Samson:What Could Have Been.

Judges 13:1-5, Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

As with many of the Old Testament characters, Samson was raised up by God at a specific time, for a specific purpose. At a young age it became obvious that the hand of the Lord was upon him.

Verse 5 tells us that Samson was set apart at birth. The words “Set apart” comes from the Hebrew word “bawdal” and means “to be sanctified or to be made distinct”. From the time Samson’s birth he was made distinct from everybody else by the will of God. Each one of us walk in that same distinction every single day.

1 Corinthians 6:11 But you were washed, you were sanctified and set apart, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

We have all been set apart to walk in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

God used Samson to do incredible things……

The slaying of lion with his hands - Judges 14:5+6

The slaying of thirty Philistines - Judges 14:19

The slaying of a thousand Philistines with the Jaw bone of an ass - Judges 15:13-15

The carrying away of the gates of Gaza - Judges 16:1-3

But at the same time Samson carried a lot of baggage. He was a conflicted man, a tormented man, a double minded man. He was totally ruled by his flesh and his emotions.

Samson was totally self-absorbed. - Judges 14:4

Samson drank way too much. - Judges 14:10-20

Samson had a severe lust problem. - Judges 16:1-3

Samson was a prideful man. - Judges 15:7-11

Samson did not value his anointing. - Judges 16:4-17

Samson did not fear God. - Everything Samson did tells us that he did not fear the Lord.

There are so many of God’s people who grow to a certain point in there walk with God. They even do great things, but never really break through to victory and freedom. Here’s why some people never break through.

By nature we are totally self-absorbed. We give in to old sins. We are to prideful. We do not value the anointing that God has given us. We do not fear God like we should. And we give up way too easily. If you’re here today and you feel like you’ve hit a wall, it’s not because of God. Everything that happens to us both good and bad happens for a reason. God uses every circumstance of our lives to build us up to what he wants us to be. He uses every circumstance to bring us to a place of victory and freedom.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

God has something better for you today.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 10:10 I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.

1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

So how do we breakthrough? How do we get from being an up and down, inconsistent, just trying to keep my head above water Christian; to a happy, content, never down, overcoming, walking in victory, spirit-filled, kicking the Devil’s butt from one end of Seabrook to another child of God? Well, I’m glad you asked!!!

You see Samson ended up battered, bruised, humiliated, and defeated because he never really surrendered his whole heart to the Lord. That’s the million dollar question…..Who is really in control of your life?

Deuteronomy 28:9-14 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

The blood of Jesus has delivered us from the burden of religion. We no longer live under the condemnation of having to be perfect. We live under the grace of God given to us through the blood of Jesus. A grace that allows us fall short and fail from time to time as long as we repent and strive to love Jesus with all of our heart.

Romans 3:20-24 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

But church that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to walk in obedience to the Word of God. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to be totally surrendered to His perfect will. It doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Don’t join together with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devild? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their unclean things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Sin still separates us from God and from his blessings. Samson took his walk with God for granted. He assumed that God would always be there no matter what he did.

Judges 16:20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

That’s how it happens many times. We slide back so slowly that we don’t realize that it’s happening. Until one day something happens and life comes crashing down around us and we realize that we’re all alone. We’ve withdrawn from our church family. We’re making compromises that we would have never made before and we realize that the presence of God that used to get us through is nowhere to be found.

Church we can’t give up. We need to push through to victory. We must allow God to perform His work through the hard times. God is trying to break us, to break our will. To bring us to a place where we are totally surrendered to him and he is in complete control.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice God desires is a broken spirit. He will not reject a heart that is broken and repentant.

A horse is of no use until it is broken. An unbroken horse will refuse to be led. People are the same way. We will never be led until we are broken and broken is exactly what happened to Samson next.

Judges 16:21+22 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

Samson was stripped of everything. He lost his strength, his status, and his freedom. Although he didn’t know it, he was right where God wanted him to be. After years of selfishness, pride, and being ruled by his flesh. Samson was finally willing to be led.

Judges 16:26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me to where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Once again God had used Samson to bring deliverance to his people. The Bible says that he accomplished more at the end of his life than in all of his life combined. What exactly happened to make this happened?

V. 22 - His hair started to grow back.

God desires to restore.

Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you or make up for the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm.

Those insect are devourers. They consume everything that is alive and leave only death behind them. They are a type of sin. Sin consumes everything and leaves behind sorrow, pain, and regret.

Samson’s hair was growing back which means little by little so was his strength. Sometimes all God needs is time.

Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Sometimes God just wants you to ride it out. To let him see you through whatever’s happening in your life. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

In time Samson’s hair grew back and with it his strength and anointing as well. But that’s not all that happened to him.

Samson: What Could Have Been. II

Judges 16:21-23+25-30  Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.  But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shave.  Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate.  While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.  When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.”  Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.  Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”  Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he live.

Intro:  The scripture tells us that even though Samson was a shallow, self-absorbed, disobedient, and an under-achiever.  God heard his pray and allowed him to be used as an arm of deliverance for his people.  In fact, his last act of deliverance was greater than any other of his previous ones put together.  The scripture teaches us the end can often be greater than the beginning.

Haggai 2:9  'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts.

 So what happened to Samson that finally brought him to a place where God could use him in a greater way than at other any time in his life.

V.21  -  Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.

# 1  -  Samson could no longer walk by sight.

 The first thing that the Philistines did was gouge out his eyes.  So Samson’s greatest accomplishment came afte he was blinded. 

2 Corinthians 5:7  We walk by faith, not by sight.

There is only one kind of faith and that is blind faith.  Faith by its nature is sightless.

Hebrews 11:1  Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Faith does not see obstacles or hindrances. 

Mark 11:23  I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Faith does not recognize impossibilities.

Mark 10:27  “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Faith only recognizes possibilities.

Mark 9:23 All things are possible to him who believes.

Faith recognizes God’s Word.

Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Hearing implies a spoken Word.  Samson finally learned the essence of faith.  Which brings us to our second point.

# 2  -  Samson was finally willing to be led.

V. 26  -  Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 

This is one of the toughest areas for people to get a handle on.  It’s not in our nature to be led, especially here in America.  We want to independent and in control, but the key to power with God is the ability to be led.

Psalm 143:10  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on to firm footing.

Psalm 119:133  Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil.

That was Samson’s biggest problem.  He was in control and God was not.  Samson had to have his eyes gouged out and put into shackles before he finally yielded control.  What has to happen in our lives before some of us will yield control over to God?  Ultimately, Samson had to pay the ultimate price to achieve his greatest victory.  He had to die.

 V. 29-30  Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

# 3  -  He had to die to achieve his greatest victory. 

To achieve optimum power, authority and success in our walk with God and in life is going to require you to die. 

Galatians 2:20  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Romans 6:6-8  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Romans 6:4   We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

A person who has truly died to himself will be a person of great faith because nothing else exists except God and His promises.

A person who has truly died to himself will be a person who can be led by the Spirit of God, because he has been blinded by faith and must trust God to guide him.  They live by…..

Proverbs 3:5+6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will guide and direct you path.  

Last week spoke briefly about how God desires to restore or make up for the years that that disobedience, pride, bad decisions and other sin had destroyed or stolen from us.   

Joel 2:25  And I will restore and make up for the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar has eaten away.

Well, the question now is how de we begin the restoration.  Are you tired of just hearing about how God wants to restore things to you?  Would you like to actually begin to see some of the restoration happening in your life? 

Well, here’s how you can start.  One of the ways that the word restore is translated from the Hebrew is the word “Shub”.  Like in….. 

Isaiah 57:18  I have seen the ways of man, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him.

The word “shub” means to turn back or return.  The Word “Shub” is also the Hebrew word for repent.  Repentance is where you begin the road to restoration.  We all repent when we come to Christ or when we make mistakes and His blood covers our sin, but the effects of our sin live on.  I’ve always believed that if we want God to begin to make up for the ears that we’ve lost there needs to be a different kind of repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:10  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

When we repent it’s usually because we feel bad about something or regret the way life has turned out.  Godly sorrow is not about regret and what we’ve lost.  Godly sorrow is about being anguished over our being separated from God.  You see we can even make repentance about us.

Psalm 51:10-12  Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a faithful spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and provide me with a spirit of willing obedience.

The Greatest of These is Love

1 Corinthians 13:13  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Why is Love the greatest?  Perhaps it has something to do with the way God identifies himself with love.  1 John 4:7+8 says Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 John 4:16 tells us that God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  God does not just love, He is love personified.  Replace the word Love with God in 1 Corinthians 13 and It reads…….

God is patient, God is kind, He does not envy, He is not proud, He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered and He keeps no record of wrong.  God does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.  He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  God never fails.

Love was so important to God that he turned it into greatest commandment.  In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.   And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Let’s look at the 10 commandments.

