JUDGES The Blind Victor
Series: The Flawed and the Flawless
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 23rd September 2018
Passage: Judges 16:1-31
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Good morning, everyone. It would be good if you had Bibles in front of you.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:08 We are turning our attention today to the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the Bible,
00:00:09 --> 00:00:15 and his story begins in chapter 13, so we've been looking at chapter 13 to 16,
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 so it would be good if you have the text in front of you.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 He's a man who is all muscles and testosterone.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 The life of Samson is an exciting life in some ways,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 full of sex and violence and death and power,
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 but it's a tragedy as well.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 It's a disturbing and disappointing life.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 There were two women initially that he used,
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 and the one that he fell in love with used him.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 It is such a relational tragedy.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:48 He is, in fact, the last of Israel's judges,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:54 and with him we discover the most flawed judge in the book.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:02 He's a violent, impulsive, sex-driven, ungodly, and complacent man.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:09 He uses his God-given strength to selfishly get himself out of the trouble
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 that his weakness gets him into.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:20 He is, in fact, a picture of the state of God's people of Israel rolled into one individual.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:26 He's a flawed saviour who points us to a flawless saviour.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 And so there's three things I want to kind of nail as we look through this text today.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 I want to see, first of all, Israel's flawed vision.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:39 I want to see, secondly, Samson's flawed vision.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 And thirdly, the flawless saviour and a vision for a changed life.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 So firstly, Israel's flawed vision.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 The story of Samson begins in chapter 13.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 So if you've got your Bibles, you can flick back there.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:56 And it begins before he is even born.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 We see in the opening verse the now very familiar statement,
00:02:02 --> 00:02:07 again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 We've seen this phrase consistently pop up in Judges.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:20 It's the beginning of each of the cycles as Israel descended into idolatry once again.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 And this is the last time it's used in the book.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:31 It's the final time, again, Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:39 It is, however, there is another statement that's used twice.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 The book had two introductions.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 It's got two conclusions.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:48 And twice, once in each one of those conclusions, there's another phrase which is used.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 It's the same kind of phrase, but in a different way.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 It goes like this.
00:02:52 --> 00:03:04 In those days, everybody did what was right in his own eyes or as they saw fit.
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 And that there is the perfect definition of sin.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:18 Sin does not ultimately consist in us violating our conscience or violating our personal standards
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 or violating community standards.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 It consists in violating God's will.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:32 This is very different to the moral code of our culture.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:40 Our society continually affirms that whatever our hearts wants, it must be true.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 Only I can determine what is right and wrong for me.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:56 In other words, my own eyes, that is my own feelings, my mind's perceptions, are the only way to determine what is right and wrong for me.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:02 It's the definition of sin that you see right back in Genesis 1 and 2,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:09 where Adam and Eve determine for themselves what is right and wrong for them.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 And common sense contradicts this view.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 Even if you don't have a Bible, it contradicts the view.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:29 If evil is determined by my own eyes, how can we ever tell the Nazis it was wrong for them to exterminate 6 million Jews?
00:04:29 --> 00:04:44 They thought they actually thought they were doing the human race a favour by providing justice for imagined wrongs in history.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:56 And so if our own eyes are not entirely in and of themselves sufficient, then whose eyes are sufficient?
00:04:57 --> 00:05:02 Maybe the eyes of experts can determine what's right and wrong.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:09 Maybe the eyes of the majority can determine what's right and wrong.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:14 However, these eyes don't avoid holocausts either.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:24 The Bible says that sin is violating God's will and therefore our relationship with him.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 What God sees is sin, is sin.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:36 Regardless of what the experts say, regardless of what our culture thinks, it's what God determines is sin.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 And the key here is that sin is so deceptive.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:46 Sin is so deceptive that Israel had by this point rationalised their sin.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:54 They in fact weren't uncomfortable living side by side with the Philistines.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 There's a group denial.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 Excuse me.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:06 There's a group denial of God's will here.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 They're collectively doing it.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 They thought that there was nothing wrong with their lives.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 And as we've said several times in this series,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 idolatry is not abandoning God and pursuing something else.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 It's pursuing other things alongside God, with God.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:37 And of course, this should lead us to be very careful and constantly evaluating ourselves through reflection on the Bible and personal accountability to others.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:44 We are always finding ways to rationalise sin.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:52 Sin in our culture like materialism, sin like bitterness, sin like pride, rationalising it.
00:06:52 --> 00:07:01 As Thomas Brooks, the 17th century Puritan wrote, Satan paints sin with virtues colours.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:09 And this is the approach to life and morality that Israel has.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:20 And in fact, they've had all along doing what was evil in God's eyes because it was right in their own eyes.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:24 That's Israel's flawed vision.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 And we see that Samson, he has a flawed vision as well.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:30 He is no different than Israel.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 He is introduced as the new judge in chapter 13.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:40 He is in fact, the only judge who is chosen before he is born.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:47 And from birth, Samson is set apart for service to God as a Nazarite.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:53 And the Nazarite vows can be found in Numbers chapter 6, verses 1 to 21.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 And there are three basic stipulations to the Nazarite vow.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Hair wasn't to be cut.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 They weren't to drink any produce from the vines.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:07 And they were not to have any contact with dead bodies.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:19 And the intention of the vow was to seek special help from God during a crucial time.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 And so the vows had a limited time factor associated with them.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:30 It was a sign that you were looking to God for help in this moment,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:34 a special help with particular intensity and focus.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:44 And in Numbers 6, the vow was taken voluntarily and for a select period of time.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 But Samson's different.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:54 Samson is put under God's rule as a Nazarite before he's even born.
