Sansón // Samson

We are in part two of this new series called Legends, and we are looking at great men and women of faith, what they did and how they can speak to us today. So we are going to our key verse for this entire series. Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Listen there is a specific direction that God has for you, and your life will never be satisfied unless you are running on the lane that God has designed for you. And there are great legends in the Word of God, men and women of faith, that have already finished their race, and they ran their race with perseverance. And now they are encouraging us, so we can also run our race with perseverance. And as we run, we see these men and women of faith. What would they say to us if we could hear them, encouraging us from the multitude? What can they teach us? There is a great image in this verse that we just read. It talks to us about a race and a multitude of people surrounding us. And we hear the roaring in the multitude, but we never hear just one voice. But if we could hear just one voice, what would we hear? Last week we spoke about what Jonah may say to us, but today we're going to talk about what Samson would say to us. And we see Samson on this great list of men and women of faith. And maybe many people think that he shouldn't be there, because he lived a miserable life. It's like he would get it wrong most of the time. It's like he only did just a few things right. And even though he had the anointing of God upon his life, even though he had the calling to be a great leader, he had the presence of God upon him. However, he was filled with dishonesty. He was filled with disobedience towards his parents. And he never listened to what they said to him. He was always around bad company.

And finally he ends up with this woman named Delilah. We've all heard of Samson and Delilah, right? And we've seen movies. But this woman made it a point to discover the source of his strength and his power. Listen, and when she's able to do this, she cuts off his hair. And Samson is captured by his enemies, the Philistines. They chain him up and they gouge out his eyes with a knife. And they tied him up where they used to tie up the oxen, where Samson would spend the rest of his life as a slave grinding grain in a mill. However, he appears Here's on the list of great women and men of faith. ¿Cómo sucedió eso? How did this happen? Bueno, hay una razón principal por qué pasó eso. There's a main reason why this happened. Que vamos a compartir con ustedes al final del mensaje. That we will share with you at the end of the message. Pero hoy vamos a sacarlo de entre la multitud. But today we're going to pull him out of the multitude. Y vamos a escuchar qué él nos diría a nivel individual. And we're going to listen and hear what he would say to us on an individual level. Por supuesto está ciego, le arrancaron sus ojos, no puede ver. Of course he is blind, his eyes were gouged out, he can't see. Pero estoy seguro que él nos diría lo siguiente. But I'm sure that he would tell us the following. Aprende de mis errores, iglesia, visión. Learn from my mistakes, vision church. Porque cuando creemos que lo miramos claramente. Because when we think that we see things clearly. Mire lo que nos diría.

Look at what he would say to us. No tienes que perder los ojos para estar ciego. You don't have to lose your eyes to be blind. Porque en realidad podemos tener nuestros dos ojos. Because the reality is that we could have both of our eyes. Y aún así estar ciegos. And even then still be blind. Y no mirar las cosas con claridad. And not see things clearly. Y honestamente me gusta pensar que de esto se trata la iglesia. And honestly I like to think that this is what church is about. De venir aquí y mirar la vida de una perspectiva diferente. To come here and see life from a different perspective. Y eso solo lo puede hacer la palabra de Dios. And only the word of God can do this. Que es lámpara a nuestros pies y que ilumina nuestro camino. It is a lamp onto our feet and it lights up our path. Porque no podemos todo ver claramente por nosotros mismos. Because we can't see everything clearly on our own. Te voy a invitar en esta mañana que abras tu corazón a Dios. This is why I'm going to invite you this morning to open your heart to God. Y que le permitas que Él te muestre algunas cosas. And allow Him to show you some things. Que tú crees que estás mirando claramente. That you think you are seeing clearly. Pero que en verdad no la estás mirando con claridad. But the reality is you are not seeing them clearly. Yo creo que esto es lo que nos diría Samson. I believe this is what Samson would say to us. Puedes estar ciego al propósito de Dios para tu vida.

