WEBVTT

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When I was in my freshman biology class, ninth

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grade, which I had heard we would do things like

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bisect frogs and stuff like that, I wasn't super

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excited about that class because I really didn't

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like the idea of cutting apart animals. But in

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the very first days of that class, my biology

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teacher told me something that has served me

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ever since. And it is that when scientists look

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at an organism to determine whether or not it

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is alive, they have a set of criteria that they

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use to say this thing is alive or not. So look

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at it under a microscope. If it meets certain

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criteria, it takes cells, scrape off skin, whatever.

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If it meets certain criteria, then they say that

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is a living organism. And if it doesn't meet

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those criteria, they say that is not a living

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organism. And there are a lot of things on the

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earth that you might mistake. as alive but they

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don't meet certain of those criteria so technically

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they're not living organisms one of those rules

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i don't think it's the seventh one there are

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now seven by the way when i was in high school

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to tell you how old i am there were five determinations

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of whether a thing is alive now there are seven

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one of those rules is whether or not a thing

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responds to its environment so what it experiences

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if you poke it does it Does it bounce back? Does

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it change shape? Does it do something? Not just

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is it pushed, poked out of shape, whatever. Like,

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say, Play -Doh, you poke it, it'll sit out of

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shape, and slowly it'll bounce back a little

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bit, right? But Play -Doh is clearly not alive

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because it doesn't meet many of the other criteria.

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But if you took a cell and you put it under a

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microscope and you poke it, does it recoil? Does

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it respond? Does it run away from what it perceives

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as a threat? Does it reshape itself or reorganize

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itself around that? So I don't understand quite

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why it is as people that we think that we can

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do whatever and that there will be no response

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or reaction from other people. But that a lot

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of times is the case. People are not going to

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just continue on and not respond if we do something

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that affects them because they are alive. Also

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bear in mind that as we look at this text that

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as Christians, we often pray for peace. So we

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see peace as this. this situation where nothing

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is really affecting us or changing us or hurting

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us or causing us to respond. So a lot of times

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we pray for peace, and we pray for peace certainly

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in the world. We want wars to cease, that kind

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of thing. A lot of times we seek peace. We go

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after it. We'll try to make peace with somebody.

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We'll try not to be around somebody who is causing

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us stress or agitation. We might even isolate

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to get away from an environment or a situation

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that we don't like. And we pursue peace. So we

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look for how we can find a road of peace. so

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that people will not respond negatively or aggressively

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towards us. But scripture repeatedly teaches

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us that there are times when conflict or when

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this war, like fighting back, responding in kind

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of a harsh way is necessary. It's got to happen.

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We're not looking for trouble, but the reality

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is that God's people are going to encounter trouble.

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And I don't just mean suffering or trials. We

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know that that's true. But also, that there's

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going to be a time where you have to stand up,

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you have to remain firm, or you have to fight

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back. What that exactly looks like for a Christian

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is different than what it looks like for the

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world, because there are a lot of avenues that

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you can go down when you're fighting back against

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something that you don't like. If you're an unbeliever,

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if you're not saved, you're not limited by what

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God would consider sin, that we just can't do.

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There are things that we just don't do. So as

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we look at the story of Samson, and I told you

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previously that this... This structure of this

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section, the whole section about Samson, which

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really spans three chapters, seriously, of the

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book of Judges, is a chiastic structure. That

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means it's got one big piece, like a pillar,

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like I think of it like a sandwich, like a piece

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of bread, and then it's got some stuff in the

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middle, and it's got another piece of bread,

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right? And everything that we've done so far

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is leading up to the piece of bread, and we're

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actually going to take our first bite today.

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We're going to see the whole piece of bread,

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and then we're going to see the whole piece of

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meat. But then we're going to come back in two

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weeks and we're going to digest the meat. We're

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going to look more. thoroughly at it and figure

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out what it means to us. And then from that point

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on, we'll be on the second piece of bread and

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down throughout the rest of Samson's story, okay?

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So we are today headed up to, and we'll have

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that whole first piece of bread, that whole pillar

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that supports the story of Samson. So that's

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an exciting time for us as we've been looking

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at Samson. Those of you who haven't been with

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us, it's okay because this stands alone for sure,

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all right? So grab your Bibles if you would.

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We do usually hoot, holler, amen. Let me know

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you're there as we go to Judges chapter 15. Thank

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you very much. I appreciate it. This is the word

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of the Lord. So as we know, the state of affairs,

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the Philistines have essentially been ruling

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over the Israelites. That is not the way it was

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meant to be. God's people were told that they

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would rule this land. They found themselves sharing

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it with the Philistines, and then they basically

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allowed the Philistines to be up over on top

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of them and be in charge. The Philistines have

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set the rules for a while now, and God's people

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have drifted pretty far from the model that God

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had set forth from them. So this will be done

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in a little bit different way. I'm going to read

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the text, but as I read the text, I'm going to

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stop and give you the main point that comes out

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of that section and talk about it a little bit.

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I'll try to remember at the end to remind you

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of what the points were. But if I don't, I do

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encourage you to take notes. Also, this will

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be in the podcast and online on Facebook. If

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you need, for some reason, you go, hey, wait,

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he said something and I really need it. You need

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to hear it again. It's there. OK, so it begins

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in Judges chapter 15, verse one. It says, but

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after a while in the time of wheat harvest, it

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came about that Samson visited his wife with

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a young goat and said, I will go into my wife

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in her room. Now, normally. Out of context, that

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doesn't sound like any big deal, right? He's

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taking a goat home. He's going home to be with

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his wife. But what we recall, or what you will

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recall in a moment if you don't already, is that

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this occurs immediately following the whole episode

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where Samson blew up during his wedding week.

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So they have not consummated their marriage.

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He left before that final day in which he would

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go in with her and consummate their marriage.

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But in their culture, even in the culture of

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the Philistines, it was considered that they

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were married. Actually, from the moment that

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they were betrothed, it was considered that they

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were married. So the moment that they arranged

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for her to marry Samson, from that moment on,

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she was considered his wife. And so he could,

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from that moment on, have at any time consummated

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his marriage with her. And so he still has a

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complete right to do that. And so he's thinking,

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I'm just going to go home to my wife. But what

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had happened was he had gone and killed 30 Philistines

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to pay the debt because his wife had tricked

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him out of the answer to the riddle, which really

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ticked him off. She begged him and bothered him

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until he gave her the answer to the riddle. And

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then she gave the answer to her Philistine friends,

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or her father's friends, really, that were brought

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to Samson's wedding. and they couldn't answer

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the riddle. And because of that, Samson had a

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huge debt he had to pay. To pay the debt, he

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went and killed 30 guys, took their stuff, and

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that's how he paid the debt. And he killed 30

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Philistines. We know that this is all part of

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God's plot to bring Samson and the Israelites

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into conflict with the Philistines. And if I

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may say it this way, without it being a topic

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of the sermon, it was never meant to be that

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the Philistines would rule over God's people.

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They should have already been in conflict with

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the Philistines the whole time. But they have

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become comfortable with the Philistines ruling

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over top of them. And God is working a plan to

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put that to an end, which he said he would do

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through Samson. So now, with that context, we

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go, wow, this is a little weird. So this is what

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I'm seeing. There's a wedding. A bad series of

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events occurs. Samson loses it. He is ticked.

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And he has every right to be, to a degree. And

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he rushes out to go pay his debt. He goes down

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to another Philistine city. Ascalon, I think

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it was. And he kills 30 men, takes the wealth

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from them, and comes back and pays his debt.

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And then he leaves. He doesn't go into his wife

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to consummate his marriage. He leaves. Now, out

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of the blue, the wheat harvest comes up, and

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he's like, I'm going to go be with my wife. Isn't

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that a little weird? Like, he's expecting that

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nothing has changed. That he blew up, destroyed

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the house, right? In fact, he probably risked

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the life of his wife and her father when he did

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that. It's pretty bad stuff. And now he thinks

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that she's going to come back with a goat and

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lay with his wife. That's a little weird. But

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her father did not let him enter. And her father

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said, I really thought that you hated her intensely.

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I mean, the way he reacted. So now her dad was

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thinking, well, that's it for their marriage.

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It's over. So I gave her to your companion. Is

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not her younger sister more beautiful than she?

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So he goes straight from saying, and that word,

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their companion, by the way, could be best man.

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But remember that the whole wedding party and

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all the guests at that party were drawn out from

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the Philistines, not from the Israelites. So

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probably not an Israelite, right? But it says,

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her father said, I really thought you hated her

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intensely, so I gave her to your companion. And

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that person could have been the best man. And

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that was a thing back in the day. If a man asked

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a woman to marry him and then backed out, the

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best man would be culturally expected to step

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in and take over his obligations, even though

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he never asked her to marry him. That has died

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in our society, as has the rule that if you ask

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a woman to marry you and then you bail out, you

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have to pay alimony. That also has died. Right.

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That went away in the 60s. But it used to be

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like that. If you ask a woman to marry you, she

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said yes. And then you decided not to marry her.

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You still had to pay alimony. United States.

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Right. But that's gone away now. And so has the

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best man being required to be the husband. That

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also has gone away. That went away a lot long

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time before the 1960s. OK, so the best man or

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whoever he was is now married to Samson's wife.

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Which you can pretty much means he's, you know,

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doing the deed with her. He's consummated the

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marriage. It's been settled, right? And so the

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dad says, we're not going to go back on that.

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But look at her younger sister. So he is making

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a concession here. He's giving Samson what he

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promised Samson, which was a wife. And he says,

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isn't she more beautiful? You can get an even

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better deal out of this. Instead of taking the

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older sister, take the younger sister. Isn't

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she pretty good looking? Please let her be yours

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instead. So he's trying to make peace with Samson.

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Now, first of all, in our culture, that's really

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creepy, right? That all of a sudden, she doesn't

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know this is coming. There's no love involved

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here. This is just like, you can't have the older

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sister because I gave her away to somebody else.

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Take the younger sister. Isn't she hot? That's

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messed up. We would never do a thing like that.

