Sermon Tone Analysis
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Passage: Judges 16:28
Main Idea: Just when you think you have nothing left, God will give you strength to fight one more time.
Message Goal: Encourage the listener to not give up but seek God for strength one more time.
Introduction
A London newspaper carried an ad reading, “Father of three sons desires a daughter.
Can anyone send suggestions?”
More than a thousand answers were received, including an American’s advice to “keep trying.”
Tan, P. L. (1996).
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 201).
Bible Communications, Inc.
In our text, the nation of Israel had been oppressed for over forty years.
Over such a long period of time, there would have been many people that would have thought there’s no reason to keep on trying in anything.
The Philistines had dominated for forty years and the national oppression led to personal ramifications.
The PHILISTINES: A people who emigrated from southern Greece to the coastland of Canaan.
They were enemies of the Hebrew people between the time of the conquest until the divided kingdom.
However, their conflict with Israel goes as far back as Abraham (Genesis 20:1-17).
*Draw Attention to how the 13th chapter begins with Manoah as the subject.*
The sign of Israel’s oppression was found in the home of a man from the tribe of Dan, whose name was Manoah.
Manoah’s wife was unable to have children.
Such an inability was seen as a curse from God.
This family’s personal story seems to be a subtle individualized expression of Israel’s national predicament.
A cursed family within a cursed nation.
The Tension: Manoah’s Restless Life
Manoah’s name means “resting place.”
Yet, it seems he cannot find rest in his circumstance.
How do you keep on trying when you cannot find rest within your own self?
How do you keep on trying when you feel like God is against you?
There’s practically nothing that can stop the feeling of despair as to continue one’s effort towards the things which are positive and meaningful.
The only thing that can snap us out of such despair is a visitation from God. Accordingly, an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife.
Practical Point: God will give you an experience that will encourage you to keep trying.
God will will send messengers and messages into your life to remind you, you can keep on going!
Manoah’s response to the visitation is key!
He did not receive the message, but he was responsible for stewarding the message.
Practical Point: Don’t be resentful on how you get the message, just make sure you steward the message well.
Stewarding the message requires us to inquire on how to manage the blessing.
Sermon Points
Samson was called from the womb.
Samson was a man with extraordinary strength and an ordinary weakness who suffered an inordinate [unusually or disproportionately large’ excessive] consequence.
1. Called people have an extraordinary strength.
Many people would say it was the hair.
Yet, Samson’s true strength was the work of the Spirit in his life.
The hair was a covenant sign (symbol) of the strength.
NAZARITE VOW: This institution was a symbol of a life devoted to God and separated from all sin—a holy life (Numbers 6:2–21).
The vow of a Nazarite involved these three things.
1. Abstinence from wine and strong drink.
2. Refraining from cutting their hair during the whole period of the continuance of the vow.
3. Avoidance of contact with the dead.
Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998).
Manners & customs of the Bible (pp.
533–534).
Bridge-Logos Publishers.
Leading Statement into the next point: Always keep your strengths a secret, because every person with extraordinary strength has an ordinary weakness.
We must learn not to talk so much.
Move in secret.
Don’t share everything you’re doing, because the enemy is always listening.
2. Called people have an ordinary weakness.
No matter how great our strengths are, we must be careful, because extraordinary strength does not exclude us from ordinary weaknesses.
Sin makes us ordinarily weak in one way, while the Spirit makes us extraordinarily strong in another way.
b.
Keeping your strength’s a secret protects you from your weakness.
c.
Those who cannot avoid their own weaknesses are just like everyone else.
See Judges 16:7, 11, 13, 17.
3. Called people often suffer inordinate consequences.
a. Called people are often too careless as not to be led by their strengths, but rather to be led by their weakness.
Conclusion: Samson’s Last Request
Samson was defeated after being humiliated by his enemies.
The Philistines started praising their god for defeating Samson.
However, Samson prayed one last prayer.
He prayed that God would give him one more chance to fight again.
Concluding Point: When you feel down and too weak to get up another day, pray that God would give you one last chance to fight again!
Why just one more time?
Because we know if God gives us strength this last time, we will make sure we get the victory of that long-oppressive enemy.
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