Following His Own Passions (Unit 9 / Session 2)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Philemon: The Gospel in Action — Sunday night sermon series by Pastor David

Baby Dedication — September 15th during the morning service

All Church Outreach — September 21st at 10am

Missions Conference — September 27th-29th (combined Sunday school)

Awana begins October 6th at 5:45pm. Sign up.

CLASS PURPOSES

I’m so glad that you all have joined me in this class for this semester. As we begin, I just want to highlight the purpose for this class and what I hope is accomplished through this class. We will think through these aims in this way: Head, Heart, Hands.

HEAD

We would learn to study and understand the Bible by connecting each passage to all of Scripture.

We would gain a well rounded understanding of the passages, books of the Bible, and stories we study.

HEART

We would be transformed by what we learn in this class. This class is not intended to simply grow your knowledge, but rather to seek transformation by the Scriptures we study.

We would grow in our love for Christ as we see how he informs our understanding of the Old Testament.

HANDS

We would grow in our relationships to one another. I hope that you meet someone new in this class and get to know them.

Families would be equipped to continue discussing what they learned in Sunday School and Jr Church at home. But not just families, but that all church members would be having spiritual conversations together outside of this classroom. (talk to others about what they’re learning)

CLASS RESOURCES

BIG PICTURE CARDS

For parents, cards will be made available for you to take home and continue teaching and learning with your children. These Big Picture Cards contain the Scripture passage, family discussion starters, and a family activity.

If you use these cards or utilize the kids email, I’d love to hear how you’re using them!

DAILY DISCIPLESHIP GUIDES

Each week in class you will receive a daily discipleship guide. The purpose of this resource is to help you prepare for the next class time. There are five devotionals that familiarize you with the upcoming passage and lesson.

This is helpful because we will be discussing throughout the lesson. Come prepared and ready to discuss. If you do not have a regular devotional time, use this to help you consistently be in God’s Word.

KEY PASSAGE AND BIG PICTURE QUESTION

We will review each week the kids key passage (memory verse) and big picture question. So let’s officially begin our class time with those.

Big Picture Question/Answer: What is the fair payment for sin? The fair payment of sin is death.

Key Passage: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

INTRODUCTION

Turn with me to Judges 13.

Here’s where we’re going today: God is able to bring salvation to His people, even through the weaknesses of His chosen deliverer.

*catch up from Genesis to Judges 13.

Can we name some judges?

God empowered these people to deliver Israel from their enemies. Yet these judges were flawed, just like the people they were sent to rescue.

Think with me about contemporary “heroes” that have influenced you. What role does character play in our evaluation of our “heroes”? Do you think that we sometimes excuse the character flaws of our “heroes” because of the end results?

Samson is quite the hero of Israel. But the goal of today’s lesson is not for us to emulate Samson, but rather, to see how God used the flawed character of Samson to bring salvation to His people. The character deficiencies of Samson served as a beautiful platform through which God’s glory will be displayed.

Let’s first see that God will save His people through a promised deliverer. (Judges 13:1-5)

POINT #1: GOD WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE THROUGH A PROMISED DELIVERER (Judges 13:1-5)

Judges 13:1–3 KJV 1900

1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

Our passage begins with a repeated theme in the book of Judges: And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord…” Leading up to Judges 13, we have seen this phrase repeated five times (Judges 3:7; 3:12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6) before we get to Judges 13. But unique to our passage is that Israelites did not cry out to God for deliverance.

True to form, the Israelites repeated their sinful cycle and did evil in the Lord’s sight, but they did not cry out for deliverance this time. And still God showed them grace through a promised deliverer.

How might this scenario in Judges foreshadow God’s actions related to the gospel? (God has made a plan to save sinner before they even think of themselves as needing saving; the miraculous birth of Samson foreshadows the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus; the New Testament teaches that while we were still sinners, dead in our sin and enemies of God, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-5); our salvation is dependent upon the Lord raising up a deliverer for us, which He did in Jesus Christ.)

Judges 13:4–5 KJV 1900

4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Samson was a Nazirite unto God from birth. Numbers 6:1-21 describes the laws concerning the Nazarite vow. One particular word comes up over and over again in this passage.

Read with me Numbers 6:1-2

Numbers 6:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord:

What word do you think it is? Separate (separateth) comes up in Numbers 6 fifteen separate times.

Separation came with some prohibitions: 1) drinking wine and eating grapes (Numbers 6:3-4), 2) touching a dead body (Numbers 6:6), and 3) cutting his or her hair (Numbers 6:5).

Nazarites were separated unto God for a particular purpose. Samson then, would be a child set apart to God for a specific purpose.

What does Judges 13 tell us Samson’s purpose is? “…and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

The word “begin” foreshadows the eventual failure of Samson. While Samson would dominate the Philistines throughout his life, he would not provide deliverance for the Israelites, only a partial victory. Not until Samuel, Saul, and David arrived on the scene were the Philistines ultimately defeated. (1-2 Samuel)

These opening verses reveal Samson would be a Nazirite, and he would begin to save his people from the Philistines. These details reveal the faithfulness of God to keep His promises and the shortcomings of Samson as a judge.

Transition: The Lord promised to raise up a deliverer to rescue His people from the consequences of their sin, but this deliverer was flawed in both his character and actions, which reflected the state of Israel at that time.