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But in that culture, especially the Philistine

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culture, not necessarily in the Israelite culture,

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right? Remember, they follow false gods. They

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have laws and rules that do not make sense by

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our standard of justice, all right? Please take

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her. Samson then said to them, this time I shall

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be blameless in regard to the Philistines when

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I do them harm. See, he says, no, I have been

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treated unjustly. My wife has now been given

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to another man. I had every right to her. And

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legally, that's true. He also should not have

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acted the way he acted, but legally he had every

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right to her. And so he has been wronged and

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he's going to take his revenge. Notice there

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it says, this time I shall be blameless in regard

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to the Philistines when I do them harm. And that

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word there, do them harm, is ra 'ah. And if there's

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anybody in the room who recognizes this phrase,

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where there's a movie, series and a movie, where

00:10:39.539 --> 00:10:42.120
it says, I... that I like called Serenity, where

00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:44.419
there's a line where he says, I aim to misbehave,

00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:48.320
right? And he's always been kind of like staying

00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:49.960
under the radar and they've been smuggling and

00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:51.220
staying out of trouble and everything. And now

00:10:51.220 --> 00:10:53.559
he aims to go after those who have hurt them,

00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.200
right? That's what ra 'ah in the Hebrew means.

00:10:56.379 --> 00:10:58.659
It means I'm going to cause trouble. I'm going

00:10:58.659 --> 00:11:01.220
to bring wrath. I'm going to disregard caution

00:11:01.220 --> 00:11:04.559
to do hurt, right? And that's what he says. So

00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:06.759
this time I shall be blameless in regard to the

00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:10.200
Philistines when I do to them. what wrath does.

00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:14.580
And Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took

00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:17.360
torches and turned the foxes tail to tail and

00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:20.440
put one torch in the middle between two tails.

00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:22.879
Now that word in another translation might be

00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.360
jackals there, but he gets these little dog fox

00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:28.419
animals that are wild and nasty and crazy, and

00:11:28.419 --> 00:11:30.879
he ties them tail to tail, puts the torches in

00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:32.019
the middle. So you can imagine what that's going

00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:34.620
to be like. They're going to be all over. trying

00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:36.620
to disconnect from each other, and now they have

00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:38.399
flaming torches, and they're going to set everything

00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:40.519
on fire that they run into that's flammable.

00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:43.580
And he sets them off in the fields. In verse

00:11:43.580 --> 00:11:45.879
5 it says, When he had set fire to the torches,

00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:49.360
he released the foxes, or jackals, into the standing

00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.539
grain of the Philistines, thus burning up both

00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:55.620
the shocks and the standing grain, along with

00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:58.620
the vineyards and the groves. These foxes set

00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:02.200
a fire that destroys. countrywide devastation,

00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.720
not just one person's stuff. We're talking about

00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:07.840
a devastation that now threatens the populace

00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:11.139
of the Philistines. Okay. All right. So we've

00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:13.500
made it through verses one to five. So conflict

00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:17.460
often begins with what seems reasonable. All

00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:19.200
right. So this is what we're doing. Well, this

00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:22.019
makes sense to me. They did this to me. So I'm

00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:24.100
going to do this back to them. And it makes sense.

00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:27.350
It's justice. Not talking about vengeance. Vengeance

00:12:27.350 --> 00:12:29.710
is another thing. Sometimes vengeance seems reasonable.

00:12:29.850 --> 00:12:30.990
Somebody did something to me, I'm going to hurt

00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:33.669
them bad, right? That's so bad, vengeance now

00:12:33.669 --> 00:12:35.629
seems reasonable. We're not talking about vengeance.

00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.340
It's definitely not. OK, we're not talking about

00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:44.639
vengeance. OK, we're talking about just a reasonable

00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:47.500
reaction to what somebody has done. Remember,

00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.139
I said being alive indicates that there would

00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:52.659
be a reason to poke the cell. If it responds

00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:55.120
reasonably, it's probably alive. If it doesn't,

00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.840
it's not. And so as a people, we expect that

00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:00.950
it's acceptable. for us to respond reasonably

00:13:00.950 --> 00:13:04.029
to whatever someone does to us. There's an old

00:13:04.029 --> 00:13:06.169
story that we don't tell very much in America

00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:08.610
anymore about an ancient feud that took place

00:13:08.610 --> 00:13:11.950
down in West Virginia along the Ohio border and

00:13:11.950 --> 00:13:13.669
like that between the Hatfields and the McCoys.

00:13:13.789 --> 00:13:15.889
And they had cousins and uncles and brothers

00:13:15.889 --> 00:13:18.070
and sisters, and it just went on and on and on.

00:13:18.090 --> 00:13:19.710
Now, we make it out to be that something was

00:13:19.710 --> 00:13:22.470
happening like every day, but it actually lasted

00:13:22.470 --> 00:13:25.240
over years, and it wasn't like that at all. months

00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:27.919
or years went by with nothing actually happening

00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:30.460
but there was bad blood between them and then

00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.700
when something would happen the other side would

00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:35.240
do something that was considered to be revenge

00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:39.159
or payback reasonable payback for what had happened

00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:41.539
and then the first side would not right away

00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:43.799
react they might wait months or years and then

00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:46.100
they would react back and do something and it

00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:48.399
would go back and forth and back and forth until

00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.559
eventually it erupted into a shootout but there

00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:52.659
was only one shootout like the whole time it

00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:54.789
wasn't for me it wasn't like That was what was

00:13:54.789 --> 00:13:56.190
ongoing. They were warring with each other. Because

00:13:56.190 --> 00:13:58.409
if that kind of thing breaks out, so many people

00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:01.090
die, the wars die out, right? If wars go against

00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:03.110
each other in the Cold War in the U .S., if we

00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:05.190
started nuking Russia, they started nuking us,

00:14:05.210 --> 00:14:06.769
pretty soon the war would be over because there

00:14:06.769 --> 00:14:09.309
wouldn't be anybody left, right? So a Cold War

00:14:09.309 --> 00:14:11.470
happens where we're killing your agents, and

00:14:11.470 --> 00:14:13.169
then we're doing just enough, and we're doing

00:14:13.169 --> 00:14:15.610
just enough, and no war is ever declared. And

00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:17.169
that's what happened to the Heckels and the Coys

00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:19.610
because they had reasonable actions that anyone

00:14:19.610 --> 00:14:22.409
would think was reasonable. That's how conflict

00:14:22.409 --> 00:14:24.990
usually builds. The Philistines thought they

00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:27.769
were being reasonable. Her dad said, well, he

00:14:27.769 --> 00:14:30.129
obviously hates her now, so I'm going to give

00:14:30.129 --> 00:14:32.190
her the best man. That's my right in my religion

00:14:32.190 --> 00:14:34.190
and my culture legally is my right to do that.

00:14:34.309 --> 00:14:36.570
But then he's confronted and he realizes, ah,

00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:39.470
maybe I should have found out for sure if he

00:14:39.470 --> 00:14:41.289
was really done with her. So he said, well, I'll

00:14:41.289 --> 00:14:43.009
offer you my younger daughter. So he was trying

00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:45.210
to make amends, but there was no amends to be

00:14:45.210 --> 00:14:48.009
made because that was Samson's wife and he gave

00:14:48.009 --> 00:14:50.769
her away. Somebody else took her. And I can tell

00:14:50.769 --> 00:14:52.090
you for a fact that anybody who does anything

00:14:52.090 --> 00:14:53.909
to my wife, we're going to have a real problem

00:14:53.909 --> 00:14:55.490
where I'm going to be probably out of control,

00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:58.230
right? Because that's my wife, right? And the

00:14:58.230 --> 00:15:00.169
only way I'm going to be under any kind of control

00:15:00.169 --> 00:15:02.309
is if God does a miracle in that moment, which

00:15:02.309 --> 00:15:05.389
I hope he will, but look out, okay? So Samson

00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:07.830
thinks that he's being perfectly reasonable to

00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:09.549
respond to what they're doing, even so far as

00:15:09.549 --> 00:15:11.649
he says, no one could consider me unreasonable

00:15:11.649 --> 00:15:13.860
to do what I'm about to do. And he uses that

00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:15.480
word Ra 'aj. He says, I'm going to go out of

00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:17.659
my way to do something incredible, a miraculous

00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:19.659
thing. And then the language where it talks about

00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:21.840
that he gathered all those foxes or jackals together

00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:24.080
talks about a miracle of strength that for him

00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.419
was easy. The language in there talks about he

00:15:26.419 --> 00:15:28.899
did this in a few hours. You know what it takes

00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:31.740
to catch 300 of any kind of animal? A rat. You

00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:33.379
go to a warehouse that's got a thousand rats

00:15:33.379 --> 00:15:36.639
in it. It'll take you serious labor with cages

00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:39.379
and nets and efforts and sweat and maybe blood,

00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.879
right? And for him, it was easy. So this was

00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.899
a miraculous act on behalf of Samson to do something

00:15:44.899 --> 00:15:46.899
that he considered to be reasonable to cause

00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:50.440
ra 'ah, which is devastating distress to the

00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:52.620
Philistine people. And he considered it a reasonable

00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:55.659
action. These reasonable actions oftentimes arise

00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:59.779
out of our idea of what wisdom is. So we think

00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.320
this just makes sense. The Hebrew concept behind

00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.480
evil carries the idea of aiming toward distress,

00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:08.409
trouble, or wrath. That means if what you consider

00:16:08.409 --> 00:16:11.309
to be reasonable is actually distress, trouble,

00:16:11.470 --> 00:16:14.269
or wrath toward that person, it's still evil,

00:16:14.389 --> 00:16:17.649
right? And so this action is still a bad action,

00:16:17.750 --> 00:16:21.029
even though it's reasonable that he does something.

