My Will vs. His Will

I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I’m happy to be here for the 89th Annual Convention.  I’ve been told that a theme has been prayerfully chosen for this year’s convention.  From the theme “Christ is All,” I’ve been asked to speak on the subject “My Will Vs. His Will.”  My text is Judges 16:20.  Here we have the tragic story of Samson.  Samson did not realize that the Lord had left him.  My message for tonight is, “Lost It Unconsciously.”  

A couple from NY was visiting the Hawaiian Islands.  They were visiting the most beautiful part of a hill town where they saw beautiful mansions, gardens, and all kinds of flowers.  The husband looked at the wife in total amazement and told her, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live in a place like that.”  And a voice came from within, “Don’t worry, you won’t.”  There are people here tonight with that kind of an attitude.  You came here expecting nothing and you will go home expecting nothing.  There’s a second group of people here tonight with an expectation of receiving a blessing.  As Jacob wrestled with the angel and received his blessing, this group will be going home with their blessings.  It is my prayer that you will be able to go home with a special blessing tonight.  

Charles Swindoll tells the story about what happened on a flight from New York to Miami.  Flight No. 401 was bound for Miami from NYC with a load of holiday passengers.  As the huge aircraft approached the Miami Airport for landing, a light that indicates proper deployment of the landing gear failed to come on.  The plane circled around the airport while the cockpit crew checked out the light failure.  Their question was this:

1-Had the landing gear actually not deployed?

2-Or was it just that the light bulb that was defective?

The plane crew, one after another fiddled with the bulb.  Then the pilot joined them and then the flying engineer.  All of them tried to remove the bulb from the socket.  Everyone was trying but failed.  By and by, if you can believe it, all eyes were on the little bulb that refused to be dislodged from its socket.  No one noticed that the plane was losing altitude.  Finally the plane dropped right into a swamp.  Many were killed in that plane crash.  Think about it.  While an experienced crew and pilot messed around with a 75 cent light bulb, an entire plane and many of its crew and passengers lost their lives.  

What happened?  They forgot to fly the plane.  They were messing around with a 75 cent light bulb.  It was not deliberate but they lost it unconsciously.  

The same thing can happen to a preacher, to a local church, and to a large organization.  We can get so caught up in the church dealing with petty things and focusing so much of our attention on insignificant issues that we lose sight of what church is all about.  The church can have activities such as programs, projects, committee meetings, banquets, community involvements and so forth.  So many wheels will be spinning around without really accomplishing anything of eternal significance that the church forgets its primary objective of worshipping God and winning souls for Christ. 

We should never forget that the main function of the body of Christ is to worship and to evangelize.  I heard somewhere that whatever man cannot repair, God is ready to restore.  This evening I want you to take a good look at Samson’s life.  He went as far as he could on his own and then he realized that it was too late.  However out of his desperation he cried out “One more time” as we read in Judges 16:28, “And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, ‘Oh Lord, God, remember me, I pray thee, just one more time.  With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.”  And God heard his prayer.  

In 1976 three gentlemen who worked for the ATARI  corporation had an idea to start their own business.  They were Steve Jobs, Steve Voicenia, and Ronald Wayne.  It was Ronald Wayne who came up with the logo of the apple computer.  Because of his involvement he was given ten percent of the total profit.  During the early days the company was not doing well so Ronald Wayne sold his share for $800 and went on his way.  Today he lives in Nevada with a small social security check.  If he had stayed with the company he would have been worth over $25 billion dollars.  (That is 10% of the company’s worth in today’s market.)  He lost it unconsciously.  

First of all Samson had a splendid start.  I want you to know when God is working, He works with an end result.  Romans 8:28 tells us and we know that God works all things together for our good to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Even in our sickness dear child of God, He has a purpose in your life.  When you lose your business, God has a purpose.  When you fail in your exam, God has a purpose.  

As we all know, Indian Pentecostal churches had a splendid start.  We went through fire one after another but God gave us the victory.

Take a good look at Samson’s life.  One time he tore the lion’s jaws apart.  He slew 1,000 of his enemies with a jaw bone of an animal.  He pulled Gaza’s ponderous gates up by their roots.  He broke the new ropes like flax that had been burned by fire.  During his twenty years of war, he never lost a battle.  Today he is like a wounded lion to a pack of wolves.  And he is blind and bound in fetters of brass.  

In verse 21 we find three great tragedies that happened to this servant of God.  Here the Philistines blinded him.  They bound him.  They forced him to grind grain.  In other words, the blinding, the binding and the grinding hit the man God.  This is a story of a man who was once anointed by the Lord.  All this happened because he chose his way instead of God’s way.  He brought all this to himself.  Please keep in mind that it was sin that put Samson in that condition.  It was sin that put his eyes out.  It was sin that bound him with fetters of brass.  It was sin that brought him to the grinding stone.  The Bible tells us if you don’t find your sin out, your sin fill find you out.  