The first four are sins against God……

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

The next six are sins against man………

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'  

So by loving God with everything you’ve got and loving your neighbor as yourself you are obeying the whole law.  It is imperative that we understand the magnitude of what Jesus is doing here.  As Christians we recognize the law as the 10 commandments,  but to the Jews it represented their entire existence, wrapped up in hundreds of laws which was their whole identity.  Jesus was telling them that their religion and their way of life was no longer necessary.  That there law meant nothing unless they loved him with all there heart.  In Isaiah 64:6+7 it says that All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.  No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you. 

Jesus goes on to call out the religious leaders of His day in Matthew 15:7-9 when he calls them hypocrites.  He goes on to tell that  Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’  In other words, you can’t just go through the motions.  You can’t just honor traditions and perform rituals without having an all consuming love for God.  Being religious does not mean a person is right with God.

Jesus also did something else here.  By inserting the element of Love here, he changed the dynamic of what it means to be a child of God.   By faith we accept Christ as savior, but love is now what motivates us to walk in obedience.  Love compels us to want to please God, not religious obligation.  Love inspires us to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, not damnation. 

In 1 John 2:5+6 it says that if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  We were created to respond to the love of God.  In turn our love for God compels and inspires us to walk in obedience.  The entrance of love into the equation makes it possible for the grace of God to be manifested in our lives.  Their can be no grace without the love of God.  Salvation is no longer about performance, but faith and grace. 

Ephesians 2:8+9 tells us that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  That grace is always available to those who truly love the Lord with their whole heart.  In Ephesians 6:24 it says that there is grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.  Grace only works for those who truly love the Lord with their whole heart.  Now those who truly love God no longer need to be perfect to be accepted.  1 Peter 4:8  tells us that Love covers over a multitude of sins.

Because of this God is very serious about his desire that we love each other as he loved us.  1 John 4:19 tells us that we are to love each other because he loved us first.  Nothing we do means anything if we don’t know how to love. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says that  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

John took it even further when he said in 1 John 4:7-8, 20 that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  The Lord is very clear when he defines the characteristics of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

Paul goes on to tell us what the enemy of love is.

1 Corinthians 13:11  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Think about the way children perceive the themselves and the world they live in.  To a child the world revolves around them.  They are the center of their world.  They are self-centered and can only see their own point of view.  Children are impatient and can be very cruel.  Generosity, patience, selflessness are things that come with maturity. 

In Ephesians 3:19, Paul is hoping that we will experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made mature and complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Success both individually and corporately happens when we learn how to love God and each other with an undying and self-less love.  It is here where we reach maturity and completeness so that the body of Christ can be effective and productive.

Ephesians 4:14-16  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Maintaining Your Momentum

Ephesians 4:27  Do not give place to the Devil.  The word place is the Greek word “topon“ and means “an area“.  It must also be noted that Paul is speaking to believers.  Believers who have made significant progress both individually and corporately.  He’s basically saying, “Now that you have accomplished so much, don’t give it back.”

This scripture tells us that what is in our heart determines the direction we go and the territory we possess. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, Above all else guard your heart, for it determines the course of your life.  We often associate this scripture with protecting our heart from sinful outside influences, but a guard also makes sure that whatever we have in our heart isn’t stolen. 

2 Timothy 1:14 says By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.  God has done some tremendous works in all of our lives. He has imparted and deposited some wonderful things into our hearts.  The enemy is going to do all that he can to rob you of the things that God has done. We must take precautions to make sure that doesn’t happen.  1Peter 5:8 tells us to Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.

Over the last few months we have seen God do some tremendous things in our midst.  We have seen many new folks come in and become part of our church family.  Even beyond that we have seen some incredible spiritual growth.  I am blown away at the testimonies of what God is doing in many of your lives.  2 Peter 3:18 tell us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.  We are seeing this lived out every day as people grow and become the people that God wants them to be.

 So here’s the question, How do we maintain momentum?  Both individually and corporately. 

1.  Don’t allow yourself to become complacent.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be “Keep your mind clear, and be alert.”  Complacency suggests a letting down of your guard.  A relaxing to the point where we are not watching where we’re going.  In the story of Gideon God went through the process of sifting through Gideon’s army until he found the warriors

Judges 7:5+6  So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

He was looking for.  After a period of training the Lord had Gideon  send them to the watering hole for a drink.  Most of the soldiers jumped in or got down on their knees to drink.  However, 300 of them stayed on their feet and bent over to drink while at the same time remaining alert and ready.  These are the soldiers that were kept.  The ones who remained alert even during times of refreshing.  Only those who remain alert will stand the test of time.