00:16:21.110 --> 00:16:23.230
And even though God has said that he will use

00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:25.570
Samson to do something, to fight, it's nothing

00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:28.129
that's straightforward. Women and children are

00:16:28.129 --> 00:16:30.750
now probably going to starve because of what

00:16:30.750 --> 00:16:33.169
Samson does. And be women and children that have

00:16:33.169 --> 00:16:36.129
no idea. about Samson that even exists or his

00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:38.450
wife, right? This is why in wartime, it's okay

00:16:38.450 --> 00:16:40.450
to kill soldiers. It is not okay to bomb hospitals,

00:16:40.710 --> 00:16:42.990
right? And that's what he just did. He's bombing

00:16:42.990 --> 00:16:45.269
hospitals. He's saying this is reasonable. It

00:16:45.269 --> 00:16:48.830
is definitely an escalation, even though he considers

00:16:48.830 --> 00:16:50.970
it to be reasonable. People convince themselves

00:16:50.970 --> 00:16:52.970
that because they have a reason, they must be

00:16:52.970 --> 00:16:55.470
right. But having a reason and having righteousness

00:16:55.470 --> 00:16:58.250
are two different things. So you may say I have

00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:01.090
a reason. The road to conflict often follows

00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:03.669
a predictable path. We look at, am I justified?

00:17:04.190 --> 00:17:06.049
Is it okay that I do this? Do I have a reason

00:17:06.049 --> 00:17:08.710
to do this? And then we take that as activation.

00:17:08.970 --> 00:17:10.630
Okay, I'm going to do it. I'm doing it. I'm taking

00:17:10.630 --> 00:17:13.130
it on now. And then we do vindication after the

00:17:13.130 --> 00:17:15.069
fact. We say, see, I was right. I knew I was

00:17:15.069 --> 00:17:16.670
right the whole time. It was okay for me to do

00:17:16.670 --> 00:17:19.569
that. We justify. We act. We convince ourselves

00:17:19.569 --> 00:17:21.609
that it was right the whole time. And then we

00:17:21.609 --> 00:17:23.750
do the thing over again. We do it again. Somebody

00:17:23.750 --> 00:17:25.789
else does something we don't like. We justify.

00:17:26.009 --> 00:17:29.289
We activate. We vindicate, right? Except guess

00:17:29.289 --> 00:17:31.630
what everyone else is doing? Justifying, activating,

00:17:31.930 --> 00:17:34.049
and vindicating, right? And when they justify,

00:17:34.190 --> 00:17:36.230
activate, and vindicate, it triggers your justification,

00:17:36.490 --> 00:17:38.829
activation, and vindication. And the process

00:17:38.829 --> 00:17:42.150
spirals up until it becomes a conflict that is

00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:45.569
outside what is reasonable. The truth is the

00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:48.390
moment you justified your action, it was probably

00:17:48.390 --> 00:17:49.990
a conflict that was outside what was reasonable.

00:17:50.150 --> 00:17:52.029
Just like there should have been conflict with

00:17:52.029 --> 00:17:54.000
the Philistines. In fact, To some degree, you

00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:55.900
can say there already was, right? Because the

00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:58.380
Philistine gods were invading Israelite worship.

00:17:58.579 --> 00:18:01.240
So there was a conflict taking place, but they

00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.859
were trying to pretend that there wasn't. We

00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:06.019
convince ourselves that we were right all along,

00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:08.799
and then we repeat the whole process. Years ago,

00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.259
I heard about a homeowner who noticed a tiny

00:18:11.259 --> 00:18:14.380
crack in the foundation. It seemed small, wasn't

00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:16.519
a big deal, didn't affect the value of the house.

00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:18.900
Rather than repairing the crack, they just kind

00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:21.799
of like explained it away. No big deal. Not something

00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:23.460
you really got to worry about right now. I'll

00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:25.859
get around to it. But then later, when the wall

00:18:25.859 --> 00:18:29.480
shifted and the house went from being worth market

00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.940
value to almost worthless, the crack turned out

00:18:32.940 --> 00:18:35.700
to be pretty much important, right? Now, you

00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:36.920
and I could sit here and say, well, it would

00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:39.799
be reasonable to be concerned about the crack

00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:42.079
because you could lose your house value. But

00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:44.380
at the same time, I submit to you that same homeowner

00:18:44.380 --> 00:18:48.059
was. using justification, activation, and vindication,

00:18:48.339 --> 00:18:49.720
thinking about the fact that they were okay,

00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:52.500
to do all kinds of other things. They were fighting

00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:54.559
with their co -workers. They were watching TV

00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:56.359
or flipping the channel when they didn't like

00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:58.119
what they were seeing. Or they were doing all

00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:00.059
kinds of things. They were eating out. They were

00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:02.160
traveling. I have a stressful job. I need a vacation.

00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:04.180
They were buying birthday presents. They were

00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:06.440
bored to stay. I surely have to do that. And

00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:08.339
all the while that they were having all these

00:19:08.339 --> 00:19:11.059
worldly reasons to do all these worldly things

00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:13.559
that need to be done, many of them, they were

00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:16.240
ignoring the crap. The crack was a sign. It was

00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:18.880
a step. It didn't have to yield a certain result.

00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:22.759
But the refusal to deal with it then became the

00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.799
real problem. So should we justify, activate,

00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.319
and vindicate? Should we be doing things that

00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.819
are right? Yes. But there must be a standard

00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:33.299
that goes beyond someone did something to me

00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:35.299
to determine when I should act. There must be

00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.140
a standard that goes beyond I like this or I

00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:39.099
didn't like this to determine what I should do.

00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:41.500
There has to be a better standard than that.

00:19:41.849 --> 00:19:44.750
So many conflicts begin with small offenses that

00:19:44.750 --> 00:19:47.970
people justify instead of addressing them. So

00:19:47.970 --> 00:19:50.609
I'm saying to you then, be careful when your

00:19:50.609 --> 00:19:54.170
favorite phrase becomes, let me explain why I

00:19:54.170 --> 00:19:57.369
did this or why I had to do this. Or when you

00:19:57.369 --> 00:20:00.349
make an excuse for why you don't act. Not every

00:20:00.349 --> 00:20:03.250
explanation is a justification before God. The

00:20:03.250 --> 00:20:05.630
truth is, by the time you have to explain why

00:20:05.630 --> 00:20:08.009
you did something, you probably already have

00:20:08.009 --> 00:20:09.890
a problem. I was talking with my daughter, Ariana.

00:20:10.329 --> 00:20:12.849
And she's having a weird situation occur at school

00:20:12.849 --> 00:20:15.650
where they ask her on a regular basis in various

00:20:15.650 --> 00:20:17.410
things. I imagine it's probably because they're

00:20:17.410 --> 00:20:19.069
trying to shape her and whatever. But they ask

00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:20.650
her what she's going to be when she grows up.

00:20:20.730 --> 00:20:23.309
Now, she's just turned 12 this last week. And

00:20:23.309 --> 00:20:25.009
you would think, well, 12 -year -olds probably

00:20:25.009 --> 00:20:26.829
have dreams and aspirations of what they're going

00:20:26.829 --> 00:20:29.130
to grow up. And she said at least five or six

00:20:29.130 --> 00:20:30.809
times this year they did some kind of a project

00:20:30.809 --> 00:20:32.410
at school and asked her what she's going to be

00:20:32.410 --> 00:20:35.529
when she grows up. And I said, so what did you

00:20:35.529 --> 00:20:37.130
say? And she said, well, it's a dumb question.

00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:39.089
It's not really a right question. And I said,

00:20:39.150 --> 00:20:41.710
okay, why not? And she said, because I want to

00:20:41.710 --> 00:20:44.309
be whatever God wants me to be. And so then I

00:20:44.309 --> 00:20:45.750
tell them, I say, well, I want to be whatever

00:20:45.750 --> 00:20:47.750
God wants me to be. And they say, well, what

00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:49.509
does God say you should be when you grow up?

00:20:49.690 --> 00:20:53.289
And I say, he hasn't told me yet. And then they

00:20:53.289 --> 00:20:56.009
get mad or they just move on and ignore me after

00:20:56.009 --> 00:20:58.950
that. And so the question is not whether you

00:20:58.950 --> 00:21:02.160
have a reason. or a want or a desire to do things,

00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:05.740
but what does God say about the thing? The question

00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:08.259
is whether God approves the reason that you have.

00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:11.019
Note, if the reason that you do whatever you're

00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:13.019
doing causes you to fail to do something that

00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:15.079
God called you to do, then the reason will always

00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:17.140
be wrong. Let me say that again. If whatever

00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:19.380
reason you have to do what you're doing causes

00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:21.259
you to fail to do what it is that God would have

00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:22.980
you to do, whatever good thing you're supposed

00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:25.369
to be doing, then it's sin. And it can never

00:21:25.369 --> 00:21:27.190
be right, no matter how reasonable you think

00:21:27.190 --> 00:21:29.150
it is, no matter if you can pick a verse out

00:21:29.150 --> 00:21:31.230
of the Bible and get it to support your decision.

00:21:31.410 --> 00:21:33.930
But if God has you doing a thing, if he's telling

00:21:33.930 --> 00:21:35.789
you to do something, and you look in your Bible

00:21:35.789 --> 00:21:37.670
and you say, oh, this is reason to do something

00:21:37.670 --> 00:21:39.509
other than what God is telling me to do, then

00:21:39.509 --> 00:21:42.049
you are either A, misinterpreting it, or B, misusing

00:21:42.049 --> 00:21:45.170
it, or C, just outright unreasonable as far as

00:21:45.170 --> 00:21:47.890
God is concerned. It could be borderline insanity.

00:21:48.190 --> 00:21:51.049
In our world, we have three pleas legally in

00:21:51.049 --> 00:21:52.549
court. I've gone to traffic court a number of

00:21:52.549 --> 00:21:54.369
times. Several times I went to traffic court

00:21:54.369 --> 00:21:56.190
for a ticket, but I didn't actually speed. I

00:21:56.190 --> 00:21:57.829
wasn't speeding or I was only speeding by like

00:21:57.829 --> 00:21:59.210
three mile an hour. They said I was doing 15,

00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:01.170
20 mile an hour over or whatever, which wasn't

00:22:01.170 --> 00:22:03.650
true. So in traffic court, you can plead guilty.

00:22:03.789 --> 00:22:05.869
That means, yep, I did it. I'll pay the fines,

00:22:06.049 --> 00:22:08.109
you know, throw myself on the mercy of the court.

