June 22, 2026 • 21 mins
How can Samson’s story in the Book of Judges teach us about the danger of wasting the God-given potential and purpose He has given us? In what ways do we, like Samson, allow ourselves to blend in with the world instead of relying on the Holy Spirit to do the great things God has called us to do? Take a listen and find out! #StJohnsBuffalo #CovertoCoverBible #BookOfJudges #SamsonStory #GodGivenPurpose
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:15,92.897959184 --> 00:00:20,172.897959184 Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:20,982.897959184 --> 00:00:21,782.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:23,462.897959184 --> 00:00:29,952.897959184 Who do you think had the highest IQ ever? Some people would guess Albert Einstein. 7 00:00:30,322.897959184 --> 00:00:32,332.898959184 Other people would guess Nikola Tesla. 8 00:00:32,582.896959184 --> 00:00:37,992.896959184 And those people would all be wrong, because it was actually this guy right here, William James Sidis. 9 00:00:38,852.896959184 --> 00:00:47,402.896959184 Scientists measure his IQ was right around 275, which is actually over 100 points higher than even Einstein. 10 00:00:48,122.895959184 --> 00:00:53,822.895959184 And you could tell from the youngest of ages that this Sidis, oh boy, was he gonna be something special. 11 00:00:54,192.895959184 --> 00:00:57,832.896959184 By the time he was six months old, he was talking in full sentences. 12 00:00:58,322.896959184 --> 00:01:02,802.895959184 By 18 months old, he was reading the New York Times aloud to his parents. 13 00:01:03,502.896959184 --> 00:01:14,772.896959184 At the age of eight, when most of us are just trying to master the English language, Sidis could read, write, and speak in at least eight languages, including Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, French, and Russian. 14 00:01:15,262.894959184 --> 00:01:16,642.895959184 Not bad for an eight-year-old. 15 00:01:17,412.896959184 --> 00:01:23,312.896959184 By the age of 11, he had enrolled in Harvard University because clearly middle school was not gonna be challenging enough for him. 16 00:01:24,692.899959184 --> 00:01:31,532.894959184 And by the age of 12, he was delivering complex lectures on four-dimensional geometry to the Harvard Mathematical Club. 17 00:01:32,582.898959184 --> 00:01:39,422.897959184 How many of us at the age of 12 even knew there was a fourth dimension, right? And I'm still a little bit skeptical of that one at the age of 35. 18 00:01:41,202.89395918 --> 00:01:47,352.89795918 And of course, at the age of 16, Sidis was graduating right at the top of his class from Harvard University. 19 00:01:48,672.89495918 --> 00:01:50,332.89695918 You could tell he was gonna be special. 20 00:01:50,882.89395918 --> 00:01:52,72.89595918 He was going places. 21 00:01:52,72.89695918 --> 00:02:01,62.89595918 He was gonna be a big deal, which begs the question, how come you have never heard of him? I'm gonna guess hardly anyone here has heard of William James Sidis. 22 00:02:02,82.89895918 --> 00:02:14,886.89795918 How come when someone messes up, we sarcastically say, "Good going, Einstein," and not, "Good going, Sidis"? Well, if we fast-forward to his adulthood, we find a rather sad story. 23 00:02:15,436.89795918 --> 00:02:23,176.89795918 Sidis decided that rather than use all that God-given potential to do special things, that he just wanted to blend in with the crowd. 24 00:02:23,596.89695918 --> 00:02:26,106.89795918 He wanted to be like everyone else. 25 00:02:26,786.89795918 --> 00:02:38,136.89695918 And so in his adulthood, rather than taking on some amazing professorship and solving the world's big problems, he takes on a fake name and works low-paying clerical jobs just to fit in. 26 00:02:39,246.89695918 --> 00:02:47,946.89795918 And when people figure out who he is, because it's hard to hide that kind of talent, isn't it? Well, he takes on a new fake name and takes on another low-paying clerical job. 27 00:02:49,246.89695918 --> 00:02:58,416.89795918 And in the later years of his life, he doesn't spend his time solving and coming up with cures for cancer, solving some mathematical equation that would bring so much good to the world. 28 00:02:58,776.89595918 --> 00:03:03,526.89595918 He spends the later years of his life actually inventing his own language, which he called Vendergood. 29 00:03:03,526.89595918 --> 00:03:09,986.89595918 It was a combination of French, Latin, and Russian, spoken by approximately one person, himself. 30 00:03:12,482.89795918 --> 00:03:25,12.89795918 The story of William James Sidis is truly a story of so much potential wasted And if you have been following along in your two-year Bible read-through we've been doing here at St. 31 00:03:25,12.89795918 --> 00:03:31,12.89795918 John's, this week you encountered a story of someone who wasted a lot of God-given potential. 32 00:03:31,762.89795918 --> 00:03:45,482.89795918 God gives Samson basically unlimited strength and potential to lead the Israelites to defeat their enemies, the Philistines, and rather than use that potential, he wastes it and just tries to blend in and be like everyone else around him. 33 00:03:46,742.89595918 --> 00:03:47,662.89695918 And the truth is, St. 34 00:03:47,662.89695918 --> 00:03:59,152.89895918 John's family, God actually gives you and me more potential to serve Him in big ways than even Samson, and we don't wanna make the same mistakes that he did. 35 00:03:59,482.89795918 --> 00:04:02,362.89795918 We don't wanna waste all of that God-given potential. 36 00:04:02,822.89795918 --> 00:04:08,372.89495918 So let's see if we can learn how to not do that from his mistakes and his story, which begins at Judges 13. 37 00:04:09,112.89495918 --> 00:04:12,292.89795918 It says, "Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 38 00:04:12,752.89895918 --> 00:04:16,762.89595918 So the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years." 39 00:04:17,632.89595918 --> 00:04:23,312.89795918 Pastor Clark talked about this last week, right? There's this cycle of sin in Judges. 40 00:04:23,762.89695918 --> 00:04:27,522.89295918 We see the Israelites doing the same thing over and over again. 41 00:04:28,412.89495918 --> 00:04:31,272.89595918 At some point, the generation will forget about God. 42 00:04:31,782.89695918 --> 00:04:35,842.89295918 They'll start worshiping false gods, and then God removes His protection from them. 43 00:04:36,142.89795918 --> 00:04:37,792.89395918 They get oppressed by their enemies. 44 00:04:38,712.89795918 --> 00:04:52,772.89295918 Well, after some time, be it four, eight, or 16 years, they'll cry out to God to be rescued, and in God's grace and mercy and love for the Israelites, He sends them a rescuer, what we might call a judge, someone who saves the Israelites from their enemies. 45 00:04:54,92.89495918 --> 00:05:00,892.89795918 Well, then they'll praise God, and then the next generation will be born, and they'll forget about God, and the cycle will start all over again. 46 00:05:01,972.89195918 --> 00:05:12,132.89795918 At this point in the book of Judges, this cycle's been going on for 40 years, and actually, for the first time ever, the Israelites aren't even gonna cry out to God to be rescued. 