You can be blind to God's purpose for your life. Porque realmente Él lo estaba. Because He truly was. Porque tenía un llamado de Dios. Even though He had the calling of God. Tenía la presencia de Dios sobre Él. He had the presence of God upon Him. Tenía la fuerza y el poder sobrenatural sobre Él. He had the strength and the supernatural power upon Him. Pero tristemente hizo todo a un lado. But sadly He set all of that aside. De hecho, desde el nacimiento de Él, un ángel del Señor le anunció a su mamá. In fact, from before His birth, an angel of the Lord showed His mother. Fue algo sobrenatural el anuncio de su nacimiento. Mire lo que dijo el ángel. The announcement of His birth was something supernatural. And look at what the angel said. Porque concebirás y darás a luz un hijo, no pasará la navaja sobre su cabeza. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor. Eso se llamaba voto nazareo. This was called a Nazarene bow. Y era una de las tres cosas que esa persona tenía que hacer. And it was one of the three things that this person had to do. Y una de ellas era que nunca se iba a cortar el cabello. And one of them was they were never to cut their hair. Porque esta persona era una persona consagrada al Señor. Because this person was a person who was consecrated for the Lord. Y sigue diciendo el verso. And the verse continues to say. Porque el niño va a ser Nazareo, consagrado a Dios desde antes de nacer.

Because the boy is to be a Nazarite, dedicated to God from the womb. Él comenzará a librar a Israel del poder de los Filisteos. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Ese era su llamado. That was his calling. Su llamado nunca fue que le sacaran sus ojos. His calling was never to have his eyes gouged out. Su llamado era guiar al pueblo de Israel a una libertad. His calling was to lead the people of Israel into freedom. Pero él no siguió esto. But he didn't follow this. ¿Y sabes por qué? And do you know why? Porque nunca vio su llamado claramente. Because he never saw his calling clearly. Cuando tú te das cuenta que tienes un llamado de Dios. When you realize that you have a calling of God. Tú vas a tomar mejores decisiones. Then you will make better decisions. Porque hay un propósito en tu vida. Because there is a purpose in your life. Y si tú no ves eso. And if you don't see that. Miren lo que la Escritura dice. Look at what the Scripture says. Donde no hay visión, el pueblo se extravía. Where there is no vision, people cast off restraint. En otras palabras, vas a terminar perdiéndote. In other words, you're going to end up lost. Vas a perder el control.

You're going to lose control. Y vas a terminar diciendo cosas. Ah, no importa lo que haga. And you're going to end up saying things like. Ah, what I do doesn't matter. No importa donde vaya. Where I go doesn't matter. No importa en qué gaste mi dinero. What I spend my money on doesn't matter. No importa el trabajo que tenga. The job that I have. have, doesn't matter. In fact, whoever I marry doesn't matter. Listen to me, it does matter. All of this is important. All of this matters for your life. This is why Samson would say this to you this morning. When you don't see God's vision for your life, you are in danger of settling for an earthly counterfeit. And you're going to begin to live your life outside and far from God. And this is why you will live a life where you will never be satisfied. This is why here at church we have next steps. And you can start today. You will always hear us repeat this Sunday after Sunday. Because this is very important for your life. Step one has to do with how to become a part of this church. And step two, next Sunday we will have step two. It's just two simple steps. And step two is to help you discover your unique purpose. That is fundamental, not for the church, but for you. And Samson was blinded to the purpose of God. What else would Samson say to us? I believe he would say this. You can be blind to the power of relationships. When I say the power of relationships, I'm talking about that bad relationships are powerful in a bad way. And the good relationships are powerful in a good way. You shouldn't underestimate the power of relationships. Look at this part of the story. Look at where Samson is headed. When he returned, he said to his father, when he returned, he said to his father and mother, I have seen a Philistine woman in Timna. Now get her for me as my wife. But look at how the parents answered him. His father and mother replied, isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives? Or among all our people, must

