Sermon Tone Analysis

I. What is a Nazirite?

- Set apart one/Crown (distinguished from everyone else and is identified as set apart/for a specific task/for a specific period of time.)

- Temporary Warrior-Priest (3 exceptions)

- Mediator: Represent The people to God and God to the People.

- Spirit filled: all his power and strength comes from God empowered by the Spirit.

-Marked out- Long Hair:

1) Nazirite (crowned) a symbol to the people of his purpose

2) Crowned with long hair which symbolizes his representing the people to God as the bride or people of God.

3) 7 locks of braided hair to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit.

4) When the task has been accomplished, the hair is a fitting symbol to be offer back to God signifying the return of God’s power back to Him and that the job has been completed and now the Consecrated one can enter rest from the work he performed.

2. The Story of Samson

A. There is a two-fold problem:

- God’s People were living in sin

- The People’s enemy was oppressing them.

One Solution:

- God sends His champion (A dedicated Nazirite- Samson) to save his people.

B. Love is a battlefield.

[Judges 14:1-9]

Why does Samson seek to marry a woman from the enemy?

The first action of God in a situation where his people need saved and their enemies need subdued is Love.

Right out of the gate, before things get really hairy, God begins working through his love.

God tells us that he leads us to repentance through his lovingkindness.

So it should not be any surprise to us that God first approaches this situation in Love and what better way to demonstrate love than by marriage.

C. The Power of the Spirit- Able to defeat and able to make sweet!

What is the deal with the lion and the honey?

Samson is met by a lion and crushes it with his bare hands.

Honey comes from the lion and Samson eats it with his bare hands.

Here we get a glimpse of the power of the Holy Spirit upon the champion of God.

This helps demonstrate the abilities of the Champion filled with the power of God to accomplish his task.

God will use his champion to overcome the enemy, while at the same time creating life and sustenance from something dead which is the image of God’s people.

We get a 2 for 1 glimpse of the work of the Spirit upon the instrument of God.

Honey reminds God’s people of the land where they are to dwell and finally have rest.

D. Love hurts.

[Judges 14:10-19]

10 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men.

11 When the bride’s parents* saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.

12 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.

13 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.”

14 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.

15 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?”

16 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?” 17 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.

18 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!”

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.

20 So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.

Both Samson’s wife and the Philistines, by their actions, reject Samson’s actions of love and marriage.

They encourage his wife to betray him and she puts her trust in them rather than her husband.

We see the evil actions of the Philistines and the betrayal of the Bride which points to the two problems for which God is working His one solution.

He began with love and now He moves to justice.

E. Family drama.

[Judges 15:1-8]

Point 3: The Philistines reject the love offer of God.

Samson wants to prosper with a family.

Wife was given away to another.

Samson takes from them their prosperity of grain with fire.

They kill his wife and her father.

Samson kills and then goes into hiding.

Then Samson’s own people betray him.

The 3000 fear the 1000 even with a champion in their corner.

We can be so blinded by our oppression that we actually fear the enemy instead of God and work for the enemy and not for God who is stronger.

We are more than conquerors in Christ but we live like cowards fearing the weak.

5. Samson conquered the enemy singlehandedly.

6.

The weakness of this champion.

We see that Samson faces the exact same thing with another woman but this time he isn’t be led by the Spirit but in his own strength.

He reveals his secret and he is betrayed again and this time because he gave up his secret his strength was given up and he was overcome by his enemies.

They cut out his eyes so if he was to regain his strength, he couldn’t use it.

Point 4: When we walk by the flesh- we walk in sin and we quench the power of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

7. Samson’s hair grows back!

Point 5: Samson, God’s champion gave his life to conqueror His people’s enemy.

In order to gain life a lift must be lost.

In order to be set free it is going to cost you something.

We are called to give our lives for God and he uses it for bring life and freedom to others.

Point 6: From Samson to Christ the better Samson!

Samson ultimately failed as God’s true champion.

We are left expecting someone better who can accomplish completely what Samson didn’t- conqueror the enemy once for all and freeing the people from oppression.

Enter the Angel of the Lord and a virgin named Mary...

God’s sends a child- His Son.

Does anything good come from Nazareth?

Send apart.

Filled with Holy Spirit.

Betrayed by his enemies

Betrayed by his own disciples.

Blindfolded and beaten for amusement.

Performed works freeing others

Offers salvation to the enemies of God.