Judges 16:15-21

1. Intro.
1. Samson is one of the most remarkable men recorded in the Bible
1. one of four men to have their birth foretold
2. he was a Nazarite from birth (entirely consecrated to God)
3. God had gifted Samson with supernatural strength
1. he was a miracle waiting to happen
2. it was the power of God that made him mightier than the thousands
2. some of Samson’s mighty deeds
1. he killed a lion with his bare hands
2. when his own country men delivered him bound with rope to the Philistines...
1. he broke the rope as if it were nothing
2. he killed a thousand Philistines with the jaw bone of a donkey
3. he was a one man army
3. when trapped in the city of Gaza, at night he walked away with the post & gate of the city
3. Samson had great physical power, but little spiritual power
1. he was easily overcome by temptation
2. he foolishly played with danger, and it destroyed him - Judges 16:15
3. his hair was the symbol of his consecration (as a consecrated man, he had power)
4. when Samson’s hair was cut, he was no longer in the place of consecration
1. he is now weak like other men
2. now the Philistines can seize him and put out his eyes
3. now the once mighty Samson is made to toil at the mill (what a spectacle, what a fall)
5. this terrible tragedy should cause us to sorrow for Samson
1. his lose of sight is terrible
2. his lose of power is worse
3. his lose of favor with God is worst of all
6. why is Samson important to us? (every believer is a consecrated person—saint)
2. the strength of the consecrated man
1. the strongest individual in all the world is the consecrated one
2. the strength of dedicated men and women - Hebrews 11
1. accomplish great things - Hebrews 11:32-34
2. suffer great things for the name of Christ - Hebrews 11:35-37
3. consecration is not just for the minister (all believers are saints)
4. the smallness of Christians today is the result of the smallness of their dedication to Christ
5. only the consecrated are strong
3. the secret of their strength
1. what makes the consecrated strong
1. their is no strength in man himself
2. Samson without his God was a poor fool
3. the secret of Samson’s strength was his consecration (his hair was a symbol of that consecration)
2. if we are to have any strength to serve God, we must be dedicated to Him
1. we cannot serve Christ in our own strength
2. the power to serve comes from God
3. He gives His power to us, when we are wholly His
4. the dangers of a consecrated man
1. the danger is that his hair may be shaved (consecration broken) - I Corinthians 10:12
2. there are a thousand razors by which the devil can shave a consecrated man
3. the devil is so clever that he can shave us, and we won’t know it until it is to late - Judges 16:19-20
4. some razors the devil will use to accomplish his work
1. pride
1. God will never give us strength to glorify ourselves
2. pride is the act of taking away from God, His glory
3. the glory of God is the reason for our consecration
2. self-sufficiency (when trusting in self, we are sure to fail) - Judges 16:20
3. living for self
1. popularity is the reason many preachers tone down their message
2. when we make self the primary object of our existence, our consecration is broken (wealth, health)
5. the Christian’s disgrace - Judges 16:21
1. there have been many to go the way of Samson
2. when a Christian falls, he brings shame on himself and on God
6. conclusion
1. are there any here today that wishes to live without the power of God
2. are there any here that desires to be like Samson
3. would you not rather serve God with a perfect heart, and experience His power
1. look to Christ, and seek His grace
2. meet the Father often in prayer
3. dedicate your life to God