00:08:54 --> 00:09:06 As the spiritual condition of Israel plunges even further,
00:09:08 --> 00:09:15 chapter 13 prepares us right at the very beginning to receive the greatest of judges.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:21 A miracle birth to rescue God's people.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:26 This is the greatest judge yet.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 A wonderful deliverer.
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 A powerful deliverer.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:36 And instead we have by far the most flawed character in the book.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:45 At the beginning of chapter 14, in fact, throughout the entire section of Samson's life,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 he is stirred by much more physical impulses.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 This is a man who doesn't think with his brain at all.
00:09:53 --> 00:10:03 Instead of him living out the promise as the one who will deliver Israel from its enemies,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:11 the first thing Samson decides to do as an adult is, in fact, to marry one of them.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 His parents attempt to dissuade him.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 But in verse 3, he says,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 Get her for me.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 She's the right one for me.
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 Or literally, in the original language,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:32 Get her for me because she is right in my eyes.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 She's right in my eyes.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:45 And so Samson is not the judge we thought he might be.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:50 Rather than fight God's enemies, he moves amongst them.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:55 It's interesting that Samson found the woman at Timnah.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:59 That is deep inside Israelite territory.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:05 He was free to come and go amongst the Philistines.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 There's no threat there.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 The Philistines are living amongst the Israelites.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:15 They were settled, living normal lives inside Israel.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 This is a peaceful occupation.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:28 You see, there's something significant that is missing from this final judges cycle that we've been introduced to.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:34 There's a very significant element that's missing.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 It's in every one of them prior to this.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:45 For the first time, Israel is not crying out to God for help.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:51 They're not asking for release from their oppressor.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 Israel doesn't groan.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 They're not resisting their captors.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:03 It's like they are virtually unconscious of their enslavement.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:11 It would seem that they have adopted and adapted to the values and the idols of the Philistines.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:18 And so, therefore, they haven't even asked for Samson.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:25 God had to miraculously raise him up because they weren't looking for him.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 They didn't want him.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 We cannot exaggerate the danger that Israel was in.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:39 They are on the brink of the extinction and they don't even know it.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:44 As Michael Wilcox says in his commentary on this passage,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:51 there is no such thing as harmonious coexistence between the church and the world.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:59 For where there is no conflict, it is because the world has already taken over.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:09 Be careful of wanting to become acceptable.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:21 Israel and Philistine here are so intertwined that God has to do something special
00:13:21 --> 00:13:27 in order to pry the two nations apart because they're not looking for it.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:30 Have a look at chapter 14, verse 4.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:37 His parents did not know that this was from the Lord.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 That is, Samson marrying this woman from Tibna,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:47 who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 for at that time they were ruling over Israel.
00:13:50 --> 00:13:56 God is using the weakness of Samson,
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 that is his sexual appetite,
00:13:59 --> 00:14:00 his vindictiveness,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 his notoriously bad temper,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 to bring about a confrontation
00:14:06 --> 00:14:09 between Israel and Philistine
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 because they've been so settled,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 God is going to use his weakness to drive a wedge.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:20 It is Samson's weakness and his sinfulness
00:14:20 --> 00:14:24 that causes friction between the two nations.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:29 And it's a friction that Israel doesn't want.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:35 In fact, at one point,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40 the leaders of Israel bind Samson
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 and hand him over to the Philistines
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 so that we can go back
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 to our peaceful, complacent lives.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 Now, by the time we get to chapter 16,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 the friction has grown
00:14:54 --> 00:14:58 and Samson has killed over a thousand Philistines.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 He's caused a bit of a stir.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 Israel, however,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 at this point,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 is no closer to their freedom
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 and living in obedience to God.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 And it would turn out
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 by the time you get to chapter 16,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Samson hasn't changed a bit either.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 The next woman his weakness leads him to
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 is a prostitute.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 His behavior is becoming more and more reckless.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 For some reason,
00:15:28 --> 00:15:31 he decides to pick up the city gate.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 I mean, he could have just smashed it.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 But he decides to pick it up
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 and carry it forever
00:15:40 --> 00:15:44 and dump it on some hilltop.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 It's like,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 is everyone watching me?
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 I mean, goodness me.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:51 This is Mr. Universe kind of stuff.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 His behavior is more reckless and pointless
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 than in verse 14 of chapter 16.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 We're introduced to his next woman.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 And it's the first time in the book
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 where it says he fell in love
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 with a woman in the valley of Sorek
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 whose name was Delilah.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 And Delilah,
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 the woman he loved,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 will be his downfall.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 She is paid off to betray him.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:21 He is totally reckless with her,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 goading her.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 And eventually she wears him down,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 down,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 down,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 down,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 until he is fed up with it.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 He's fed up with it
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 because he wants to settle down now
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 and live a comfortable life.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 All his days of fighting with the Philistines,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 he wants them to be over.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:48 And yet she will be his downfall.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 Her name sounds like,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 in the original language,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 her name sounds like the night.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:01 Samson has finally climbed into bed with darkness.
