When The Strong Become Weak: Samson - Part 2

Good morning Summit church.

All of our campus locations across the Raleigh-Durham area and welcome to all of you and happy Lords day. If you have a Bible love you take it out right now and open it to the book of Judges chapter 14 we are in toward the end now of a series called broken saviors and this is actually our second week looking at Samson who has to be one of undoubtedly the most colorful characters in the Bible the story of Samson. Actually the first week we were in. This is a tale about a week becoming strong in the strong becoming weak on this will not come as a surprise to many of you.

But Samson has always reminded me a lot of myself but not for the reasons that you probably think Samson's greatest enemy is himself had a friend at MIT who bought same age as I am now when he was putting the final edits on his senior thesis there at MIT.

He said it was just.if you eyes and cross a few proverbial thieves in he said I watch to my horror as the top of my screen. The text of my senior thesis begin to change line by line into the godly group just you know winged beings or some kind of thought is that this destroyed, not paper some nerd at MIT had written a computer virus that destroyed everything that he had worked on. I thought computers about what better make keep that kind of stuff from happening now, but some of you that are major around you can remember.

I mean just the horror that was that kind of experience rides ever happened to you, I do think there is a special place in hell reserved for people that come up with computer viruses. Since there is no redeeming purpose for them at all, but I Samson has a virus in that virus is going to destroy him. His problem is not that he didn't have the physical strength to deliver Israel. The problem is that he is internally week.

He's his own worst enemy.

That's why I feel like Samson any of you ever look at your life and you look back on certain things and you just say look at what I messed. Why could I not just have controlled myself, why could I not just have held my tongue. Why did I have to say that why did I have to go there.

What if I just said no. What if I just not ever return the phone call not chosen a group of friends are not chosen to be with that person on that night I want to show you this weekend and every morning when you wake up and you look in the mirror you are looking at the greatest enemy of both yourself and what God wants to do through you and your family. The problem is not that God's power is not abundant and available to you. The problem is that you and I are own worst enemy. Specifically, today I want to direct some of this toward you men. Honestly, there may be nothing more important that many of you ever hear because God has given you a lot of opportunity and a lot of strength and I want to show you how some of you are sabotaging yourselves the way the Samson did hunt girls don't like this can lead you out.

The Old Testament scholars point out the Samson was supposed to represent all of Israel under a number of clues in his story that anybody that was familiar with Jewish history. Immediately upon reading this for the said he's ascribing Israel. For example, Samson, Israel came into the world to a miraculous birth number. The holster of Manoa and his unnamed wife were both older and there's maracas work that's like Abraham and Sarah, who in their old age give birth, maracas, and Isaac, who becomes the know that the descendent in the nation of Israel comes in for both Samson Israel God take something we can makes it incredibly strong on both Samson and Israel were given a special law code that was supposed to separate them from the nations around them for Samson. Remember it was the Nazirite ballot had three components component number 10 cut your hair, number two, don't touch anything alcoholic component number three never touch anything dead.

That wasn't rules for all Israelites resist rules for Samson that set him apart.

Will the same way Israel is a nation had been given a special law code that distinguish them from the nations around them, called the book of Leviticus, Samson was drawn to foreign women just like Israel was drawn to foreign gods. Anybody reading this picks up Samson. Israel stories are kind of want to Samson's Israel story and if you listen to what I want to tell you is it's probably your story also the first week you look at Samson's birth this week were to look at his life and his death. So if you haven't done so already, take out your Bible printed on scroll down to Judges 14. The first story of Samson's adult life opens up with him informing his mom and dad. He wants to marry this hot Philistine girl that he seen in town, verse three, but his father mother say to him is there not a woman from our people is not contingent attracted more girls that you take a wife and the uncircumcised Philistines. This is not racial prejudice. By the way it is that they want him to marry somebody who shares his faith. But Samson said back to his father and this is key did her for me, for she pleases me. Well, if I had to boil down all of Samson's weaknesses in the one statement that would be it. Samson's primary driver in life is. He does what pleases him and he is not to let anybody he's not going to let any wisdom you not to let his mom and dad or even God it did in the way of what he wants. He's always gonna follow his heart and he's always gonna be true to himself.

