Samson – The Blinded Champion (Part C)

Repentance is not password is realization life's deepest part. God doesn't wait for us figure that out. It just flashes before us his presence and we repent we admit that he is God.

We are sinners, that he is the right to judge us to help but he also has love to save us from that just judgment. That's why Paul says with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher.

Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Rick is currently teaching through the book of Judges. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick in Judges chapter 16 with a continuing message called Sampson the blinded champion.Sampson. They have assigned the lad to lead him around as a seeing lad boy and they stationed him between the pillars. Big mistake by God's design. The ones on the roof.

They have the Birdseye view. They have turned this into a makeshift theater. This will be a high body count.

Nobody knows what's coming. Sampson I believe knows what he wants to do.

Verse 26 then Sampson said to the lad who led him by the hand. Let me feel the pillars which support the temple so that I can lean on them. Euphemism here is our eyewitness it reads the story does as though none of the adults survive this lad survives to tell the story and this indicates that he lives that the lad let me feel the pillars verse 26 which support the temple so that I can lean on them now again 3000 capacity on the roof. Probably three, 4000 below the colonnades were Sampson made enough trips to Gaza to have spite out. You could say that not with this intention, but this was likely the this was the temple of Dagon. Jews really didn't have anything there temple still intent so he would've observed it very possible because of its arena type structure that from the outside, he could see when his eyes were still with them. He could see that the structure dependent on just two columns you can look that said you know what look at that those loadbearing beams take out those two columns whole thing.

He had to have had some prior knowledge or is quizzing the lad which is not likely know what to lad going to know about loadbearing column, so he got an idea of the battlefield that he is choosing most generals do, and Sampson is a one man army man is general of his one man army. Of course, so he says in verse 26. Let me feel the pillars which support the temple so that I can lean on them so he's.

He specifies the ones that support the temple.

You would think when you look at some of the ancient temples you think will. There are many pillars and to take out two of them is not going to fell the entire temple you get a portion of it so Sampson must've again known that know this one is unique and is probably not all stone could've been wooden beams that were there very likely, but because is not the stone it's killing the people as the people falling the end and landing on each other and the materials of the building that you put it all together. Some of them probably died, slow death strapped underneath the rubble in each other, but you know here Sampson.

It was bad to be defeated, but he was not content to not leave it at that. In the prison house of his abusers. He wanted to get even in this was going to give him that opportunity to get to that place he had to retain a defiant spirit, defiance of his enemies in his mind allowed him to make up his mind if I ever get a shot. I'm going to do as much harm to them as I could because he doesn't pray God gives him the strength to overpower his guards.

He sort of just weeks when he was considering his ways. Verse 27 how the temple was full of men and women, all the lords of the Philistines were there about 3000 men and women on the roof watching while Sampson performed a catch that.

Now the temple was full of men and women.

That's one thought all the lords of the Philistines were there five of them with their entourage.

That's another thought about and in my new King James verse. There is an – between the Philistines there in about 3000 translators picking up the disses another thought so you have the temple full. You have the lords and then you have about 3000 men and women on the roof in the bleachers watching Sampson performed likely an atrium is open space in their surrounding all and he's down in the pit taken an arena and they can see this a full temple where it says all the lords of the Philistines were there all the big shots. This is not only a target rich environment.

It is loaded with high valued targets and is going to be catastrophic for the Philistines when he's finished with them.

He's going to buy enough time for the Jews to raise up a David to deal with the Philistines thoroughly. So verse 28. Then Sampson called to Yahweh, saying, oh Lord that's at on. I then Yahweh follows all Lord, Yahweh, remember me. I pray strengthen me. I pray just this once. So God that I may with one blow. Take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes. This is the second time we hear of Sampson calling on the Lord.

The first one was for water in this wonderful slaughter.

One of those things works out language after the school of thousand men.

He called out to the Lord for water, and God gave him water to drink here is calling on God so that he can slaughter those in revenge for taking his eyes so he says saying all Lord, remember me. I pray strengthen me. I pray just this once, and this is how we know that his hair was not the source of his strength because he's going to be asked to be granted this prayer hair or no hair.

He says, oh God, that I may with one blow. Take vengeance on the Philistines God's going to answer this, I believe at this point he senses God's going to answer this and dispatches the lad will after the last words of Sampson when he says let me die with the Philistines. The kid was scooting he was running for his life from shore. So anyway God's going to grant this prayer here in the pagan gods temple the righteous man is praying God is overruling the false God and in granting the prayer because of course that's what makes him God. He overrules all the others is what he says it for my two eyes is unpardonable what they've done to me still falling short of the ideal instead of saying, Lord, let me execute judgment to deliver your people from these oppressively people were vicious and so they did with his eyes a means that it is Gilliam than their job they did with his wife and her family, burning them alive to death. These were vicious people in so he doesn't save that I can strike a blow on the enemies to know this is from high to eyes just sucked a self-centered guide to the end. Gallop himself. I don't think that made him all the bad guy we still not the kind of guy would want to share room on the road with you know if I was on just probably just made you annoyed after one is so vain Sampson everything is about you so verse 29 and Sampson took hold of the two middle pillars, which supported the temple and he braced himself against them. One on his right hand and the other on his left, while idiocy brought him here his own idiocy, not a car name what model you drive an idiot anyway. He is going to make it work from done this to me. I have a chance to strike them back. I don't think he was thinking I'm going to kill them all. I think he was saying I'm going to just kill as many of them as I can.