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 He eventually tells her
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 the secret of his strength.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 His head is shaved.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:13 Verse 19 says that his strength has left him,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 but more importantly,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 verse 20,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 it says God has left him.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 The Lord has left him.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 And Samson now really is
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 like every other man
00:17:26 --> 00:17:30 as verse 7, 11, 13, and 17
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 indicate he would be.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 The strong man is finally seized,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 he's shackled,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 and the man
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 who saw
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 and grabbed
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 whatever he wanted
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 is now blind.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 His eyes are removed
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 and he can no longer see.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 The man who burnt
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 the Philistines grain
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 in chapter 15,
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 he's now reduced to grinding it
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 in chapter 16.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 And so for the first time
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 in the book of Judges,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 God's judge
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 is defeated
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 and humiliated.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 For the first time,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 God's judge
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 is defeated
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 and humiliated.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 And then in verse 22,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 it contains a somewhat,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 another one of these obvious statements
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 that don't need repeating,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 but the hair on his head
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 began to grow
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 again
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 after it had been shaved,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 which is generally
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 what happens.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 You know,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 like,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 even my hair
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 will grow back.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 Not as much as I want,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 but it will grow back.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 And Ian Francis,
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 you have the same issue,
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 and it will grow back.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 And what's there?
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 I mean,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 they still charge you
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 the same amount
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 even if it's
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 not a lot.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 Apparently,
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 it's a search and fine fee.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:54 So why record the obvious?
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 The point is
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 the Philistines
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 let his hair grow back.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 And I'm assuming
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 that they were,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 they weren't completely
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 clueless here,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 I'm assuming.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 I'm assuming
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 they didn't just fail
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 to notice
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 that his hair
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 had grown back.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 They simply
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 must have assumed
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 that once
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 his hair was cut,
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 he was no longer
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 a Nazarite.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 And there is truth
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 in that
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 because number six
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 indicates
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 that the Nazarite vow
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 was effective
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 until the hair was cut
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 and then it was all over.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 It was for a certain
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 period of time.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 They had a,
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 such a narrow view
00:19:33 --> 00:19:33 of God.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 Samson's strength
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 did not come
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 from the vows
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 he made,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 it came from the God
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 who he made them to.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 You see,
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 the Philistines
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 didn't know
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 the God of Ehud,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 the God of the
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 unexpected.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 They didn't know
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 the God of Gideon,
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 the God whose strength
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 is made perfect
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 in weakness
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 and who never
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 breaks his word.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 This is the God
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 who said to Samson,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 said to Samson's parents,
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 he will be
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 a Nazarite
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 until
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 the day
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 of his death.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 You see,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 God's abandonment
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 of Samson here
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 is temporary.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 the promise
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 held,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 even though Samson
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 despised the promise,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 the promise of God
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 still held.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 This is
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 abounding grace
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 to even the worst
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 of sinners
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 with this God,
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 which is what we have
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 sung already this morning.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 In 2 Timothy 2.13
00:20:33 --> 00:20:33 it says,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 if we are
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 faithless,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 he remains
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 faithful
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41 because he cannot
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 deny himself.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 You see,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 the Philistines
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 only ever knew
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 of conditional gods.
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 Their gods
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 could be manipulated.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 As I said last week,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 the God of the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 vending machine.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 The God of the Bible
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 is the God of grace
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 who is faithful
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 to us
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 even when we are
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 unfaithful to him.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:05 This God
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 is not bound
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 or limited
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 by the terms
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 of the Nazarite vow.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 They don't understand
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 that God's work
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 and power
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 are not constrained
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 by or contingent
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 upon his servants'
00:21:16 --> 00:21:16 obedience.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 And that's really
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 what's going on
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 behind the scenes here.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 The true
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 contest here
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 is not between
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Samson
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 and the Philistines.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 It's between
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 the Lord God
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 and Dagon,
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 their God.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 The false
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 God of the
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 Philistines.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 Who is stronger?
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 Who will
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Israel
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 finally serve?
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 And it seemed
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 at this point
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 that Dagon
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 had won.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 See what the
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 rulers of the
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 Philistines
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 are saying
00:21:50 --> 00:21:50 in verse 23?
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 This is the
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 moment of
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 celebration for them.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Our God
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 has delivered
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 Samson
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 our enemy
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 into our
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 hands.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 The setting
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 for the
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 gathering of
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 the leaders
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 and the people
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 is the
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 temple of
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 Dagon.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 They celebrate
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 and they
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 praise Dagon
00:22:10 --> 00:22:13 as Israel's
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 God's
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 failed
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 rescuer
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 is
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 brought out
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 to entertain
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 them,
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 mock them,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 to be mocked
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 and humiliated
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 in verse 25.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 And yet
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 God's rescuer
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 is not yet
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 finished.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 In verse 26,
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 he asked
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 to be put
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 where I can
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 feel the
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 pillars
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 that support
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 the temple
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 so that I
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 may lean
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 against them.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 Under the
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 roof
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 that is held
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 up by
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 these pillars
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 is a great
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 crowd,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 including the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 rulers of the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 Philistines
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 and crucially
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 the statue
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 to their
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 God
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 Dagon.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 Verse 27
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 says there's
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 a further
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 3
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 people on
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 the roof.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:07 then for
00:23:07 --> 00:23:07 only the
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 second time
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 in his
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 life,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 Samson
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 prays.
