One Step at a time

Intro

We are talking in this series about that thing on the inside of us that is self destructing and undermines what God is wanting to do in our lives.

Theme verse:

Romans 7:17-20

As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

There is a sin nature on the inside of us that pulls us toward doing the wrong we don’t want.

Romans 7:24-25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

But this series is about hope.

Thanks to Jesus we don’t have to live that way.

using Samson as a poster child of this self destruction.

Summary sentence of his life.

Samson was an incredibly strong man, with a dangerously weak will.

He had incredible physical strength, given by God, because he was intended to be a great defender and conquerer for israel, but we see that he has incredible gaps in his life where he keeps falling for the same things over and over.

Week 1, we looked at attitudes that lead to self destruction.

I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it.

Week 2, We looked at life hacks from Samson.

At the end of the story we read last week about Samson, he has finally turned to God.

God has provided for him, revived him and he seems to be on the right track.

Judges 15:19-20

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

He began to be the leader he was intended to be, for 20 years.

We have to ask the question:

How did he get from here (following God) to the end of the story (humiliated, shaved head, eyes gouged and a laughing stock of the enemy philistines)?

Samson didn’t ruin his life all at once, it happened one step at a time.

no one wakes up and says I have a great marriage and family, tomorrow i want to be alone, destitute and distanced from everyone I love.

No one says I have great plans for my life, but I really want to try being a drug addict giving up everything I have just to get some drugs for the next fix.

No one ever says I don’t like having extra money, I don’t to be a generous person, let try bankruptcy, I’d love to have crushing financial pressure.

We don’t generally take on big step in a destructive direction, it’s a thousand small ones.

Judges 16:1-2

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”

Samson seems to be doing great.

Is now the deliverer and conquerer of Isreal. They are living in peace.

Then..... ONE DAY.

He decided to walk to Gaza.

In the beginning Samson got in trouble because he walked into the Philistine country where he shouldn’t have been and saw a philistine woman that got him in a lot of trouble.

That story was in Timnah, about 4 miles into the enemy territory.

Gaza is not about 25 miles into the philistine country.

And it is the epicenter, the headquarters of the philistine country.

As soon as he gets there, wouldn’t you know, he saw exactly what his weakness was in, a Philistine woman - he had to have.

It is so foolish to go so far and risk so much to gain so little.

Sin is pretty good at tricking us.

The church has sometimes done a disservice as we have taught about sin.

You better not drink or do drugs or look at that, because as soon as you do, it won’t feel good, it will destroy your life.

You better not have premarital sex, you won’t feel good, it’ll bring immediate destruction, It’s all just pain, heartache and tragedy.

And yes while this is all true in part, but the bible teaches there is a fleeting pleasure with sin (Heb)

We have taught there is no pleasure in sin and then our kids and people find out OH there is some pleasure in sin and think we have lied to them!!

But we need to understand sin.

Even though there can be some pleasure in sinful things, the bible says it is a fleeting pleasure. It’s momentary. Passes quickly.

When you go down that path, and you look back it will always cost you more than you ever thought you’d have to pay.

It’s the peanut butter on rat trap.

Samson, for whatever reason, decided to walk 25 miles in the wrong direction one day, and risked it all.

His calling, his relationship with God, his people, all for one moment of quick pleasure.

And this is how we ruin our lives.

One step at a time.

25 miles is around 50,000 steps. give or take.

it took 50,000 in the wrong direction.

the marriage doesn’t fail over night.

It’s one step at a time.

I’m tired of having these conversations, I don’t want to talk about it, One small word, one compromise, wow they are cute, they are just so easy to talk to, it’s not that big a deal,

All of a sudden, OVERNIGHT, your life is destroyed.

I’d never be the person that is a drug addict and needs that next hit or next pill.

I would never be that person who is dependent on my next drink to make it and binge drinks every night.

But one prescription for that pain after a surgery, led to needing another pill, and just another one because i need it. Now I can’t live without.

it’s just a drink to unwind, I had a little to much one time, it’s just 4 drinks, It’s just a crazy weekend....

We are all susceptible because sin is so subtle that if we aren’t careful, we excuse away all the steps we are taking toward destruction.

We don’t throw our lives away all at once, it 50,000 steps.

We will risk it all for something that will never meet yoru needs or actually give what it promises.

Judges 16:3

But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

It’s all about the small steps.

Samson goes out where the guys lay in wait, and takes their city Gate.

That is the sign of safety and strength for the city.

Reference point, world record for clean and jerk is around 580 pounds...

City Gate could have prob been around 1000lbs.

But what was he doing??

1. HE TAUNTED HIS ENEMY

You think your strong, look what I can do.

Often times we think we can taunt and play with the enemy without any recourse.

there is this dog at the end of our road. Big dog, deep haunting bark.