47 00:05:12,922.89695918 --> 00:05:18,492.89695918 But in God's grace and mercy and love for the Israelites, He sends them a rescuer anyways. 48 00:05:18,492.89695918 --> 00:05:20,622.89295918 He sends them this judge, Samson. 49 00:05:21,312.89595918 --> 00:05:22,92.89295918 And look at him. 50 00:05:22,252.89895918 --> 00:05:24,862.89195918 He is clearly gonna be something special. 51 00:05:24,862.89195918 --> 00:05:28,42.89495918 You could tell that from the youngest of ages. 52 00:05:29,262.89295918 --> 00:05:31,912.89895918 We know he's gonna be something special for a couple reasons. 53 00:05:32,132.88795918 --> 00:05:36,892.88895918 First, an angel actually comes to Samson's mom and announced that he's gonna be born. 54 00:05:37,562.89595918 --> 00:05:43,142.90095918 Whenever an angel announces an upcoming birth in Scripture, take note, that baby is gonna be something special. 55 00:05:44,382.88795918 --> 00:05:51,692.89295918 But beyond that, we know he's gonna be special because a Nazarite vow, of all things, is actually placed on him from the time he's in the womb. 56 00:05:52,612.89895918 --> 00:06:01,62.90195918 The angel says to Samson's mom that Samson's head is never to be touched by a razor, because the boy is to be a Nazarite, dedicated to God from the womb. 57 00:06:01,552.90195918 --> 00:06:05,722.89595918 He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. 58 00:06:06,82.89995918 --> 00:06:18,172.89395918 Now, a Nazarite vow, it's something we see throughout the Bible, but primarily in the Old Testament, and it was a way of indicating that someone was specially set apart and super dedicated to the things of the Lord. 59 00:06:18,402.89795918 --> 00:06:21,992.89795918 Their life was gonna be all about serving and following God. 60 00:06:22,932.89795918 --> 00:06:26,762.89795918 You would indicate that you had taken a Nazarite vow by doing these three things. 61 00:06:26,952.89795918 --> 00:06:29,892.89695918 First, you would have no contact with grape products. 62 00:06:30,202.89795918 --> 00:06:34,842.89695918 Second, you would have no contact with any dead bodies whatsoever, human or animal. 63 00:06:35,732.89795918 --> 00:06:40,182.89695918 And third, you would never get a haircut during the duration of your Nazarite vow. 64 00:06:41,122.89695918 --> 00:06:54,462.89795918 Understanding that these are the three conditions of the Nazarite vow completely unlocks the story of Samson, because what we're gonna see is it's truly the story of how he breaks that Nazarite vow in every way you possibly could. 65 00:06:55,472.89795918 --> 00:07:00,602.89695918 And in fact, we see that as soon as an adult Samson comes onto the scene in Judges 14. 66 00:07:00,822.89595918 --> 00:07:04,502.89595918 Listen to the first words that Samson speaks here in scripture. 67 00:07:05,202.89695918 --> 00:07:09,982.89695918 It says, "Samson said to his father and mother, 'I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. 68 00:07:10,312.89795918 --> 00:07:12,832.89795918 Now get her for me as my wife.' 69 00:07:13,692.89495918 --> 00:07:16,892.89495918 And so Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. 70 00:07:17,382.89795918 --> 00:07:22,12.89495918 As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 71 00:07:22,542.89695918 --> 00:07:29,672.89295918 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat." 72 00:07:31,266.89795918 --> 00:07:36,876.89795918 There's a couple of significant problems here in those first few verses of an adult Samson. 73 00:07:37,726.89795918 --> 00:07:45,796.89795918 First, he has decided that he wants to marry a Philistine woman, the enemy, right? These people that he's supposed to be totally different than. 74 00:07:45,796.89795918 --> 00:07:47,576.89795918 It's like he wants to be one of them. 75 00:07:47,576.89795918 --> 00:07:49,686.89795918 You're gonna see that throughout the story. 76 00:07:51,106.89795918 --> 00:07:57,236.89795918 But second, and actually even worse than that, is where Samson finds himself as the story begins. 77 00:07:57,886.89695918 --> 00:07:59,556.89695918 He's in the vineyards of Timnah. 78 00:08:00,196.89795918 --> 00:08:25,776.89695918 Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't vineyards usually really full of grapes? And wasn't Samson supposed to avoid all grape products? If he was taking his Nazarite vows seriously, what would he have done when he came to that vineyard? Would've walked all the way around it, right? But he decides to go right through it, and because Samson was where he wasn't supposed to be, he faced an attack he should never have had to face. 79 00:08:26,236.89495918 --> 00:08:32,156.89695918 And there's a whole other sermon there for us, by the way, on how we do that same thing, but that'll be for another time. 80 00:08:33,436.89595918 --> 00:08:39,516.89495918 Samson faces a battle he should never have had to face because he's not taking his Nazarite vows seriously at all. 81 00:08:40,86.89795918 --> 00:08:42,16.89295918 But the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. 82 00:08:42,16.89795918 --> 00:08:46,936.89495918 He rips apart that lion as one does a young goat, and then he just goes on living his life. 83 00:08:47,506.89595918 --> 00:08:51,146.89795918 It says, "Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her." 84 00:08:51,366.89595918 --> 00:08:53,886.89695918 He decides, "She is the one for me." 85 00:08:54,626.89895918 --> 00:09:00,446.89695918 And so he heads back to Israel to get all the things he needs, and then he heads back down to Timnah to marry her. 86 00:09:00,766.89795918 --> 00:09:08,96.89795918 And when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 87 00:09:08,516.89795918 --> 00:09:12,286.89895918 He scooped out honey with his hands and ate it as he went along. 88 00:09:13,186.89595918 --> 00:09:16,396.89795918 So Samson, he's gonna take the same route back to Timnah. 89 00:09:16,666.89195918 --> 00:09:18,576.89895918 He finds himself in the vineyard again. 90 00:09:18,586.89795918 --> 00:09:21,146.89695918 Why not? He goes to check on his kill. 91 00:09:21,286.89495918 --> 00:09:23,396.89195918 The lion is still dead, believe it or not. 92 00:09:23,396.89495918 --> 00:09:25,286.89595918 He had ripped it apart with his bare hands. 93 00:09:25,706.89295918 --> 00:09:29,866.89595918 And in that lion, he finds a little hive, some bees, and some honey. 94 00:09:30,306.89895918 --> 00:09:31,436.89695918 And so he reaches on down. 95 00:09:31,436.89695918 --> 00:09:32,256.89295918 It's a long journey. 96 00:09:32,256.89595918 --> 00:09:34,866.89695918 He has himself a little snack, and he goes on his way. 97 00:09:35,866.89595918 --> 00:09:43,326.89695918 But what did Samson just do? He just had contact with a dead body, right? That lion is very dead. 98 00:09:43,336.88995918 --> 00:09:47,886.89595918 He has broken the second condition on his Nazarite vow in the story. 99 00:09:48,426.90195918 --> 00:09:54,416.89495918 This man who was supposed to be so set apart and so different from all the other people, he's just like them. 100 00:09:54,976.88895918 --> 00:10:06,136.88795918 In fact, he's just like the first humans who walked this earth, isn't he? He's just like Adam and Eve, who saw something sinful, desirable, and sweet to eat, and they reached out and they took it for themselves. 