This is like a Disney movie in reverse.

Samson rejects his parents wisdom and lets his heart decide the extent this story shows you where that line of thinking usually leads first for the little phrase that is a very important phrase can be the bigger picture of what's happening. His father, mother did not know however that it was from the Lord for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. Notice I mean it was from the Lord. What does it mean that it was a wise decision because it was clearly a simple and unrighteous decision. It just means that his choice to marry this woman was something that God was going to use to let me step back for a minute and help you see the bigger picture of what is happening in Israel at this point Israel at this point has grown really comfortable in their captivity.

They are not as I showed you a couple weeks ago there not crying out for deliverance from the Philistines. They don't even want deliverance from the Philistines.

They like the Philistines. They are comfortable in their captivity, and they admire the Philistines. This is the greatest threat that Israel has ever faced his elimination, not by extermination is elimination by assimilation.

This is always the greatest threat to the people of God.

You see, when the enemy comes after the people of God and to exterminate us. We usually rally ourselves to put faith in God and he acts on our behalf, but when the enemy comes to make us comfortable in the world and begins to entice our heart away from God and holiness to assimilate into the world that we are a part of so that we are attracted to all of the power structures that are here. That's when he really destroys and eliminates us.

That's exactly where Israel is the God had not saved his people just to keep them alive. He save his people for himself.

He wanted them to be a special people for him and they are about to lose that because they're so comfortable in the Philistine world. So what God needs to do is you need to stir up a little conflict enter Samson a hot-blooded testosterone written impulsive meathead. Ongoing rage now before I move on from this. Do you see how God sometimes does this in your life, your hearts are stating way to knit to this world to entice our popularity or comfort or money is what God does is he starts to stir up some trouble. This will God is always done with his people because he is doing in mercy to try to keep you from being so comfortable in the land of the Philistines people many times asked me how I feel about the Supreme Court decision to mandate gay marriage. I think there's no question it was a wrong decision, but I recognize that God 10 be in that, but he was in this decision. Samson made purifying and strengthening the church. You see, I would say the believers we believers are grown entirely too at home in this country.

Many churches churches, we probably grew up in God and country sundaes and I'm all for patriotism but I think God and country.

The first country you want to think about is your heavenly one and when I say be thankful for freedom. The first freedom you off all your needs and celebrate your freedom in Christ. And so God send stuff like this along. Just remind us who we belong to them where our real country is that our main help that come from Washington remain help comes from the Lord and that our real home is not a North Carolina real home is with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven church. You can be assured from statements like the one you just read in verse four that just as it was with Samson. There is not one stray molecule in all the universe that God is not using for the completion of his purposes for the church.

Hollywood does not dictate where this world is going Washington is not dictate where it's going. Wall Street got dictated the New York Times that dictated I don't know if you realize this, all of history is being performed for you because God is preparing for himself a people, and God takes the nations and everything and he has a purpose port in preparing the church. The next episode in the Samson story the line and honey incident. We talked about a few weeks ago.

If you want here.

It makes me goes like this. Can't Samson through this beer keg party to celebrate his engagement. Two days before the party align attacks him and we have a great little lineup pointed out you judge of 14 six and he tore the line in pieces is one tears young goat Mount Pleasant last couple weeks with extensive Hebrew word study on that phrase will still tell you that after my extensive Hebrew study. I still have no idea what that phrase means like one tears I got. Evidently goat hearing was common in those days it was just what was what you did on game night in ancient Israel. But what is you do for the fourth usual place and Cornel that awesome fireworks store.

Few goats just you know what you do what peters that the line that's what he does. A few days later he passed by the same spot you see the carcass in line that is killing you notice is a beehive that is in the abdomen which sparks an idea for a riddle goes to this party and he gets there. 30 Philistine guys there and he says a riddle for you and let's make it interesting.

Didn't just a riddle in seven days before this parties over on but I'll give each of you a suit of clothes but he can guess you give me a few close and say okay were smarter than you were Philistines in your dumb Israelites what it says here's a little out of the heater came something to eat out of the strong came something sweet. Now, clearly he's talking about the honey that came out of the abdomen of the lion, but I get together and they put their heads together, they can't figure it out. So they go to his bride to be. Who is a Philistine remember and allocate your one us, you better tell us what this riddle is and if you don't really kill you and your father so she goes to him and said Samson was a riddle he won't tell her. She pulls the oldest trick in the book.