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 On every
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 other occasion,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 Samson just
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 assumed that I'm
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 going to be
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 strong here
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 and used
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 his strength
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 to save
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 himself.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:25 Now for
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 the first
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 time,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 he's blind,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 he's weak,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 he's humiliated
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 and he simply
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 asks in
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 verse 28,
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 Sovereign
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 Lord,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 remember me.
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 Please
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 God,
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 strengthen me
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 just once
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 more and
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 let me with
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 one blow
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 take revenge
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 on the
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 Philistines
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 for my
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 two eyes.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 Now this
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 is perhaps
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 the first
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 time that
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 Samson
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 exercises
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 real and
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 genuine
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 faith as
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 Hebrews 11
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 commends
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 him for.
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 Can't see
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 him exercising
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 faith anywhere
00:24:00 --> 00:24:00 else.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 It is
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 true
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 that there
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 is no
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 mention here
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 of Samson
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 doing what
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 he's doing
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 in order to
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 save Israel.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 He seems
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 to be pulling
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 the temple
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 down as
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 revenge on
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 his own
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 eyes.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 There is
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 however a
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 newfound
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 humility.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 Samson
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 had been
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 humbled
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 into the
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 dust
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 but more
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 importantly
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 he knew
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 he was
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 humbled
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 into the
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 dust.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 The request
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 he makes
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 of God
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 here is
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 different to
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 his previous
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 feats of
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 strength.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 Verse 28
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 he first of
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 all asked
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 Sovereign
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 Lord remember
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 me.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 It's so
00:24:38 --> 00:24:38 simple.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 It's humble.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 It's a request
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 for attention.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 He knows
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 he's forgettable
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 and that God
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 has every
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 single right
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 to ignore
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 him.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 And then
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 he asked
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 God to
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 strengthen
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 him just
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 one more
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 time.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 And at
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 last Samson
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 acknowledges
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 his
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 dependence.
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 Finally
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 acknowledges
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 his dependence
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 on God's
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 grace.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 And as he
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 reached for
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 the two
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 pillars he
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 did not
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 know in
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 that moment
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 that God
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 would in
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 fact grant
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 his strength
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 or whether
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 this would
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 just be
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 another
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 humiliating
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 act where
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 they will
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 mock him.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:20 And his
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 final prayer
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 comes in
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 verse 30
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 let me
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 die with
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 the
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 Philistines.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 And having
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 uttered that
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 prayer it
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 says he
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 pushed with
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 all of
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 his might
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 and down
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 came the
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 temple on
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 the rulers
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 and all
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 the people
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 in it
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 and thus
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 he killed
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 many more
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 when he
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 died than
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 when he
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 lived.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 The most
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 important
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 moment
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 of
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 Samson's
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 life
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 is his
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 death
00:25:48 --> 00:25:50 and the
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 most
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 faithful
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 event
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 of his
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 life
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 is the
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 manner
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 of his
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 death
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 the most
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 triumphant
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 episode
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 in his
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 life
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 is his
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 death
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 as he
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 at last
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 and at
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 the last
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 performs
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 the role
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 for which
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 he was
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 miraculously
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 given
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 life for.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:09 he starts
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 to rescue
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 God's
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 people
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 as the
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 angel
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 said he
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 would
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 in chapter
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 13
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 verse 5.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 A
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 rescue
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 that
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 finds its
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 fulfillment
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 and ending
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 Jesus
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 centuries
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 later.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 You see
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 Samson
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 the flawed
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 saviour
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 shines the
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 spotlight
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 on Jesus
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 the flawless
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 saviour.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:35 the death
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 of Samson
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 has so
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 many
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 similarities
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 with the
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 death
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 of Jesus
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 but it
00:26:39 --> 00:26:39 is
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 different
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 in two
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 very
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 crucial
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 ways.
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 Firstly
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 Samson
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 is in
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 the temple
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 of Dagon
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 because of
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 his own
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 inability
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 to live
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 under God's
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 rule
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 and for
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 God's
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 glory.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:53 His
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 downfall
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 is brought
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 about by
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 his own
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 disobedience.
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 On the
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 other hand
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 Jesus
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 always
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 lived for
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 his
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 father's
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 glory
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 and died
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 because of
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 his
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 obedience.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 Secondly
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 Samson's
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 death
00:27:08 --> 00:27:10 achieved a
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 limited
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 salvation
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 for Israel.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 When the
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 angel came
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 to his
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 mum to
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 announce his
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 birth in
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 chapter 13
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 verse 5
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 it records
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 the angel
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 saying these
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 words to
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 her.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 He will
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 take the
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 lead in
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 delivering
00:27:27 --> 00:27:28 Israel
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 from the
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 hands of
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 the
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 Philistines.
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 Or
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 literally
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 he will
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 start the
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 process.
