Samson & Delilah | Against All Odds | Pastor Rob Koke | Shoreline Church | Message

Good morning, everyone. You guys doing good today? All right, let's all of us stand to our feet. We're gonna do something that we start every service with. I know sometimes, you know, when we come to church and Laura's not here, you're wondering if we're having some marriage struggles, but I want you to know she was at our south campus this morning, so everything's cool. Although I did want to mention publicly that I really appreciated the amount of gas that she left me with after she borrowed my car yesterday. I was like white knuckling it to church this morning, just believing I would make it here. It's so good to have you, welcome, and we want to give a very warm welcome to all of you who are watching online from around the community, around the state, even some cases around the country, we're just so grateful. And those of you that are a part of our Shoreline South congregation, we love you guys so, so very much. Come on, let's give it up for Shoreline South. The reason why we stand at the beginning of the message, it's to kind of join together and wrap our faith and our understanding around a collection of phrases that we call our Shoreline Creed. And it's just the underpinning of what the gospel is really all about. You know, as believers, when we read the Bible, there's so much information on how to live the Christian life and wisdom that will enrich your life. But at the end of the day, Christianity is not about all of that. It's about God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. And he died upon that cross and he made us right with him by grace and we celebrate that with our creed. And so a little explanation there, and we do that every single week. And so if you're new to Shoreline, you can read along, the rest of us, we're going to say this with some enthusiasm and passion. You guys ready?

Okay, here we go. I am loved by God. I cannot earn it. I cannot lose it. I am forgiven and made brand new. In Christ, I live with passion and purpose. I am empowered by the spirit to be the church in the world and to live this love revolution. Come on, let's give God praise for that. So we are in a collection of talks here in this season of our church, taking some of the epic stories of the Bible and learning life lessons from these stories. And we talked about Joseph a couple of weeks ago. Last week we talked about David. And today I want to begin the story that we're going to unpack this morning from the book of Jeremiah. And so if you have your Bibles with you, just curious, how many of you actually bring a Bible to church? Anybody like that? That's okay. We got 10, 20, 30. All right. The rest of you, you're using your phones, I'm sure. So if you want to turn with me, and if you don't want to turn there, that's okay. We throw these scriptures on the screen as well. Jeremiah chapter 18, first couple of verses of this chapter. This is the word that came to Jeremiah. And by the way, I'm a little bit stopped up here this morning. So I want to preach this message with so much energy. I really feel like God is in this message in a way that's really going to be helpful. But I'm trying to pace myself, you know, and so I can preserve my... But you can say amen, even if I'm not giving the energy that a point deserves.

Thank you for your encouragement. All right. This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands. So the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him. So the potter, then the word of the Lord came to me and he said, I cannot do with you, Israel, as the potter does, declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O Israel." I think this is a really good place to start our story. Because, you know, the reality is that he is the potter, and we are the clay. Exactly as God spoke to Jeremiah when he went down and saw the potter using the clay to shape that clay into a useful vessel, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said, "'Exactly like this potter is shaping the clay, so are you in my hands.'" And this particular, you know, phrase of verses, you know, talks about how the clay had some mars in it, had some imperfections, and the potter was, you know, using his skill to work out those imperfections and to recreate something out of this clay that would be useful. And in that same way, we are the clay, and our heavenly father is the potter. And none of us would admit to perfection here this morning.

We all have got, you know, some issues, some challenges, some things that happen in our life. We have maybe some vulnerabilities, some imperfections, some places in our life that need to be worked out. But I'm so grateful, and I'm sure you are, that the loving hands of our heavenly father is shaping us and molding us. We talk a lot here at Shoreline that our mission is to develop fully devoted followers. So, you know, church is not just all about, you know, just coming and checking in, doing your spiritual duty, and maybe singing a few songs, and then checking it off your list and going on your way. It's really like we're saying, you know what, God, we are the clay, you are the potter. Shape us, mold us, change us, do whatever you need to do in order that I would become what you want me to become. And the potter's wheel is, it's a great place to be, safe and secure. And it's a place where you can grow. And God is intentional about making you who he wants you to be. And on the potter's wheel, there are some wonderful realities. If you're on that potter's wheel and you're feeling a little bit lonely, you know, God's gonna speak to you on that wheel and tell you, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. If you're on that wheel