you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife? Because this would be a problem for him. Because the Philistines had different beliefs. They had a different set of values. They had a different set of beliefs. And his parents knew that this woman would cause their son problems. And they tried to warn him. But look at how Samson reacts. But Samson said to his father, get her for me. She's the right one for me. But he's angry. What he didn't realize is that he ended up making one of the worst decisions in his life. Because from that moment on, his life was going to be defined by his bad relationships. Now listen to this. This is very important for you as well. Your life reflects the people that you relate with. The scripture affirms this. Look at what the word says. Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character. Don't allow yourself to be blinded, says Paul. Listen to this clearly. If you get involved with the wrong people, your life will end up being a disaster. But if you get involved with the right people, it will create something great in your life. Son realmente muy importante las decisiones que tomas. The decisions that you make are truly very important. Tienes que considerar esto seriamente. You need to consider these things seriously. Ahora, quiero decir esto. Now, I want to say this. Sé que esta es una iglesia, una iglesia de jóvenes. I know that this is a church filled with young people. Y a los padres les va a gustar lo que voy a decir. And the parents are going to like what I'm about to say. Y quizás algunos jóvenes no. Maybe some young people won't like it. Pero estoy en lo correcto. But I am right in this. Y es que tus padres no están tan equivocados como tú crees. And your parents are not as mistaken or wrong as you think. Ellos saben más de las personas con las que te juntas que lo que tú piensas.

They know more about the people that you are around than what you think. Yo creo que es importante que los jóvenes se acerquen más a la sabiduría de sus padres. I believe that the young people should, they should get closer to the wisdom of their parents. Porque ellos pueden ver algo que posiblemente tú no puedas ver por tu edad. Because they can see that you possibly cannot see because of your age. Y mire lo que dice la Escritura. And look at what the Scripture says. Honra a tu padre y a tu madre. Honor your father and mother. Quizás un joven puede decir, pero si no tengo padres que honran a Dios. Maybe a young person may say, well what if I have parents that don't honor God. Aún así puedes amarlos y honrarlos. Even then you can love them and honor them. Que Dios se encargará de enviarte figuras paternas, figuras maternas a tu vida que estén ahí por ti. God will be sure to send you a father figure or a mother figure that will be there for you. Sigue diciendo el versículo. The verse continues to say. Que es el primer mandamiento con promesa, fíjese. Which is the first commandment with a promise. Para que te vaya bien y disfrute de una larga vida en la tierra. So that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. ¿O qué significa que en la vida te irá mucho mejor si honras? What this means is that it will go much better for you in life if you honor. Escúchalo joven, no eres el único. Young person, listen to me, you are not the only one. Que puedes ver vida con claridad. That can see your life clearly. Necesitas otros pares de ojos. You need another set of eyes. Y esos son tus padres.

And that is your parents. Pero Samson estaba ciego a eso. But Samson was blinded to this. Porque ignoró completamente las instrucciones de sus padres. Because he completely ignored the instructions of his parents. Mire, y tenía tanto poder este hombre. Listen, and this man had so much power. Que un día dice la Biblia que vino un león sobre él. That one day the Bible says that a lion came against him. Y lo agarró con sus propias manos y lo hizo pedazos como quien mata un cabrito. And he took him with his bare hands and he tore that lion into pieces like you would do a goat. Tenía tanta fuerza que arrancaba los pilares de piedra y se los llevaba para otro lado. He had so much strength that he would lift up pillars of stone and move them to another place. Tenía tanta fuerza que sus enemigos lo amarraron tres veces. He had so much strength that his enemies bound him three different times. Y dijeron, lo tenemos. And they said, we've got him. Pero cuando Dalila decía, Samson, los filisteos contra ti. But when Delilah would say, Samson, the Philistines are upon you. Se levantaba y rompía las cuerdas nuevas como nada. He would get up and he would break those ropes like nothing. De ahí sacaron la película El Hombre Verde. That's where the movie The Hulk came from. Mire, tenía tanta fuerza. He had so much strength. Que un día dice la Escritura. That one day the Scripture says. Que agarró una quijada fresca todavía de un asno. That he took a fresh jawbone of a donkey. Y mató a mil hombres.