101 00:10:06,386.89295918 --> 00:10:08,806.89295918 That's what Samson does here. 102 00:10:10,296.89295918 --> 00:10:14,546.88695918 And if that story isn't strange enough, the story gets even stranger from that point on. 103 00:10:14,786.88695918 --> 00:10:16,816.88995918 Samson goes through with the marriage. 104 00:10:17,226.88895918 --> 00:10:22,646.88795918 He gets married, and as part of his wedding party, he has 30 Philistine groomsmen. 105 00:10:22,646.88795918 --> 00:10:28,866.89795918 No Israelite groomsmen, but 30 Philistine groomsmen up there to support him as he makes those marriage vows. 106 00:10:30,796.89795918 --> 00:10:32,886.89795918 And he gives them this strange speech. 107 00:10:33,386.89795918 --> 00:10:34,916.89795918 He says, "Let me tell you a riddle. 108 00:10:35,376.89795918 --> 00:10:41,826.89795918 If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 sets of clothes. 109 00:10:42,436.89795918 --> 00:10:46,486.89695918 If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 sets of clothes." 110 00:10:47,216.89795918 --> 00:10:48,566.89695918 "Tell us your riddle," they said. 111 00:10:48,796.89795918 --> 00:10:49,416.89795918 "Let's hear it." 112 00:10:49,926.89695918 --> 00:10:52,496.89795918 He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat. 113 00:10:52,576.89695918 --> 00:10:54,596.89695918 Out of the strong, something sweet." 114 00:10:55,416.89695918 --> 00:11:02,356.89695918 Not a riddle in the common sense, not as we would think of one anyways, but we know the answer to that, right? Out of the eater, something to eat. 115 00:11:02,396.89695918 --> 00:11:08,226.89895918 Out of the strong, something sweet, is talking about that lion that Samson killed and the honey that he took out of it. 116 00:11:09,406.89695918 --> 00:11:22,926.89595918 Now, Samson's Philistine groomsmen have no chance of figuring out the answer to this riddle on their own, do they? It looks like they're gonna be out 30 sets of clothing, which in a time when people only had a set or two of clothing, this is a very big deal. 117 00:11:24,256.89495918 --> 00:11:27,386.89795918 But then they do something that makes Samson a little mad. 118 00:11:27,926.89695918 --> 00:11:33,26.89695918 Samson's groomsmen go to his new bride, and they get her to tell them the answer, and of course she did. 119 00:11:33,26.89695918 --> 00:11:33,936.89695918 She's a Philistine. 120 00:11:33,936.89695918 --> 00:11:35,416.89695918 She's on their side. 121 00:11:36,316.89695918 --> 00:11:47,306.89595918 And Samson becomes so enraged by how they figured out this riddle that it says he struck down 30 of their men, stripped them of everything, and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. 122 00:11:48,756.89895918 --> 00:11:54,906.89295918 The Book of Judges is pretty violent, isn't it, as we go through it? But his debt has been paid. 123 00:11:55,806.89495918 --> 00:12:05,86.89695918 Of course, he's still so angry at the Philistines that in Judges 15 it says he takes the jawbone of a donkey and kills 1,000 Philistines with it. 124 00:12:06,916.89495918 --> 00:12:08,126.89795918 You say, "Pastor Ryan, that's great. 125 00:12:08,126.89795918 --> 00:12:09,886.89595918 He's finally doing what he's supposed to do. 126 00:12:09,886.89595918 --> 00:12:14,276.89195918 He's finally taking down the enemies of Israel, the enemies of God." 127 00:12:15,966.89795918 --> 00:12:24,616.89695918 But even in that action, he's breaking his Nazarite vow, isn't he? Because believe it or not, that jawbone belonged to a dead donkey. 128 00:12:25,536.89795918 --> 00:12:39,366.89295918 Samson, were there no swords available to you, or spears, or even a stone? Did you have to break your Nazarite vow to kill those enemies of God? You say, "Well, Pastor Ryan, at least he has to be done with the Philistines now. 129 00:12:39,366.89995918 --> 00:12:42,876.89695918 I mean, there's no going back and hanging out with them after all of that." 130 00:12:43,956.89595918 --> 00:12:44,766.88795918 Not exactly. 131 00:12:45,66.89695918 --> 00:12:49,446.90095918 Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman, whose name was Delilah. 132 00:12:49,986.89495918 --> 00:13:00,226.89495918 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. 133 00:13:00,826.89095918 --> 00:13:03,936.89895918 Each one of us will give you 1,100 shekels of silver." 134 00:13:04,556.88695918 --> 00:13:11,86.89395918 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." 135 00:13:12,426.89695918 --> 00:13:19,146.89495918 Now, I have no idea how Samson falls for this, but Delilah goes to him and says, "Oh, Samson." 136 00:13:22,934.89795918 --> 00:13:28,164.89795918 "What's the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued?" "I don't know, babe. 137 00:13:28,204.89795918 --> 00:13:30,594.89795918 That seems like kind of a suspicious question. 138 00:13:30,594.89795918 --> 00:13:33,684.89695918 It seems like you might be a double agent for the Philistines." 139 00:13:34,554.89695918 --> 00:13:36,244.89795918 "Oh, Samson, you can trust me. 140 00:13:36,244.89795918 --> 00:13:37,284.89695918 Just tell me, please." 141 00:13:40,650.89795918 --> 00:13:42,740.89795918 "Well, okay, but don't tell this to anybody. 142 00:13:42,780.89795918 --> 00:13:50,290.89795918 No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother's womb." 143 00:13:50,290.89795918 --> 00:13:51,410.89795918 Oh so dedicated. 144 00:13:51,750.89695918 --> 00:13:56,890.89795918 "If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 145 00:13:57,690.89795918 --> 00:14:05,670.89695918 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. 146 00:14:05,870.89795918 --> 00:14:13,10.89695918 And of course, it had, because he had shattered his Nazarite vow now in every way that you possibly could. 147 00:14:15,52.89795918 --> 00:14:28,462.89795918 And Samson's life, it basically ends, the story basically ends with him captured, the Philistines blind him, and then they throw him into a Philistine temple to be an entertaining spectacle for all of God's enemies. 148 00:14:29,352.89695918 --> 00:14:30,182.89795918 Look, there he is. 149 00:14:30,192.89795918 --> 00:14:30,882.89795918 There's Samson. 150 00:14:30,882.89795918 --> 00:14:33,182.89795918 He could have been something so special. 151 00:14:33,502.89695918 --> 00:14:42,332.89795918 Samson could have led Israel in amazing ways, but the truth is, he can't get out of his own way, now can he? He wants to just blend in with the Philistines rather than be set apart. 152 00:14:42,482.89695918 --> 00:14:46,922.89795918 He wants to say yes to the things of this world rather than yes to God's will. 153 00:14:48,772.89795918 --> 00:14:59,432.89595918 And in that last regard, boy, are we a whole lot like Samson, aren't we? In fact, I would say we're even worse because we waste even more potential than Samson did. 154 00:15:00,692.89595918 --> 00:15:11,112.89695918 Pastor Ryan, what do you mean I waste more potential than Samson did? I know I've been working out a lot, but there's no way I'm strong enough to rip apart a lion with my bare hands as one does a young goat. 155 00:15:12,532.89595918 --> 00:15:24,442.89595918 Well, it's not necessarily this kind of potential that I'm talking about, but listen to what Jesus says about your potential in our highlighted verse of the day, words he speaks to his disciples and those who would become his disciples. 