and you're facing some financial challenges, he'll remind you that I'm the God who supplies all of your needs. If you need some wisdom and you're on that potter's wheel, all you need to do is ask and he's gonna flood your life with wisdom. If you need healing by his stripes on that potter's wheel, there is access to his healing power. And so on that potter's wheel, it's a beautiful, awesome, amazing place to be. And I would imagine that most of us here today, we're on that potter's wheel. Those of you watching online, you say, well, how do I get onto that potter's wheel? Maybe perhaps there's some of you that have no idea how to get on that potter's wheel. Well, you get on by actually receiving what God has done for you. Jesus made the way for you to get on that potter's wheel. He died upon the cross and he paid for your sins and he offers you an invitation to step up onto that potter's wheel. Jesus said it this way, God so loved the whole world that he gave his only begotten son whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. And so you step up onto that potter's wheel by receiving the grace that he extends to you. If for some reason you're not on the potter's wheel,

and I would imagine that a significant number of people in our culture and in our world and our country and around the world are not on that potter's wheel. If you're not on the potter's wheel, then chances are pretty good that you're living your life on the wheel of fortune. And if you're living your life on the wheel of fortune, it kind of looks like this. You take a spin every single day and you just wonder, you know, what the day is gonna be like. And sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Sometimes you're happy and sometimes you're sad. That's what life on the wheel of fortune is like. And it might seem like a thrill, but you never know where you're going to land. And if you spin the wheel enough times, you'll eventually land on bankrupt. Everyone who lives on that wheel ends up there at some point. So that's the introduction that I want to bring to our story this morning. We're gonna find this epic story in the book of Judges. The children of Israel have been ruled harshly, taken advantage of for 40 years. And now God wants to do something about it. So God speaks to a couple and says, you're going to get pregnant and give birth to a son. And we want this son of yours to take a Nazarite vow.

And if you're wondering what that is, it's a very special consecration to God that was given to the children of Israel that were not a part of the priesthood. So he's gonna dedicate his life to the Lord. And there were three parts to the Nazarite vow. You don't drink wine, you don't touch dead stuff, and you don't get a bad haircut or actually any haircut. In Judges chapter 13, verse 24, and the woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. And he grew and the Lord blessed him. And the spirit of the Lord began to stir in him. That's what happens when you are on the potter's wheel. God begins to stir in your heart. And you need to know that God has great things in store for you. He wants to bless your life. He wants to bless your family. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to engage in life in a way that isn't just the natural outcome of your gifts and talents, but it's a supernatural journey. And that's what's happening with Samson. The spirit of the Lord began to stir in him. And I gotta tell you, he didn't get strong because he went to the gym. He was supernaturally strong because he was on the potter's wheel, being shaped and empowered by the hands of God.

And if you've read anything about the story of Samson, maybe you'll remember about the time that, you know, he captured 300 foxes and tied their tails together and lit them on fire. And through that, destroyed the land of the Philistines. There was another time that he defeated a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Now think about that for a moment. You know, sometimes you watch a movie, you know, Hollywood and the hero of the story is, you know, shooting people and submachine gun and all of that. And he wipes out like, you know, 50 people and not even a bullet comes near, you know, he's just ducking, you know, but his shots land true every time. And, you know, you kind of roll your eyes and say, that's Hollywood, that's how it unfolds. But here is Samson and it's a real true story. He has nothing but the jawbone of a donkey. He's surrounded by the Philistine army and he doesn't just kill 10 or 20 or 50 or a hundred, but a thousand. You don't see that in Braveheart. That's not recorded in Gladiator. And then there was a time when they captured Samson and he was in a city that had, you know, a wall surrounding it and these huge gates. They say that those gates weighed 10. Tons. And they thought, well, we got him, we're going to win.

