Why Strong People Still Fall | A Cloud Of Witnesses | Pastor CJ Johnson

We have been in a study, basically under the banner of a cloud of witnesses, taking scripture at a high level, 30,000 foot view, looking at it through the lens of 52 central key figures. And when you lay this out over 52 years, you start to clump things up into categories. You can't get around it, you have to organize it somehow. And so you go through different eras, sometimes even different genres. There's poetry, there's history, there is prophecy. Well, there's also categories of people. In scripture, you've got the patriarchs, you have kings, you have apostles and disciples. And one category that you also have, among many things like prophets and others, is you have the role of judges. You move past the patriarchs, you get through Moses and Joshua, you see the development and longstanding predicament that Israel finds itself in. It has now received the promised land, it's entered into what God has been planning all along, but now how are they gonna manage His work in their life? And at times they're doing well, and at times they're doing bad. There's this bell curve to the nation of Israel. Spiritually, they are on a roller coaster. What makes a nation of Israel so relatable is they are a spiritual roller coaster. And what makes much of us identify with them

is the fact that we too at times find ourselves on spiritual roller coasters. The book of Judges really is the part of the spiritual roller coaster that starts to do the flips. Anyone like not a fan of those ones? Judges were leaders that God would raise up in threefold. They were civil leaders, they were military generals, and they were spiritual reformers. Civil leaders, military generals, and spiritual reformers. And that's how God would guide His people. He would raise them up as deliverers. The nation of Israel had a tendency to wander back into bondage, back into slavery, back into oppression. And God would raise up someone to help liberate and set them free. A major theme in the Old Testament is the theme of deliverance. And last week, Pastor Todd spoke on one of the judges and his name was Gideon, which didn't Pastor Todd do just an amazing job? Yeah, I want him to do my funeral. Like that guy can be giving you bad news and still smile. Like he can't not smile. And I could talk to that guy for hours because he just brings so much joy. So Gideon was a judge. Today we're going to look at another prominent judge. Any guesses who we're looking at today?

Samson, yeah. Now when you think of Samson, what comes to mind? What do you envision? Now here's something that we have to like establish. We've got to admit that when you jump now into these stories, we are not starting out at the same place. Some of you, you're very familiar with Samson. I could start today's sermon off with the sentence, and Samson stood between the two pillars and he pushed and killed the Philistines. And some of you would think, I know exactly what he means. While some of you would think to yourself, I have no idea what he just said. They say generation Z on down is the first generation in American history that is the first group of people within our nation's context to be predominantly unchurched. So for many of us, we grew up with church as a fundamental experience. Most people had church in their background. Most people in our upbringing had a common knowledge of characters like Noah and the ark, Jonah and the great. fish, Adam and Eve, Moses and the Ten Commandments, Samson, this mighty guy. But now they say, 25 and under, most people have no frame of reference when it comes to these stories. Which makes it very challenging for us as a community

to make sure that we're having discussions every single week as a church that both stretch the seasoned saint who's been a part of the faith for 40 years and responsible in their faith. We want that person to be challenged while the person who's brand new, dawning the doors of church for the first time, you are not a Christian, you do not know the Bible, you do not know these stories. How do we engage that individual in a way that introduces them as well to Jesus Christ and how unique he is? I have to lay some context to establish who Samson is, stuff many of you've heard, but things that are also brand new information to some of us who are with us this weekend. That make sense? A quote to jump into Samson, and then we'll put it on the screen. It's four phases. "'Hard times create strong men. "'Strong men create good times. "'Good times create weak men, "'and weak men create hard times.'" Now, we're gonna read the story of Samson and the question you should ask is where do we find ourselves in the cycle, in the story of Samson? Hard times create strong men,

strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. And I would say in the nation of Israel, and what we have to reflect on ourselves is are we too in a similar season? Is the nation of Israel has come out of really triumphant seasons, seasons that they will herald for centuries, the Red Sea, Sinai, the Jordan, 10 Commandments, all these mighty ways in which God brought Moses and Joshua, how he used the patriarch, how he used strong men to bring them into the promised land, and where strong men create good times, well, what's the next one? Good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times. In the story of Israel, where we get to a Samson, is they are in a season where the good times have created weak men, and now the weak men are creating hard times. The story of Samson comes at a time where weak men are creating hard times, and it introduces us to Samson, who is known as what? What is Samson known as? What do you think about? Strong, mighty, what comes to your mind? Like Gaston, if you're thinking Disney. Hulk, when he's tempered down. Who do you think of?