She begins to cry and she says you don't really love me.

We are starting our marriage with secrets. I'm going to go on to a talkshow and so eventually he caves, and he reveals the real to her and she then tells the Philistines and they solve the riddle. Samson ever the helpless, hopeless romantic says that great little line verse 18.

If you had not plowed with my heifer you would not have found out my riddle, what a way with words that God has verse 19 verse 19 the spirit of the Lord rushed upon him and he went down Ashkelon and struck down 30 men of the town took their garments and gave him, to those who told the riddle in hot anger.

He went back to his father's house was when killed 30 Philistine guys took the close and that's how he paid his bet they here's my question for you. Why would the spirits of God's seal.

Samson to do something petty and vindictive because God had a bigger purpose and that purpose is creating division between the Philistines and the all Israelites remove Samson's been simple. God is using it for his purposes is creating division Keppra 15 after Sunday's Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat right there you have it be why OG is bring your own goat. It's just what you do for date night and he said I will take my goat and will tear it and then I will go into my wife in the chamber, and her father said I thought you hated her so I gave her your body is Beverly. She had a younger sister who's in a better looking than she is. Want to take her exams like what verse three, Samson said to them this time. This time I will be innocent in regard to the Philistines. When I do them alarm right so nobody knew the first time he was being petty and addictive at this time. He feels justified first for so Samson went and caught 300 foxes how did he do that and he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each of their tails and then he set fire the torches and he sent the foxes out in the green field to the fields Philistines and set fire the grain fields in the olive orchards now as far as practical jokes go that one is awesome.

The ties foxes together and likes their rear ends on fire and has been burned like Samson was here to the cornfields what the Philistines retaliate by killing this girl and her father verse six and Samson said I swear I will be avenged on you after that I'll quit verse eight and he struck me in hip and thigh with a great below hip and thigh is a Hebrew way of saying he opened up a can of whoop trash on them.

Sort of like just a euphemism for that and he went down and stayed after that in the cleft of the rock of Edom, which was a small Israelite outpost for the Philistines come down to Edom and they say verse 10 we come to take Samson to do to him what he did to us to 3000 Israelites men of Judah go down the were Samson stayed, and they say don't you know the Philistines are rulers over us. One of you.see they don't want deliverance, they they want peace, they know they don't want to start any trouble. They're comfortable. Verse 12, Samson said to them, just promise me you will time yourselves miss it is not how we will will we will just bind you and you do know their hands to the took two new ropes and they brought them up from the rock verse 14. Then the spirit of the Lord rushed upon him and the ropes around his arms became like flax is caught fire and the bunches melted off his hands and looked around, and he found the fresh jawbone of a donkey and with that he struck out thousand men.

He did the whole hip and thigh routine on them is all pretty cool.

Took the course is not supposed to be touching anything dead jawbone of a donkey were 16 and Samson saying my favorite part of the story and Samson say the jawbone of a donkey heaps upon heaps the jawbone of a donkey. Have I struck down a thousand men and as soon as he finished speaking. Verse 17 he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. How cool is that with the jawbone of a donkey still in his hand. He composes a song and I know it Enron in English what it would around in Hebrew, and I think you got to hear more like an M&M, wrap with the jawbone of an ass.

I have piled them in a massive took the jawbone of an ass, and I had a blast or something like that and then he drops the jawbone that he's dropping Mike and disorder walks off until the storyteller not get any better. Never.

Chapter 16 and Samson went to Gaza Gosselin. There he saw a prostitute he went into her will hold now is not just with a Philistine girl he's with a Philistine prostitute in Gaza. By the way, is the capital of Philistine Phyllis Leah. In other words, he is getting more more brazen. You say that anymore more brazen incident will Philistines find out what he's doing.