We got him captured in the city. But he was so supernaturally strong, he just grabbed that gate and ripped it off its hinges and then put it over his head and planted it as a trophy on the top of a mountain. I mean, this guy was something. Awesome. Seal team six on steroids. And the Philistines are concerned, obviously. They're getting defeated at every turn. There's a new cry of hope that's going throughout the children of Israel. And so they got to find some way to defeat Samson. Who's going to fight this supernaturally strong man who's on the potter's wheel? Not I, says the soldiers. Not I, says the generals. Not I, says the nobles of the land. And then comes a beautiful seductress. And she comes into the halls of power and she says, don't worry, I will fight for you. Samson's strength comes from God. And I will find his weakness and use that against him. So Delilah sashays. That was a terrible sashay. Samson sees Delilah and he wants to conquer her. But Delilah has a conquest all her own. Samson is just having fun, but Delilah is deadly serious. Samson wants to enjoy some evenings together. She wants to destroy his life.

Delilah is looking for weakness. What's kind of interesting about this story is just like what the prophet Jeremiah experienced with the potter and the clay, there was some vulnerability. There were some marred content in the clay of Samson's life that eventually will become a challenge. And it's kind of interesting from the life of Samson. And this is probably true of every single one of us this morning, at the same time that God was using him, at the same time that hope was arising in the children of Israel, at the same time that God was using Samson to defeat the enemy, there were some attitudes and some perspectives and some thought processes that make strong people weak. He's doing great things for God. There's no doubt about it. But for some reason, Samson, perhaps with one foot on the potter's wheel and one foot on the wheel of chance begins to flirt with some things that will eventually destroy his life. And Samson had these vulnerabilities and imperfections long before Delilah showed up. Delilah just took advantage of it. And maybe Samson wasn't even aware of those marrs, those imperfections, those vulnerabilities. But if we don't deal with them, they can destroy our life. And I think if we're really honest, I think all of us know what it's like to have a foot on the potter's wheel. And maybe there was a season,

maybe there was an experience where you said, man, the potter's wheel is awesome, but I wonder about the thrill of the wheel of fortune. I wonder what that would feel like. And so we try to straddle wheels that are spinning in different directions, as awkward and as risky as it is. But we see a pattern in Samson's life. We see multiple attitudes that actually created vulnerability for him and make strong people weak way before Delilah showed up. Let's talk about some of them this morning. Some attitudes that make the strong weak. The first one is unrestrained desire. I want it. There's another word for that. It's called lust. We always think that lust refers only to men looking at women or sexual kind of context, but in reality, an unrestrained desire can be fixated on almost anything. A promotion, a high, a thrill, a purchase, a title, an accomplishment. You can lust after a whole bunch of different things. And when you do, you throw out logic. Wisdom goes right out the window. And your attitude and mindset is, I want it and I want it now. And we see that in Samson's life. Judges chapter 14 in verse two,

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. And when he returned, he said to his father and mother, I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah. Now, I want you to see how he phrases this. Now get her for me. Go get her now, get her for me. We see a little bit of this unrestrained desire. Samson sees this smoking hot woman, probably look like Laura, and he wants her now. And his dad, if you read the story, his dad's response is, why are you looking among the Philistines for a wife? Choose someone from your own faith. But Samson's attitude and mindset is, I want it and I want it now. I don't care what God says. I don't care what my dad says. I don't care what my mom says. I don't care what my friends in my small group say. I don't care what pastor talked about last week. I want it and I want it now. I can't tell you how many strong people have become weak because of unrestrained desire. I want it. The second attitude that we see from Samson is misguided entitlement. I deserve it. Not only do I want it, but we believe we deserve it.