The five lords of the Philistines, a I'm gonna take these guys out and he braced himself against them. One on his right and the other one is left. Not to mention this, I calculated I think 3000 people at about 140 445 pounds. If you got over 400,000 pounds of people added to the structure they going to be coming down breaking the next minute the people down below. Verse 30 m picture that 3000 people falling in this collapsible building is a distance God like a two-story building. This is that I wasn't there. Thanks, verse 30. Then Sampson said let me die with the Philistines and you push with all his might, and the temple fell in the lords and all the people who were in it, so the dead that were killed at his death in war they needed children's life doesn't say 3000 were killed. We know the 3000 roof were taken of the people again below that first the below the roof for and here he is giving his life. One attempt in one last attempt to deal with these people. Now I have to pause here and get a little bit serious. It's a topic we don't like to talk about bye-bye think we must in that is, of course, suicide because I've met Christians who hold the position that if a Christian commit suicide if it did not go to hell. While I'm not ready to judge anybody soul like that.

In fact, quite the opposite. I have a negative amazement at that opinion and my opinion is you. You don't know your Scripture is here we have an example.

Sampson Sampson could have prayed Lord let me exercise judgment on the Philistines and walk out of here, but he specifically says let me die with them. And God grants it, and that is a big part of our theology. God granting this man's prayer. There is a drastic difference between dying in the act of sin and dying in sin, to die in sin is to die without receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior to Diane sinister guy committing a sin, but you still are right with God made what if you're in a car you know you're you're you're on the road and somebody cuts you off a dive at your last words you are you going to help. That's not the password. And that's what the view says what you did repent, you didn't repent you, culminating you didn't repent. So yeah you have to go to hell forever. That's why it bothers me that somebody would there think that and then to say well if you don't teach that encourage people to kill himself is not the deed that damns the soul is the doctrine is what's in your heart and your head that does not mean that God condones sin or that it is not without consequence and has its own consequence. But repentance is not a password is a realization of the life and in its deepest part. And God doesn't wait for us to figure that out.

He just flashes before us his presence and we repent we admit that he is God that we are sinners, that he has the right to judge us to help but he also has a love to save us from that just judgment. That's why Paul says with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Which suicide illustrates for us is the activity of spiritual adversaries hard at work to steal, and to kill, steal the life kill the life dark powers of Satan but a death in turmoil is not an automatically lost soul and I don't think there's anything again biblical or loving about that and that's why I'm taking a moment to pause on you because here we have Sampson killing himself in the act of vengeance, grace illustrates complete salvation in overruling the powers of darkness.

That's what grace is it overrules darkness. It whips the slot out of darkness in the end it is invincible for us. We could never have assurance in our faith and there are theologians at the unit theologians to get to a point with a boil everything away to the have nothing left but to helped read the commentaries you find out, reading this guy again. Give me somebody who's got the filled with the spirit and not with questions that can never be answered because they've already been satisfied by grace.

Christian can die in an act of sin and not go to hell.

Otherwise there is a condemnation that can separate you from Christ but my Bible says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit that not walk according to the flesh, but the spirit means you no longer walking without Jesus Christ you're walking with Jesus Christ you have submitted to his Lordship and if that act can damn your soul, and so can other acts.

Damn your soul. Like I mentioned having the last dying with the wrong words and your lips on it will not undo the cross. Unless you are announcing your faith. So when John says all unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not leading to death. This would be one Revelation 21. Six and he said to me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give the fountain of water of life freely to him who thirsts. To him who wants and so yeah I do get an attitude because the people that I've heard from. They've all been legalist legalists are Judaizers of today's church they come in with a list of rules they have not one unpardonable sin, but about 500 of and they sneak them out and they judge others as it makes them feel better about themselves they don't bear fruit River. They go they bring aggravation when John says in his gospel most assuredly Jesus speaking, I say to you, he who hears my words and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and he shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death into life. He who believes in me, not he, who is a good boy he always gets it right.

He who knows the password. None of that repentance is not a password. It is an act of the entire soul. That's what God is looking for current grace. It covers outward acts. What if you went to bed with a bad attitude toward your spouse and woke up dead.

Are you in hell now shooting at the password while you're going, who I like that theology.

Repentance is an act of Christ, victory on the cross and the believer's faith. That's what repentance is.

It is an enormous victory in Satan's hates it so much is if I can get your salvation on just try to make you miserable life and if I can make you miserable. I can make others miserable through you is why we fight is what Paul and Silas had a defiant spirit in the Philippian jail.

