By All Means, Watch Your Step!

Opening Statement: Psalm 73:1-2

This sermon came through somewhat of a difficult means. When your heart belong to the people, you often find yourself wanting to please the ears of the hearers more than anything. And during a time where the ears of people’s ears are so anxious for something baseless, I am charged by God to preach with depth and conviction.

Since Monday, the Lord has been dealing with me concerning this subject. This is a message about holiness and accountability. While many will avoid such a sermon, I encourage you to listen attentively and apply to your lives the words that we will say today. For, God has never left the one who strives towards holiness and obedience without a blessing.

Psalm 73:1-2 shows us how easy it is to slip. Yet, I believe not many people understand just how costly one slip can be. God is, indeed, with the pure in heart. Yet, there must be a conscience effort on our behalf to protect the purity of our hearts.

Culture is the thing that attacks our consecration best. When we look at the things that we see in the world and desire them over the identity we have in God, we threaten our consecration.

Th e calling of God is to be effective. You can be gifted and called, but if you’re not consecrated your gift and calling is simply a form of entertainment because it does not help anyone. It only makes individuals comfortable in whatever problem or state they may be in.

Your consecration moves you from entertainment to effectiveness.

This is why we are driven to a story of the man Samson, who was called by God, but terrible at protecting his purity.

Introduction: Strong Man Samson

Samson is often known for his strength and power. Several passages depict him as unbeatable and mighty.

Defeat of the attacking lion.

Judges 14:5–9 NLT

5 As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. 6 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. 7 When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her. 8 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. 9 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.

Defeat over thirty men.

Judges 14:19 NLT

19 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.

Catching 300 foxes.

Judges 15:3–5 NLT

3 Samson said, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines.” 4 Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails. 5 Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the sheaves and the uncut grain. He also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves.

Killing 1,000 Philistines with a jawbone.

Judges 15:14 NLT

14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.

None of these things were done out of mere might. These things were done out of and through consecration.

What if you did things out of consecration and not simply your giftedness and ability?

Samson’s Consecration

Samson’s mother was barren and the Lord gave her a son. This son came during a period in Israel’s history when they were oppressed by the Philistines—over 40 years.

Samson’s strength came from consecration— Mom.

Samson’s consecration does not start with himself, but with his mother. His mother was to be consecrated for the purpose of his birth.

Protect it! Understand that your consecration is not always for you. Sometimes, your obligation to be holy is for what will come from you. Just as a woman with child, God has given us all something that is bound to come from us. It is our job to protect it with holiness and consecration.

In order to protect what you are carrying, you must receive instruction.

Most anointed people don’t like instruction. They often believe that the anointing is good enough to produce what God wants to bring from them.

Kingdom people learn to be anointed and obedient.

Judges 13:13–14 NLT

13 The angel of the Lord replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. 14 She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”

The Meaning of Nazarite (Judges 13:5)

The word Nazarite is special, because it means that one is to be withdrawn from ordinary use. More importantly, it means one must be the one withdrawing themselves.

Occurrences. The root nzr/nḏr is found in all branches of Semitic (whether Akk. nazāru, “vilify,” is related to it is questionable). The basic meaning is “withdraw from ordinary use, set apart.” In Biblical Hebrew the verb nzr appears 4 times in the niphal, with the meaning “refrain, consecrate oneself,” and 6 times in the hiphil, with the meaning “consecrate oneself.”1

1 G. Mayer, “נזר,” ed. G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, trans. David E. Green, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 307.

None of the things that we do successfully are based on our talent, giftedness, or strength. Rather, it is based on our consecration. When a person separates themselves towards a specific purpose, consecration happens.

Consecration is all about focus and intentionality. Any break in consecration can be credited to a lack of focus and intentionality.

Consider the work habits of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebrun James ($1,000,000 per year on body repair.)

What Was Samson Consecrated To? The Wild Man

Ancient literature often depicts Samson as a wild man. In fact, it is because of his consecration that he is a wild man. His consecration is towards being separated from the certain distractions and cultural influences that would jeopardize their purpose. He was called live, eat, and think in a way that counter those who were “domesticated.”

When there’s a call on your life, you must watch out for distractions. Distractions cause you to forget about the call of God that is on your life.

Satan’s most valuable weapon is distraction.

We will never be overthrown by things we don’t want. We are always overthrown by things we are enticed by.

Culture is this age’s number one distraction.

We have become too domesticated to be consecrated.

Distraction comes in many forms.

Addicted To My Distraction

One of the apparent elements in the story of Samson is his love for Philistine women. His consistent love for inappropriate women had become a flawed characteristic.

What happens when your distractions become your addiction?

Most addictions start with unmonitored distractions.

The worse things about addictions is that it makes you vulnerable. It makes you unaware and so driven by passion that you become senseless--losing all sense of caution. And because you are not careful, you expose yourself to the enemy in a way you would not have exposed yourself if you were not so addicted to a distraction.

When your distraction becomes your addiction, your weakness gets the best of you.

Judges 16:17 NLT

17 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.”

Judges 16:21 NLT

21 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.

Exhortation: Look to Jesus!

We don’t have to end our lives like Samson. We can win and escape slipping! Put your trust in Jesus and avoid slipping.

Jude 24–25 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Conclusion: It Doesn’t Have to End the Way It Started

If you have fallen, there’s still hope! God has given us the ability to have one last chance! It doesn’t have to end the way it started.

Commit yourself to a consecrated life.

It starts with a honest prayer.

Judges 16:23–31 NLT

23 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!” 24 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!” 25 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. 26 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.” 27 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. 28 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.” 29 Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, 30 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. 31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body. They took him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.