I Thessalonians 5:6  says, So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and clear-headed.  It is very easy to let our guard down in the time of blessing.  1 Corinthians 16:13 goes on to say, Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 

2.  Complacency leads to distraction.

1 Chronicles 20:1 tells us that In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem.

Many of us know the story of David and Bath-Sheba.  David fell into sin with Bath-Sheba and it rocked the kingdom of Israel to its core.  But David’s sin began with his complacency. The scripture says that at a time when kings go off to war, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.  Now David was a warrior king.  He was renowned for his prowess in battle.  He was prohibited from building the temple because of all the blood on his hands.  Yet when he should have been out in battle he stayed behind in the comfort of his palace.  David had changed.  This was not the same man who was running for his life from Saul.  The man who had to trust God everyday just to survive.  Disaster happened because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.  His complacency led to a distraction and it almost cost him everything.  Distraction makes you lose your footing.

Matthew 14:29+30 says that Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  Peter became distracted by his surroundings and lost his footing.  We must be diligent and keep Christ at the center of our lives.  In Ephesians 6:18 it tells us to Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

3.  We must learn how to experience God for ourselves.

We cannot be dependent upon the church for our relationship with God and for our experiences in His presence.  At some point we need to outgrow this dependence.  If the only time we experience God is when we are in church than we are in big trouble.

In 1 Peter 2:2  Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.  Newborn babies are totally dependent on who is taking care of them.  As a newborn gets older they become less and less dependent.  And all the parents say, “Amen.”  By this I am by no way minimizing the importance of going to church and being part of a church.  The scripture teaches us in Hebrews 10:24+25  not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

From the very beginning there was an emphasis on the apostle’s teaching and leadership.  In Acts 2:42-47 it says that, They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

You cannot be a growing and successful child of God without being part of a church, but there comes a time in every believers life that we grow to a place in our spiritual lives that we are able to experience God at home and on our own in a way that will sustain us and cause us to continue to grow when we’re not in church.

In Genesis 32:24 it says that Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.  Jacob was alone.  There was no Temple, no Tabernacle, no church.  It continues in verse 25  “When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.”  Jacob experienced God in a way that affected the way he would walk forever.  Verse 26  Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  Jacob was tenacious.  He was going to hold on until he received his blessing.  The result is that Jacob was changed and given a new name and a new identity. And he did it all on his own.  Finally in verse 28 it says, Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

Summertime is a season where church attendance goes down.  There are vacations, family gatherings, cookouts and changes in work schedules.  If the only source of experiencing God is around these altars and in this room than it’s no wonder we lose momentum.   If you are someone who depends on your church experiences to sustain you and you miss 1 Sunday than that means that person who only experiences God in this church goes 15 days before they get filled up again, If you miss 2 consecutive Sundays that number jumps to 21 days.  So over the course of the Summer say May through August.  You miss 1 Sunday in May, 2 in June, 2 in July, 2 in August and your sole source of experiencing or hearing God comes from being in church. That means over a 4 month period you’d be going a total 78 days without hearing from or experiencing God.  That’s how you lose momentum.

The next step in the development of God’s people is growing to a place where we’re having encounters with God outside of this sanctuary.  This is not only going to allow you to keep your spiritual momentum, but it’s going to make your church services even more powerful.  Ask yourself this question…..How many of us spend time with Lord before church on Sunday morning?  How much better would our services be if we came to church already in the Spirit?

So many of the Bible’s most supernatural encounters with God came when God’s people were alone.  We already spoke about Gideon and Jacob, and then there was Elijah

1 Kings 19:11-14  The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

 We have had some tremendous moves of the Holy Spirit around our altars.  Times when we’ve experienced the wind of God’s presence and the fire of God’s glory.  But some of our most lasting and life changing experiences must happen when we are alone and that still small voice of  the Holy Spirit speaks life into our souls.

As Moses was tending to the sheep God called him to a one on one encounter that would change his life.  God called him to a very special place. 

Genesis 3:4+5  When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within  the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  And Moses said, “Here I am.”  “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

God called Moses to walk on Holy ground.  It was not in church, or district headquarters.  Holy ground is anywhere that God is.

1 Corinthians 6:19  Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.

People of God you are holy ground.  You are that place that God desires to reveal himself and transform your life.  When that happens the momentum that God has started will never end.  It will just keep getting stronger and more powerful until it consumes your life, your church and everyone around you.