Verse two. They surrounded the place and set an ambush for him. They kept quiet all night same way in the morning and will kill them for three to Samson lay until midnight and at midnight he arose and took hold the doors of the gate of the city. The two posts and pulled them up bar and all put them on his shoulders and cleared the rooftop of the hill that is in front of he brought now. What lesson is there in that for us. Nothing that's is an awesome story… And to get up and carries a half-mile. You just gotta write that down verse four. After this he loved a woman whose name was everybody.

That's right, in Hebrew.

Delilah sounds like the phrase nighttime.

If you go back and read the for the first through three verses of this chapter, you'll see the board night keeps recurring night in Hebrew literature represents darkness so now Samson is operating in the darkness. And now he is falling in love with Delilah the night time the darkness.

And now he is sharing a bed with the darkness.

You see what's happening. This is the end. Verse five in the Lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, seduce him tell us where his great strength lies how we can overpower them, we will give each reach will give you up 1100 pieces of silver verse six of Delilah's is a Samson tell me where your strength lies how you might be bound so that one might subdue you for seven Samson Ed said her okay I love you so here it is.

If it takes seven fresh bowstrings, but I'll become weak and be like any other man so he lets her time others bowstrings first time she had these men. Philistine men line an ambush and an inner chamber.

She said to him, the Philistines was either here Samson jumps up and he snaps the bowstrings as the threat of flax naps when it touches the fire were to get toilet paper wrap around me just spew it off first and then Delilah said to Samson. Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies tell me really how you might be bound to said okay when new ropes. There should be one new bowstrings was new ropes, so she ties them up and then she said Samson things are upon you, preferably snap rose off his arm like a bread. Same deal. She's like you got it you you remarking me, tell me lies verse 13 he said to her okay if you weave the seven locks of my head into the web or the looming fashion it tight with the pin will become. We can be like any other man 10. Now he's talking about there. She'll close he's getting well she does it she weaves his hair into a man.

She wakes him up and she's like Samson. The listings are on you anyway couple to starting city whips the Lou model Walter swing around the room attached was there where where where the Philistines verse 15 she said to him, how can you say I love you when your heart is not with me.

You have not maybe three times and you told not told me where your great strength lies and she pressed him hard with her words. Day after day and urged him in his soul with Baxter death hasn't Samson been in the same situation before.

Why on earth would he tell her guys are stupid writing down right he doesn't have the strength to withstand her displeasure.

Every man was harmony in his home and not usually a good thing but there a lot of men who in pursuit of that harmony will cave where they should not case. Verse 17 so we told her all of his heart and said her razor never touched is never touch my head I been a Nazirite to God for my mother's womb of my head were shaved my street.

Believe me, and I shall become we can be like any other man. Verse 18 and allow Saul and recognize that he told her all his heart and she sent and called for the Philistines, and said he told me all his heart come again. Verse 19 she made him sleep on her knees, but a lady still overconfident. He has become. He just told her his true secret and he's so comfortable that he goes to sleep on her knees. He is so confident that his strength will never leave him God's about to wake him up. She called a man and had them shave off the seven locks of his head. Verse 20 and she said the Philistines on you Samson. Any awoke from his sleep and he said I will go out just like other times I will shake myself free, but he did not know that the Lord had left him. She's like Israel, he doesn't even know he needs deliverance. He doesn't know he's out of fellowship with God. Verse 21. The Philistines sees them and gouged out his eyes. They actually would have burned them with a metal prong and then dug out whatever remained they brought them down. The gods may bound them with bronze shackles in the ground at the mule in the prison, Samson here gives you a picture of the trajectory of sin. Sin always starts buying anybody that tells you otherwise not tell you the truth I told her other country preacher whose like any by tell you if they tell you send a pond in newly doing it right. Right. It starts fine. It just never ends. That way it ends in situations like this one. I remember when when I was in high school. One of my youth pastors teaching to this passage in his outline. I can remember it on sin binds sin blinds and send riots now not in the cheesy said about his outline, but that's a pretty good one because what you're seeing is the trajectory that sin takes you want. It starts with beer keg parties and prostitutes and strengthen and Delilah. It ends with somebody blinded and in darkness and captivity in the monotony of grinding day after day after day and it showed you where that leads. Maybe you shouldn't let your heart decide. Verse 22, with the hair of his head begin to grow again after it had been shave. What a great verse will come back to that verse 23 now the Lords of the Philistines gathered offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their God, and to rejoice in our God gave us Samson or enemy in our hand to throw this big party when the people saw Samson, they begin to worship their God. Verse 25 and their hearts were married. They said bring out Samson so we can entertain us. So they bring them out may start mocking him and making him do tricks and Samson is standing there in all this mockery.