And we try to justify what it is that we're trying to pursue because we think in some way we're entitled to it. I've been slaving at the office all day. I deserve a few extra drinks at the bar. I've been working all day and raising the kids. I deserve a little retail therapy. And all of the countless ways that we try to justify what we know is not right. I want it is unrestrained desire. Entitlement is I deserve it. And sometimes, you know, it might seem like a small thing, a small attitude. I don't think you can get in too much trouble about it. In this particular story, Samson sees a lion. And this is pretty bad stuff, man. I mean, bad in a good way. This is like awesome. He sees this lion and again, supernaturally strong because he's on the potter's wheel. He rips the lion. lion limb from limb and leaves the lion dead there on the side of the road. We pick up this particular moment in Samson's life here in chapter 14, verse eight. Sometime later, he turned aside at the lion's carcass and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. Now, let's agree, that's pretty nasty. The lion's been dead, we don't know how long.

Stinky, smelly, some bees found a home in it and he sees that and scoops out some honey. He figured, I killed it, I deserve it. But remember the Nazarite vows? One of them was don't touch anything dead. And what did he break his vow to God for? A handful of honey. How many of us have betrayed what is most important to us for things that are just insignificant? How many times? The Bible shares stories of foolish, stupid decisions that people have made. Like Esau who exchanged his birthright which meant everything for a bowl of soup. I want it, I deserve it. How many times do we do that? Because we think we're entitled to it, we justify small compromises. The third attitude that makes strong people weak is foolish pride, I can handle it. What were the three vows that the Nazarites would engage in? Don't cut your hair, don't touch dead things and don't drink any wine. But here in Judges chapter 14 in verse 10, now his father went down to see the woman and there Samson held a feast as was customary for bridegrooms. The Hebrew word for feast in this particular verse means a party, a celebration or occasion for drinking. So Samson here is throwing himself a keg party.

Now in the great scheme of things, you might feel like these are all small things. I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it. Samson's saying, I can handle my liquor, I can handle a drink. But here's the thing, this cycle of I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it, I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it, I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it. That's the attitude that makes strong people weak. Sometimes this whole journey of I want it, I want it, I deserve it and I can handle it doesn't affect us. We don't see the consequences of that attitude. It appears like everything is still going good. It feels like the blessings and the security that we get on the potter's wheel is still happening in our lives. And so we don't consider the consequences those small compromises. Sometimes the I want it, I deserve it and I can handle it cycle doesn't seem to affect your life until it does. And it affects us in different ways. It strikes people differently. I want that boat, that car, that asset. I'm entitled to it, I deserve it. I can handle it until debt consumes you. I want that fix, I want that high, I want it, I deserve it. I can handle it until debt consumes me. I can handle it until that addiction has you.

Lust, I want it, I deserve it. I can handle it until lust has you. And I don't know how many times that Samson went through that cycle, all the time feeling the blessing of the Lord and maybe not experiencing the consequences in a way that made him recognize that he was vulnerable. Marrying outside the faith, I want it, I deserve it. I can handle it. Touching an unclean animal, I want it, I deserve it. I can handle it. Throwing a drinking party, I want it, I deserve it. I can handle it. And after the repeated cycle of these things unfolding in his life, then Delilah comes in. Let's be honest, when you hear the story of Samson, immediately your mind goes to who? Delilah, right? Samson and Delilah, Batman and Robin, you know? It's like you always put those two together, but long before Delilah showed up, there was already a track record that was set in place that was gonna mess him up. Delilah comes and we see that same attitude. I want her, I deserve her, I can handle her. And Delilah uses those vulnerabilities, those weaknesses to work her strategy. And she begins to play with Samson. You know, they're having their fun. And then Delilah says, if you really love me,

then you'll tell me the secret of your strength. And Samson doesn't wanna do that. He's just toying with her. So he says, you know, hey, if you tie me with fresh cords, I'll be weak like any other person. So she does, but he's still strong. Tie me with new ropes that have never been used and I'll be weak, does that, but he's still strong. Then he says, if you weave my hair, better be careful, Samson, better be careful, because this is the line that when you cross it, things change. If you weave my hair, he says. First time he mentions his hair, but he doesn't tell her what needs to happen with the hair, just weave it. And so she does, and he's still strong. And now she's ticked. And she says, I'm leaving unless you really tell me the secret of your strength. And Samson doesn't realize it, but he's already in too deep. It was all of the, I want it, I deserve it, I can handle it, experiences of his life. And now he's intoxicated in this moment and he doesn't realize what's at stake. But he's about to lose it all. And then he says with resignation in a way that Delilah was sure he was telling the truth, if you cut my hair.