156 00:15:24,442.89995918 --> 00:15:33,962.89295918 He says, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these." 157 00:15:35,812.89495918 --> 00:15:38,332.89895918 Let's not overcomplicate this verse. 158 00:15:39,102.89595918 --> 00:15:43,152.89695918 Think about the amazing things that Jesus has done. 159 00:15:43,902.89895918 --> 00:15:45,282.89895918 Think about the miracles. 160 00:15:46,12.89895918 --> 00:15:50,282.89395918 Think about how he spread the gospel in incredible ways. 161 00:15:51,642.89595918 --> 00:16:02,432.89195918 Jesus says, these are his words, not mine, that his disciples and those who will become his disciples are gonna do even more amazing things than he did. 162 00:16:04,112.89795918 --> 00:16:13,972.89395918 And the reason that we can do even more amazing things is because the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. 163 00:16:15,382.89395918 --> 00:16:24,512.88895918 The Holy Spirit gives us unlimited potential to do, as Jesus said, once again, his words, not mine, even greater things than him. 164 00:16:26,582.89795918 --> 00:16:49,32.8979592 Which begs the question, how come so many of us aren't doing amazing things at all? How come we're not praying over people to be healed and seeing amazing things again, and again, and again, and again? How come some of us aren't sharing the Good News and having it be received in incredible ways like Jesus did? I think the reason for that is because we're a whole lot like Samson. 165 00:16:49,672.8969592 --> 00:16:59,822.8979592 Like Samson, we get caught up trying to fit into the world, trying to be like everyone else around us, rather than doing the things that we were set apart by God to do. 166 00:17:00,582.8979592 --> 00:17:06,462.8959592 Like Samson, there are sins we should say no to that we say yes to, that take us away from doing God's will. 167 00:17:06,912.8959592 --> 00:17:14,582.8959592 Like Samson, we put ourselves around things that we shouldn't, and because of that, we face attacks from Satan and this world that we could've easily avoided. 168 00:17:15,952.8969592 --> 00:17:24,142.8959592 Like Samson, with that lion, and the honey, and the vineyard there, we return to our place of sin again and again for momentary sweetness. 169 00:17:26,72.8959592 --> 00:17:33,782.8949592 We're a whole lot like Samson, and we sure do waste a lot of that potential that God gives us to serve Him in big ways. 170 00:17:35,542.8939592 --> 00:17:42,142.8929592 Thankfully, there was someone who came along that lived up to the billing, that used all of that God-given potential. 171 00:17:42,282.8989592 --> 00:17:45,462.8959592 That someone is, of course, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 172 00:17:46,322.8929592 --> 00:17:53,252.8949592 And by the way, as we look at Jesus' story, He's a whole lot like Samson, and yet he's the opposite of Samson in many ways. 173 00:17:54,522.8969592 --> 00:17:59,672.8949592 An angel does come to Jesus' mother to announce His upcoming birth, just like Samson. 174 00:18:00,572.8929592 --> 00:18:11,62.8969592 And just like Samson, that angel tells Jesus' mother that this boy is gonna be something special, set apart to serve God in big ways. 175 00:18:12,832.8949592 --> 00:18:23,892.8949592 Now, unlike Samson, who went down to the Philistines and would never stop sinning and breaking his Nazarite vow, Jesus comes down to this earth a Nazarene who follows God's will perfectly. 176 00:18:24,12.8949592 --> 00:18:38,342.8999592 He does all the things that He was set apart to do, and then He takes His perfect self to the cross, where He dies on it just for you and me, and finally breaks that cycle of sin that we see over and over again in the Book of Judges. 177 00:18:39,762.8949592 --> 00:18:43,202.8979592 And in that action, He removes the space that was between you and God. 178 00:18:43,312.8979592 --> 00:18:50,952.8889592 Now God can have a personal relationship with you, you can have a personal relationship with Him, and God gives you the gift of His Holy Spirit. 179 00:18:51,112.9009592 --> 00:19:00,522.8949592 The same Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you and giving you the potential to do even greater things in the service of the Lord than Jesus did. 180 00:19:00,532.8989592 --> 00:19:03,102.8969592 Once again, Jesus' words, not mine. 181 00:19:06,400.8979592 --> 00:19:19,700.8979592 And as we close out this message today, I want you to understand that as long as you are still breathing, as long as you are still living, you still have that potential within you to serve God in incredible ways. 182 00:19:20,370.8979592 --> 00:19:23,50.8979592 Just look at how the story of Samson ends. 183 00:19:23,760.8969592 --> 00:19:28,650.8979592 It doesn't simply end with him blind being made fun of by the Philistines in one of their temples. 184 00:19:29,200.8979592 --> 00:19:31,610.8979592 No, it ends with him crying out to the Lord. 185 00:19:31,620.8979592 --> 00:19:40,820.8969592 Finally, finally someone breaks that cycle in Judges 13, 14, 15, and cries out to God for the Israelites to be rescued. 186 00:19:41,680.8959592 --> 00:19:42,640.8989592 God responds. 187 00:19:42,850.8979592 --> 00:19:58,580.8959592 He fills Samson with His Holy Spirit once again, and Samson, with that strength for one last time, he pulls down that temple on himself and all the Philistines that were in it, defeating many of the enemies of God, crushing them, in fact. 188 00:20:00,920.8979592 --> 00:20:17,540.8979592 As long as you are still living, as long as you are still breathing, it is not too late to cry out to God like Samson did, to repent of your sins, and to ask God to fill you with that Holy Spirit once again that you may do even greater things than Jesus. 189 00:20:19,210.8989592 --> 00:20:23,140.8969592 And actually, as we close out this message today, that's exactly what we're gonna do. 190 00:20:23,600.8979592 --> 00:20:25,600.8979592 We're gonna cry out to the Lord like Samson did. 191 00:20:25,600.8979592 --> 00:20:44,710.8959592 If you would pray with me, say, Lord, help me to remember that you have set me apart for special purposes, and that through your Holy Spirit, you have given me unlimited potential to serve you in amazing ways. 192 00:20:45,470.8989592 --> 00:20:51,310.8969592 May you help me to say no to the things of this world, and yes to you. 193 00:20:51,940.8959592 --> 00:21:03,780.8959592 May you reveal to me the special purposes for which you have created me, and then may I do those things in Jesus' name, Amen. 194 00:21:07,325.8979592 --> 00:21:08,975.8979592 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 195 00:21:08,975.8979592 --> 00:21:11,55.8979592 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 196 00:21:11,375.8979592 --> 00:21:13,175.8979592 If you would like more information about St. 197 00:21:13,175.8979592 --> 00:21:18,835.8979592 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 198 00:21:18,845.8979592 --> 00:21:18,855.8979592 stjohnsbuffalo.org. 199 00:21:21,115.8969592 --> 00:21:22,405.8979592 Thank you and God bless you.