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, like someone who's maybe doing something illegal, like just a swole guy. Like McGuire and Sammy Sosa, back when baseball was exhilarating to watch on television. It's like those guys were hitting home runs every night because they were juiced up guys. That's how you think of Samson. Samson is known as the strongest man in the Bible. And God gives us a ton of attention, gives Samson a ton of press, all so that we can observe the strongest man in the Bible living at a time when weak men were creating hard times. Okay, when you read the story of Samson, you're reading a story of the strongest man in the Bible living when weak men were creating hard times. And Samson's story is layered. If you're in a life group, I would love to challenge you to do this this week, and that is try to. See if you can tell the story of Samson in 90 seconds. Samson is one of the rare individuals in Scripture that you get his entire story from birth to death. Most people you meet middle of the road. Most people you meet in adults, God pulls an individual out of a field, someone arrives, but Samson is one of the few who we see his arrival, his birth, we see all the way to his death. He has some very dysfunctional relationships. There's two women in his story.

The first he plans to take as his wife. The first thing we find Samson, this strong man doing, the first thing we hear him on record saying is he finds a woman to be attractive and he turns to his parents and he says, I like that girl, go get her for me. I'm gonna take her to be my wife. And the parents did it. So the story begins with this really strong kid who's destined for greatness, but he's being raised by passive parents and he's very entitled. Their passive parenting produced entitlement in their son, Samson, and he says, that one right there, I'll take it. I wonder if there's any single guys among us this weekend or who are thinking, hey, does it still work like that? Can you walk in and think, her, I will take it. I am getting to coach my son Cannon's basketball team, group of eighth grade boys, and recently we had a tournament in Louisville, which I know some of you are thinking, Louisville, Louisville. I know that's the right way to say it, but here's the thing, it will be awkward if I try to do it. For me, it's always gonna be Louisville. And we're down there and we're at this mall and we're in Dick's Sporting Goods and a couple of them are very into girls right now and one of them says, Coach Johnson, I have found my wife. And I just said, really, like, who is she?

And he points across the store and he goes, right there. That's my wife, I'm gonna marry that one. I said, really, what's her name? He said, I have no idea, but I'm gonna marry her. I said, you don't even know her name. You've never even had a conversation with her and you'll take her as your wife. He said, absolutely. I said, pal, she could be dumb as a box of rocks. You are making a big decision based on simply what you see. She could be nuts. You might wanna have a conversation, but Samson is very dysfunctional in how he approaches relationships. He's really insecure. This guy who on the surface is impressive and appears strong is actually very puny, emotionally stunted, psychologically weak. He is an insecure guy who just needs affirmation and belonging. And it doesn't work with the first lady. And then he meets, dun-dun-dun-dun, what's her name? What's the villain? Delilah, one of the gangster girls in the Bible. Yeah, her and Jezebel have a whole gang. Delilah comes onto the scene as this Philistine girl who is trying to find out the source of Samson's strength. And she's trying to do so so she can inform the Philistines so they can destroy Samson because Samson is gifted by God with supernatural strength

and he keeps destroying the Philistines. And the Philistines are no match for him. And if the Philistines are going to take over the Israelites, well, they got to take out Samson. What's the secret of his strength? And Delilah asks him and he gives her an answer and she goes. and tells them, hey, here's the secret to his strength. So they're out on this date. And at the end of the date, all these guys come jumping out of the curtains and ambush and try to take out Samson. And in that moment, what does he do? He whoops their tail. Samson has some awesome highlights. And he whoops their tail. And what's crazy is Samson goes out with this woman tells her a secret and extends some trust to her. She breaks his trust and goes and shares his secret with a group of guys who show up and try to ambush and kill him. And this guy decides to go on a second date. Anyone in your life, ignoring some really obvious relational red flags? It's like, hey, pal, I'm with you. That's the road you wanna go down. But that's got some red flags to it. And Samson ignores the red flags and he agrees to go out on another date with her. She asks him the same question,

what's the secret of your strength? He tells her another answer. She then goes and informs the other guys. They show up and they try to ambush him again a second time. And you're watching the story of Samson unfold. And you're like yelling at the story. Samson, this impressive, mighty man is so foolish that when you read it, you find yourself thinking, what in the world are you doing? Duh, how can't you see it? And that is the definition of a blind spot. Samson has developed a blind spot where he cannot see what is so obvious and apparent to others. He thinks he can manage dysfunctional relationships because he is physically strong enough to manage the problems that come with it. I know she's nuts, but I'm okay with her trying to get me killed every time we go on a date. I can handle whoever comes running through the door ambushing me. In his own confidence, in his own ability, he thinks because I'm physically strong, I can overcompensate for being emotionally weak. Samson is physically strong, but he's emotionally weak. And you can run this out in so many different ways. Some of you are financially strong, but psychologically weak. Others of you are spiritually strong, but relationally weak.