And he killed a thousand men. Mató a mil filisteos. He killed a thousand Philistines. Y todavía se echó un cantito. Un montón, dos montones. Con una quijada de un burro. Mate a mil hombres. And then he just sang a song saying, you know, I killed the thousands, thousands of men with the jawbone of a donkey. Lo hizo con una quijada. Imagínate qué hubiera hecho con el burro entero. He did it with a jawbone of a donkey. Imagine what he would have done with the entire donkey. Los mata a todos. He would have killed everyone. Y aunque tenía todo eso sobre él. And even though he had all this upon him. Le falló algo. Something failed. Cuando se enamoró de Dalila. When he fell in love with Delilah. Aquí comenzó el problema. That is where the problem started. Porque esta mujer se propuso en descubrir el secreto. Because this woman made it a point to find out the secret. Que consistía el poder y su fuerza. Of where his power and strength would come from. Y Samson le seguía mintiendo. And Samson kept lying to her.

Y la fuerza de Dios todavía estaba sobre él. Aunque no estaba viviendo a la altura que Dios le estaba pidiendo. And the strength of God was still upon him. Even though up until that point he wasn't living the way that God wanted him to live. Porque Samson sabía que servimos a un Dios bueno, fiel, generoso, perdonador y amoroso. Because Samson knew that we served a good, faithful, generous, forgiving and loving God. Y es lo que realmente hacemos también nosotros. And that is what we truly do ourselves. Pero él siguió haciéndolo. But he kept doing it over and over again, over and over again. And he wouldn't stop. He'd do it over and over again. And we do the same thing many times. But look at what happened in this instance. After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids off his hair. And so began to subdue him, and his strength left him. Then she called, Samson, the Philistines are upon you. He awoke from his sleep and thought, God will forgive me once again like he's always done it. I'm going to let myself free just like I've done it every other time. But look at what happened. I'll go out as before and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had left him. The strength of the Lord had left. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. What is the point of the story here? Is to realize that now he is going to be a slave, bound in bronze shackles in a prison.

And the reason was because he lived most of his life without the vision that God had given him. And listen to this, eventually things will catch up to you. Because understanding the grace of God does not give us the green light to live in disobedience. Let's not misinterpret the grace of Jesus. But understanding the grace of God is to be able to walk in his purpose. Paul said it clearly. Look at what he said in Romans 6. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means, Paul said. How can we who died to sin still live in it? And I believe that Samson would remind us this. He was also blinded to this. And he took so many steps in the wrong direction that it took him to a place of his great failure. And he would tell us the following today. Protect the presence of God. In other words, when it comes to growing in God, do what is necessary so that you can grow in your relationship with God. If it has to do with starting to read the word, the Bible, then start somewhere. Read a verse. You don't need to read the entire day. You don't need to become a scholar in the Bible. Why not give priority to your relationship with God? Start being generous. Start serving in the church. Maybe you're thinking, well, I don't feel the presence of God in my life. But I ask you, how intentional have you been to draw close to God? What would happen if you were to say today, I will begin to draw close to God? I'm not going to wait to feel something.

I will make the decision today to go after the presence of God with all of my heart. Look at what the scripture says. Do not put out the Spirit's fire. When the Spirit of God begins to speak to you, and you begin to feel led by the Spirit to do something, don't pour water on it, don't put out the fire. Do you want for the Holy Spirit to be with you? Do you want Him in your life? Then cultivate it. How? This simple. Put God first. The first day of the week, you're already doing it. You are here. You're already putting God first today. But tomorrow morning when you wake up, the first few minutes, give them to God. You're giving honor God with your life. And you will see the favor and the blessings of God upon you in the name of Jesus. I can imagine Samson shouting as we run our race. I made my greatest mistakes. I advise you this today. Choose your relationships carefully. Don't accept the relationships that simply just come to you. Choose them wisely. You go looking for them. For some of you, it is necessary to better the relationships in your life. For others, it is necessary to get rid of those bad relationships in your life. Nurture the relationships that are important. Restore the broken relationships that are important. But cut off with the harmful relationships.