00:22:08.250 --> 00:22:10.130
You can plead not guilty. That means, no, I did

00:22:10.130 --> 00:22:12.160
not do it. So I'm going to fight this tooth and

00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:13.940
nail to the end and I'm going to try to be found

00:22:13.940 --> 00:22:16.299
guilty, not guilty. And the last one is called

00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:18.640
no contest. No contest means you're not going

00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:20.619
to argue with the verdict, whatever it is. You

00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:22.880
just, whatever the court says is fine based on

00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:24.980
the facts and evidence, whatever it says, except

00:22:24.980 --> 00:22:27.079
that's not actually it. That's what we call it,

00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:28.880
but that's not actually the plea. The actual

00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:32.240
plea is no contest with an explanation because

00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.819
everybody wants to explain why they did what

00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:37.160
they did. And so it's a lot more palatable to

00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:39.509
take. the plea no contest with an explanation

00:22:39.509 --> 00:22:42.309
and tell the judge why you were driving 20 mile

00:22:42.309 --> 00:22:44.869
an hour or the wrong way on a one -way street

00:22:44.869 --> 00:22:47.910
or why you left the scene of an accident. So

00:22:47.910 --> 00:22:49.950
people say, well, yeah, I'll do no contest with

00:22:49.950 --> 00:22:51.650
an explanation because I do have a good reason

00:22:51.650 --> 00:22:53.470
and surely the judge will have lenience on me

00:22:53.470 --> 00:22:55.660
for the good reason that I have. See, we all

00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:57.700
think we have a good reason. I'm here to tell

00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:59.720
you that there is a set of reasons. There is

00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.779
a reason, really, that God has, and he is the

00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:04.759
one we want to listen to. Remember that most

00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:07.200
conflict arises out of that whole process where

00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:09.759
we all think we're being reasonable, and it leads

00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.599
us to a certain place. That's what was happening

00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:13.940
in this story. All right, continuing on in the

00:23:13.940 --> 00:23:17.039
text then. Verse 6 says this, Then the Philistines

00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:20.329
said, Who did this? And they said, Samson. the

00:23:20.329 --> 00:23:22.710
son -in -law of the Timnite. Notice that even

00:23:22.710 --> 00:23:25.450
the Philistines are talking like Samson is married

00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:27.789
to that woman that that guy gave to another guy,

00:23:27.950 --> 00:23:30.710
right? They called him the son -in -law of the

00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:32.890
Timnite. So he's added himself to some degree

00:23:32.890 --> 00:23:35.529
to that family because he took his wife. That's

00:23:35.529 --> 00:23:37.630
his father -in -law took his wife and gave her

00:23:37.630 --> 00:23:40.049
to his companion. So they're recognizing that

00:23:40.049 --> 00:23:41.990
as a sinful thing to do, to take his wife and

00:23:41.990 --> 00:23:43.369
give them to somebody else. So the Philistines

00:23:43.369 --> 00:23:47.009
came up and burned her and her father with fire.

00:23:47.089 --> 00:23:49.369
That's the end of them. They burned that man

00:23:49.369 --> 00:23:52.309
alive who took Samson's wife and gave him away.

00:23:52.390 --> 00:23:54.390
And they burned Samson's wife. Now, this is a

00:23:54.390 --> 00:23:56.349
problem in my mind right away, right? Because

00:23:56.349 --> 00:23:58.930
how does Samson feel about that woman? He's pretty

00:23:58.930 --> 00:24:01.730
emotionally attached to her, right? And so it's

00:24:01.730 --> 00:24:03.569
probably not going to go good from here on out.

00:24:03.670 --> 00:24:06.250
Verse 7, And Samson said to them, Since you act

00:24:06.250 --> 00:24:09.150
like this, I will surely take revenge on you,

00:24:09.250 --> 00:24:12.130
but after that I will quit. See, he's still couching

00:24:12.130 --> 00:24:15.569
his revenge in being reasonable. Also, he thinks

00:24:15.569 --> 00:24:17.430
in there, notice, that he's going to take revenge

00:24:17.430 --> 00:24:19.109
and then they're not going to do anything. He's

00:24:19.109 --> 00:24:20.470
saying, if you stop, I'll stop. I'm going to

00:24:20.470 --> 00:24:22.690
hurt you really bad. But after that, if you stop,

00:24:22.769 --> 00:24:25.630
I'll stop. You see that in high school. There'd

00:24:25.630 --> 00:24:27.410
be like a fight going on and somebody hits somebody.

00:24:27.490 --> 00:24:29.130
I'm going to hit you back. But then after that,

00:24:29.170 --> 00:24:30.769
I'll quit. And then they hit him back. And then

00:24:30.769 --> 00:24:32.710
the other person's going to hit them back. You

00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:34.089
hit me back again, I'm going to hit you again.

00:24:34.250 --> 00:24:36.069
And it would go back and forth, right? Now I'm

00:24:36.069 --> 00:24:37.190
going to hit you one more time and it's going

00:24:37.190 --> 00:24:38.750
to quit. And nobody remembers, see, like it's

00:24:38.750 --> 00:24:40.730
an even number. Like there's seven punches in,

00:24:40.829 --> 00:24:44.519
you know. All of that is not where God wants

00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:46.339
us to be. He says, I'll take revenge on you.

00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:49.059
But after that, I will quit. And he struck them

00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:51.299
ruthlessly with a great slaughter. And he went

00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:53.720
down and lived in the cleft of the rock of the

00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:56.940
town. And so now he kills a whole bunch of Philistines

00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:59.200
and he runs away. Now, that's interesting. That

00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.920
word there, great slaughter, in the Hebrew is

00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.220
a really neat word. It talks about having your

00:25:04.220 --> 00:25:07.180
knee on your enemy's thigh. It comes from wrestling.

00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:08.960
So if you're a wrestler or a football player

00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:10.119
or something like that, you might kind of understand

00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:12.440
that concept. If you have completely defeated

00:25:12.440 --> 00:25:14.779
your enemy to the point that your knee has him

00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:16.799
pinned on the ground and your knee is on his

00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:18.579
thigh pressing him to the ground, that's the

00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:21.079
word that's used there. That's what Samson did

00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:24.259
to them in that moment. So if he had his knee

00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:27.460
on their thigh, why did he run to the Rock of

00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:29.799
the Tom? If he had them thoroughly and utterly

00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:32.200
defeated in that moment, why did he run? Verse

00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:34.180
9 says, Then the Philistines went up and they

00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:35.700
camped in Judah. In other words, they gather

00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:37.680
an army together. They're going to stand up against

00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.200
Judah now. And they spread out in Lehi. And the

00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:42.299
men of Judah said, Why have you come up against

00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:44.960
us? And they said, We've come up to bind Samson

00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.900
in order to do to him as he did to us. So they're

00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.480
going to punish Samson and they get an army together

00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:53.279
and they're going to go up against Judah, the

00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:55.599
tribe of Judah, in order to get Samson. Verse

00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:59.000
11 says, Then 3 ,000 men of Judah went down to

00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.279
the cleft of the rock of the town and said to

00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:03.299
Samson, Do you not know that the Philistines

00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.700
are rulers over us? What then is this that you

00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:08.099
have done to us? And he said to them, As they

00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:11.059
did to me. So I have done to them. And they said

00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:14.579
to him, we've come down to bind you so that we

00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:16.900
may give you into the hands of the Philistines.

00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:20.380
And Samson said to them, swear to me that you

00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:23.240
will not kill me. So he says to these 3 ,000

00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:25.019
men who come against him, remember, they're Israelites.

00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:26.920
This is God's people. These are not his enemies

00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:28.980
in theory, except what they're doing is very

00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:30.980
enemy -like, right? So they're going to bind

00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:32.440
him and give him to the Philistines. So he says,

00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:35.119
when you tie me up, if I let you tie me up, swear

00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:37.579
to me that you won't kill me. Now verse 13. So

00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:40.500
they said to him, No, but we will bind you fast

00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:43.200
and give you into their hands. Yet surely we

00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:45.559
will not kill you. Then they bound him with two

00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:48.859
new ropes and brought him up from the rock. So

00:26:48.859 --> 00:26:50.779
the Philistines retaliate. They come up with

00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:54.640
an army. They murder his father -in -law and

00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:58.180
his wife. Samson retaliates. The conflict grows.

00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:01.819
Something unexpected happens. Samson's own people

00:27:01.819 --> 00:27:05.220
show up to arrest him. They bind him with his

00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:07.690
permission. And then they deliver him into the

00:27:07.690 --> 00:27:10.710
hands of the Philistines. His own people facilitate

00:27:10.710 --> 00:27:14.829
the conflict. Why does Samson's people, who should

00:27:14.829 --> 00:27:16.829
be out from underneath the Philistines, come

00:27:16.829 --> 00:27:20.670
to him, 3 ,000 men, to tie him up and turn him

00:27:20.670 --> 00:27:23.190
over to the Philistines? It's all out of the

00:27:23.190 --> 00:27:25.130
fact that they have become comfortable living

00:27:25.130 --> 00:27:28.740
under... and you can put in worldly or idolatrous

00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:31.859
domination. They would rather have that kind

00:27:31.859 --> 00:27:35.079
of bondage than to fight for their freedom. And

00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:37.400
unfortunately, this is the state of affairs in

00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:39.380
the United States of America and across the world,

00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:41.380
and also to some degree the state of affairs

00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:44.319
in the church. We are called to stand up and

00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:47.240
be free. And yet, we are more comfortable with

00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:50.460
all of these images and messages and thought

00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.180
-provoking things being pushed on us. As I was

00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:54.980
writing this, I had a prompt, and then I had

00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:56.980
a little vision. I had a vision of a man in his

00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:59.140
30s, and he was arrested for doing something

00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:00.880
that wasn't even illegal. He was being persecuted

00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:02.599
by the government, and he was thrown in jail,

00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:05.220
locked up in a cell. He was in there for about

00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:07.779
a year, came back out, went back about his way

00:28:07.779 --> 00:28:09.900
doing what he wanted to do. Eventually, he crossed

00:28:09.900 --> 00:28:11.900
the government again. He's arrested. He was thrown

00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:13.759
in jail. This time, they kept him in jail for

00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:15.700
like five years. He became pretty comfortable

00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:18.500
in there, safe, still doing things, but locked

00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:20.140
away from the world. Finally, they let him go.