Some are physically strong, but they are emotionally weak. And you can go on down the list. And Samson was physically strong, but emotionally weak. And on the third time, he tells his secret to what is the source of his strength. Delilah finds out that what is the source of this guy's strength? Go ahead and blurt out the answer. His hair. For the new Christian, you're like, well, I did not see that coming. I asked my sons this week while we were camping, I said, hey, this week dad's teaching on Samson. What do you got? My son Miles said, it's the Bible's version of Rapunzel that Samson is the leading character of scriptures tangled. And it's the hair that is tied to the source of his strength. And he gets exposed in that moment. They come in, they capture him, they take him enslaved. So if you have your Bibles, I'm going to read seven sentences, seven verses, just because the story is so layered, I'm not doing it justice. But there's so much here. And I just want you to kind of take in the Bible. Judges chapter 16, starting in verse 21. It says, then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eye and took him down to Gaza,

binding him with bronze shackles. They sent to him grain in the prison. They sent him to grinding grain in the prison. The hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon, their god, and to celebrate, saying, Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands. When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain. While they were high in spirits, they shouted, Bring out Samson to entertain us. So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. And when they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple so that I may lean against them. And now the temple was crowded with men and women. Now, pause for a second and get to the scene in the Bible. Moses has now been taken, I'm sorry, Samson has now been taken prison. They have brought him out, and they are dragging him about the courtyard, having him perform. And now he's done performing, and they set him aside, chained to the pillars. And he's standing there with his eyes gouged out,

discovering that he's standing among the pillars. He's standing among the pillars that support a platform that currently has over 3,000 people gathered on it right above him. And not only are there 3,000 people crowded on there, look what it goes on to tell us. All, no, sorry, all the rulers of the Philistines were there. And on the roof were about 3,000 men and women watching Samson perform. And then Samson prayed to the Lord. Now, here, Samson has not cried out to God one time. Samson makes all these poor decisions. He wastes all his potential. He now finds himself in this excruciating and humiliating predicament, and he cries out to God. And the first word out of his mouth, sovereign, you gotta hang on to it. Sovereign Lord, remember me, please, God. Strengthen me just once more and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes. And then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood, embracing himself against them, his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. Samson said, let me die, this is a big statement, with the Philistines. Then he pushed with all his might and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus, he killed many more when he died

than while he lived. Give yourself a round of applause. That's a law of the Bible. Three things. One, it says, Samson, when his head was shaved, verse 22, look at that statement in the same sentence, the same sentence, the very same breath that the Bible tells us they shaved his head. In the very same breath, the Bible says they shaved his head, verse 22, it says, but the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. That's the first mentioning of his head being shaved and the very first mentioning of his head being shaved, Scripture says, but his hair began to grow before. Look at it. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. What Scripture wants us to know is the moment Samson's hair was shaved, the thing that happened to him was his hair was shaved. that was the source of his strength, the moment it was shaved, it immediately started growing again. What Samson puts in front of us is the immediacy of grace. We decide, okay, God, I've gone wrong, I've made some mistakes, I've deviated. How do I get right? What's the list of 30 hyper-religious, self-righteous things I can do

all so I can tip the scales back in my favor? God, how long does it take for me to actually receive and experience your grace? And Samson's story puts in front of us, oh, immediately. The moment you fall, grace is readily applied. The moment you put your foot in your mouth, grace goes to work and mercy is available. The moment you swell up in pride, the moment you act out in selfishness, it's readily available and I think sometimes people overlook the immediacy of grace. Anyone, and what Samson puts in front of us is the very first time he calls out to God, what does he discover? God's already been responding and is readily available. Samson discovers God is one cry away. He reminds all of us, whoever you are, God is one cry away and his grace goes to work immediately in our lives. In addition to that, you have to ask, why did he fall to temptation? Why did Samson fall to temptation? When you get into this, most people always go to, the strength versus weakness conversation. Wave at me if you've ever been in part of a conversation that evaluated things by strengths and weaknesses. Fairly common way of making decisions and we govern our lives this way. We sometimes think, okay, I have to focus on my weaknesses so I don't fall into temptation. There's some wisdom there,