There I got Philippians in they were singing hymns and praying to the Lord with the wounds on their back. I would not have been that way I would've been boy I tell you if I can ever find the guy. I mean, my flesh would be that way. Psalm 66 verse 18 if I regard iniquity in my heart Lord will not hear but certainly God has heard me. He has attended to the voice of my prayer you put that on Sampson's tombstone that is his epitaph right there. The iniquity was not in his heart. God heard him answered his prayer we have the proof of that. And now he's in Hebrews 1132 the hall of faith and he's in heaven and is no longer shallow and irritable person so I hope I've covered that. And if, after all of those verses in that explanation, you insist that still is a password to be had you die without it. Denied. All I can say is you don't understand grace you may have it you still mate used on the same going to hell because of it low, I thought like you. You would be as another one you know the rich young ruler people in the theology. He went to hell. Say this is Jesus loved him. That's what it does say will be getting to that mark, I rather show grace and kindness.

If I can.

That's why we war against the flesh because the flesh doesn't want to do that. But that does not mean we want to excuse sin. We have to deal with that to.

It says here in verse 30 any course with all his might, and the temple fell on the Lord's and all the people who were in it again. The lad had to witness that question that I would ask is where was Delilah.

I would think she was at the festivities anywhere, shall she go to go well. All that money now.

She bought new clothes. She's gotta show it off Joe's and her joke about the you know the lady who went to Helen's shoe. She loved hat she's got all the hats she wanted it just ton boxes and boxes of hats and no mirrors. So who is Delilah all these all this money and all dressed up nowhere to go.

There's a songwriter. I know Saturday night night and I got nobody had the giggles like that but I just got paid all right anywhere. I remember driving home will be sending you another Saturday night in so so the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life or the Jews who put together the story they could get a firsthand account of how many of you just talking away like is no time with when the kids come back a more mindful of the regional teachers about file Wednesday on an so I'm just at helping you get rewards in heaven. You should be thanking me anyway. The dead that he killed. Of course, that this one event is a walking weapon of mass destruction and just Romans 828 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. But in the end who do those things work well for if you are add to press my faithful servant as God called him and you were martyred for God where it says and we know that all things work together for good for those good both God and the one that is the instrument of blessing like Oedipus in this case Sampson.

He made this temple to Satan a battlefield for God's people and one he dies a champion. Israel would've instantly realized relief from this single event. The Philistines were so damaged after this, then want to do this brief review of makeshift weapons by the Jews, and conventional weapons to sort the spirit of course to staff the arrows sling the dagger the ox goad the jawbone of a donkey and upbuilding verse 31 and his brothers in his father's household came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zora and Esther all in the tomb of his father. Manoah and he judged Israel 20 years and so he was buried in the rubble of the heathen temple only for a little time as his life in this world doesn't say his friends also came never read the story never reads as though Sampson had any friends Solomon on the other hand, Solomon. Solomon did have friends there was Hiram King hiring for many were people that the things likable about Solomon is one of the beautiful things about the song of Solomon CP rights against himself already has. It was one that he just could not capture her heart belonged to a lowly Shepherd, not the king anyway. Was Sampson, an only child.

Most of the story reads that way. But here, says his brothers in the word can mean his countrymen, but because it says in all his father's household uncles and things like that but to dusting the family came in the they collected Sampson's body came down and took him and brought him up and buried him. Notice the language they came down and they took him up, and that's to his resting place. Proverbs 25 whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls, that's the life of Sampson says between Zora and Esther all so is back where he started.

Still champion even in death and Israel. The people no doubt believed he was there champion they just couldn't rally behind him.

They reveled in his might.

When they said Sampson took the gates of Gaza up a hill, kind of like makes Jack and Jill seen I don't hear that story coming with regard to gates anyway. At this point in the story this man whose name had become a byword to this day we we refer to Sampson like strength, but at this point, the historical chronology of the book of Judges ends the remaining chapters go back into the first 16 chapters and tell us of how the people in their understanding of holiness collapsed and during the period of Judges that each man did indeed do according to his own desires. We will not get another judge until we get to the book of Samuel. When we meet Eli and then Samuel, but I want to end with this note as I finish this.

I was thinking. It's by God's hand that the man who was reckless about his service died blind, but also champion sister grace of God to leave me in from in heaven's perspective. Sampson you really messed up tremendous amount of things which you went out with guns blazing, and you serve my purposes, which is what you were called to do. From the beginning to begin to deliver my people from their oppressors. The Philistines, and in that sense. The objective was met. And so the story is a tragedy but it is not an apt loss and if I were to give a study upon Sampson men's conference.

It would gonna hold another direction.

What story mode race possess way it is moved. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Judges cross reference radio is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you'd like more information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there, and we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast that work just follow the links and cross reference radio.com that's all the time we have for today. Join us next time to continue learning more from the book of Judges right here cross reference rate