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 He will
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 begin to
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 deliver
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 Israel.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 And it's
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 a deliverance
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 that
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 finds
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 a
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 fulfillment
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 to a
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 degree
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 with
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 King
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 David
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 and
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 David's
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 defeat
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 of
00:27:48 --> 00:27:48 Goliath.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 But
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 ultimately
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 God's
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 enemies
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 are
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 defeated
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 by
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 great
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 King
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 David's
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 great
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 son
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 Jesus.
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 Hebrews
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 10.10
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 describes it
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 like this.
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 We have
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 been made
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 holy through
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 the sacrifice
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 of the
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 body of
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 Jesus
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 Christ
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 once and
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 for all.
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 In a
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 similar way
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 1 Peter
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 3.18
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 says
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 puts it
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 like this
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 for Christ
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 also suffered
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 once
00:28:20 --> 00:28:22 for sin
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 the
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 righteous
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 for the
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 unrighteous
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 to bring
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 you
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 to God.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 And yet
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 in so
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 many ways
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 Samson's
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 end is a
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 picture and a
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 shadow of
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 Jesus'
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 death.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 Both
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 Samson and
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 Jesus were
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 betrayed by
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 someone who
00:28:39 --> 00:28:39 had acted
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 as a
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 friend,
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 Delilah
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 and
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 Judas.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 Both
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 were handed
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 over to
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 their Gentile
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 oppressors.
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 Both
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 were tortured,
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 both were
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 bound and
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 put on public
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 display for
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 ridicule.
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 Both
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 were asked
00:28:51 --> 00:28:51 to perform.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 Samson
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 does,
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 Jesus
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 didn't.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 Both
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 died
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 with their
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 arms
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 outstretched.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 Both
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 appeared to
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 be completely
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 defeated by
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 their enemies
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 but both
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 in their
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 death
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 completely
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 crushed
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 their enemies.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 Samson
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 destroyed
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 the Philistines
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 and Dagon
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 and Jesus
00:29:08 --> 00:29:08 the ultimate
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 enemy,
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 Satan
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 and death
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 himself.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 Colossians
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 2.13
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 to 15
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 says this
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 about Jesus
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 triumphant
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 death.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 When you
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 were dead
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 in your
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 sins
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 and in
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 the
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 uncircumcision
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 of your
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 flesh,
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 God made
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 you alive
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 with Christ.
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 He forgave
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 you all
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 of your
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 sins,
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 having
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 cancelled
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 the charge
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 of our
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 legal
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 indebtedness
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 which stood
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 against us
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 and condemned
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 us.
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 He has
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 taken it
00:29:36 --> 00:29:36 away,
00:29:37 --> 00:29:37 nailed it
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 to the
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 cross
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 and having
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 disarmed
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 the powers
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 and authorities
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 he made
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 a public
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 spectacle
00:29:43 --> 00:29:43 of them
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 triumphant
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 over them
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 by the
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 cross.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 cross.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 The cross
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 of Christ
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 took away
00:29:51 --> 00:29:51 the penalty
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 of our
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 idolatry
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 which is
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 death.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Jesus
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 was so
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 triumphant
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 that Satan
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 can no
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 longer
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 successfully
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 prosecute
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 the people
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 of God.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 Jesus'
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 death
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 also took
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 away the
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 power of
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 sin in
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 our lives
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 enabling
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 the spirit
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 of God
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 to live
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 in us
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 and to
00:30:14 --> 00:30:14 break
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 the lure
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 of idols
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 in our
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 hearts.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 It took
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 the death
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 of Jesus
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 to destroy
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 Satan,
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 the unseen
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 power behind
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 our idolatry
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 and death.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 As Samson
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 is the
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 last
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 judge
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 of
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 and
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 saviour
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 of Israel
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 in this
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 book,
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 so Jesus
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 is the
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 final and
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 the greatest
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 saviour
00:30:39 --> 00:30:39 of all
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 people.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 Samson
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 and Jesus
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 are not
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 just the
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 final
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 saviours,
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 but they
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 are also
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 the
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 lone
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 saviours.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 Othniel
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 and Ehud,
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 they rallied
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 all of
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 Israel with
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 them to
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 fight their
00:30:56 --> 00:30:56 oppressors
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 in chapter
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 3.
00:30:59 --> 00:30:59 Deborah
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 and Barak
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 took two
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 tribes with
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 them in
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 chapter 4.
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 Gideon
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 had his
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 300 and
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 Samson's
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 act of
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 deliverance
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 was by
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 himself.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 He
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 wasn't
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 asked for,
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 he
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 wasn't
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 even
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 wanted
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 by
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 Israel.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 God
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 showed
00:31:22 --> 00:31:22 in
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 Samson
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 that he
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 doesn't
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 need
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 an army
00:31:25 --> 00:31:25 to
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 deliver
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 his
00:31:26 --> 00:31:26 people.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 He
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 doesn't
00:31:28 --> 00:31:28 even
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 need
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 his
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 people
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 to
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 ask
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 for
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 it
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 in
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 order
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 to
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 deliver
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 his
00:31:32 --> 00:31:32 people.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 Doesn't
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 need
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 300,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 he
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 can
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 deliver
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 his
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 people
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 through
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 the
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 death
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 of
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 just
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 one.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 And in
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 Samson,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 even more
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 than all
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 the other
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 judges,
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 we actually
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 see the
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 pattern of
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 victorious
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 defeat.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 Rejected,
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 beaten,
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 chained,
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 alone,
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 and finally
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 dying under
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 the avalanche
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 of his
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 enemies,
00:32:01 --> 00:32:03 Samson
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 triumphs.