be mindful of where you're susceptible, sure. But I don't think the enemy tempts us the greatest in the area of our weaknesses. I think he tempts us the greatest in the areas of our strengths. What is your greatest strength? Is it your sense of humor? Is it your ability to communicate? Is it your organization skills? Are you a problem solver? Are you good with people? What is your gifting? And it's your gifting that you find is actually where you are most vulnerable to fall in the most damageable temptations. You will be tempted far greater in the area of your strengths than you will your weaknesses. Here's one way of thinking about it. Jesus in the wilderness isn't tempted by a Delilah, he's tempted by the devil himself. Jesus has gone 40 days praying, fasting, without a meal, he's starving, and he is tempted to turn a stone, a rock into a loaf of bread. Now, how many of you have ever been out hiking, found yourself hungry, look down at a rock and thought, I would take a bite out of that right now? You've never thought that, that's just bizarre. You would never think I would eat that rock right now. You would not be tempted to eat a rock

because you don't have the ability to turn the rock into bread. If you had the ability to turn the rock into bread, well, then you'd have the temptation. You will be tempted in the area that you're strong. Samson, and where we can all relate to Samson, is Samson was tempted in the area he was strong, and he started assuming, man, every single time I tell her a secret, I get ambushed, and every single time they show up and ambush me, I handle my business, and then the next time comes, and I handle my business, and so he gets down here, and he's like, you know what? I don't know if I need this hair thing anymore. I'm doing just fine, I'm handling life just fine. I don't know if I need this hair thing. Well, what was the hair thing? It was this Nazarite covenant vow. I do not have the time to explain it today, but what you find is there was a handful of standards that Samson was supposed to live by. They were inconvenient, practical things that he had to do that would set him apart and tether him to this supernatural strength in his life. Well, in the course of his story, he violates all of them. And the very final one that he is yet to violate is his hair. And in that moment, Samson thinks, I think I'm managing just fine.

I think I can even tell her the secret of my hair. And if they come in the door again, I'll manage my business. And here's what Samson discovers for every single one of us. The story of Samson puts in front of all of us the fact that we all have been given God-given potential. The question is, are we going to waste it? Are we gonna maximize it? Or are we going to keep in check the inner Samson that can show up in our lives? Where are the areas where you are looking at life thinking, okay, I've got this pretty much covered. God, I don't know if I need your help in this area. The hair for Samson was the final straw. It's his relationship with God hanging on by a thread. And the thing that we discover is the strongest Samson and the strongest you and the strongest me is connected to God, and the weakest Samson and the weakest you and the weakest me is disconnected from God. If you want Samson's story in a very simple idea, the strongest you is connected to God, the weakest you is disconnected to God, okay? Samson finds himself with this incredible strength and he thinks, I can do it without God. And the moment he breaks that tie, he discovers the source of his strength. One of the most terrifying places you can be in your faith is a place where God lets you discover the source of your strength. And he discovers the source of his strength

and he discovers the source of your strength. No, God, I cannot do this without you. I need your help. So as we round the corner, one, it's hard to see ourselves in Samson. None of us wanna admit that we have blind spots, areas in our life that are obvious to others, but we keep making the same mistake. And it's areas in our strength that we assume we can manage without God's assistance. It's hard for us to see ourselves in Samson, but it is even harder but more necessary to see Jesus in Samson. Samson is a signal, a foreshadow. He primes the pump of our heart in anticipation for the coming of Christ. And you might be thinking, how in the world is he similar to Jesus? Seven minutes, and I'm going to give you rapid fire how he points us to Christ. One, Samson is one of maybe five key figures in the Bible who has their birth announced. Before he arrives, there's a full angelic birth announcement. Think of Isaac, think of John the Baptist, think of Christ himself. Samson is one of the rare few individuals in the Bible who you get an announcement, a proclamation of his birth. In addition to that, Samson is one of the few individuals in the Bible

