Keep Your Hand On Me Judges 16:20 says of Sampson, "He wist not that the Lord was departed from him." Those words remind me of the word, "Ichabod," which means, "the glory of the Lord is departed." The Spirit of God had come upon Sampson very mightly (Jud.14:6). Sampson was know for having so much strength, that 3,000 men were sent to bind him and deliver Him to the Phillistines. Though he had great opportunity, Sampson found himself in a disastrous failure. He seemed to have everything in his favor, but did not keep his heart right before Almighty God. To have the hand of God lifted from your life, isn’t worth any sinful pleasure you might find in this world. I. See His Sad Condition. Here is a man from which God had withdraw his strength and power, and Sampson himself was not aware of that happening. What brought about this sad condition? First, he disregarded God’s will. What he wanted became more important that what God desired. Secondly, he disobeyed his parents. He would not listen to them when they tried to tell him he should not marry the woman of Timnah. Thirdly, he desired the wrong women. There was the woman of Timnah, a harlot in Gaza, and finally Delilah. II. See His Sinful Compliance. The heathen women that he had married had dulled his affections concerning spiritual things. Two things were involved in that sinful passion. He went by his own passion rather that the Spirit of God. Also, Sampson was very presumptious. He thought the power of the Almighty would keep coming to him regardless of the way he lived. He said, "I will go out as other times" (Judg.16:20). Sin caused him the trouble that He faced. III. See His Sudden Carrying Away. Sin cost him more than he wanted to pay, and kept him longer than he wanted to stay. Several things happened to Sampson. The people bound him, blinded him, and bullied him.A mighty man came down in defeat, blind due to the gouging of his eyes by the Phillistines. IV. See The Solemn Conclusion. A person cannot lose the Holy Spirit in the church age, because we are sealed by Him unto the day of redemption (Eph.4:30); however, a disobedient Christian can experience the withdrawl of God’s peace and power. If we fail to confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9), there will be a spiritual "power failure" in our lives. If we yield to the flesh, God will withdraw His mighty power. Live for God! It pays great dividends now and in eternity.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:08:23 +0000
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