Cujos cousin. But this dog is behind a fence. Every-time we drive by or walk to get the mail he there waiting and barking.

I have been known to go by and mock this dog. He barks, I’ll bark.

haha stupid dog, your so big and strong but look at me running free. He’s behind a fence, he can’t to me.

Can you image my difference in attitude if i were to walk down hear that deep growl and bark, look up and he is beyond the fence...

You’ll never get me.

We sometimes live and act in way like the enemy of our souls can’t get to us, there is no recourse,

Devil is defeated, He can’t get me,

Even though I have stepped outside God’s will and his word.

And we easily forget that the devil is a Lion looking for someone to devour.

And we give the devil space to set traps we fall into.

1 Cor 10:12

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

We have to be careful how we’re living, be careful where we’re stepping.

Judges 16:4

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

2. HE RATIONALIZED THE SAME OLD SIN.

Philistine woman number 3.

God said don’t intermarry with other nations, they will cause you to serve false gods and fall away.

Stay faithful to me, marry within your people..

But samson yet again goes back to his thing. his one vice.

How many of us have excused that one thing..

I’m pretty good, I just have this one area.

I just like to go there, I just enjoy looking at that, I just like to flirt that way, I just like to talk that way, I just like to take the edge off with that.

It’s no big deal, won’t hurt anyone.

Samson didn’t realize how much it would eventually cost.

Judges 16:5

The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

Not sure how many rulers, but that’s a pretty good payday, and again Samson is sold out. Im gonna use him for a payday.

Story summary.

she comes home, Samson your so strong and manly.

tell me how you get your strength!

We know samson loved to play games.

he said, if you get 7 fresh straps and tie me up I can’t break them.

Samson the philistines are here, he wakes up tied up, but breaks them because he’s still strong.

I can’t believe you lied, please tell me the truth.

It’s 7 fresh ropes. It will take my strength.

And.... it all happens again.

I’m just saying, I would start to feel a little betrayed at this point....

She does it again, tell me tell me.

We see him get a little more confident, a little cocky, a little prideful.

he says if you weave the braids of my hair into a loom and stick a pin in it, i’ll be as weak as anyone else.

And..... again.

Judges 16:15

Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.”

Maybe because I keep waking up tied up in my room!!

Delilah let’s just call this relationship what it is, it’s def built on something else than trust....

Here is a man strong enough to beat 1000 warriors without a proper weapon, strong enough to rip the city gates off the hinges.

But he is not strong enough to say no to the wrong women.

Not strong enough to walk away from his one thing.

Thinks he can play with fire and not get burned, he’s too strong and good and important.

Judges 16:16

With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

One translation, asked so many questions he wanted to die...

There was at least one man here that wanted to amen, but you know you would die later....

Judges 16:17

So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

Judges 16:18-19

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

Judges 16:20

Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

Somewhere along the step we take, pride can set in and we can think we are what’s important.

I’m special, nothing will get to me.

Somehow you are strong on your own, even convince yourself you are untouchable.

This one thing won’t destroy me.

And now he’s the last one to recognize that the lords presence had left him.

He had walked so far away, a step at a time, he no longer even realized what God’s presence felt like, what the anointing of God felt like.

he was oblivious, incrementally walked away from God and didnt’ even realize.

3. HE ASSUMED HIS DISOBEDIENCE WOULD NEVER COST HIM.

Why not, it didn’t feel like it had cost him up to this point.

He was able to break the other vows he made to God, why would shaving his hair be different.

He had to have known it would happen!

There is a cost with us all and there is a breaking point.

There is a point where the spouse says I just can’t do this anymore.

Where your child says I love you but this all just hurts too bad.

Where the boss says you have talent, but you don’t show up on time and get the job done.

For all of us if we continue down the path, there is a breaking point.

You may be 10, 000 steps into to a 50,000 step breaking point and you dont realize the cost it will have if you keep going.

We cannot mistake God’s patience for his permission.

God has a grace that says turn around now before you suffer all of the pain.

He is full of grace and mercy and patience.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The holy spirit is speaking to some today saying turn around!!

come back home!

But if you keep waking down your own day, choosing yoru own path, eventually God will allow you to walk that path out along with the consequences.

Not because he doesn’t love you but because he does.

I’m not sure where you are on yoru journey of faith, but maybe you can see you’ve taken steps away from God.

This may be your wake up call, you may be a step away from it falling apart.

But the beauty is that no matter how many steps away you are, you’re always jus tone step away from Jesus.

Today you may be thinking, it’s too late.

things have already fallen apart, things are already a mess.

God could’t use or love me.

Judges 16:21-22

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

God is more gracious to forgive than we can image.

His mercies are new every morning.

No one is beyond his touch.

It’s time to turn around.

Repent. Jesus is right there!

PRAY