00:32:04 --> 00:32:08 God
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 delivers
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 his
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 people
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 in
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 all
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 time
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 and
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 eternity
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 through
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 the
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 victorious
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 defeat
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 of
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 just
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 one
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 savior.
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 This
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 is the
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 gospel
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 of the
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 Lord
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 Jesus
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 Christ,
00:32:17 --> 00:32:17 the
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 gospel
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 is the
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 heartbeat
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 of
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 this
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 church.
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 Jesus,
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 the
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 God
00:32:21 --> 00:32:21 who
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 made
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 everything
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 and
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 rules
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 everything,
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 became
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 weak
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 to
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 rescue
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 the
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 weak
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 and
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 in
00:32:27 --> 00:32:27 so
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 doing
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 became
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 immeasurably
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 strong.
00:32:30 --> 00:32:34 And this
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 is the
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 last and
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 crucial
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 difference
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 between
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 Samson
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 and
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 Jesus.
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 With
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 Samson's
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 burial,
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 his rule
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 was done.
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 It was
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 over.
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 See that
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 in verse
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 31,
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 then his
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 brothers
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 and his
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 father
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 and his
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 whole
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 family
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 went down
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 to get
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 him
00:32:49 --> 00:32:51 and they
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 stuck him
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 in a
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 tomb
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 and he
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 had led
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 Israel
00:32:53 --> 00:32:53 for 20
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 years.
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 That's
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 it.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 Done.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 It's
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 the end
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 of Samson.
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 His story's
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 finished.
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 But with
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 the burial
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 of Jesus,
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 the story
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 has just
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 begun.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 Jesus
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 ruled
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 over the
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 grave
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 as the
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 creator
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 God
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 and he
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 rules
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 beyond
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 the
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 grave
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 as the
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 resurrected
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 Lord
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 of all.
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 The
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 one
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 who
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 became
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 weak
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 to save
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 the weak
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 rules
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 now in
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 strength
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 and power
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 eternally
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 and
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 immeasurably
00:33:24 --> 00:33:27 becoming
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 and continuing
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 as a
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 Christian
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 follows
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 this same
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 pattern
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 becoming
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 weak
00:33:32 --> 00:33:35 to become
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 strong.
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 Only those
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 who admit
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 they are
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 unworthy
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 receive the
00:33:40 --> 00:33:41 approval of
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 God.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 Only those
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 who know
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 their weakness
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 are unable
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 to know.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 Only those
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 who understand
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 their weaknesses
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 are able to
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 know the
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 God-given
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 inner strength.
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 strength.
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 It's the
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 sort of
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 strength
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 that enables
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 us to
00:33:57 --> 00:33:59 avoid the
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 pitfalls of
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 Samson's
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 life.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 Eyes that
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 love sin.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 Eyes that
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 are comfortable
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 with pride
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 and lust
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 and anger
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 and vengefulness
00:34:10 --> 00:34:12 and complacency.
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 These are the
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 pitfalls that
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 must be
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 avoided.
00:34:16 --> 00:34:18 Samson's
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 story is
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 Israel's
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 story.
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 Samson
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 was called
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 by God
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 and separated
00:34:25 --> 00:34:27 out from
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 all of
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 Israel to
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 serve God
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 in a special
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 way.
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 Israel,
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 likewise,
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 a holy
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 nation,
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 separated to
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 God from
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 the rest of
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 the world
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 for the
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 purpose of
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 serving their
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 God.
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 Purpose of
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 revealing him
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 to the
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 world.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 And yet
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 Israel was
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 consistently
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 looking over
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 its shoulder
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 to the
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 other nations
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 and wishing
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 that it
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 could be
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 like them
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 and do
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 what they
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 did to
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 worship
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 their gods
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 and adopt
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 their ways.
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 Samson
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 was a
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 holy man.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 Israel
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 was a
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 holy nation.
00:35:08 --> 00:35:08 Samson
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 went after
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 other women.
00:35:10 --> 00:35:10 Israel
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 went after
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 other gods.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 Samson's
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 story is
00:35:14 --> 00:35:14 Israel's
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 story and
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 it's our
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 story too.
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 And his
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 tragedy may
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 be our
00:35:25 --> 00:35:28 tragedy if
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 we resist
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 the call of
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 God on
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 our life
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 as he
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 did.
00:35:35 --> 00:35:35 Everyone
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 who has
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 come to
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 Christ in
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 weakness and
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 dependence on
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 God is a
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 holy person
00:35:40 --> 00:35:42 separated from
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 the world for
00:35:43 --> 00:35:43 the purpose of
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 serving God.
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 1 Peter 2
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 9 calls it
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 like this.
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 A chosen
00:35:48 --> 00:35:48 people.
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 He calls us.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 Those are in
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 Christ.
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 You're a
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 chosen people.
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 A royal
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 priesthood,
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 a holy
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 nation,
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 God's
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 special
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 possession
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 that you
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 may declare
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 the praise
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 of him
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 who called
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 you out of
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 darkness,
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 called you
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 out of the
00:36:02 --> 00:36:04 night into
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 his wonderful
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 light.