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:15,92.897959184 --> 00:00:20,172.897959184 Oh Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus. 5 00:00:20,982.897959184 --> 00:00:21,782.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:23,462.897959184 --> 00:00:29,952.897959184 Who do you think had the highest IQ ever? Some people would guess Albert Einstein. 7 00:00:30,322.897959184 --> 00:00:32,332.898959184 Other people would guess Nikola Tesla. 8 00:00:32,582.896959184 --> 00:00:37,992.896959184 And those people would all be wrong, because it was actually this guy right here, William James Sidis. 9 00:00:38,852.896959184 --> 00:00:47,402.896959184 Scientists measure his IQ was right around 275, which is actually over 100 points higher than even Einstein. 10 00:00:48,122.895959184 --> 00:00:53,822.895959184 And you could tell from the youngest of ages that this Sidis, oh boy, was he gonna be something special. 11 00:00:54,192.895959184 --> 00:00:57,832.896959184 By the time he was six months old, he was talking in full sentences. 12 00:00:58,322.896959184 --> 00:01:02,802.895959184 By 18 months old, he was reading the New York Times aloud to his parents. 13 00:01:03,502.896959184 --> 00:01:14,772.896959184 At the age of eight, when most of us are just trying to master the English language, Sidis could read, write, and speak in at least eight languages, including Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, French, and Russian. 14 00:01:15,262.894959184 --> 00:01:16,642.895959184 Not bad for an eight-year-old. 15 00:01:17,412.896959184 --> 00:01:23,312.896959184 By the age of 11, he had enrolled in Harvard University because clearly middle school was not gonna be challenging enough for him. 16 00:01:24,692.899959184 --> 00:01:31,532.894959184 And by the age of 12, he was delivering complex lectures on four-dimensional geometry to the Harvard Mathematical Club. 17 00:01:32,582.898959184 --> 00:01:39,422.897959184 How many of us at the age of 12 even knew there was a fourth dimension, right? And I'm still a little bit skeptical of that one at the age of 35. 18 00:01:41,202.89395918 --> 00:01:47,352.89795918 And of course, at the age of 16, Sidis was graduating right at the top of his class from Harvard University. 19 00:01:48,672.89495918 --> 00:01:50,332.89695918 You could tell he was gonna be special. 20 00:01:50,882.89395918 --> 00:01:52,72.89595918 He was going places. 21 00:01:52,72.89695918 --> 00:02:01,62.89595918 He was gonna be a big deal, which begs the question, how come you have never heard of him? I'm gonna guess hardly anyone here has heard of William James Sidis. 22 00:02:02,82.89895918 --> 00:02:14,886.89795918 How come when someone messes up, we sarcastically say, "Good going, Einstein," and not, "Good going, Sidis"? Well, if we fast-forward to his adulthood, we find a rather sad story. 23 00:02:15,436.89795918 --> 00:02:23,176.89795918 Sidis decided that rather than use all that God-given potential to do special things, that he just wanted to blend in with the crowd. 24 00:02:23,596.89695918 --> 00:02:26,106.89795918 He wanted to be like everyone else. 25 00:02:26,786.89795918 --> 00:02:38,136.89695918 And so in his adulthood, rather than taking on some amazing professorship and solving the world's big problems, he takes on a fake name and works low-paying clerical jobs just to fit in. 26 00:02:39,246.89695918 --> 00:02:47,946.89795918 And when people figure out who he is, because it's hard to hide that kind of talent, isn't it? Well, he takes on a new fake name and takes on another low-paying clerical job. 27 00:02:49,246.89695918 --> 00:02:58,416.89795918 And in the later years of his life, he doesn't spend his time solving and coming up with cures for cancer, solving some mathematical equation that would bring so much good to the world. 28 00:02:58,776.89595918 --> 00:03:03,526.89595918 He spends the later years of his life actually inventing his own language, which he called Vendergood. 29 00:03:03,526.89595918 --> 00:03:09,986.89595918 It was a combination of French, Latin, and Russian, spoken by approximately one person, himself. 30 00:03:12,482.89795918 --> 00:03:25,12.89795918 The story of William James Sidis is truly a story of so much potential wasted And if you have been following along in your two-year Bible read-through we've been doing here at St. 31 00:03:25,12.89795918 --> 00:03:31,12.89795918 John's, this week you encountered a story of someone who wasted a lot of God-given potential. 32 00:03:31,762.89795918 --> 00:03:45,482.89795918 God gives Samson basically unlimited strength and potential to lead the Israelites to defeat their enemies, the Philistines, and rather than use that potential, he wastes it and just tries to blend in and be like everyone else around him. 33 00:03:46,742.89595918 --> 00:03:47,662.89695918 And the truth is, St. 34 00:03:47,662.89695918 --> 00:03:59,152.89895918 John's family, God actually gives you and me more potential to serve Him in big ways than even Samson, and we don't wanna make the same mistakes that he did. 35 00:03:59,482.89795918 --> 00:04:02,362.89795918 We don't wanna waste all of that God-given potential. 36 00:04:02,822.89795918 --> 00:04:08,372.89495918 So let's see if we can learn how to not do that from his mistakes and his story, which begins at Judges 13. 37 00:04:09,112.89495918 --> 00:04:12,292.89795918 It says, "Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 38 00:04:12,752.89895918 --> 00:04:16,762.89595918 So the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years." 39 00:04:17,632.89595918 --> 00:04:23,312.89795918 Pastor Clark talked about this last week, right? There's this cycle of sin in Judges. 40 00:04:23,762.89695918 --> 00:04:27,522.89295918 We see the Israelites doing the same thing over and over again. 41 00:04:28,412.89495918 --> 00:04:31,272.89595918 At some point, the generation will forget about God. 42 00:04:31,782.89695918 --> 00:04:35,842.89295918 They'll start worshiping false gods, and then God removes His protection from them. 43 00:04:36,142.89795918 --> 00:04:37,792.89395918 They get oppressed by their enemies. 44 00:04:38,712.89795918 --> 00:04:52,772.89295918 Well, after some time, be it four, eight, or 16 years, they'll cry out to God to be rescued, and in God's grace and mercy and love for the Israelites, He sends them a rescuer, what we might call a judge, someone who saves the Israelites from their enemies. 45 00:04:54,92.89495918 --> 00:05:00,892.89795918 Well, then they'll praise God, and then the next generation will be born, and they'll forget about God, and the cycle will start all over again. 46 00:05:01,972.89195918 --> 00:05:12,132.89795918 At this point in the book of Judges, this cycle's been going on for 40 years, and actually, for the first time ever, the Israelites aren't even gonna cry out to God to be rescued. 47 00:05:12,922.89695918 --> 00:05:18,492.89695918 But in God's grace and mercy and love for the Israelites, He sends them a rescuer anyways. 48 00:05:18,492.89695918 --> 00:05:20,622.89295918 He sends them this judge, Samson. 