Sunday, November 19, 2000   

INTRODUCTION: The life of Samson shows us how a person can go wrong with so much going right. Samson had so much to be thankful for and threw it away. This is a tragic Bible story. Samson had every opportunity to be an overcomer, to overcome the enemy, but in the end he was overcome. Samson was overcome because he made some willful mistakes. How sad, a man with so much potential becoming a castaway (I Corinthians 9:27).

Follow with me the trail of mistakes that led to Samson's fall.

I. SAMSON'S DISREGARD OF HIS HERITAGE

      A. Samson had a godly heritage; he was born to a godly home. His mom and dad loved the Lord. The believed in prayer (13:8; 13:12).

            1. His parents had a fear of God and desired that their son would also fear God (1 3:22).

            2. They believed in giving and trusted in the promises of God (13:1 9).

            3. They wanted to know what God would have them to do in raising their son (13:8).

      B. Samson was given a good body. God blessed him with strength.

            1. Samson's parents wanted him to use his strength for God, to glorify God.

                  a. Romans 12:1-2 tells us to "present our bodies a living sacrifice. . ."

                  b. The children of God are not their own; they are bought with a price. They belong to God (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

            2. Samson was blessed with a good sense of humor. He is the inventor of taillights (15:4-5).

            3. He was endued with the Spirit of the Lord (1 3:25).

            4. The lord God chose Samson to be a Nazarite "separated one" (13:7).

                  a. To be a "separated one" means to be 1 00% surrendered to God (Numbers 6:2-6).

                        1) No wine- appetite is crucified.

                        2) No dead body- affections crucified (Numbers 6:2-6).

                        3) No razor- appearance crucified.

                  b. God's chosen people, his redeemed are to be separated from the world (II Corinthians 6:14-17; I John 2:15-17).

      C. Samson threw away his godly heritage. He disregarded and despised all that he was taught.

            1. The book of Proverbs says much about despising our heritage.

                  a. Those who despise the Word of God will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:13).

                  b. It is foolish to despise a father's instructions (15:5).

                  c. To refuse instruction is to despise your own soul (I 5:32).

            2. To despise the ways of God is to live to please self. The Child of God is to die to self and live for God (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6).

II. HE DID NOT RESPECT HIS PARENTS

      A. Judges 14:1 says, "And Samson went down to Timnoth..." Samson went down geographically, and he went down spiritually.

            1. Samson knew the Law of God; he knew that he was forbidden to go into the enemy territory. He was to stay within Israel's border.

                  a. Samson's parents had taught him the truth, but he was not respectful to his parents, for he chose to ignore the laws of separation (Deuteronomy 7:2-8).

                  b. One of the signs of the last days is disrespect for parents (II Timothy 3:1-2).

            2. Samson went into enemy territory and fell in love with a Philistine girl, a heathen girl (14:1-2).

                  a. In 14:2 we noticed that Samson did not ask his parents to get her for him; he told them.

                  b. When his mom and dad reminded him of God's law, he defied them (14:3).

                  c. Samson did not care that he was breaking the heart of his dear old mom and his dad, for the desire of the flesh was ruling him instead of the Word of God.

                        1) Oh, how it hurt Samson's folks to see his rebellion (Proverbs 19:13; 19:26).

                        2) Proverbs 30:17 tells us that rebellion can be seen in the eyes. There are ungodly men and women, ravens, who are waiting for disrespectful young men and women to lead astray and destroy.

                        3) God does work all things together for good (Romans 8:28) as is seen in Judges 14:4. What Samson did was wrong, and it would destroy him. Yet God would use it to weaken the Philistines.

III. SAMSON DEFILED HIS BODY

      A. In Judges 14:5-9 we read of Samson killing a young lion and later eating honey of its carcass.

            1. Samson knew that the law forbade a Nazarite from touching anything dead (Numbers 6:6-9).

            2. Samson deliberately ate the honey. He deliberately defied God, and defiled his body.

            3. Samson even caused his parents to eat of the honey defiling them (14:9).

      B. Many Christians today are defiling themselves to enjoy forbidden honey.

            1. What we see (TV; movies), what we read (books, magazines) can defile us.

            2. Christians are told to:

                  a. Flee fornication - I Corinthians 6:18

                  b. Abstain from fleshly lusts - I Peter 2:1 1; Proverbs 9:17-18

                  c. Abstain from all appearance of evil- I Thessalonians 5:22

CONCLUSION: To have victory we must first know the Lord. Then we are to live for him (Romans 6:1-2; 6; 11-14).