00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:22.650
After five years, he comes out feeling a little

00:28:22.650 --> 00:28:24.769
nervous, but he's got to live. So he goes out

00:28:24.769 --> 00:28:25.990
and starts living. He gets in trouble with the

00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:27.910
government again. They throw him in there for

00:28:27.910 --> 00:28:30.410
10 years this time. So now he's spent 16 years

00:28:30.410 --> 00:28:32.390
of his life in the cell. At the end of the 10

00:28:32.390 --> 00:28:34.549
years, they go to let him out. The guard unlocks

00:28:34.549 --> 00:28:36.730
the door and opens it, and he grabs the door,

00:28:36.769 --> 00:28:38.809
and he pulls it forcefully shut, and he holds

00:28:38.809 --> 00:28:41.109
it, and he will not allow them to let him out

00:28:41.109 --> 00:28:44.269
of the cell. I submit to you that that is how

00:28:44.269 --> 00:28:47.460
people have become. I get it. That things come

00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:49.519
up in your rearview mirror. Things come up and

00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:51.839
you fail. You fall down. You make mistakes. People

00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:53.559
say things that hurt you. Things that you feel

00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:55.740
like you need to react to. Like that. Freedom

00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:58.960
sounds good until it requires change. You want

00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.140
to be free, but you don't always want to be in

00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:03.339
church. You don't always want to do the disciplined

00:29:03.339 --> 00:29:06.160
things that God is. Fasting? Pastor Dan's talking

00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:07.920
about going without food or going without TV

00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:10.299
or going without sugar or going without something

00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:12.359
that whatever God leads me to. That's crazy.

00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:15.019
I don't want to do that. That's part of being

00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:18.769
free. Jesus said, for those who believe in me,

00:29:18.829 --> 00:29:20.269
he said this to the Jews who were following,

00:29:20.369 --> 00:29:23.170
if you believe in me, come follow me and then

00:29:23.170 --> 00:29:24.890
you will know the truth and the truth will set

00:29:24.890 --> 00:29:27.529
you free. Jesus came that we might be free and

00:29:27.529 --> 00:29:29.410
to be free, you're going to have to be different

00:29:29.410 --> 00:29:32.210
because the world is not free. Sometimes opposition

00:29:32.210 --> 00:29:34.609
comes from enemies, but sometimes it's going

00:29:34.609 --> 00:29:37.289
to come from your own family. Consider your actions

00:29:37.289 --> 00:29:39.809
and whether you might be doing this very thing

00:29:39.809 --> 00:29:42.950
to people in your family. And if so, repent and

00:29:42.950 --> 00:29:45.420
turn to the Lord. Sometimes opposition comes

00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:47.920
from fellow believers in the church. Realize

00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:50.619
this is part of God's plan. If you come here

00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:53.099
and you make this your church, I will guarantee

00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:55.240
you, it's not because I want it to be so, but

00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.500
I will guarantee you that at some point in time,

00:29:57.519 --> 00:29:59.660
you're going to run afoul of someone else's personality.

00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:03.519
Are you with me? It goes wrong sometimes. It's

00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:06.240
supposed to, because that's how when we stand

00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:08.440
up together being different, that's how we grow.

00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:10.299
That's how we become strong. That's how we overcome.

00:30:10.809 --> 00:30:13.250
Sometimes the people who should stand beside

00:30:13.250 --> 00:30:16.210
you, those 3 ,000 men should have gathered with

00:30:16.210 --> 00:30:18.730
Samson and they might have shaken off the yoke

00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:21.029
of the entire Philistine nation. He'd already

00:30:21.029 --> 00:30:23.269
wiped out huge amounts of crops. You know who

00:30:23.269 --> 00:30:25.769
suffers the worst when huge amounts of crops

00:30:25.769 --> 00:30:28.970
are wiped out? Armies. Huge masses of men that

00:30:28.970 --> 00:30:32.349
can't go farm or do anything to feed themselves.

00:30:32.829 --> 00:30:34.329
And then they have to go into the land. They

00:30:34.329 --> 00:30:36.289
forage. And then the people of the land, they're

00:30:36.289 --> 00:30:39.890
taking my stuff. And the nation falls apart.

00:30:40.349 --> 00:30:42.690
Samson had already wiped out their supply line.

00:30:42.950 --> 00:30:46.730
Now he's dealt them a huge military loss. And

00:30:46.730 --> 00:30:50.529
3 ,000 Judah guys come up to arrest him to turn

00:30:50.529 --> 00:30:52.130
him over to the Philistines. Instead of going,

00:30:52.250 --> 00:30:54.769
we're with you. Let's get this done. Sometimes

00:30:54.769 --> 00:30:57.029
people in your life, instead of being your greatest

00:30:57.029 --> 00:30:58.769
supporter where they're supposed to be, they're

00:30:58.769 --> 00:31:01.509
actually going to be dragging you into the conflict,

00:31:01.769 --> 00:31:04.730
which looks like an evil act. But it isn't. And

00:31:04.730 --> 00:31:07.009
Samson realizes that. Notice he didn't say, no,

00:31:07.049 --> 00:31:08.769
I will not let you arrest me. No, I will not

00:31:08.769 --> 00:31:10.869
let you bind me. He doesn't say that. Samson

00:31:10.869 --> 00:31:13.690
realizes that God is using the men of Judah to

00:31:13.690 --> 00:31:16.410
facilitate his conflict with the Philistines

00:31:16.410 --> 00:31:19.309
that needs to happen. Do not be surprised when

00:31:19.309 --> 00:31:22.369
God uses uncomfortable circumstances to break

00:31:22.369 --> 00:31:24.930
through your comfortable compromises. When you've

00:31:24.930 --> 00:31:27.849
been staying up too late or eating too much or

00:31:27.849 --> 00:31:30.509
spending your money in a wrong way or talking

00:31:30.509 --> 00:31:32.910
ways that you should not. And God puts you in

00:31:32.910 --> 00:31:34.910
an uncomfortable circumstance so you can realize.

00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:38.359
Something has to change. We've all accepted a

00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:40.839
little too much compromise in our lives. Too

00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:43.519
many things have gone unconfronted, and the time

00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:46.759
has come. God is ready. The call is to victory,

00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:50.579
not consumption or conforming. The rest of the

00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:54.240
text then, 14 to 17, says, When he came to Lehi,

00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:56.779
the Philistines shouted as they met him, Yeah,

00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:59.880
we got him now! And the Spirit of God came upon

00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:02.180
him mightily. God said, Oh, they think they got

00:32:02.180 --> 00:32:04.029
you. But I'm the one that's got you. So that

00:32:04.029 --> 00:32:06.710
the ropes that were on his arms were as flax

00:32:06.710 --> 00:32:09.349
that is burned with fire. And his bonds dropped

00:32:09.349 --> 00:32:11.589
from his hands. Notice, we always make it out

00:32:11.589 --> 00:32:13.109
that Samson's a really strong dude and that's

00:32:13.109 --> 00:32:14.890
why he could never be bound. But did it say anything

00:32:14.890 --> 00:32:17.210
about Samson breaking the ropes? It did not.

00:32:17.329 --> 00:32:21.819
The ropes fell from his arms. Now later... In

00:32:21.819 --> 00:32:23.119
the later part of the story, he does break the

00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:24.500
ropes, and there may be some significance in

00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:28.480
that. But the bonds fall from his hands, and

00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:30.519
he found a fresh, that word there is important,

00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:33.720
fresh jawbone of a donkey, so that he reached

00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:36.539
out and took it and killed a thousand men with

00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:38.700
it. Now, it's important because there is a weapon

00:32:38.700 --> 00:32:40.940
that is made out of the jawbone of a donkey,

00:32:41.059 --> 00:32:43.440
and it looks like a hand axe. But it is not made

00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:45.759
out of a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and you might

00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:48.819
imagine why. Because fresh bone is soft, right?

00:32:48.920 --> 00:32:51.859
So they would take this bone, dry it out, coat

00:32:51.859 --> 00:32:54.380
it, and make an axe out of it. But he took it

00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:57.359
while it was still fresh from a donkey and he

00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:00.160
killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said,

00:33:00.339 --> 00:33:03.200
with the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps,

00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:06.440
with the jawbone of a donkey, I have killed a

00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:09.200
thousand men. Glory to Samson, essentially, he

00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:11.319
says. Then in verse 17 it says, and it came about

00:33:11.319 --> 00:33:13.640
when he had finished speaking that he threw the

00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:16.240
jawbone from his hand and he named that place

00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:19.359
Ramah Lehi, which is basically The end of the

00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:21.200
jawbone of a donkey, right? The place of the

00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:22.940
jawbone of a donkey, right? So that brings us

00:33:22.940 --> 00:33:25.220
through verse 17. Samson arrives there bound

00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:27.339
before the enemy. You might even say he looks

00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:29.480
defeated. Some of us look defeated. The battle

00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.039
appears finished before it begins. Then the spirit

00:33:32.039 --> 00:33:34.599
of the Lord comes upon him. The ropes fall away.

00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:37.079
The jawbone becomes a weapon. The prisoner becomes

00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:40.480
the victor. The short song Samson composed makes

00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:42.500
it sound like it was Samson's strength that brought

00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:45.039
the victory. Ah, that hurts a little bit. But

00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:47.559
the real difference was actually God's presence.

00:33:48.029 --> 00:33:51.109
This victory is God's. And that's the way it

00:33:51.109 --> 00:33:53.170
goes sometimes. You might be facing something

00:33:53.170 --> 00:33:55.569
in your life. You might be facing something in

00:33:55.569 --> 00:33:57.349
your life and you feel like, I am defeated. I

00:33:57.349 --> 00:33:59.109
don't understand how I can win this fight. I

00:33:59.109 --> 00:34:00.589
don't understand how I'm going to get past this.

