention that's his motive he's going down there because he's going to marry this woman and he kills the 30 philistines because they they they they got his wife to tell the answer to his riddle and he's got personal vendetta he's got personal contention and now here's this man with all the potential and all the power and and for the things of God and his motivation has nothing to do with the glory of God it has nothing to do with delivering the people of God but it's his own personal vendetta spiritual weakness just like Laodicea we are by the way likely in the church of the Laodicean age I don't think anybody would deny that the last church that is mentioned it before the Lord comes and instead of the word of God being taught in its purity and in its power for the people of God how many times is there a vendetta how many times is there a point to prove that only brings division to the people of God so the power is there and so he goes down and then he he kills the 30 and then he does he does the other things we'll go to chapter 14 we're at verse 6 we'll go to verse number 19 says in the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he went down to Ashkelon and he slew 30 men of them and took their spoil and gave the change of the garments to them which expounded the riddle and his anger was kindled and he went up to his father's house see his vendetta it was his anger he was an angry man some of us have a problem with anger we're complainers we're backbiters we're just being real you know what fits you and I know what fits me but this gifted man now is motivated by anger is that going to work well that won't work well this strongest man that was empowered by the Lord now he's moving in anger chapter 15 says when he come verse 14 no I want to start up a little earlier because I already mentioned it but it's worth repeating it's reading it to you verse 11 then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock etam and said to Samson knowest not thou that the philistines are rulers over us they had no desire to be free Samson don't you Samson quit rocking the boat Samson quit stirring up trouble Samson now don't you know that the philistines have rule over us we don't want any more trouble we just want to get along with them we just want to compromise and we just want to conform to them we don't need to have any of this this radical things going on here if I ask my brethren today how many times do you get that vibe from places you go that they don't want what you're teaching we don't want the truth of the word of God we don't want the enemies exposed oh we don't want the enemies destroyed we just want to get along with the philistines and we just want to dwell peaceably and and we just want to go on and everything it's not that bad after all we're we've got plenty to eat we've got we've got shelter there's no physical there's no physical lack we're rich and we're increased with goods with these philistines let's not change anything Samson they're rulers over us what are you doing what is this that thou hast done unto us and he said unto them as they did unto me so have I done unto them and they said unto him we are come down to bind thee that we may deliver thee into the hand of the philistines and Samson said unto them swear unto me that you will not fall upon me yourselves that was nice of him promise me brethren that you won't kill me yourself why did he even have to ask for the promise why did he even have to have the conversation why didn't why didn't these three thousand men say look there's three thousand of us plus Samson I know they didn't have the Lord in their mind but there's three thousand of us and we've got Samson let's go get them but Samson has to say you got to promise me brethren that you're not going to be the ones that fall upon me you're not going to be the ones that try to kill me and they spake unto him verse 13 saying no but we will bind thee fast and deliver thee into their hand we won't kill you Samson but we're going to deliver you to them and whatever they do with you that's on them now there's brotherly love this is us but surely we will not kill thee and they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock and when he came unto lehi the philistines shouted against him and the spirit of the lord came mightily upon him and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire and his bands loosed from off his hands I thought this was interesting it wasn't that the lord it was it was it was like the the ropes became as ash as the flax that was burned and in my mind it touched me I never thought of it this the lord was actually making those things weaker not him stronger and he found a new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand and took it and slew a thousand men therewith and Samson said with a jawbone of an ass heaps upon heaps with the jawbone of ass I have slain a thousand men no mention of the deliverance of god and no glory brought to god no dependence upon god it's all about Samson isn't it look what I have done look what I have done everything was done for his own glory for his own vendetta for his own anger the most gifted man what a waste can you imagine what god could have done with this man if he had about submitted surrendered to god so then what he renames the place this is interesting most of the other judges if they had a victory or the old testament patriarchs and there was something great that god had done they renamed it something to do with god jehovah jireh so on not Samson this is the place the jaw that was lehi means jawbone and what he renamed it to is is uh the height of the jawbone what a name nothing to do with god had no need of god had no need of anything he knew not that he was miserable and poor and wretched and blind and naked but the sad commentary here twofold his brothers bound him and delivered him up and he didn't give god any glory brother it's a miracle that we're preserved today it's a miracle that our assemblies even exist today have we ever given god the glory have you ever thanked him chapter 15 time's about gone chapter 15 chapter 15 and we'll read it verse number and we read already read it verse number 14 so he renames it the height of the jawbone and now we're going to go down to verse number 20 of chapter 16 you know the story of delilah frank has mentioned it already he's put himself in a place where the continual temptation comes over and over and over again that was that was his mode of operation wasn't it he was always riding on on the on the fence he goes he goes down to timnath and he gets this he gets his wife and she was given to his companion the person he thought was his companion he's always flirting at the edge of of controversy he's always riding the edge of of trouble he's always he's always there now he's got this woman delilah and she's from the valley which is which is right between the two she's right on the fence between the philistines and israel three women in the man's life and all three of them were were were detrimental there was the woman of timnath and then there was the harlot and then there was delilah and the women were his downfall what was it it was the looks wasn't it he saw he saw he saw and he went after those things praise two times i forgot to mention the one in chapter 15 verse number 18 he prays because he's thirsty his battle there with the jawbone he's he's worked up a thirst and he cries out to the lord only time early second time first time he calls unto the lord was for water and he's half blaming god you know i've done this great victory and you're going to let me thirst to death god gives him water now he's here on the lap of delilah and he falls asleep and as frank has already mentioned he knew not that the lord was departed from him you know when the lord takes away an assembly what does it look like did you ever wonder that when you come to revelation and the warning is given he's going to take away the candlestick i wondered that a lot people still gather in the building but there's no oil left there's no spirit of god there that's what it looks like no power no prayer just going through the motions didn't even know it he comes to the end of his life this makes me cry he didn't know what it was like when the spirit of god began to move him and he lives his whole life now and he doesn't even know what it's like when the spirit of god leaves and a man with the greatest gift god used him in his own way but he never knew what it was to recognize the spirit of god working in him and through him does that give put fear into you does me the spirit of god could be quenched or grieved to the point that he won't he can't work anymore samson's head is shaved he becomes as weak as every other man he's there his eyes are put out grabs a hold of the pillars and he prays one more time and he just asked for help that he might pull down these two pillars and he slew more in his death than in his life wonder why that was probably because he prayed first time he ever prayed for a battle really could we put him could we end with maybe a little good light for that for the man maybe in the end he was an overcomer a life that was now wasted for god when his eyes were put out i wonder what he learned when there was no more of this world to attract him and there was no more left of his poor shattered heart his brethren had forsook him and the women had forsook him everyone had left him really alone and they make sport of him they're laughing at him they're mocking him and his eyes are gone and for the first time in his life he prays to god god answers his prayer and he destroys more in his death than he ever did in his life but remember we're talking about revival today we're talking about communion today we're talking about the overcomer today how are you going to end how am i going to end because we are lacking communion i agree 100 with william at least i can only see it in me i can't say anything for you because we lack what it really is to know what it is to hear the lord's voice because we go on our feelings and we go on what we see dear young christians here today take it to heart you have a gift learn right young what it is to hear the voice of god you learn right young what it is to obey the voice of god and if you're struggling with that you pray that the lord would show you what that is sometimes the devil gets in our heads and it's like is that the devil talking or is that the lord talking you just ask the lord he'll tell you you won't have to wonder it'll be as plain as day the path that god wants you to take may the lord help us in this morning of challenge and soul searching really and honesty we've got to be honest with ourselves with the lord never mind anybody else it's time for real change