49 00:05:21,312.89595918 --> 00:05:22,92.89295918 And look at him. 50 00:05:22,252.89895918 --> 00:05:24,862.89195918 He is clearly gonna be something special. 51 00:05:24,862.89195918 --> 00:05:28,42.89495918 You could tell that from the youngest of ages. 52 00:05:29,262.89295918 --> 00:05:31,912.89895918 We know he's gonna be something special for a couple reasons. 53 00:05:32,132.88795918 --> 00:05:36,892.88895918 First, an angel actually comes to Samson's mom and announced that he's gonna be born. 54 00:05:37,562.89595918 --> 00:05:43,142.90095918 Whenever an angel announces an upcoming birth in Scripture, take note, that baby is gonna be something special. 55 00:05:44,382.88795918 --> 00:05:51,692.89295918 But beyond that, we know he's gonna be special because a Nazarite vow, of all things, is actually placed on him from the time he's in the womb. 56 00:05:52,612.89895918 --> 00:06:01,62.90195918 The angel says to Samson's mom that Samson's head is never to be touched by a razor, because the boy is to be a Nazarite, dedicated to God from the womb. 57 00:06:01,552.90195918 --> 00:06:05,722.89595918 He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. 58 00:06:06,82.89995918 --> 00:06:18,172.89395918 Now, a Nazarite vow, it's something we see throughout the Bible, but primarily in the Old Testament, and it was a way of indicating that someone was specially set apart and super dedicated to the things of the Lord. 59 00:06:18,402.89795918 --> 00:06:21,992.89795918 Their life was gonna be all about serving and following God. 60 00:06:22,932.89795918 --> 00:06:26,762.89795918 You would indicate that you had taken a Nazarite vow by doing these three things. 61 00:06:26,952.89795918 --> 00:06:29,892.89695918 First, you would have no contact with grape products. 62 00:06:30,202.89795918 --> 00:06:34,842.89695918 Second, you would have no contact with any dead bodies whatsoever, human or animal. 63 00:06:35,732.89795918 --> 00:06:40,182.89695918 And third, you would never get a haircut during the duration of your Nazarite vow. 64 00:06:41,122.89695918 --> 00:06:54,462.89795918 Understanding that these are the three conditions of the Nazarite vow completely unlocks the story of Samson, because what we're gonna see is it's truly the story of how he breaks that Nazarite vow in every way you possibly could. 65 00:06:55,472.89795918 --> 00:07:00,602.89695918 And in fact, we see that as soon as an adult Samson comes onto the scene in Judges 14. 66 00:07:00,822.89595918 --> 00:07:04,502.89595918 Listen to the first words that Samson speaks here in scripture. 67 00:07:05,202.89695918 --> 00:07:09,982.89695918 It says, "Samson said to his father and mother, 'I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. 68 00:07:10,312.89795918 --> 00:07:12,832.89795918 Now get her for me as my wife.' 69 00:07:13,692.89495918 --> 00:07:16,892.89495918 And so Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. 70 00:07:17,382.89795918 --> 00:07:22,12.89495918 As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 71 00:07:22,542.89695918 --> 00:07:29,672.89295918 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat." 72 00:07:31,266.89795918 --> 00:07:36,876.89795918 There's a couple of significant problems here in those first few verses of an adult Samson. 73 00:07:37,726.89795918 --> 00:07:45,796.89795918 First, he has decided that he wants to marry a Philistine woman, the enemy, right? These people that he's supposed to be totally different than. 74 00:07:45,796.89795918 --> 00:07:47,576.89795918 It's like he wants to be one of them. 75 00:07:47,576.89795918 --> 00:07:49,686.89795918 You're gonna see that throughout the story. 76 00:07:51,106.89795918 --> 00:07:57,236.89795918 But second, and actually even worse than that, is where Samson finds himself as the story begins. 77 00:07:57,886.89695918 --> 00:07:59,556.89695918 He's in the vineyards of Timnah. 78 00:08:00,196.89795918 --> 00:08:25,776.89695918 Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't vineyards usually really full of grapes? And wasn't Samson supposed to avoid all grape products? If he was taking his Nazarite vows seriously, what would he have done when he came to that vineyard? Would've walked all the way around it, right? But he decides to go right through it, and because Samson was where he wasn't supposed to be, he faced an attack he should never have had to face. 79 00:08:26,236.89495918 --> 00:08:32,156.89695918 And there's a whole other sermon there for us, by the way, on how we do that same thing, but that'll be for another time. 80 00:08:33,436.89595918 --> 00:08:39,516.89495918 Samson faces a battle he should never have had to face because he's not taking his Nazarite vows seriously at all. 81 00:08:40,86.89795918 --> 00:08:42,16.89295918 But the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. 82 00:08:42,16.89795918 --> 00:08:46,936.89495918 He rips apart that lion as one does a young goat, and then he just goes on living his life. 83 00:08:47,506.89595918 --> 00:08:51,146.89795918 It says, "Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her." 84 00:08:51,366.89595918 --> 00:08:53,886.89695918 He decides, "She is the one for me." 85 00:08:54,626.89895918 --> 00:09:00,446.89695918 And so he heads back to Israel to get all the things he needs, and then he heads back down to Timnah to marry her. 86 00:09:00,766.89795918 --> 00:09:08,96.89795918 And when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 87 00:09:08,516.89795918 --> 00:09:12,286.89895918 He scooped out honey with his hands and ate it as he went along. 88 00:09:13,186.89595918 --> 00:09:16,396.89795918 So Samson, he's gonna take the same route back to Timnah. 89 00:09:16,666.89195918 --> 00:09:18,576.89895918 He finds himself in the vineyard again. 90 00:09:18,586.89795918 --> 00:09:21,146.89695918 Why not? He goes to check on his kill. 91 00:09:21,286.89495918 --> 00:09:23,396.89195918 The lion is still dead, believe it or not. 92 00:09:23,396.89495918 --> 00:09:25,286.89595918 He had ripped it apart with his bare hands. 93 00:09:25,706.89295918 --> 00:09:29,866.89595918 And in that lion, he finds a little hive, some bees, and some honey. 94 00:09:30,306.89895918 --> 00:09:31,436.89695918 And so he reaches on down. 95 00:09:31,436.89695918 --> 00:09:32,256.89295918 It's a long journey. 96 00:09:32,256.89595918 --> 00:09:34,866.89695918 He has himself a little snack, and he goes on his way. 97 00:09:35,866.89595918 --> 00:09:43,326.89695918 But what did Samson just do? He just had contact with a dead body, right? That lion is very dead. 98 00:09:43,336.88995918 --> 00:09:47,886.89595918 He has broken the second condition on his Nazarite vow in the story. 99 00:09:48,426.90195918 --> 00:09:54,416.89495918 This man who was supposed to be so set apart and so different from all the other people, he's just like them. 100 00:09:54,976.88895918 --> 00:10:06,136.88795918 In fact, he's just like the first humans who walked this earth, isn't he? He's just like Adam and Eve, who saw something sinful, desirable, and sweet to eat, and they reached out and they took it for themselves. 