00:36:06 --> 00:36:08 God's
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 God's
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 intention
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 according to
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 1 Peter
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 is take
00:36:11 --> 00:36:11 the fight
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 to the
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 enemy
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 through his
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 people,
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 through us
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 being different
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 and through
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 us being
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 light in the
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 darkness,
00:36:20 --> 00:36:22 exposing our
00:36:22 --> 00:36:24 world's gods
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 for what they
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 are as
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 hollow
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 shams.
00:36:27 --> 00:36:29 we exist
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 for the
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 praise of
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 the one
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 who calls
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 us out
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 of the
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 darkness,
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 away from
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 the clutches
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 of the
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 light,
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 into the
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 light.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:40 We exist
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 to declare
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 his praises
00:36:41 --> 00:36:45 so that
00:36:45 --> 00:36:48 more and
00:36:48 --> 00:36:48 more people
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 might be
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 called out
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 of darkness
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 into his
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 light.
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 Will
00:36:55 --> 00:36:57 we embrace
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 God's
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 call on
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 our
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 life?
00:36:59 --> 00:37:01 That's the
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 trajectory of
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 judges.
00:37:04 --> 00:37:04 Will we
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 run with
00:37:05 --> 00:37:05 it and
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 find our
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 joy and
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 our reason
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 for living
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 in being
00:37:09 --> 00:37:09 what God
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 has called
00:37:10 --> 00:37:10 us to
00:37:10 --> 00:37:10 be?
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 Or will
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 we be
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 the reluctant
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 saints as
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 Samson was,
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 as Israel
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 were, always
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 looking over
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 the shoulders
00:37:18 --> 00:37:20 wishing we
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 could be as
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 other people?
00:37:24 --> 00:37:24 Will we be
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 separated or
00:37:25 --> 00:37:25 will we
00:37:25 --> 00:37:26 consistently
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 pursue the
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 idols of
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 our society?
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 Will we
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 like Samson
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 be led
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 with our
00:37:35 --> 00:37:38 eyes and
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 covetedness of
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 our hearts?
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 Will we lie
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 down comfortably
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 with the
00:37:44 --> 00:37:44 night?
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 The greatest
00:37:47 --> 00:37:49 danger to
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 the Christian
00:37:50 --> 00:37:50 and the
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 church is
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 becoming just
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 the same
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 as everyone
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 else?
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 To become
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 settled and
00:37:57 --> 00:37:59 comfortable with
00:37:59 --> 00:38:01 idolatry and
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 exchanging the
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 glory of God
00:38:03 --> 00:38:03 for things made
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 by human
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 hands?
00:38:05 --> 00:38:07 Will you be
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 driven by your
00:38:08 --> 00:38:08 eyes?
00:38:08 --> 00:38:14 many years
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 ago, I
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 grew up on a
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 farm.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 We had
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 pigs on
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 our farm
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 and you
00:38:20 --> 00:38:20 could give
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 the pigs
00:38:21 --> 00:38:22 really nice
00:38:22 --> 00:38:22 food.
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 I mean, I
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 would need it,
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 but it was
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 nice food.
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 But what the
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 pigs got used
00:38:28 --> 00:38:29 to for me is
00:38:29 --> 00:38:30 food scraps and
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 other rubbish,
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 whatever it was,
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 any junk, you
00:38:33 --> 00:38:33 throw it in a
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 bucket and
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 every day or
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 two you take
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 this stinking
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 mess up to the
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 pig pen and
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 they would see
00:38:40 --> 00:38:42 me coming and
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 they would make
00:38:43 --> 00:38:43 this little
00:38:43 --> 00:38:45 noise and
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 they do this
00:38:46 --> 00:38:48 little dance and
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 you'd put this
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 slop down and
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 they would
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 wolf it up like
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 it was hot
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 apple pie and
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 ice cream.
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 Pigs eyes
00:38:57 --> 00:39:00 delighting in
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 muck and
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 rubbish,
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 exchanging the
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 glory of God
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 for things that
00:39:06 --> 00:39:06 are significantly
00:39:06 --> 00:39:07 less.
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 thinking it's
00:39:09 --> 00:39:09 more valuable.
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 Will we
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 serve God
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 because we
00:39:13 --> 00:39:16 must or
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 because,
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 will we serve
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 him because
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 he, we
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 must or even
00:39:20 --> 00:39:20 because he
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 gives me what
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 I want him
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 to give me
00:39:23 --> 00:39:26 or because he
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 is truly
00:39:27 --> 00:39:30 valuable and
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 I love him
00:39:31 --> 00:39:31 for the gospel,
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 for what he
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 has done for
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 me.
00:39:33 --> 00:39:37 Horatio Gates
00:39:37 --> 00:39:39 Spafford was
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 a prominent
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 American lawyer
00:39:40 --> 00:39:42 and Presbyterian
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 church elder in
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 the 1800s.
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 He lost
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 nearly his
00:39:46 --> 00:39:47 entire fortune
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 in the great
00:39:48 --> 00:39:50 Chicago fire of
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 1871.