Initiate significant relationships. Work on them. Be intentional in your relationships. Look at what the word says. Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. We will do everything possible to stay encouraged in our relationships. God wants this for you. Please make good choices in your relationships. And I believe that Samson would remind us of this today. And the last thing that Samson would say to us has to do with how he ended in the hall of faith. Because up until now, poor Samson, everything looks bad for him. And I believe that God wants to tell us something in this. The reason why he ended in the hall of faith it was not on how he lived his life, but on how his life ended. Because the thing is not to start right and end wrong. We can start wrong but end up right. But it would be glorious to start right and end right. But look at what happened with Samson. What is happening with Samson. He would tell us this, number three. Failure is never final, Vision Church. Because the part of the story that I still haven't told you is that he is going around in circles like a donkey with these great chains on his hands. He doesn't have his eyes. He doesn't have the power of God upon his life. round in circles. Look at what happens. Then Samson prayed to the Lord,

Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please God, strengthen me just once more. This was so great and so powerful. Because it came from the deepest part of Samson's heart. And a contrite and humbled heart God will never despise. In other words, Samson is saying, God, I humble myself before you. God, I need you once again. And God is there saying, Samson, that is what I was waiting for. Of course, I forgive you. Of course, I restore you. I will return my strength and my power. And in that moment, the strength came back upon him. Because we serve a God of so many opportunities. And he touched the columns of that great temple of the God Dagon. Where they're celebrating that he's been trapped and overcome him, defeated him. And Samson begins to push on those columns. As his enemies mock him, but they ignore the fact that something great has happened in the life of Samson in that moment. And he continues to push and push. Then all of a sudden, everything started to move. It was a great temple of stone. And that temple came down. He was able to tear down a temple of stone. Of two floors. And the scripture says that he killed more enemies. He killed more enemies in that act than what he did in his entire life combined. Someone here listened to me this morning. Maybe you failed in your first or your second marriage. Maybe you failed in your finances. Maybe you failed as a business leader. Maybe you failed in your life morally.

Yes, it's tragic and you'll need to work through the consequences. Because what we sow is what we will reap. No one can stop that. But Samson is shouting from the stadium. With all of his strength. And he says to you. When we fail in life. And here is the last thing he says. Failure is only final when you refuse to get back up. There's someone here this morning that needs to get back up. If yes you fell, yes it was wrong. But you don't need to stay down. Because look at what the word of God says. The godly may trip seven times but they will get up again. And you know why you can get back up? Because Samson only points to Jesus. Jesus is the better and true Samson. Who had success in all of the areas that Samson failed in. While Samson was led by his emotions. Jesus was led by the spirit. While Samson felt entitled and he was prideful. Jesus who was entitled to a throne. Jesus would take the role of a servant and die on a cross. Samson died crushed by the two columns of the cross. the temple that he himself tore down. But Jesus died in between two criminals crushed by our sins. While the life of Samson was ending there, Jesus was barely starting. And it's true, Samson's strength may impress us. But that cannot lead us to change our lives.

Because we weren't needing a solid model. We needed a savior who was fragile, weak, and broken. Where he could give us from his power and his strength and save us from ourselves. Failure only is the end when you refuse to get back up. But I believe that God wants to lift you back up today. No matter the failure, no matter how far you've fallen, he has the power to lift you back up if you choose to. Close your eyes and bow your heads, please. Father, I pray this morning for every person that is here. Only you know the area of their lives where they feel like failures. Maybe they feel failures as parents. Maybe they feel failures in their business. Maybe they feel failures in their dreams. But I pray this morning, God, so that we may know that you are there with each and every one of us in that place. And that we be able to understand that failure is not final. Thank you for those men and women that even though they didn't do it right, they appear in that great list of great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11. Because when they failed, they repented and they cried out to you. And you forgave them and lifted them back up. Do the same with us in this place. No matter the failure or the fall that we've suffered. Lift us up, Lord, with your righteous right hand. Return the strength. Return the power. To continue to run this race with patience and perseverance. In the name of Jesus. Maybe you are here and you feel that you need God. I'm not talking about joining this church. I'm talking about placing God first.

If you are that person that is ready to put Jesus as number one in your life, then repeat this prayer with me there where you are. And say, Lord Jesus, forgive me. I need your presence. I need your forgiveness. Change me from the inside out. Come into my heart and abide in me. I surrender my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Thank you so much for watching the message. Subscribe to this channel so you won't miss a video and share it with a friend. Also, we want to encourage you to partner with us through your giving. We can take this message further and faster and make a difference in the lives of so many people. You can give using the link below or by visiting our website at myvisionchurch.org. We love you so much and we're looking forward to seeing you back here next time.