He says to the young man who is leading them by the hand he said let me fill the pillars on which the house rest that I may lean against them. Samson called out to God and he says God I know that I send. I know that I got myself in the situation, but one more time one more time. Give me that strength and let me be avenged against the Philistines and Samson grass. The two middle pillars and with the house rest of the lien is weighed against them.

His right hand on the ones left him and the other in any ballot.

All the strength in the house fell upon the Lords and upon all the people who were in it and him as well to the dead him. He killed him through his death were more than those of you killed your his life know what is it that we are supposed to learn from Samson's life. If Samson is supposed to represent all of the people of God, what are you and I supposed to learn. I have three at least three major things here. Here is number one. We are our own worst enemy. The problem is not that God has not made a strong enough.

The problem is not that God has not given us power and promise and blessing. The problem is we have an internal weakness in our character that causes us to sabotage the good blessing and the power that God was to bring through us. So let me break down Samson's weakness for you.

In the five basic components and introduce them to you a few weeks ago. These are the five basic components of weakness.

Specifically, male weakness, but I would say it applies to men and women alike. Number one, Samson is impulsive. He is commanded by his lies he gets hungry so he eats he gets angry so he strikes out or walks away. He sees a girl that he wants and so he takes heard that one thing alone will destroy your life have read this article this week is about texting and driving. You probably read an article like this before and it was basically saying that everybody now knows the problems with texting and driving. We've all heard the stats it repeated him disengaged and only said you are 23 times more likely to have an accident. When you have a phone in your hand and when you don't. 23 times. They said that texting and driving slows down your response time behind the wheel more than drinking and marijuana combined to begin attached about your kids what you got your car. You might as well go and tell them you can drink smoke marijuana negative on the wielder that's about what it does not think we know that we know that nobody here needs recommences dangerous but will still do. This article is it why do people keep doing it when they know in this and here's why. What was vastly this is because in the moment that the text comes in the impulses I have to respond I need to get a say this back. I got up I know what she's doing. I got a post is on base but I gotta see what he said because it is what he think back and we can't control the impulse we are willing to put our lives our family's lives other people's lives at risk because we are too impulsive. Now the whole point of this is not don't text and drive that is a point you should make sure that you don't but what if you think about that as a metaphor for your life that it is your inability to control impulse that ultimately is how the enemy destroys you. Proverbs 25, 28 a person without self-control is like a city that's been broken down is left without walls and Thursday, city walls That wild animals get the criminals are kept out, the enemy, you have a city without walls, any enemy could just walk in and ravage the place a person without self-control may know everything there is to know they may have great intentions like many of you, but if you say no to the desires of your hearts.

The enemy is going to ravage you like he did. Samson I read this I told you before about the marshmallow test. Minority view of a kids also another one recently it was in New Zealand a thousand kids.

They tractor for four decades and they think they this we measured everything you could measure IQ health material wealth of the family relational harmony in the family. They said the one factor that determines how much money the kid made how happy his or her marriage was the one dominant factor in all of those that so far exceeded all the others was whether he or she was able to control your impulses. It was by far as it was more important than wealth. More important than IQ more important than social harmony in the home. They grew up in simply whether you can control your desires.

If you do not develop this, you're going to wreck your life and I know so many people, Christians whose one criteria for decisions they make. If it pleases me. Well, which one, which when you make a decision.

What's more dominant in your thinking what pleases me or what pleases God. Think back to the major decisions in your life what you chose to major in where you went to college to you Mary, were you chose to live.

What is the dominant factor is that what pleases you. Will pleases God. Samson hope that his decisions would also please God. But Samson made sure that his decisions would please him are you desire, letter or spirit led, because you cannot be both.