And you know what the thing about this particular story that I don't know, speaks to me is that we don't always know when that tipping point is. We think we do, but we don't. You're good until you're not. And one of the most haunting scriptures you're gonna read, Judges chapter 16 and verse 20, 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. Now in Christ, of course, we are sealed in our relationship with God, but we don't know when the decisions come in our life that cause us to lose our strength, to lose the battle. And one of the saddest, most tragic stories that you're gonna read in the Bible is that the Philistines, you know, fill his room, he shakes himself, his power is gone, and they chain him and they blind him and they lead him off to a prison cell where there's another wheel. He went from the potter's wheel to the wheel of fortune to the wheel of bondage. And they chained him to that arm on that wheel and he went round and round and round and round. But it's not the round and round of the wheel of fortune where sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. It wasn't the round and round of the potter's wheel

where the loving hands of God were shaping his life. Now it's the round, round, round journey of someone who is in bondage. They set him up to grinding grain in prison. Samson goes from the potter's wheel to the wheel of chance, to the wheel of bondage. And that journey, my friends, has happened over and over and over and over. And we can learn. The thing about the Bible, and I've said this before, but I want to remind you here this morning, is that it's not just a record of what happens. It's not just a record of what happened. It's a record of what happens. It's not just this true story of lives that were affected. It's all of our stories. Every single one of us is Samson. And here's what I want to challenge you to do. I want you to borrow some pain from someone else's story so you don't have to live it out yourself. That deserves an amen. You can borrow some of Samson's pain so you don't have to go there yourself. So here's Samson. We're gonna close the service so we can get some piano music out here so you know I'm landing this plane. Amen. Here's Samson, and he's in the prison cell, chained in bondage, and he has an epiphany.

Maybe he feels the hair growing back. I don't know what it is, but he begins to consider his life and his journey. Maybe he starts cluing in to the attitudes that made him weak. Maybe he started circling back because sometimes when we find ourselves in places like that, we're more open to wisdom or we're more open to understanding. And maybe he's going back and he's seeing the cycle. I want it. I deserve it. I can handle it. And there in the prison cell, he has an epiphany. And he begins to realize the attitudes that make weak people strong. It's not, I want it, but I want God. Oh God, I want to know you. You're the most important thing in my life, my relationship with you. To put my life in your hands, to trust you as the potter deals with the clay. Oh, Father, you are the one. I put my life in your hands. And what you'll discover when you put your eyes on him is that he wants to bless you far more than you ever imagined. You thought, oh, I need to go to the wheel of fortune to get that thrill. God wants to bless you with thrills

more than you could ever imagine. God has an awesome plan for your life. And there at the end of the prison cell, he says, I want to know you. And there, as he's chained to the wheel of bondage, I believe he receives grace and forgiveness and restoration. Not, I want it, I want God. And then he thought about, I deserve it. And he said, no, no, that's not the right attitude. Not I deserve it, but I deserve nothing. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every single one of us here this morning. And all of the good that we have in our lives has come from his hand. It is more than what we deserve. And God showers us with his blessing. He makes us right with God by grace. It gives us his promises and gives us his people to live with. And then when this life is over, we get paradise and it's all by God's grace. We don't deserve a single thing. Yeah, you can go ahead and clap, go ahead. And we live our lives with this infinite sense of gratitude. And then he realizes, no, it's not I can handle it. I can handle anything. I can't handle anything without God. I need his strength. I am totally dependent upon you. Depending upon your wisdom, depending upon your strength, depending upon my relationship with you,

the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I realized that I will never survive the journey of this life without you. And I love this prayer found in Judges chapter 16. It's a prayer that Samson prayed at this lowest point in his life. Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more. I love those three words, just once more. The God that we serve is the God who is just once more. He's the just once more in your life. You might have come to church today and feel like you have crossed some lines and you have made some compromises and there's some things about your life and you're dealing with the consequences. I just want you to know there's just one more miracle on your journey. There's just one more intervention of God. He will restore you and bless you. God is the God of the second chance. He was so for Samson. Samson is different now. Gone is the lust, the entitlement, and the pride. He knows now that life is really only about one thing, glorifying God. And he says, whatever I have left, God, I'm giving it to you. Whatever days I've got left, they're yours. Whatever things you bless me with, God, I first consider you.

