Mr. Incredible

Mr. Incredible --- ahh, the humble and comical loving husband and father of the Incredible family. A super hero for the family man!

Every father, every boy wants to have GREAT STRENGTH! Power in our muscles. It’s why teen boys, and grown men spend hours in gyms lifting weights! Could we only possess such great strength.

How quickly do we all come to realize how we can fall out of shape if we do not remain consistent with that intense regiment!

(ROUND IS A SHAPE, ISN’t IT?)

Even Mr. Incredible, though possessing his continued strength realized that his super hero characteristics are affected when he is out of shape and cannot fit into his suit!!! If he wanted to maintain the man - he needed to get back to the source - and work it out!!!!

This morning I want to look at a BIBLE HERO who also had IMMENSE STRENGTH!!!! POWER IN HIS PHYSICAL man, but it was due to him also obeying a regimen that was placed before him --- that regimen pointed to him being connected with the SUPERNATURAL SOURCE of his strength - which was the Spirit of God.

As long as he was obedient and connected to that source - his strength was great.

EACH OF US needs supernatural strength - maybe not the physical kind, but the spiritual kind to ENDURE the BATTLES of LIFE!!! TO OVERCOME SIN, BRING OUR FAMILIES TO VICTORY, and DEFEAT the ENEMY of our SOUL

Let us look at the life of Samson...

It starts with a promise to a barren couple who cannot have children..

Judges 13:1–5 NLT

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

Judges 13.2

OK - here were the conditions - to ensure Samson to have great favor from the Lord to conquer the Philistines -

Israel’s VILLAIN!

This superhero was to take a Nazirite vow - being set apart to the Lord through abstinence from alchohol and any grape --- and never having his hair cut!

Let’s check in on Samson fully grown...

Judges 14:1–20 NLT

One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, “A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.” His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.” His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time. As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it. When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her. Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. When the bride’s parents saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions. Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.” “All right,” they agreed, “let’s hear your riddle.” So he said: “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?” So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?” So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men. So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson replied, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle!” Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.

judges 14.1-

We see here on more than one occasion the supernatural strength God gave to Samson to frustrate the Philistines! He was a hero for Israel as long as he followed the conditions.

Then Samson fell in love again with another woman named Delilah...

Judges 16.4-

Judges 16:4–20 NLT

Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.” Samson replied, “If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.” So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them. She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. Afterward Delilah said to him, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.” Samson replied, “If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.” So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread. Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.” Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.” So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric. Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric. Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.” Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine rulers. “Come back one more time,” she said, “for he has finally told me his secret.” So the Philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands. Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him. Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him.

In his pride, Samson forgot the source of his strength, and allowed himself to be out of spiritual condition, doing his own thing, and living for himself.

He soon became deceived and was captured...

However, when Samson would realize his error and amend his way, he would see victory over the Philistines again, but at a great cost...

Judges 16:21–30 NLT

So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. But before long, his hair began to grow back. The Philistine rulers held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, “Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!” When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!” Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!” So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof. Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching as Samson amused them. Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.

judges 16.21-

1. The Power Is Always There

Let me begin by saying --- the power was always there for Samson, but he lost access to the power because of his laziness. He became sloppy with the source of his power and took it for granted.

Even Mr. Inredible also never lost his power, but in his laziness he became unfit to wear the SUIT! To be the man he was capable of being.

How many Christians have access to the POWER and STRENGTH of the Lord, but we have become LAZY in how we access that power?

We cease to tap into the power, to follow the guidelines for the power.

Christians will always fight spiritual battles in our lives ----

struggles at work

overcoming temptations

trials coming against us and our families

There is a source of strength --- It is the HOLY SPIRIT -

but we have we become lazy in tapping into His power in our lives.

Zechariah 4:6 NLT

Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Our victories come through God’s Spirit!!!

We stay tapped into that power through time spent with God in His Word and prayer!

It is pretty simple -

The POWER IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO US, but it is up to us to stay tapped into that power...

2. Pride Seperates US from the Power

In our pride we think we can do life in our own strength and that we can go our own way and ignore the guidelines God gives us.

Samson was told to be a Nazirite - abstain from alcohol and cutting his hair.

This was really about making a sacrifice to receive a greater benefit from the Lord.

As long as he was OBEDIENT he enjoyed this great strength!

It was more about obedience than anything else.

Today, God wants us to be obedient to His Word!

He wants us as Christians to come out of the world and be separate from it so we might enjoy the strength of His Spirit in our lives to overcome and be victorious.

2 Corinthians 6:17 NLT

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

That does not mean we ignore the lost and unsaved, but that we redefine how we live within safe boundaries that create pathways to victory for our lives.

Samson became PRIDEFUL and thought he could do his own thing, and in that pridefulness and getting close to the ENEMY - LIVING AMONGST THE PHILISTINES, he thought he could maintain his strength without being plugged into the source.

James 4:8 NLT

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Ouch ---

Samson got to close to the Philistines. He lived amongst them, married one of them, and thought he get be close to them, and it would not effect him — but it did!!!

We need to draw closer to God instead of closer to the world, and in that DEPENDENCY ON GOD we will enjoy HIS SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH AND POWER to OVERCOME!!!

3. The Power Returns When we Plug Back In

How many of us own cell phones ---

Has anyone found a cell phone that operates forever without recharging????

NO --- it needs to be filled up on charge

Isn’t it amazing how short of time it takes when that phone is plugged in for a dead phone to have power restored???

At the end of Samson’s life, he plugged back in...

First, his hair grew back while he was in captivity --- obedience to the Lord and the guidelines given...

They brought him out to mock Samson and God at a celebration to the Philisitine god - DAGON

Samson called on the Lord again for power to once more be victorious!

The Lord gave him back his strength and he conquered more Philistines in his death than in the entirety of his life.

What I am saying, is that if we have gotten unplugged from the source of our strength

If we are feeling beaten down and blinded by the enemy like Samson was ---

God is just a prayer away!!!

Just call out to HIM!!!! Surrender yourself to HIS GUIDELINES (HIS WORD) and ask Him to get into your situation again ---

Psalm 91:15 NLT

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

His power and strength is there waiting to rush back in and bring you VICTORY!

God promises to hear, answer and rescue and HONOR us!!!

Just as He heard Samson and HONORED him!

CONCLUSION

REMEMBER -

There is a STRENGTH and POWER that we can each have as Christians!

POWER to defeat the VILLAIN in our life — not other people, but the devil who wants to rob our faith in Jesus and destroy our lives.

Just like the villain in the Incredibles was self absorbed with control, so is the devil.

We have victory through Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

Jesus has given us guidelines to TAP INTO HIS POWER

The Bible and Prayer!!! and separating ourselves from the sinful stuff of this world.

STAY PLUGGED INTO JESUS!!!! and if you get unplugged - remember He is just a prayer away!