And if you're going to follow Jesus you were going to learn to say no to what you want because you always say yes to what he wants and were conflict with what you want to put his or her yours and some of you are being ravaged by the end because you cannot control your anger impulses. You cannot control your lust in both of you cannot control your pride impulses. It just speaks and you move when you're like us and it is broken down, without walls, which Lisa number two compromise compromise. Samson treated the commands of God casually.

It is not breaking them, you can probably think about you right here and asking himself also with us were hurt a little wine beer was at her she ought to be, will do that.

Oh well, maybe I should unite touch of the dead.

I've done it before and nothing happened cut my hair. How can my hair possibly be connected to my string didn't make any sense you that when you and I evaluate the commands of God and that the same question we ask. I just don't see what harm is going to have were going to cause what if listen to this. What if the harm was not in the consequences of the action itself. What if the harm was driving out the presence of God from your life. What if the compromise is you making integrity. What if it's true you can get away with. What if it's true that everybody else is doing it. What if it's true that you don't see what harm it could cause because everybody in this business. Does that with the harm that it cause was a drove off the hand, the blessing of God on your business.

What if you are like a I don't see what harm looking a little pornography is it's a little harmless fun is not affected my marriage for maybe I'm not even there. What harm could it cause.

What if the harm is that it's causing the spirit of God to remove his hand a blessing off of that part of your life. You see, my parents taught me when I was in high school and for started to make money this and here's why you give to God.

Here's what you do. The first first got because you want the blessing of God and that part of your life. And so for all these years, and whenever made money. I give God the first free. It's not like makes my knees like earning God's blessing is that you can be sure that you'll drive it out. However, if you steal from God, and you want God's blessing over this part of your life is all these years of done that and I've told you before, you cannot out give God. God has always put his hand a blessing on that and it's something that I do because I know that I want his spirit more than I want anything I want his spirit and my ministry thrown his fear to my marriage. I want to spirit my parenting. I want his spirit in my finances.

I want the blessing of his spirit everywhere, which means that I will not compromise God's laws and standards. Even if I can get away with it because the greatest danger is that the spirit of God pull back his hand a blessing for what we do. Samson teaches you told take ever the blessing of the presence of God for granted.

What if the real harm was on the consequences of the action or the real harm was in the God that you offended to what you did. Number three. Samson is unteachable.

Nobody can persuade them to do something different. He knows best. His partner's best which connects number 40, the loaner elementary both of these together since they corresponded you notice that nobody's a part of Samson's life in all the stories gems of the loaner is a one-man show. He's Reckitt Ralph sweltering destroying stuff is my question for you or people close enough to your life they can actually speak into it about this or you correctable with the people that are closest to you, your spouse, your kids, your parents when they say that you will respond well to criticism when they say that your teachable people have of your spouse right now to shake your head. They know you're not about this. What areas are off limits for people comment on in your life you know people like this you don't already know, but others want to talk about that would not you critique my parenting to talk about my marriage to talk about my business whatever area is off-limits to criticism in your life is exactly the area that the enemy is destroying because you are walking in pride in your unteachable you dislike Samson and that's what Proverbs 81 and isolated man will always begin assert himself whatever part of your life.

You isolate and make immune from criticism.

You will always begin to serve yourself. It's like the phrase I gave a couple weeks ago. Things are grown a secret garden. Always grow mutants. There is no such thing as an isolated healthy Christian people who get serious about Jesus, get serious about the church because the church is God's plan.

A rally works in your life and there are many of you at all of our campuses every week.

This is a event you attend is not a community you belong to God will not change your life to preaching alone.

He changes your life to community which means you need to go to starting point. You get involved in a small group you to get involved in ministry team but I listen to your sermon three times a podcast and listen to it over and over again. It doesn't matter. God changes your relate life through relationship not to preaching alone. You need to act on this so many do that this weekend so your listen to my podcast and I love you I really do. And thank you for your letter that you sent me every week and tell me how much like a bike out, but if this podcast is keeping you from getting involved in a local church. Stop listening to the podcast the other nova churches in the area I live in a week local church is better than a strong message you listen to every week in isolation things that grown a secret garden was reviewed and he was a loner.

He was unteachable.