101 00:10:06,386.89295918 --> 00:10:08,806.89295918 That's what Samson does here. 102 00:10:10,296.89295918 --> 00:10:14,546.88695918 And if that story isn't strange enough, the story gets even stranger from that point on. 103 00:10:14,786.88695918 --> 00:10:16,816.88995918 Samson goes through with the marriage. 104 00:10:17,226.88895918 --> 00:10:22,646.88795918 He gets married, and as part of his wedding party, he has 30 Philistine groomsmen. 105 00:10:22,646.88795918 --> 00:10:28,866.89795918 No Israelite groomsmen, but 30 Philistine groomsmen up there to support him as he makes those marriage vows. 106 00:10:30,796.89795918 --> 00:10:32,886.89795918 And he gives them this strange speech. 107 00:10:33,386.89795918 --> 00:10:34,916.89795918 He says, "Let me tell you a riddle. 108 00:10:35,376.89795918 --> 00:10:41,826.89795918 If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 sets of clothes. 109 00:10:42,436.89795918 --> 00:10:46,486.89695918 If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 sets of clothes." 110 00:10:47,216.89795918 --> 00:10:48,566.89695918 "Tell us your riddle," they said. 111 00:10:48,796.89795918 --> 00:10:49,416.89795918 "Let's hear it." 112 00:10:49,926.89695918 --> 00:10:52,496.89795918 He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat. 113 00:10:52,576.89695918 --> 00:10:54,596.89695918 Out of the strong, something sweet." 114 00:10:55,416.89695918 --> 00:11:02,356.89695918 Not a riddle in the common sense, not as we would think of one anyways, but we know the answer to that, right? Out of the eater, something to eat. 115 00:11:02,396.89695918 --> 00:11:08,226.89895918 Out of the strong, something sweet, is talking about that lion that Samson killed and the honey that he took out of it. 116 00:11:09,406.89695918 --> 00:11:22,926.89595918 Now, Samson's Philistine groomsmen have no chance of figuring out the answer to this riddle on their own, do they? It looks like they're gonna be out 30 sets of clothing, which in a time when people only had a set or two of clothing, this is a very big deal. 117 00:11:24,256.89495918 --> 00:11:27,386.89795918 But then they do something that makes Samson a little mad. 118 00:11:27,926.89695918 --> 00:11:33,26.89695918 Samson's groomsmen go to his new bride, and they get her to tell them the answer, and of course she did. 119 00:11:33,26.89695918 --> 00:11:33,936.89695918 She's a Philistine. 120 00:11:33,936.89695918 --> 00:11:35,416.89695918 She's on their side. 121 00:11:36,316.89695918 --> 00:11:47,306.89595918 And Samson becomes so enraged by how they figured out this riddle that it says he struck down 30 of their men, stripped them of everything, and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. 122 00:11:48,756.89895918 --> 00:11:54,906.89295918 The Book of Judges is pretty violent, isn't it, as we go through it? But his debt has been paid. 123 00:11:55,806.89495918 --> 00:12:05,86.89695918 Of course, he's still so angry at the Philistines that in Judges 15 it says he takes the jawbone of a donkey and kills 1,000 Philistines with it. 124 00:12:06,916.89495918 --> 00:12:08,126.89795918 You say, "Pastor Ryan, that's great. 125 00:12:08,126.89795918 --> 00:12:09,886.89595918 He's finally doing what he's supposed to do. 126 00:12:09,886.89595918 --> 00:12:14,276.89195918 He's finally taking down the enemies of Israel, the enemies of God." 127 00:12:15,966.89795918 --> 00:12:24,616.89695918 But even in that action, he's breaking his Nazarite vow, isn't he? Because believe it or not, that jawbone belonged to a dead donkey. 128 00:12:25,536.89795918 --> 00:12:39,366.89295918 Samson, were there no swords available to you, or spears, or even a stone? Did you have to break your Nazarite vow to kill those enemies of God? You say, "Well, Pastor Ryan, at least he has to be done with the Philistines now. 129 00:12:39,366.89995918 --> 00:12:42,876.89695918 I mean, there's no going back and hanging out with them after all of that." 130 00:12:43,956.89595918 --> 00:12:44,766.88795918 Not exactly. 131 00:12:45,66.89695918 --> 00:12:49,446.90095918 Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman, whose name was Delilah. 132 00:12:49,986.89495918 --> 00:13:00,226.89495918 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. 133 00:13:00,826.89095918 --> 00:13:03,936.89895918 Each one of us will give you 1,100 shekels of silver." 134 00:13:04,556.88695918 --> 00:13:11,86.89395918 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." 135 00:13:12,426.89695918 --> 00:13:19,146.89495918 Now, I have no idea how Samson falls for this, but Delilah goes to him and says, "Oh, Samson." 136 00:13:22,934.89795918 --> 00:13:28,164.89795918 "What's the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued?" "I don't know, babe. 137 00:13:28,204.89795918 --> 00:13:30,594.89795918 That seems like kind of a suspicious question. 138 00:13:30,594.89795918 --> 00:13:33,684.89695918 It seems like you might be a double agent for the Philistines." 139 00:13:34,554.89695918 --> 00:13:36,244.89795918 "Oh, Samson, you can trust me. 140 00:13:36,244.89795918 --> 00:13:37,284.89695918 Just tell me, please." 141 00:13:40,650.89795918 --> 00:13:42,740.89795918 "Well, okay, but don't tell this to anybody. 142 00:13:42,780.89795918 --> 00:13:50,290.89795918 No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother's womb." 143 00:13:50,290.89795918 --> 00:13:51,410.89795918 Oh so dedicated. 144 00:13:51,750.89695918 --> 00:13:56,890.89795918 "If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 145 00:13:57,690.89795918 --> 00:14:05,670.89695918 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. 146 00:14:05,870.89795918 --> 00:14:13,10.89695918 And of course, it had, because he had shattered his Nazarite vow now in every way that you possibly could. 147 00:14:15,52.89795918 --> 00:14:28,462.89795918 And Samson's life, it basically ends, the story basically ends with him captured, the Philistines blind him, and then they throw him into a Philistine temple to be an entertaining spectacle for all of God's enemies. 148 00:14:29,352.89695918 --> 00:14:30,182.89795918 Look, there he is. 149 00:14:30,192.89795918 --> 00:14:30,882.89795918 There's Samson. 150 00:14:30,882.89795918 --> 00:14:33,182.89795918 He could have been something so special. 151 00:14:33,502.89695918 --> 00:14:42,332.89795918 Samson could have led Israel in amazing ways, but the truth is, he can't get out of his own way, now can he? He wants to just blend in with the Philistines rather than be set apart. 152 00:14:42,482.89695918 --> 00:14:46,922.89795918 He wants to say yes to the things of this world rather than yes to God's will. 153 00:14:48,772.89795918 --> 00:14:59,432.89595918 And in that last regard, boy, are we a whole lot like Samson, aren't we? In fact, I would say we're even worse because we waste even more potential than Samson did. 154 00:15:00,692.89595918 --> 00:15:11,112.89695918 Pastor Ryan, what do you mean I waste more potential than Samson did? I know I've been working out a lot, but there's no way I'm strong enough to rip apart a lion with my bare hands as one does a young goat. 155 00:15:12,532.89595918 --> 00:15:24,442.89595918 Well, it's not necessarily this kind of potential that I'm talking about, but listen to what Jesus says about your potential in our highlighted verse of the day, words he speaks to his disciples and those who would become his disciples. 