who was dedicated, anointed, and commissioned to the service of the Lord as a child. He's commissioned as a child, dedicated unto God for a purpose. For a purpose, very few make that list. In the even smaller list is Samson is one of the few people in the Bible who God decided, hey, we're going to cover his entire life. You have to acknowledge how unique. I think it is that Samson gives us, God gives us his entire story. Well, we get a birth announcement with Christ, Samson did as well. Samson was dedicated as a child, Jesus was as well. You find that Samson was set to be a deliverer. Jesus was set to be a deliverer. You find that Samson was tempted three times, he fell to all three. Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the devil three times, triumphs every single time. And what is amazing is that final verse where it says, and Samson did more by dying than he did while living. Samson and Jesus have a lot of things in common, birth announcements, dedications, the whole process. But what they have in common in terms of their death is amazing. Samson says, let me die with the Philistines and Jesus says, I have come, lived a perfect life, flawlessly, to a T,

and now I voluntarily am going to willingly lay down my life and I am going to die with and I am going to die for, past, present and future, all the sins of human history. Jesus does more in his death than he did in his life. And that is the same in the gospel. That Jesus takes out the enemy by facing sin, death and shame on our behalf. Here's what's amazing and I end with this. Samson, he comes out and they have him parading around and there's thousands of people leaning over and all the rulers of the Philistines are on this platform above him and they give him a break and they put him by the pillars. Which is actually where he belongs. Samson, what should your life had been? A pillar. And they put him among the pillars and he realizes, I am in position, I am in position to accomplish my life's mission. In fact, you can argue that in this moment with all the rulers above Samson on this platform and him right next to the very things holding all of them up, you can argue that Samson has never been better positioned to accomplish God's calling, purpose and mission on his life. Samson, what were you called to do? To deliver my people by defeating the Philistines. How are you gonna defeat the Philistines?

I don't know. So he stumbles through life, mismanaging his strength, mismanaging his calling and then one day he looks up and he realizes, I don't know how I got here. And I can make this shot blindfolded because he's literally has no eyes. And I can take out the enemy. That's why, what's the first word out of his mouth? Sovereign, oh my goodness, like even with me messing everything up, you're still getting it right. That's the story of grace. That's the story of redemption. That's the story of the Bible. Samson looking up realizing I'm down here mismanaging all that you've entrusted me with, all that you've blessed me with. I'm going off into detours, I'm getting things wrong yet somehow you redemptively stand ready and available to answer my cry, to meet me in times of hell and to use me how you seek to use me in this life. And Samson realizes somehow he's still able to accomplish his purpose and he takes out the pillars and the platform comes crashing down and he does more in his death than in his life. And that is what Jesus does. Jesus does more in his death, dying with the sins of the world. And I kind of think, you know, in scripture,

there's always this pairing of sin and shame, sin and shame. Those two go together, they're like twins. When Samson stands as a shadow of Christ between the two pillars and he pushes out the pillars, I can't help but see Christ on the cross with his arms stretched wide, pushing down the pillars of sin and shame. You know, he just defeats the enemy in such a triumphant way. And what's amazing is you look at Samson's story and you think it's just a mess, and then you realize, whoa, I did not see it coming, but God defeated the Philistines. God used them to do exactly what God said he was gonna do. And you get down the road and you realize, the same way no one's seen it coming with Samson, no one's seen it coming with Christ. Shows up as an infant, lays down his life eventually for the sins of the world, and God in his paradoxical nature flips things upside down where you realize he's just so good. And he's working all things together for our good. He's accomplishing his purpose. He is sovereign. And whenever we cry out to him, he's one call away. Amen. That's where we're gonna tie a bow on it. Church, would you stand to your feet and pray with me? Amen.

Samson. What a guy. Dear Father, we just thank you for today and we thank you for just your goodness. And once again, the strength of your word that speaks so clearly at times and teases out for us maybe the fundamental things we need to be looking at. God, where are the areas in our life where we are swelling up with an unwarranted confidence in our own ability, not realizing that you are the source of our strength. You are the source of our joy. You are the source of our peace. You are the source of our wisdom. And you are the source of grace. And God, may we just live attentive and aware of that. And God, thank you for taking out the pillars of sin and shame on the cross so that we can live victorious, triumphant, free lives with you. Thank you for being the ultimate deliverer who can accomplish what no others can. And God, we just place all of our hope and trust in you and give you thanks. In Jesus' mighty name we pray, amen.