Number five.

He was proud James was proud to see that only three ways a he assumed he never loses strength be. He never gave God glory for never seeing he felt entitled to use his blessing for his purposes me ask you this. Do you go through life thinking always have these opportunities always have this ability may money I'll always have the strength Kim's passion last week preached on James for are you somebody who says tomorrow do this and then I'll retire there and then I'll buy this and then I'll live there and Jane says all such boasting is foolish for you do not know what tomorrow brings. Your life is like a vapor that appears for a moment and vanishes away, and one statement by the God by God. God one moment God takes it all away if you walk in pride. You assume that tomorrow will be just like today and you're not concerned with the will of God are concerned with pleasing yourself about this question. This question do you use your gift to direct more attention to yourself or to God right now, your talents, your abilities are they mainly spent in pursuit of you in your kingdom or in pursuit of the kingdom of God and the glory of God. Do you realize that your gifts and opportunities are all on loan from God to use for his purposes. If you get ready going to college. Here's a question if you get ready going to college. Had you honestly said to God.

God hear my talents. Here's what I'm good at. Where do you want to use or are you only making decisions based on how you think you can build your own kingdom. If you are in business right now you ever come to a point you said the God. These skills these opportunities they come from you. How do you want me to use this business the skill. How do you want me to use it for your kingdom. I am not saying that when you asked that God can put most beautiful time Tricia ministry, lightning, and like most of you, he's not going to do that.

I'm not even saying you can send all of you to Central Asia to be missionaries like 1/3 of you will do that with.

But the other two thirds usually right here.

What I am saying is that when you understand that strength has been given to you by God for a purpose you'll start to ask God not what do I take with these opportunities and sprinkle.

What do you have for them in your walking humility, not trying to recommend the company that's the essence of Samson's weakness and that virus destroyed him and the incredible power that God had given him to blessing the safe, and that same weakness that same profile weaknesses is what's destroyed from is not the power, strength does not bear the blessing is there the grace of God is there that you sabotage yourself. Which leads me to number two, the world needed somebody greater than Samson the world needed somebody greater than Samson number first operation necessary to this of the last or the book.

It's the finale own. It starts out so well.

Miraculous birth all gun comes really strong.

We also don't you love it when you get to the finale of something like you readers when you read a book. It's a good mystery novel 70 that latch after you like it had was a house can resolve, not you. When I do that I don't like when I'm at the last chapter, I was somewhere I cannot be bothered by my four children, but let myself in the bathroom and act like that is about a man's got doubled under dream doings.

I got I don't want me to say I got work if you're not a reader. The series finale of some show you been watching and also moment I might friends over to watch a good series finale.

There's nothing worse than a bad series finale right PDC lost right there were dead the whole time, what you know so can have last seven years my life back right so here you come to the finale you come to the finale of the book of Judges and it starts out so well imagine your Israelite reading this and you get to the end and you're like what that's how it is. There's got to be more to this story and then 1100 years later, Jesus of Nazareth shows up and you're paying attention you start to notice that there's all these things that are similar between Jesus and Samson, both of them are more miraculously Jesus was born a virgin, like Samson, Jesus was given incredible strength to power over demons and disease and death could speak a word in and destroy the like Samson, Jesus was betrayed by somebody who acted like his friend and then handed them over to the Gentile oppressors like Samson, Jesus was chained up and tortured and put on public display and mocked like Samson, Jesus would die with his arms outstretched like Samson through that death when it look like he was defeated he actually defeated the enemy, but unlike Samson, Jesus wasn't putting James for his sin.

Jesus was put in change for ours. Samson was a strong man-made week to his own sin. Jesus was a mighty God who voluntarily became weak to save us from the chains of our sin he was mocked in our place persecuted in our place, died in our place.

That's good news because we are all like Samson were all people have been driven by her last people who compromise and are proud to live for ourselves and not God. But Jesus was wounded for that and bound for that. The chastisement for our sin was put upon him. And when we behold that it changes us when you see that Jesus was given for you and you open yourself up to the Jesus can live in you. It infuses into you fortitude of character that gives you the ability to be strongly Samson was weak when you see that Jesus accepted you freely by his grace because he paid your ability even though you live like Samson live. It is then that you are freed from the power of the impulses and the insecurity that made you weak like Samson.