And he asks a boy when he's led out of the prison to be mocked and for the worshipers of the Philistines to worship their false God, he asked the boy, would you lead me between the two supporting pillars of this temple? And he does. And then he casts his face towards God and says, sovereign Lord, strengthen me this one more time. And the Bible says the victory at the end was greater than all the previous victories in his life. But if there is one lesson that I want you to take away from today, if there's one thing we can borrow from the journey of Samson, if there's something about this epic story that we can leave with today and it marks us for the rest of our lives, remembering that this story didn't just happen, it's a story that happens. What's the one takeaway? Never step off the potter's wheel. That's where you're safe. That's where you're secure. And none of us are perfect. None of us got it all together, but it's on the potter's wheel where the loving hands of our sovereign God shape us and mold us and develop us into vessels that he can use. And what are the fundamental attitudes that make weak people strong?

I want God. I deserve nothing. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Can I hear a good amen? Let's pray. Father, we just thank you so much for these epic stories in the Bible aren't just a record of what happened. We know they resonate because they're our story too. We know what it's like. We know what it feels like. And Lord, I just pray that all of us would resolve in our hearts again to live and celebrate and commit to life on the potter's wheel. Father, I just pray that for every single one of us in Jesus' name. If you would just remain in an attitude of prayer for just a moment longer, if you came to church here today and you're not right with God, maybe this story is your story. Maybe you came to church today and this was one of those moments where God just said, this is your life and you need to rededicate your life to serving him. It would be my honor, my privilege. If you came to church today and you'd say, pastor, I'm not where I need to be with God.

I'm not living right. I'm not doing right. I'm not where I ought to be. I need to rededicate my life to serving him. Maybe you made that decision at one point in time, but you've taken a ride on the wheel of fortune. You've ended up on the wheel of bondage and today is the day to recommit your life to him. Or maybe you've never invited Jesus into your heart, but this story, it's so rich and real to you this morning. If you wanna get right with God, whether to meet him for the first time or rededicate your life to serving him, would you please raise your hands quickly and boldly wherever you are, like you're not ashamed to be prayed for. Oh my gosh, so, so amazing. All of you with your hands raised, I wanna lead you in a very simple prayer to invite Jesus into your heart and I'm gonna ask everyone else as a reaffirmation of your faith in God and all of you who are watching online, let's all of us pray together. Heavenly father, come on, let's pray together. Heavenly father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart. Forgive me of all my sins. I put my trust in you and I will live for you from this day forward by your power,

for your glory in Jesus name. And everyone said, amen. Come on, let's give God praise together. You know, we're gonna be dismissed in just a moment, but when we do, I want all of you who raised your hands to pray, I want you to head over to this part of our building. Pastor Oscar has a sign holding up there. We wanna give you a Bible and some information that'll really help you. We also wanna let you know that there are prayer partners available for you upfront after we're dismissed. Just come on front and we'll pray with you and believe God for whatever's going on in your life. And then don't forget at every single exit, there are invite cards that you can just grab and just grab a few, put them in your pocket or your wallet or your purse, whatever. And let's invite people from our community who need to hear about our awesome, gracious God. Let's all of us stand to our feet. And while you're standing, you know, nobody ever makes it alone. So part of being on the potter's wheel is being a part of a small group. And we wanna encourage you to join one of our life groups. They meet here on our campus on Wednesday nights. We look forward to seeing you then. God bless you and see you on Wednesday night.