00:34:00.710 --> 00:34:02.630
I don't even know what reasonable actions would

00:34:02.630 --> 00:34:05.170
look like at this point, right? And all that

00:34:05.170 --> 00:34:08.269
matters is that God is there with you. And then

00:34:08.269 --> 00:34:10.949
God will make out of that situation whatever

00:34:10.949 --> 00:34:12.929
he wants to make out of that situation. And if

00:34:12.929 --> 00:34:14.929
you apply yourself and your mighty strength and

00:34:14.929 --> 00:34:16.530
you have it, your great intelligence and you

00:34:16.530 --> 00:34:18.030
do have it, as I look around the screen, you're

00:34:18.030 --> 00:34:19.530
like, well, I'm not that educated. You have great

00:34:19.530 --> 00:34:21.989
intelligence. You have great capability to create,

00:34:22.110 --> 00:34:23.989
to change the world. You're an awesome creation

00:34:23.989 --> 00:34:26.460
of God. And you apply all of that. and do it,

00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:28.679
and then take the glory for yourself, then you've

00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:31.900
got a real problem. God never asks us to trust

00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:34.179
in our own strength. It does not matter that

00:34:34.179 --> 00:34:37.260
Samson was the strongest man alive. It will not

00:34:37.260 --> 00:34:40.719
matter that Solomon is the wisest man alive,

00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:42.940
right? And it doesn't matter that Saul is tall

00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:46.059
and handsome and strong. Those things do not

00:34:46.059 --> 00:34:50.340
matter in the end outcome. Rather, God is asking

00:34:50.340 --> 00:34:53.340
us to trust his strength. To see the need for

00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:55.059
dependence. And that moment is coming where he's

00:34:55.059 --> 00:34:57.500
going to teach Samson that. And it is the culmination

00:34:57.500 --> 00:34:59.280
of the piece of bread of the sandwich that we

00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:02.000
are learning about today. Too many believers,

00:35:02.260 --> 00:35:05.440
and that could be us, spend their lives staring

00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:09.119
at ropes. You think, I am bound. I cannot. I

00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:11.460
have this weakness. I have this failure. My anxiety

00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:14.679
holds me back. My doubt holds me back. My lack

00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:16.679
of being able to speak well holds me back. Et

00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:19.219
cetera, et cetera, et cetera. All of that. Those

00:35:19.219 --> 00:35:22.480
are all lies. God can use whatever you are, hot

00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:24.619
mess, messed up, got nothing. He can use whatever

00:35:24.619 --> 00:35:27.440
you are to do amazing things. In fact, you will

00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:30.420
see if you look into history that God has almost

00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:34.360
always used the screw up over the glorious great

00:35:34.360 --> 00:35:37.039
guy almost every single time. So if you're a

00:35:37.039 --> 00:35:39.480
screw up like me, I say that again, if you're

00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:42.360
a screw up like me, God could do something amazing

00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:44.960
through you. Whereas if you're a glorious, incredible.

00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:48.280
inventor, scientist, billionaire already or whatever,

00:35:48.420 --> 00:35:50.099
some pretty extreme things are going to happen

00:35:50.099 --> 00:35:52.880
for God to even be able to use you. It is difficult

00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:54.659
for a rich man to come into the kingdom of God.

00:35:54.760 --> 00:35:57.619
But for us, for normal people, your circumstances

00:35:57.619 --> 00:36:00.119
might be real. Your opposition could be like

00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:02.800
right in your face. But God is greater than your

00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:05.679
circumstances and greater than your opposition.

00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:09.139
The last three verses, 18, 19, and 20. And we're

00:36:09.139 --> 00:36:11.320
almost done with just the conclusion. 18, 19,

00:36:11.519 --> 00:36:16.199
and 20. Then, Samson, he became very thirsty

00:36:16.199 --> 00:36:19.099
and he called to the Lord and said, thou has

00:36:19.099 --> 00:36:21.780
given great deliverance by the hands of thy servant.

00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:25.280
And now shall I die of thirst and fall into the

00:36:25.280 --> 00:36:28.219
hands of the uncircumcised? But God split the

00:36:28.219 --> 00:36:31.000
hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came

00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:33.320
out of it. When he drank, the strength returned

00:36:33.320 --> 00:36:37.159
and he revived. Therefore, he named it En -Hakor,

00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:39.860
which is in Lehi to this day. And we'll hold

00:36:39.860 --> 00:36:41.699
verse 20 for just a second. No, we won't. I'm

00:36:41.699 --> 00:36:43.820
just going to read it. So, He, that's Samson,

00:36:43.900 --> 00:36:46.340
judged Israel. He becomes the leader of Israel

00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:50.119
from that point on, 20 years in the days of the

00:36:50.119 --> 00:36:52.239
Philistine. And that's the meat. So we won't

00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:54.360
hang there a lot today, but I want you to see

00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:56.300
the transition between what we've been looking

00:36:56.300 --> 00:37:02.619
at and 20 today. There it is. Samson wins a remarkable

00:37:02.619 --> 00:37:05.119
victory, and then he nearly dies of thirst. That

00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:08.019
could happen to you. You could go in and do something

00:37:08.019 --> 00:37:10.489
incredible, and right after it, have nothing

00:37:10.489 --> 00:37:13.230
left and just be like, I did something so amazing

00:37:13.230 --> 00:37:15.030
and now I've got nothing. It happens on a number

00:37:15.030 --> 00:37:17.289
of times. The spirit, when I'm preaching, I really

00:37:17.289 --> 00:37:19.889
feel God moving. I feel the spirit speaking through

00:37:19.889 --> 00:37:22.050
me today and I'm grateful for that. And then

00:37:22.050 --> 00:37:23.750
I'll go home like two hours later and it's like,

00:37:23.809 --> 00:37:25.710
oh, I've got nothing left. And usually it's when

00:37:25.710 --> 00:37:28.070
I'm not walking the way I'm supposed to be walking,

00:37:28.150 --> 00:37:29.909
when my heart and mind are not in the right place.

00:37:29.969 --> 00:37:31.969
God wants to use you and he does not want to

00:37:31.969 --> 00:37:33.869
leave you in a place where you're so thirsty

00:37:33.869 --> 00:37:35.530
that you're going to die, where you're so used

00:37:35.530 --> 00:37:38.030
up that you feel your skin and bones. But Samson,

00:37:38.050 --> 00:37:40.460
after winning this remarkable, vitriol almost

00:37:40.460 --> 00:37:43.380
dies of thirst he pens a song about himself and

00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:45.780
how awesome he is and then almost dies of thirst

00:37:45.780 --> 00:37:49.159
one moment he's like dealing death blows to a

00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:51.400
thousand men with a fresh jawbone of a donkey

00:37:51.400 --> 00:37:54.179
and the next he can't supply his own basic needs

00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:56.800
god provides water why does god do that god only

00:37:56.800 --> 00:37:59.880
promised that samson would go so far in the prophecy

00:37:59.880 --> 00:38:01.559
of his birth only said that samson would go so

00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:04.630
far as to start casting off the yoke of the philistines

00:38:04.630 --> 00:38:06.269
and that has now been accomplished right so does

00:38:06.269 --> 00:38:09.289
god need to spare samson does god need to give

00:38:09.289 --> 00:38:10.769
him water he's already done everything his whole

00:38:10.769 --> 00:38:14.230
life task has been fulfilled based on the promises

00:38:14.230 --> 00:38:16.289
that god made and that could be you or i right

00:38:16.289 --> 00:38:17.989
you save one person you share a gospel with them

00:38:17.989 --> 00:38:19.769
you've done everything you really you fight some

00:38:19.769 --> 00:38:22.050
evil spirits you win you cast out demons you

00:38:22.050 --> 00:38:23.929
could be done at that point god could let you

00:38:23.929 --> 00:38:26.030
go and you could languish you could just starve

00:38:26.030 --> 00:38:28.849
to death at that point so why does god do this

00:38:29.210 --> 00:38:31.909
Because God wanted Samson, he led him to this

00:38:31.909 --> 00:38:35.269
point to understand that victory does not eliminate

00:38:35.269 --> 00:38:37.969
dependence. If you think that your ship is going

00:38:37.969 --> 00:38:39.949
to come in, that at some point in time, you're

00:38:39.949 --> 00:38:41.389
going to be all good. You're going to be strong

00:38:41.389 --> 00:38:43.429
enough. You're going to retire from a great job

00:38:43.429 --> 00:38:45.590
with a great retirement package and live a great

00:38:45.590 --> 00:38:47.769
life. You're going to solve all your problems

00:38:47.769 --> 00:38:49.349
or solve all the problems that really bother

00:38:49.349 --> 00:38:51.210
you. You think that suddenly you're going to

00:38:51.210 --> 00:38:54.570
arrive. Guess what? If that even could happen,

00:38:54.730 --> 00:38:57.289
you will find in the next moment that you desperately

00:38:57.289 --> 00:39:00.789
need. God. You were created for a relationship

00:39:00.789 --> 00:39:04.849
with God, not victory in life. God gave all creation

00:39:04.849 --> 00:39:06.949
over into the control of Adam and Eve. He said,

00:39:06.989 --> 00:39:09.349
you'll be masters of it. Are we masters of creation?

00:39:09.590 --> 00:39:13.309
No, not really, because creation is fallen. It's

00:39:13.309 --> 00:39:15.349
in rebellion against us and against God. It's

00:39:15.349 --> 00:39:17.210
struggling, waiting for that time at which Jesus

00:39:17.210 --> 00:39:19.769
will come again. So I'm asking you today, are

00:39:19.769 --> 00:39:22.050
you about the things in your life and making

00:39:22.050 --> 00:39:24.030
them go the way they're supposed to go? Or are

00:39:24.030 --> 00:39:25.949
you about the presence of God so that when the

00:39:25.949 --> 00:39:28.909
things do go, you're like, If you succeeded in

00:39:28.909 --> 00:39:30.710
it, like remember the fasting story that I told

00:39:30.710 --> 00:39:34.030
in Spiritual Discipline? I did fast through sundown.

00:39:34.030 --> 00:39:36.530
I did not eat until the sun was below the horizon.

00:39:36.809 --> 00:39:39.909
But was I successful in my fasting that I forgot

00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:42.010
and did not participate in the event that God

00:39:42.010 --> 00:39:43.929
put in my life while I was supposed to be fasting?

