Sermon Tone Analysis

07-02-11.02

vv                           zz              07-02-18.02

07-02-11.01

07-02-25.01

*Title:           *“Give me just a little more time!”

*FCF:            *The bondage of despair

*D-Theme:   *Samson’s defeat is God’s victory

*M-Thrust:   *confess your despair

*App:*           Since defeat can lead to God’s victory—confess your despair!

*Comment:  *no reactions following but fairly good eye contact and audience participation.

*Subject:     *redemption

*Date:          *07-02-18.01

*Text:           *Judges 16:21-31

 

21Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza.

They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

22However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

23Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice.

And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!”

24When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”

25So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.”

So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them.

And they stationed him between the pillars.

26Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.”

27Now the temple was full of men and women.

All the lords of the Philistines /were/ there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

28Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray!

Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one /blow/ take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” 29And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.

30Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!”

And he pushed with /all his/ might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who /were/ in it.

So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

31And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought /him/ up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah.

He had judged Israel twenty years.

• Introduction

•   Imagine committing a crime—being tried and convicted…

•   Going to prison—paying restitution…

•   Who are the victims of that crime…?

•   Those against whom the crime was committed…

•   The members of the criminal’s family…

•   The criminal himself…

•   Imagine being in prison—learning that your father had died…

•   …learning that your spouse has cancer…

•   …learning that your spouse has then died…

•   Knowing that your children are now without father or mother…

•   Feeling responsible in some way for your wife’s illness…

•   Knowing you are responsible for your failure…

•   Knowing that for your family—life will never be the same…

•   Having been uprooted because of seizure of property…

•   Having their reputations smeared…

•   …being associated with the family name…

•   If that was you how would you feel…?

•   Can you imagine how guilt would overwhelm that person…?

•   How in the loneliness of that prison environment…

•   Despair and hopelessness would creep in…

•   How you would feel such a failure…

•   Failing your wife, children, family, church, community…?

•   What might you say in moments of silence in your cell…?

•   To God…?

If you were a person of faith…?

•   Would you ask for forgiveness…?

…for a second chance…?

•   Would you seek repentance—diligently with tears…?

[1]

•   Or would you come all too easily to the point where you said…

•   “God’s finished with me!” “The situation’s hopeless”

•   “God doesn’t care anymore…”

•   Living in The bondage of despair—contemplating suicide…

•   Of course there are those in society who would say…

•   Ah, he got what he deserved… he deserves no better…

•   Now think of Samson—in the loneliness of his own prison…

•   Day after day—month after month…

•   …turning the wheel—around and around…

•   Grinding out the grain that will feed his captors…

•   The people he despises—uncircumcised Philistines…

•   Living in darkness because his sight has been stolen…

•   Living in darkness because God removed his light…

•   Living in darkness because he had flushed his calling…

•   …down the drain—pursuing the pleasures of the flesh…

•   How must he have felt…?

•   Can you imagine how guilt must’ve overwhelmed him…?

•   How in the loneliness of his bondage…

•   Despair and hopelessness crept in…

•   Can you imagine that he felt such a failure…

•   Failing God, his family, community, his nation…?

•   What might he have said in the toil of working that wheel…?

•   Did he come all too easily to the point where he said…

•   “God’s finished with me!”

•   The situation’s hopeless—God doesn’t care anymore…

•   Living in The bondage of despair…?

•   …maybe even contemplating suicide…?

•   Or Did he ask for forgiveness…?

…for a second chance…?

•   Did he sing “Give me just a little more time!”

•   Did he seek repentance—diligently with tears…?

[2]

•   Warren Wiersbe said in his commentary on Judges…

•   I believe Samson talked to the Lord as he turned the millstone, confessing his sins—asking for a chance.

[3]

•   That makes sense to me…

•   What could be a better use of the time…?

•   And I find that is often how God works in our lives…

•   …bringing us to the end of ourselves…

•   …bringing us to a place beyond human hope…

•   …circumstances so dark there is no chance of recovery…

•   In fact, it seems God thrives on such situations…

•   Because in them his grace and mercy shine the brightest…!

•   Samson was in real bondage—imprisoned by his enemy…