At his birth he was instructed to drink no wine, to not eat any unclean thing and that no razor should come upon his head.  He was to be a Nazarene to God.  He was to separate from wine and grapes.  When you are called of God, you are instructed to separate from the world to God.  Have you lost your separation?  Paul spoke to the Corinthians, “Come out of them and be ye separate.”  You cannot be like the worldly people.  You cannot play church.  In politics you can buy and sell anybody with your money.  But you cannot do that with God’s work.

Get a book of Pastor K.E. Abraham’s autobiography to see how our forefathers lived and ministered in the early days.  Read how they trusted God for their every need.  They were not ready to compromise with any questionable thing.  However in the case of Samson, he lost his separation.  He lost his consecration.  He lost his holiness.  The Bible tells us he was told not to touch wine but he went to the vineyards of Timnath.  

Even when he was losing his separation, he had the strength superior to a lion.  This is God’s mercy.  When he was losing his holiness, he had the strength of a giant.  It tells me, “His mercies are new every morning.”  Yes, he had a splendid start.  Secondly, what made Samson go that far?  It was bad company.  He was self-willed and he was always mixed up with the wrong kind of people.  In Psalms 1 we read, “Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”  Instead of running away from such company he walked into it.  He went to Timnath and loved a Philistine girl.  His parents tried to put some sense into him but he wouldn’t listen.  

I have heard a story of a farmer who had a beautiful piece of land where he had all kinds of fruits and vegetables.  But he had a big problem to deal with .  A large number of crows were creating problems for him at the farm and he decided to kill some of them.  The next morning he took his shotgun and went after them and many of them were killed and wounded.  As he was looking through the garden picking up the dead birds, he found his pet parrot lying there wounded with the dead crows.  When the parrot saw her owner she spoke, “Bad company, bad company, bad company!”  Samson kept bad company.  

A few weeks ago a twenty year old man shot and killed twenty innocent children and seven adults including himself.  He was mentally ill.  It has been reported that his mother had three shotguns in her house.  The mother and her murderous son used to go for target practice.  Finally he shot his mother and that’s how the killing started.  America is mourning at this terrible tragedy.  It took a week to bury the dead.  The killer’s mother should have reconsidered what she was pouring into her son.  She failed in her power of influence.  To her son, she was probably bad company.  Bible scholars call Samson the weak-strong man.  

Look at Samson.  During the first twenty years of his leadership, there was no record of defeat.  Even while he was unfaithful to his calling, God remained faithful.  After twenty years he went to Gaza and found a woman named Delilah.  The mercy of the Lord is very clear here.   Even after his deliberate sins, God gave him strength.  

Listen to me tonight.  One unrepented sin always makes way for more.  How Delilah tried.  Samson gave in to her desires and she continued to press him daily.  He became weaker and weaker.  She used every physical charm to weaken his will.  

Three times she tried.  My message to Samson tonight is “Run Samson.  Run!  Run Samson.  It is a trap.”  If somebody speaks ill of somebody to you, don’t listen to him or her.  If somebody bribes you to get your favor or attention, run.  Samson once had the anointing of God.  Now he’s a giant in a net.  I want to emphasize the fact that your calling and your anointing did not come cheap.  When Samson gave Delilah the secret, we are told they put out his eyes.  Here we have the blinding, the binding and the grinding.  It was the spirit of God that rested upon Samson that made him great.  It was the gift of heaven that made him a conqueror.  

Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.”  Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  

Thirdly, it was an unconscious loss.  The Bible says that Samson did not realize the Lord had departed from him.  This is the sad part.  There are many today who go to church, sing in the choir and even pastor the church.  Everything looks alright.  The Lord is not sending the lightning and thunder on you because He is a merciful God.  Someday, the mighty Samson will roar like a lion.  The brass fetters will be tightened.  Enemies will fall upon him and he will stand alone at the dead end.  Samson, you will reach out for power, but it’s not there.  At one time you could arise like a champion.  Today you have a gun, but no bullets.  

Samson’s life was a life of contrast.  He was separated as a Nazarene yet tampering with evil association.  He was spiritual at times, yet he was under the power of carnal appetites.  He was childish in his plan, but courageous in battle.  Finally he was mighty in physical strength, yet weak in resisting temptation.  

Run Samson Run!

There are thousands of church folks who started in the spirit but ended up in the flesh.  God is watching.  But praise God at the last hour Samson realized his mistake and cried out one more time.  Christ our Judge is watching.  It is my will vs. his will.  Will you cry out to God?  He’s waiting for your response.  God bless you.