00:39:44.010 --> 00:39:46.269
The answer to that is no. After every football

00:39:46.269 --> 00:39:49.389
game, the scoreboard eventually goes dark, and

00:39:49.389 --> 00:39:51.369
no one can walk to the football stadium anymore

00:39:51.369 --> 00:39:53.650
and look up and see that the home team won by

00:39:53.650 --> 00:39:56.110
40 points. Now, it still goes in the record books,

00:39:56.250 --> 00:39:58.309
but unless someone goes and looks it up online

00:39:58.309 --> 00:40:00.929
or in the book somewhere, no one even knows who

00:40:00.929 --> 00:40:04.329
won on a certain game. There might be a few games

00:40:04.329 --> 00:40:06.690
that stand out, a few great victories over a

00:40:06.690 --> 00:40:08.969
rival. By the way, that's why we have rivals

00:40:08.969 --> 00:40:10.969
in football, so that we won't forget every single

00:40:10.969 --> 00:40:13.360
game. So that's why we have the homecoming game,

00:40:13.420 --> 00:40:15.019
so that we'll bring more people to the game and

00:40:15.019 --> 00:40:17.000
we won't forget at least one game that year.

00:40:17.099 --> 00:40:18.920
Because we have these great victories and then

00:40:18.920 --> 00:40:21.139
we forget them. The victory remains in the record

00:40:21.139 --> 00:40:23.719
books, but nobody lives on yesterday's score.

00:40:23.820 --> 00:40:26.340
It's about today. A new game is coming, a new

00:40:26.340 --> 00:40:28.960
challenge, a new opponent. Remember that phrase

00:40:28.960 --> 00:40:32.079
I told you about, leg on thigh? Victories do

00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:35.300
not last forever, no matter how great they are.

00:40:35.639 --> 00:40:37.800
God is more concerned about the decisions you're

00:40:37.800 --> 00:40:40.239
making on a day -to -day basis in your home,

00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:43.179
in your family, in your workplace, in your walk,

00:40:43.340 --> 00:40:45.400
in your prayer time, in your time in the Word,

00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:48.480
in your study. He wants to be there with you

00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:51.599
day by day. And if you are devoted to your great

00:40:51.599 --> 00:40:53.440
victories, even if you try to devote those great

00:40:53.440 --> 00:40:56.380
victories to God, you are missing that key point.

00:40:56.519 --> 00:40:59.880
That even leg -on -thigh victories do not last.

00:41:00.219 --> 00:41:02.460
Samson knew it. That's why he ran, remember?

00:41:02.780 --> 00:41:04.639
He had the great victory. It's a leg on victory.

00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:07.119
And after that, he ran to the cleft of the rock

00:41:07.119 --> 00:41:09.659
to hide because he knew that that victory would

00:41:09.659 --> 00:41:11.960
not last. That's why he didn't build a palace.

00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:14.920
Instead, he hid in a cave. That's why God was

00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:18.039
teaching him. dependence. This battle might be

00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:20.639
over, but the war is not. And that is true for

00:41:20.639 --> 00:41:23.360
us until Jesus comes again. Rematches are already

00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:26.440
scheduled. You can cast off your yoke of addiction.

00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:30.139
You can stop yourself from lying. You can stop

00:41:30.139 --> 00:41:32.260
yourself from taking things that do not belong

00:41:32.260 --> 00:41:35.960
to you. Yet in the future, when the alcohol or

00:41:35.960 --> 00:41:40.360
drugs, when sex, when money is laying out there

00:41:40.360 --> 00:41:44.579
on the counter, you will still feel that. The

00:41:44.579 --> 00:41:47.579
battle will still occur. Now, should you win?

00:41:47.820 --> 00:41:50.400
Yes, it is reasonable that because you have won

00:41:50.400 --> 00:41:52.019
in the past by trusting the Lord, that you will

00:41:52.019 --> 00:41:54.880
trust the Lord again and win again. Know that

00:41:54.880 --> 00:41:57.460
the next challenge is already approaching. Therefore,

00:41:57.599 --> 00:41:59.900
stay humble, stay prayerful, stay dependent on

00:41:59.900 --> 00:42:02.420
God. That is not what Samson did. And it brought

00:42:02.420 --> 00:42:05.500
him to a moment of his emptiness, a moment where

00:42:05.500 --> 00:42:08.349
he had to admit his dependence. For all my strength

00:42:08.349 --> 00:42:10.349
and all the thousands that I have killed and

00:42:10.349 --> 00:42:12.309
all the vengeance that I have brought, the ra

00:42:12.309 --> 00:42:14.690
'ah, all the evil that I have done to them, I

00:42:14.690 --> 00:42:17.829
now have nothing to drink and I will collapse.

00:42:18.070 --> 00:42:20.309
And if I don't just flat out die of thirst, they

00:42:20.309 --> 00:42:23.130
will take me and hang me or burn me or draw and

00:42:23.130 --> 00:42:26.030
quarter me, whatever, because I am at their whim.

00:42:26.349 --> 00:42:27.989
because I have not depended on the God of the

00:42:27.989 --> 00:42:29.829
universe. And so he depends on God. And that

00:42:29.829 --> 00:42:31.929
brings us to the moment then. And the very next

00:42:31.929 --> 00:42:33.829
verse then says that he rules the nation as a

00:42:33.829 --> 00:42:36.030
judge. He becomes the savior for 20 years, although

00:42:36.030 --> 00:42:37.769
we're not dwelling on that at the moment. So

00:42:37.769 --> 00:42:39.590
that brings us to our conclusion. So hang in

00:42:39.590 --> 00:42:42.989
there. The conflict behind every conflict. As

00:42:42.989 --> 00:42:45.869
we close, I want you to realize that the Bible

00:42:45.869 --> 00:42:48.949
teaches us pretty clearly what the actual conflict

00:42:48.949 --> 00:42:53.309
is. Our enemies are not ultimately flesh and

00:42:53.309 --> 00:42:55.599
blood. That's what Ephesians 6 says. But behind

00:42:55.599 --> 00:42:59.059
the people, behind the governments, behind the

00:42:59.059 --> 00:43:01.820
laws, behind the poverty, behind the weakness,

00:43:01.940 --> 00:43:04.780
behind our own fleshly desires, behind all of

00:43:04.780 --> 00:43:08.079
that is a greater conflict. And Ephesians 6 says

00:43:08.079 --> 00:43:09.519
it this way. I'm actually going to read it to

00:43:09.519 --> 00:43:12.840
you. At least the first couple of verses. Finally,

00:43:12.860 --> 00:43:15.139
be strong in the Lord. That's a great verse for

00:43:15.139 --> 00:43:17.659
Samson. And in the strength of his might, put

00:43:17.659 --> 00:43:20.619
on the full armor of God. We talk about what

00:43:20.619 --> 00:43:23.039
that actually is another time. But do it. that

00:43:23.039 --> 00:43:26.139
you may be able to stand firm against the schemes

00:43:26.139 --> 00:43:27.500
of the devil. That would be enough right there.

00:43:27.539 --> 00:43:29.719
But then it says for, which is a because. For

00:43:29.719 --> 00:43:33.900
our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

00:43:34.059 --> 00:43:36.420
but against the rulers, against the powers, against

00:43:36.420 --> 00:43:38.699
the world forces of this darkness, against the

00:43:38.699 --> 00:43:41.119
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly

00:43:41.119 --> 00:43:44.860
places. The conflict is yet coming. If you find

00:43:44.860 --> 00:43:48.300
peace, all you're doing is waiting to be ambushed.

00:43:48.300 --> 00:43:52.539
You must war up. Get serious about the fact that

00:43:52.539 --> 00:43:55.559
we wrestle not against flesh and blood. The ultimate

00:43:55.559 --> 00:43:58.360
battle then has been described. The people around

00:43:58.360 --> 00:44:01.639
us are not our true enemy. Samson asked the Israelites,

00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:04.800
the tribe of Judah, 3 ,000 men that came to arrest

00:44:04.800 --> 00:44:07.119
him, he said, you won't kill me, will you? If

00:44:07.119 --> 00:44:08.480
I let you tie me up, you're not going to kill

00:44:08.480 --> 00:44:10.539
me, will you? And listen, I'm here to say to

00:44:10.539 --> 00:44:13.619
you that whatever anyone does to you, your friend,

00:44:13.679 --> 00:44:16.039
your family, your church, your boss, whatever

00:44:16.039 --> 00:44:20.010
they do to you, If it does not kill you, then

00:44:20.010 --> 00:44:22.610
in that moment you are meant to redeem the time

00:44:22.610 --> 00:44:26.590
and make something godly out of it. So when someone

00:44:26.590 --> 00:44:29.389
comes cussing you out, instead of cussing back,

00:44:29.710 --> 00:44:32.409
you should be asking them about Jesus. You should

00:44:32.409 --> 00:44:34.570
be praying. You should be focused on the word.

00:44:34.610 --> 00:44:36.690
You should have some memorized Bible verses that

00:44:36.690 --> 00:44:39.070
are popping up in your head. You should be protecting

00:44:39.070 --> 00:44:41.570
your heart from the evil that you are now experiencing.

00:44:41.829 --> 00:44:45.219
There is a way to fight and a way to fall. And

00:44:45.219 --> 00:44:48.159
the way to fall is to fight the wrong person

00:44:48.159 --> 00:44:51.039
or the wrong being or the wrong enemy to fight

00:44:51.039 --> 00:44:53.800
in the wrong conflict. I know you want more money.

00:44:53.840 --> 00:44:55.900
I know you want more time. You want more entertainment.

