South Union Sermons

God uses the systems that are in place by man's free will to bring about his ultimate purpose.

Bottom line: The Christian life is lame when God is not King!

In the time of the Judges, the nation of Israel struggled with idolatry. That struggle is as real for us today as it was for Israel then. The first commandment is: Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. It reveals the biggest struggle of our lives, i.e. the struggle to keep God first in our lives, to live in a way that God is truly God of our lives.

The second commandment is: thou shalt not make any graven image. It reveals our struggle to worship God as He truly is. We don't have to fashion a physical image in order to worship a god who is the work of our hands. We can reshape and revise who God is in our minds and hearts. We can bring God downward in holiness and man-ward in appearance (i.e. character, behavior, etc.). When we revise and reshape God, we practice idolatry, and our Christian experience becomes lame. Being awestruck with God is the result of recognizing God as our uncontrollable, holy King.

Bottom line: Rock bottom doesn't have to be our final defeat; it can be the place from which we repent and fight another day victoriously.

At rock bottom Samson humbled his heart in repentance and sought God's help by faith to restore his strength. Samson's greatest victory was on the other side of his rock bottom experience. Samson repented to fight another day. By faith he won the victory. Samson's experience is an encouragement to us to not give up or give in to the apparent defeat of hitting rock bottom. Instead, let's do what Samson did - repent and fight another day victoriously.

Bottom line: A compromised calling + a corrupted character = a collision course with a sinful disaster.

Samson is the picture of a believer who gets on a collision course with a sinful destruction. Samson compromised his calling by not living a life separated from sin and to God. He regularly chose to sin sexually, pridefully, disrespectfully, selfishly, etc. Samson literally became imprisoned in Gaza because he first became a prisoner of sin. The lesson we learn from Samson is that sin will not only eventually bring destruction, but it will predictably bring destruction. The course of sin in our lives is enticement, control, and betrayal. Sin will do to us metaphorically what actually happened to Samson. Sin will blind us, bind us, and make our lives grind.

Bottom Line – God will do more through you because of your faithfulness than He will do through you in spite of your unfaithfulness. 

Samson's birth (i.e. the birth of an army of one) was promised. He would be a child with great potential and a champion with great power. Samson was a man who was blessed by God with supernatural power. And there were times in his life where he exercised faith to use his strength to do amazing feats. Yet, when we study Samson's life we see that although he did exercise episodes of faith, he did not exercise faithfulness. He became so unfaithful to God that God's presence and power left Samson and he didn't even know it.

Did God use Samson? Yes. In spite of his unfaithfulness God did use him. But how much more would God have done through Samson if he had been faithful to God?

The story of Ruth and her redemption by a kinsman redeemer (Boaz) takes place during the time of the Judges. The book of Ruth is a wonderful story of love and redemption. It teaches us how the gospel is open to every person. And Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, points us to Jesus who is the ultimate redeemer of lost mankind.

Bottom line: Samson was strengthened by God even though he was sinful because he was willing to be faithful.

I am Samson. I am like Samson. I am no superhero. I can be used of God.

I have a story like Samson. God brought me into this world on purpose with a purpose.

I have the same source of strength like Samson. God's Holy Spirit strengthens me to serve His calling.

I, too often, have sin like Samson. When I yield to my fleshly desires, I will be led to sin.

And yet God will use me and strengthen me (a weak sinner) if I will be willing to be faithful.

Bottom line: We don't need an "if...then..." bargain with God. We need an "if not" clause in our statement of faith.

Jephthah sought to bargain with God to get a guaranteed victory over the Ammonites. He had faith that God had the power to deliver the Ammonites, but he didn't have confidence in what he and his army could do, so he rashly made a vow that in the end he wished he didn't have to keep, but he did. Instead of bargaining with God, Jephthah needed to expand his faith in God. He needed a faith that went beyond believing in the power of God, to a faith that believed in the purpose of God, i.e. trusting not only in what God could do but what God would do through him and his army.

We can learn some important lessons from Jephthah's vow.

1) Don't bargain with God.

2) If we make a promise or commitment to God, fulfill it.

3) Expand our faith to believe in God's power, purpose, and promise. When we do, we sense God's peace and presence with us in the "foxhole" moments of life.

Bottom line: When we fail to finish the right fight, we fall before we cross the finish line.

Gideon finished the fight against Midian, however he did not finish the fight for Israel. While he delivered Israel from Midianite oppression, he did not restore Israel to serving and worshipping Jehovah as God and King. He failed to finish the fight not only for Israel but also for himself. He ultimately got sacked by the very blessing of victory. He lost his humility, his heart-honesty, and his hallelujah. He stumbled and fell before he finished. And in the end, the people who received great blessing through his service to God forget both Gideon and God.