POINT #2: GOD WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE THROUGH A FLAWED DELIVERER (Judges 14:1-9)

Judges 14:1–4 (KJV 1900)

1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

In our first point, we learned that Samson was a Nazarite from birth, a child set apart to God. And yet, in the next chapter of the book of Judges, we find him living for himself.

Notice his statement in vs. 3 —”for she pleaseth me well.”

Samson was set on gratifying his flesh. He ignored the warning of his parents (vs. 3).

Samson’s actions reveal an Essential Doctrine for us to consider — Enslaved to Sin: Because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, all of humanity has inherited a sin nature that inclines them toward sin and rebellion. Human beings are enslaved to sin (Romans 6:17), continually living with the propensity to transgress God’s commandments whenever possible. It isn’t until one experiences salvation through the work of Christ that he or she is able to overcome sin’s enslavement through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:2).

Samson was only acting in accordance with who he was. He’s a sinner enslaved to sin. Even as God’s chosen deliverer, Samson was still flawed because of his sinful nature.

We see throughout the life of Samson that his continual downfall was his desires. Look at verses 5-9 with me.

Judges 14:5–9 (KJV 1900)

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6 And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

This judge raised up by God continued to be led by his passions rather than the Lord’s instructions.

Samson was led by his self-centered passions and appetites in defiance of rather than devotion to the Lord, and still the Lord would use him.

What are some ways/areas in which we allow pursue our own desires rather than our devotion to God?

But God would still use Samson. Does that excuse his sin? No! We should never sin because we know the extent of God’s grace.

What are some ways God has used you in spite of your flaws?

POINT #3: GOD WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE THROUGH A VENGEFUL DELIVERER (Judges 16:21-22,26-30)

Judges 16:21–22 KJV 1900

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. 22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

*illustration on money (Caleb Hammer — people in debt, they wonder how they got so far into debt but don’t realize it was all their small habits)

Samson’s downfall seems swift. But really it was bad decision after bad decision. He had continued to pursue his own passions until they led him to a Philistine prison.

For the first time in the Book of Judges, one of God’s appointed deliverers had been defeated.

What are some consequences we may face by pursuing our passions?

*superhero illustration — it seems like all has been lost for Israel’s superhero. But… his hair began to grow back (vs. 22) There’s hope!

Samson’s pursuit of his sinful desires resulted in the Lord leaving him, but the Lord never abandoned Samson. God’s grace remained.

His fatal mistake seems to have been to imagine that somehow the strength was his, almost as a natural attribute, rather than totally supernatural endowment. Surely, that is something with which we can all identify. When God begins to bless us we readily succumb to the temptation to think that there must after all be something particularly meritorious or worthy in us that has attracted God’s attention and favor. We sinners find it very hard to admit that we are totally dependent upon grace. —TGP

What are some ways we can exhibit this independency from God?

Judges 16:26–30 (KJV 1900)

26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

Our third point for today labels Samson as a vengeful deliverer. I had never noticed this before this lesson. Look at vs. 28 — “…that I may be at once avenged…”

Samson was more concerned about avenging himself than defending God.

I’ve always heard the story of Samson told with it ending on a positive note for Samson… not a negative one. But it seems clear in the scriptures that Samson was still only concerned about himself. I’ve always thought Samson ended his life by rightfully trusting in God. In fact…

Samson’s prayer revealed four things: 1) Samson trusted the Lord; 2) Samson knew that God, not Dagon, had delivered him into the hands of the Philistines; 3) Samson knew God was the source of his strength; and 4) Samson knew the Lord had to be the One to salvage anything from his life.

But… God graciously used this vengeful judge to save His people.

Samson was more concerned about avenging himself than defending God, but God graciously used this vengeful judge to save His people.

The real hero of this story is God! Think about his grace and mercy to Samson. Think about all the wrong Samson had done. And yet God still used Samson. Samson was a flawed deliverer. But we have a perfect, humble, meek deliverer in Jesus.

How does Samson’s death compare and contrast with Jesus’ death? Samson’s unbridled passions led to his downfall, but Jesus was sinless and perfect; Samson’s death was driven by his desire for revenge, but Jesus’ death was drive by his love for others; Samson’s death resulted in the destruction of his enemies, but Jesus’ death resulted in the salvation of his enemies; Jesus was vindicated through His subsequent resurrection)

MY RESPONSE

HEAD:

God always keeps his promises. He promised to give Manoah and his wife, who was unable to conceive, a child, and He kept His promise. He promised to use their child to save Israel, and He kept that promise. God also promised to send a serpent-crusher to defeat Satan, and He kept that promise by sending Jesus, who died on the cross to defeat Satan and save sinners. God never makes false promises. He is always faithful. Christians can trust God because of this simple truth: God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

What are some ways your life should be affected because God cannot lie and He always keeps His promises?

HEART:

Samson’s failures were a result of his unbridled passions, and they ultimately led to his downfall.

What are some ways you find yourself being self-centered, and how will you address those with the Lord?

HANDS:

Christians must not let their struggles or failures keep them from evangelism or discipleship. Instead they should regularly confess their sin and consistently share the message of the gospel with unbelievers.

Our failures and flaws are the perfect backdrop for the Gospel to shine through.

How will you serve God this week because He is faithful and forgiving?

The ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ, has no flaws. So his rescue of those who believe in him is complete and everlasting. — Michael Williams