Sermon Tone Analysis

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..

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

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.

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 ---

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!