Which brings me to number three. The third and final thing we can learn from Samson's life. It is never too late to cry out to God. It's never too late to cry out to God when Samson calls out to God.

He's as low as you can possibly get right decent Dagon's temple grounds blinded grinding at the mill and from the middle of Dagon's temple. He calls out to God for that. Verse 22 comes in here is headed or started to grow. That's important because it's a symbol God's mercy is like Samson's hair grow new every morning and they keep growing back even worse sin has shortened them away from any view you sort away God's mercy from your life, and he just kept rolling back and just kept coming back and it's actually bear this morning, even from the middle of Dagon's temple or you are right now in the midst of being blinded in grinding the monotony. One act of faith is God's grace never left. It started to grow back in your life and is an ass and left you to review. Seeing that video that went viral couple weeks ago of a homeless man using this Sarasota Springs Florida art gallery puts out the some piano on the sidewalk in this homeless man comes up, sits down, but it look remotely like my problem. For whatever it's worth. Like I thought that Matt probably just pull that off as a joke know it wasn't on this man sits down this man sits down and you're expecting is a homeless man. The man starts playing the most full music turns out it's come sail away by sticks, but he it is beautiful visit from the 70s and so he starts playing and it just blows everybody what ever it is like this is Michael's other phone and they start to film and the post on YouTube, and as of yesterday heading at 16 million views well gives this guy. This ability to tell a story turns out in 1998.

He had gone into depression. His wife committed suicide in the next Marine's wife committed suicide at a newborn son and so I turned to drugs and alcohol and things kept going wrong. As we got deeper to drugs and alcohol until eventually he lost his home, the social services came and took away his son when his son was three years old because he couldn't take care of them anymore since the time even living on the street will so this video so many start to go fund me account for him and a meager $60,000 in it now but soon be available to him when he gets out of rehab is old college that he dropped out of was kicked out of his offered him a scholarship. Now to come back and finish his education and it reunited him with his son for the first time in 15 years. Not I don't know the story is going to go because these things don't always turn out well.

I realize that but it's when I heard that story watched something beautiful about the picture of it all to hear you got a guy that this song stayed with him since he was a kid.

It was always in their need to set down and just let it out and that song became the source of new life.

God's grace over your life is like that song it's never left it's still in there started to grow back after sin shorted away, and all you have to do is turn and embrace. I don't know this guy story is going to turn out over turns out well, but I know where your story can turn out if you just turn and begin to embrace that song. The got a summer uses the day that you were born that song is amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me they got is always been faithful. He's never let you go. He's always watched you and when you walk away and when you put yourself a day God's temple is Singing the song this morning. If you turn in your embrace that song will change. Samson became in his final act, hero of faith Hebrews 11 wisdom is a hero faith.

Some of you are youthful remorse for your past life remorse is good, but for more stop for the morsel turn into self-loathing or bitterness self-loathing.

I hate myself for what I did. Bitterness means I hate you for what you did to me, remorse is a good starting place for repentance is better because repentance goes past remorse. Listen to this is not only do I mess up but God offers me a new beginning need to stop looking at yourself feeling remorse for what you did go into repentance, which is about what God if you just bow your niece and embrace the Lordship of Jesus in his grace and forgiveness. That song will lead you into life eternal want to bow your heads. If you would. I sincerely believe that all of our campuses. God has brought some of you to this very moment because you're in Dagon's temple, your marriage, your children, your life, it's those five weaknesses that have ravaged you, but there's a song amazing Grace Bible says if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If you're not a believer. That means saying to Jesus your Lord and are not and I surrender, and receiving his gift of salvation right now. If you are believer means just acknowledging where you've gone astray and asking God to restore what you have destroyed Maline for the sick couple moments to sit with the Holy Spirit on this and pray somebody brought you into this church and you will permit them to swing over right now.

All of our campuses and to say pray with me know. Pray with you if you brought that person and you can see something going on in life right now the newly never with them and you must pray together was to take a couple moments on you do business with God.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you in this in our worship, know the latest from your