00:44:56.139 --> 00:44:59.559
Our bodies want all of those things. Learn to

00:44:59.559 --> 00:45:03.940
say no and instead to win the ultimate, the only

00:45:03.940 --> 00:45:07.199
matter that matters. The true enemy is Satan

00:45:07.199 --> 00:45:09.360
and the kingdom of darkness. The person that's

00:45:09.360 --> 00:45:11.659
coming against you may be headed for an eternity

00:45:11.659 --> 00:45:14.239
in hell. And if you kill them, They'll go there

00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:16.519
right now. The person that's coming against you

00:45:16.519 --> 00:45:19.360
might be a Christian who has not lived for the

00:45:19.360 --> 00:45:21.699
Lord for so long that they are inside the cage,

00:45:21.760 --> 00:45:24.460
holding the bars shut, refusing to be free. And

00:45:24.460 --> 00:45:27.139
what they need more than anything in the world

00:45:27.139 --> 00:45:31.119
is for some human being to be an example of what

00:45:31.119 --> 00:45:33.780
it means to follow Jesus. And if you will be

00:45:33.780 --> 00:45:35.639
that example, they'll go, wait, I can let them

00:45:35.639 --> 00:45:38.280
let me out. I can let the door open and come

00:45:38.280 --> 00:45:40.710
out of myself. And be the person that God made

00:45:40.710 --> 00:45:43.250
me to be. That's what that person did. Not saying

00:45:43.250 --> 00:45:45.050
they always get it right. Don't ever pretend

00:45:45.050 --> 00:45:46.809
that you always get it right. We never always

00:45:46.809 --> 00:45:49.030
get it right, right? But that God always gets

00:45:49.030 --> 00:45:51.369
it right. That Jesus is always there. That the

00:45:51.369 --> 00:45:53.909
presence of God is available. And that freedom

00:45:53.909 --> 00:45:57.889
in this moment, in this time, can obviously be

00:45:57.889 --> 00:46:01.449
available if you will just act like a follower

00:46:01.449 --> 00:46:04.130
of Jesus. And they will see it. The coming conflict

00:46:04.130 --> 00:46:07.269
is not merely... about difficult people or difficult

00:46:07.269 --> 00:46:10.489
situations. It is against evil itself. It's against

00:46:10.489 --> 00:46:13.190
lies. It's against temptation. It's against spiritual

00:46:13.190 --> 00:46:16.190
darkness. But as believers, we don't go into

00:46:16.190 --> 00:46:20.170
this conflict fearing defeat. For John reminds

00:46:20.170 --> 00:46:23.269
us that we already have the victory, just as

00:46:23.269 --> 00:46:25.869
those Israelites, if they had just chosen to

00:46:25.869 --> 00:46:28.389
join with Samson, the victory was already, I

00:46:28.389 --> 00:46:30.469
mean, he hadn't proved it. Killing a thousand

00:46:30.469 --> 00:46:34.650
men with a still wet donkey straw, taking vengeance

00:46:34.650 --> 00:46:37.610
on Thousands of men for his father -in -law and

00:46:37.610 --> 00:46:39.929
his wife being killed or burning crops across

00:46:39.929 --> 00:46:42.769
their entire land. He hadn't already proved that

00:46:42.769 --> 00:46:46.190
victory was in Samson. As long as Samson was

00:46:46.190 --> 00:46:48.530
in God, victory was in Samson. And with all of

00:46:48.530 --> 00:46:51.050
that being true, those 3 ,000 men came to arrest

00:46:51.050 --> 00:46:53.750
him, to hand him over. I submit to you for that

00:46:53.750 --> 00:46:55.730
reason, I think that if Jesus himself came and

00:46:55.730 --> 00:46:57.789
sat in our chairs, we would think about handing

00:46:57.789 --> 00:47:00.369
him over. Are you comfortable? Did you get a

00:47:00.369 --> 00:47:02.179
good night's sleep? Did you study your Bible

00:47:02.179 --> 00:47:03.900
this week? Did you pray? Did you talk to God?

00:47:04.039 --> 00:47:05.699
Have you made decisions that honor the Lord?

00:47:05.840 --> 00:47:07.619
Have you done that this week? Or did you come

00:47:07.619 --> 00:47:10.699
in here maybe out of routine? If you found another

00:47:10.699 --> 00:47:12.820
way to get here today, if you didn't come here

00:47:12.820 --> 00:47:14.860
because you love God and because you know that

00:47:14.860 --> 00:47:16.980
Jesus died on the cross for your sins, Then if

00:47:16.980 --> 00:47:18.920
Jesus himself came in and sat down in the room,

00:47:19.059 --> 00:47:20.960
we'd probably be ready to bind him and turn him

00:47:20.960 --> 00:47:23.039
over, just like they were with Samson. Remember

00:47:23.039 --> 00:47:25.400
that the word judge for the book of Judges is

00:47:25.400 --> 00:47:28.119
really better translated saviors. Now, it isn't,

00:47:28.119 --> 00:47:30.260
so as not to confuse the issue with Jesus, obviously.

00:47:30.559 --> 00:47:32.960
But they were examples of saviors for their people,

00:47:33.039 --> 00:47:35.480
and they tied up that savior, and they gave him

00:47:35.480 --> 00:47:37.480
over to the enemy. Now, wait a minute. Are we

00:47:37.480 --> 00:47:39.579
seeing a certain picture for the people of Jesus'

00:47:39.719 --> 00:47:43.239
day? Did exactly that. Jesus came, God the Son,

00:47:43.400 --> 00:47:46.800
in the flesh, taught. and did miracles, and led

00:47:46.800 --> 00:47:49.340
thousands, tens of thousands, probably closer

00:47:49.340 --> 00:47:52.199
to Christ, closer to God, closer to the way that

00:47:52.199 --> 00:47:54.940
God would make. Saved many, if what happens immediately

00:47:54.940 --> 00:47:57.059
after his death, burial, and resurrection proves

00:47:57.059 --> 00:47:58.679
anything, that the church spread throughout the

00:47:58.679 --> 00:48:00.059
entire world, and the disciples preached the

00:48:00.059 --> 00:48:02.559
gospel to pretty much every person that they

00:48:02.559 --> 00:48:05.579
could reach. You see, greater is he that is in

00:48:05.579 --> 00:48:07.780
you than he that is in the world. That's what

00:48:07.780 --> 00:48:10.699
John wrote. The same spirit who empowered Samson

00:48:10.699 --> 00:48:13.460
lives within every born -again believer. The

00:48:13.460 --> 00:48:16.260
same Christ who defeated death, hell, and the

00:48:16.260 --> 00:48:19.599
grave reigns today. And unlike Samson's temporary

00:48:19.599 --> 00:48:23.119
victories, Christ's victories are eternal. The

00:48:23.119 --> 00:48:25.579
coming conflict is already decided. The cross

00:48:25.579 --> 00:48:27.699
settled it. The empty tomb confirmed it. The

00:48:27.699 --> 00:48:30.230
return of Christ will complete it. Until then,

00:48:30.369 --> 00:48:33.969
we stand not in our strength or in our wisdom

00:48:33.969 --> 00:48:36.750
or in our finances or based on our courage. We

00:48:36.750 --> 00:48:40.030
stand in the power of our victorious savior,

00:48:40.269 --> 00:48:42.909
Jesus Christ. So consider the coming conflict.

00:48:43.070 --> 00:48:45.510
And when it arrives, come into that conflict

00:48:45.510 --> 00:48:48.170
with confidence and win. Because the God who

00:48:48.170 --> 00:48:51.130
calls you to the battle has actually already

00:48:51.130 --> 00:48:55.269
secured the victory. Samson said, you won't kill

00:48:55.269 --> 00:48:57.409
me, will you? What if God is saying the same

00:48:57.409 --> 00:49:00.380
thing to you today? He's putting himself essentially

00:49:00.380 --> 00:49:03.099
at your mercy. Will you allow me to deal with

00:49:03.099 --> 00:49:05.860
the issues of your life or not? Will you allow

00:49:05.860 --> 00:49:08.599
me to give you the strength that you need to

00:49:08.599 --> 00:49:11.420
face the challenges that you face the way I want

00:49:11.420 --> 00:49:14.280
you to face them or not? Will you continue with

00:49:14.280 --> 00:49:16.719
justification, application and vindication? That

00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:18.659
is to say, I feel like I should be allowed to

00:49:18.659 --> 00:49:20.960
do this. It seems reasonable to me. So I activate

00:49:20.960 --> 00:49:23.039
now. I feel like I did the right thing. We keep

00:49:23.039 --> 00:49:25.480
playing that game and it will spiral up. It's

00:49:25.480 --> 00:49:27.420
happening all over the world. You realize that.

00:49:27.690 --> 00:49:29.369
There are a lot of people who call themselves

00:49:29.369 --> 00:49:31.130
Christians who are doing a lot of bad things.

00:49:31.329 --> 00:49:34.449
That's how we got things like the great Christian

00:49:34.449 --> 00:49:36.690
persecutions. The Catholic Church killed the

00:49:36.690 --> 00:49:38.570
Anabaptists who just professed to be followers

00:49:38.570 --> 00:49:40.710
of Jesus with a different doctrine. It goes on

00:49:40.710 --> 00:49:44.409
and on. The Spanish Inquisition, right? Supposedly

00:49:44.409 --> 00:49:46.750
rooting out witchcraft, satanic stuff, whatever.

00:49:46.909 --> 00:49:49.690
But then any heresy, including Christians who

00:49:49.690 --> 00:49:53.159
didn't hold to the same doctrine. The bottom

00:49:53.159 --> 00:49:55.619
line is, the God who calls you to the battle

00:49:55.619 --> 00:49:57.780
that is coming, and there is one coming, has

00:49:57.780 --> 00:50:01.400
already secured the victory. I'm asking you to

00:50:01.400 --> 00:50:03.780
allow yourself to depend on him. That means you're

00:50:03.780 --> 00:50:05.519
going to have to make some choices. Stop being

00:50:05.519 --> 00:50:07.860
your own sustenance. Stop reacting every time

00:50:07.860 --> 00:50:09.659
and making it reasonable to react every time

00:50:09.659 --> 00:50:10.960
somebody does something that you don't like.

00:50:11.119 --> 00:50:13.659
And say and said, no, in this situation, how

00:50:13.659 --> 00:50:16.059
do I routine the time? How do I win the day?

00:50:16.179 --> 00:50:19.460
How do I show Jesus here and now? And then watch

00:50:19.460 --> 00:50:21.630
the victories start to pile up. And will they

00:50:21.630 --> 00:50:23.909
come running to you? Probably not. Unless it's

00:50:23.909 --> 00:50:26.090
to ask you to stop stirring up trouble. Like

00:50:26.090 --> 00:50:26.530
they did with...