156 00:15:24,442.89995918 --> 00:15:33,962.89295918 He says, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these." 157 00:15:35,812.89495918 --> 00:15:38,332.89895918 Let's not overcomplicate this verse. 158 00:15:39,102.89595918 --> 00:15:43,152.89695918 Think about the amazing things that Jesus has done. 159 00:15:43,902.89895918 --> 00:15:45,282.89895918 Think about the miracles. 160 00:15:46,12.89895918 --> 00:15:50,282.89395918 Think about how he spread the gospel in incredible ways. 161 00:15:51,642.89595918 --> 00:16:02,432.89195918 Jesus says, these are his words, not mine, that his disciples and those who will become his disciples are gonna do even more amazing things than he did. 162 00:16:04,112.89795918 --> 00:16:13,972.89395918 And the reason that we can do even more amazing things is because the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. 163 00:16:15,382.89395918 --> 00:16:24,512.88895918 The Holy Spirit gives us unlimited potential to do, as Jesus said, once again, his words, not mine, even greater things than him. 164 00:16:26,582.89795918 --> 00:16:49,32.8979592 Which begs the question, how come so many of us aren't doing amazing things at all? How come we're not praying over people to be healed and seeing amazing things again, and again, and again, and again? How come some of us aren't sharing the Good News and having it be received in incredible ways like Jesus did? I think the reason for that is because we're a whole lot like Samson. 165 00:16:49,672.8969592 --> 00:16:59,822.8979592 Like Samson, we get caught up trying to fit into the world, trying to be like everyone else around us, rather than doing the things that we were set apart by God to do. 166 00:17:00,582.8979592 --> 00:17:06,462.8959592 Like Samson, there are sins we should say no to that we say yes to, that take us away from doing God's will. 167 00:17:06,912.8959592 --> 00:17:14,582.8959592 Like Samson, we put ourselves around things that we shouldn't, and because of that, we face attacks from Satan and this world that we could've easily avoided. 168 00:17:15,952.8969592 --> 00:17:24,142.8959592 Like Samson, with that lion, and the honey, and the vineyard there, we return to our place of sin again and again for momentary sweetness. 169 00:17:26,72.8959592 --> 00:17:33,782.8949592 We're a whole lot like Samson, and we sure do waste a lot of that potential that God gives us to serve Him in big ways. 170 00:17:35,542.8939592 --> 00:17:42,142.8929592 Thankfully, there was someone who came along that lived up to the billing, that used all of that God-given potential. 171 00:17:42,282.8989592 --> 00:17:45,462.8959592 That someone is, of course, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 172 00:17:46,322.8929592 --> 00:17:53,252.8949592 And by the way, as we look at Jesus' story, He's a whole lot like Samson, and yet he's the opposite of Samson in many ways. 173 00:17:54,522.8969592 --> 00:17:59,672.8949592 An angel does come to Jesus' mother to announce His upcoming birth, just like Samson. 174 00:18:00,572.8929592 --> 00:18:11,62.8969592 And just like Samson, that angel tells Jesus' mother that this boy is gonna be something special, set apart to serve God in big ways. 175 00:18:12,832.8949592 --> 00:18:23,892.8949592 Now, unlike Samson, who went down to the Philistines and would never stop sinning and breaking his Nazarite vow, Jesus comes down to this earth a Nazarene who follows God's will perfectly. 176 00:18:24,12.8949592 --> 00:18:38,342.8999592 He does all the things that He was set apart to do, and then He takes His perfect self to the cross, where He dies on it just for you and me, and finally breaks that cycle of sin that we see over and over again in the Book of Judges. 177 00:18:39,762.8949592 --> 00:18:43,202.8979592 And in that action, He removes the space that was between you and God. 178 00:18:43,312.8979592 --> 00:18:50,952.8889592 Now God can have a personal relationship with you, you can have a personal relationship with Him, and God gives you the gift of His Holy Spirit. 179 00:18:51,112.9009592 --> 00:19:00,522.8949592 The same Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you and giving you the potential to do even greater things in the service of the Lord than Jesus did. 180 00:19:00,532.8989592 --> 00:19:03,102.8969592 Once again, Jesus' words, not mine. 181 00:19:06,400.8979592 --> 00:19:19,700.8979592 And as we close out this message today, I want you to understand that as long as you are still breathing, as long as you are still living, you still have that potential within you to serve God in incredible ways. 182 00:19:20,370.8979592 --> 00:19:23,50.8979592 Just look at how the story of Samson ends. 183 00:19:23,760.8969592 --> 00:19:28,650.8979592 It doesn't simply end with him blind being made fun of by the Philistines in one of their temples. 184 00:19:29,200.8979592 --> 00:19:31,610.8979592 No, it ends with him crying out to the Lord. 185 00:19:31,620.8979592 --> 00:19:40,820.8969592 Finally, finally someone breaks that cycle in Judges 13, 14, 15, and cries out to God for the Israelites to be rescued. 186 00:19:41,680.8959592 --> 00:19:42,640.8989592 God responds. 187 00:19:42,850.8979592 --> 00:19:58,580.8959592 He fills Samson with His Holy Spirit once again, and Samson, with that strength for one last time, he pulls down that temple on himself and all the Philistines that were in it, defeating many of the enemies of God, crushing them, in fact. 188 00:20:00,920.8979592 --> 00:20:17,540.8979592 As long as you are still living, as long as you are still breathing, it is not too late to cry out to God like Samson did, to repent of your sins, and to ask God to fill you with that Holy Spirit once again that you may do even greater things than Jesus. 189 00:20:19,210.8989592 --> 00:20:23,140.8969592 And actually, as we close out this message today, that's exactly what we're gonna do. 190 00:20:23,600.8979592 --> 00:20:25,600.8979592 We're gonna cry out to the Lord like Samson did. 191 00:20:25,600.8979592 --> 00:20:44,710.8959592 If you would pray with me, say, Lord, help me to remember that you have set me apart for special purposes, and that through your Holy Spirit, you have given me unlimited potential to serve you in amazing ways. 192 00:20:45,470.8989592 --> 00:20:51,310.8969592 May you help me to say no to the things of this world, and yes to you. 193 00:20:51,940.8959592 --> 00:21:03,780.8959592 May you reveal to me the special purposes for which you have created me, and then may I do those things in Jesus' name, Amen. 194 00:21:07,325.8979592 --> 00:21:08,975.8979592 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 195 00:21:08,975.8979592 --> 00:21:11,55.8979592 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 196 00:21:11,375.8979592 --> 00:21:13,175.8979592 If you would like more information about St. 197 00:21:13,175.8979592 --> 00:21:18,835.8979592 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 198 00:21:18,845.8979592 --> 00:21:18,855.8979592 stjohnsbuffalo.org. 199 00:21:21,115.8969592 --> 00:21:22,405.8979592 Thank you and God bless you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com