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 In the same
00:39:52 --> 00:39:53 year, his
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 four-year-old son
00:39:54 --> 00:39:56 died to scarlet
00:39:56 --> 00:39:56 fever.
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 Two years
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 later, the
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 family decided
00:40:00 --> 00:40:01 to take a
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 holiday to
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 Europe, but
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 Horatio was
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 held back
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 because of
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 business.
00:40:07 --> 00:40:07 So his
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 wife and
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 his four
00:40:08 --> 00:40:09 daughters
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 traveled ahead
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 of him
00:40:10 --> 00:40:13 and across
00:40:13 --> 00:40:13 the Atlantic
00:40:13 --> 00:40:15 and on
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 November the
00:40:16 --> 00:40:17 22nd,
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 1873, while
00:40:18 --> 00:40:19 crossing the
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 Atlantic, their
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 ship was
00:40:21 --> 00:40:23 struck by an
00:40:23 --> 00:40:24 iron sailing
00:40:24 --> 00:40:26 vessel and
00:40:26 --> 00:40:27 226 people
00:40:27 --> 00:40:28 lost their
00:40:28 --> 00:40:29 lives, including
00:40:29 --> 00:40:30 all four of
00:40:30 --> 00:40:31 Spafford's
00:40:31 --> 00:40:31 daughters.
00:40:34 --> 00:40:35 His wife got
00:40:35 --> 00:40:36 to England, sent
00:40:36 --> 00:40:37 back a telegram
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 and said,
00:40:38 --> 00:40:38 saved,
00:40:39 --> 00:40:39 alone.
00:40:43 --> 00:40:43 Spafford
00:40:43 --> 00:40:44 immediately jumped
00:40:44 --> 00:40:45 on a sailing
00:40:45 --> 00:40:45 boat,
00:40:46 --> 00:40:48 head to
00:40:48 --> 00:40:48 England.
00:40:49 --> 00:40:50 As he
00:40:50 --> 00:40:51 sailed over
00:40:51 --> 00:40:51 the location
00:40:51 --> 00:40:52 of the
00:40:52 --> 00:40:53 accident where
00:40:53 --> 00:40:53 his four
00:40:53 --> 00:40:54 daughters lost
00:40:54 --> 00:40:56 his life, he
00:40:56 --> 00:40:56 penned a
00:40:56 --> 00:40:58 hymn, it's
00:40:58 --> 00:40:59 called how
00:40:59 --> 00:41:01 it is well
00:41:01 --> 00:41:01 with my
00:41:01 --> 00:41:02 soul.
00:41:04 --> 00:41:05 Though
00:41:05 --> 00:41:05 Satan should
00:41:05 --> 00:41:07 buffet, though
00:41:07 --> 00:41:08 trials should
00:41:08 --> 00:41:09 come, let
00:41:09 --> 00:41:10 this blessed
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 assurance control
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 that Christ has
00:41:12 --> 00:41:13 regarded my
00:41:13 --> 00:41:14 helpless estate
00:41:14 --> 00:41:16 and he has
00:41:16 --> 00:41:16 shed his own
00:41:16 --> 00:41:17 blood for my
00:41:17 --> 00:41:17 soul.
00:41:19 --> 00:41:20 My sin
00:41:20 --> 00:41:21 or the
00:41:21 --> 00:41:22 bliss of
00:41:22 --> 00:41:23 this glorious
00:41:23 --> 00:41:24 thought, my
00:41:24 --> 00:41:24 sin not
00:41:24 --> 00:41:25 impart but
00:41:25 --> 00:41:25 the whole
00:41:25 --> 00:41:27 is nailed
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 to the
00:41:27 --> 00:41:28 cross and
00:41:28 --> 00:41:28 I bear it
00:41:28 --> 00:41:29 no more.
00:41:29 --> 00:41:30 Praise the
00:41:30 --> 00:41:30 Lord, praise
00:41:30 --> 00:41:31 the Lord, oh
00:41:31 --> 00:41:32 my soul.
00:41:36 --> 00:41:37 Will the
00:41:37 --> 00:41:38 call of
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 God on
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 your life
00:41:40 --> 00:41:41 to be his
00:41:41 --> 00:41:42 saints, to
00:41:42 --> 00:41:42 be his
00:41:42 --> 00:41:44 servants, still
00:41:44 --> 00:41:44 captivate your
00:41:44 --> 00:41:46 heart, still
00:41:46 --> 00:41:48 fill you with a
00:41:48 --> 00:41:48 sense of
00:41:48 --> 00:41:49 wonder and
00:41:49 --> 00:41:50 privilege and
00:41:50 --> 00:41:51 move you to
00:41:51 --> 00:41:52 continue to be
00:41:52 --> 00:41:53 his faithful
00:41:53 --> 00:41:54 soldiers and
00:41:54 --> 00:41:55 servants rejecting
00:41:55 --> 00:41:56 the idols of
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 your culture in
00:41:57 --> 00:41:57 the next five
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 years, ten
00:41:58 --> 00:41:59 years, twenty
00:41:59 --> 00:41:59 years, twenty
00:41:59 --> 00:42:00 five years until
00:42:00 --> 00:42:02 your life's
00:42:02 --> 00:42:02 end.
00:42:02 --> 00:42:04 Let's