Let the Shepherd Lead

Intro:

• Friends, as we pick back up with the account of Samson’s wedding, can I share with you again how difficult the book of Judges is to read and to consider.
• I thought long and hard this week about how I could be faithful to what God has revealed in this book and point you towards God’s grace, not overwhelm you with sin and its consequences.
• I covet your prayers as we continue this series. Romans 15:4 tells that the Old Testament Scriptures were written to instruct and encourage us on how we can endure by faith. My hope and prayer is that I will be able to show the plain points of each of these passage, and encourage us to endure in our faith.
• To that end, do you remember the TLC show What Not to Wear?
  • On the show, An unsuspecting special guest, nominated by their friends and family was given a makeover by a group of fashion experts.
  • The main requirement for the special guest was that they would be humble enough to accept the help from the experts.
  • Most of the special guests when confronted with their unfashionable ways were welcoming of the fashion help.
  • But the most interesting episodes were the ones when the special guest cooperated reluctantly.
  • The two fashion experts would always shop with the special guest, but in those episodes, with reluctant special guests, sparks would fly and engaging TV occurred.

Hook:

• I want to suggest to you that God, with the book of Judges, offers us a spiritual makeover, but only if we ae humble enough to be confronted by the ugliness of sin and our need not to wear it.
  • Sin, failure, and even our frailty as humans are ugly realities that we would rather not see; but that we must admit in order for us to see our need for God’s help.
  • In this passage particularly Samson makes a unfair wager to extort thirty fine sets of clothes from the Philistines of Timnah.
  • I believe these clothes, as a metaphor, represent all the sinful habits and activity that we should not wear.
  • But in this passage, we see that God has a better plan for Samson, and for us.
  • 1 Peter 5:5 says in the last part of the verse, “all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
• Today as we look at what not to wear in Judges, it is my prayer that you will clothe yourself with humility so that you will avoid wearing three spiritual disasters.

Message Points:

• First, if we clothe ourselves with humility, we will bypass trendiness. (14:10-14)
  • As we pick up the story of Samson’s wedding in verse 10 we immediately see that Samson holds a wedding feast “as was customary for young men”.
  • Customary things in any culture constitute a trend.
  • Unlike in the Israelite culture, in which the wedding feast was a time for the entire village to celebrate together, the word we see translated as feast, in the original language correlates more to what we would call a bachelor’s party.
  • Further, as the town “saw him” they selected thirty companions in verse 11 as the NIV translates.
    • This word in the original language is used in Judges 20:15-16 for warriors of the tribe of Benjamin.
    • While it was customary for Philistines to have this bachelor’s party, and for the men of the town to come together to celebrate, Samson is not the ordinary groom.
    • When the people saw him, the evidentially were afraid of him.
    • Thus this thirty-man escort was chosen, presumably because when the people saw Samson, they feared what might happen if he got drunk as most people do at such a party.
  • Without any regard to his Nazarite vow, which forbade him from drinking, Samson becomes the center of attention at his bachelor’s party. He fits right in with the trends of his time.
    • Amid the raucous atmosphere, Samson make a wager in verse 12-13 with the thirty men of his escort.
    • Utilizing the event of the slaying of the lion and the honey in its carcass, Samson offers a riddle in verse 14 that none could solve.
    • Especially in this party atmosphere and with the impending wedding night, the escort probably first thought that Samson was crudely referencing himself.
    • The crassness of his language, too explicit for me to explain, was Samson’s way of turning this party, its escorts, and this trend to his advantage.
    • But as the Timnites guessed they did not come up with an answer.
  • What about us? Do we readily give in to the trends of our day? Do we fit into our society more than we shine the light of a different way into it?
    • What language trends have we adopted, even if it is only the abbreviations of text messaging, that coarsen us without us realizing it?
    • What media driven trends have we participated in that have desensitized us to sins that would at one time have been unthinkable?
    • Even as a church, what trendy programs, or worship styles have we begun to enjoy so much that we cannot image giving them up?
  • God has a better way for us. If we put on humility, it will mean that we choose the timeless counsel of God over the temporary tends of today.
    • God says for us to rid ourselves of filthy language in Colossians 3:8, and verse 12 we are told clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. In other words put on actions that will build others up as Eph. 4:29 says.
    • Proverbs 23:20-21 tells us not to be among drunkards or gluttons because they will come to poverty and be clothed with rags. God does not want us clothed in spiritual rags chasing the trends of our day.
    • In the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us that he has all authority, commands us to make disciples, and then tells us he will be with us always. In essence he is saying if we humble ourselves and point ourselves and other to Him, He will always be with us.
• Second, if we clothe ourselves with humility, we will avoid unflattering cuts.
  • I am using the term cuts to refer to the way that not every style or cut flatters us.
    • When I went to buy a suit this Easter, I realized that the cut of suits has changed.
    • In my closet I have a number of 46 Regular coats bought over the years that fit me.
    • Now almost every suit I tried on was what they called a slim cut, or athletic fit, or something else like that. What that means for a “fluffy” person like me is that a 46 cut no longer fits me.
    • None of those cuts flatters me.
  • But I am also using this term to refer to the way that life cuts away at our pride by exposing our weaknesses.
    • When we feel exposed, or embarrassed all of our insecurities and frailties come out.
    • In our passage…
      • The Timnites feel exposed by their bad decision to agree to Samson’s wager so in verse 15 they blackmail Samson’s fiancé, rather than loose the bet.
      • Samson’s fiancé fears for her life and that of her family, so she deceitfully begins to nag Samson for an answer in verse 16-17, rather than asking Samson for help.
      • Samson, as we have seen, considers himself above the rules. But his insecurities show up when he loses this bet.
        • He berates the Timnites as well as his fiancé with his despicable and abusive language in verse 18.
        • Then he chooses to give full vent to his burning anger in verse 19 rather than admit his own folly and weakness.
    • And we often hide our insecurities in the same kind of ways.
      • As men we often will attempt the home repair that we almost know how to fix. We keep trying resolve the issue, but after all the money and there is still a leak. But we still want to try one more thing.
      • Ladies, I am sure that some of you have a dress you bought for a good reason like being a bridesmaid. It is no longer flattering and takes up closet space, but it’s too expensive to just throw out.
      • As a young person, you might have that team that try out for every year and you almost make the cut. You work hard, learn the right skills, and even though you didn’t make the cut last year, you still sign up for tryouts.
      • As a church we often know that our church attendance and giving have been shrinking so instead of examining to see if we are making disciples we dedicate ourselves to the programs and ministry that have always been.
  • As with Samson and his wedding party, our whole situation could be different if we would choose humility rather than the unflattering cut.
    • When we choose to be humble and ask for the Lord’s help, He provides His strength in the midst of our weaknesses. (2 Cor. 12:10)
    • The difference in an healthy church and Christian and a dying church and Christian is how we choose to respond when we feel cut to the quick.
    • When we choose humility…
      • God gives us the strength to listen to criticism and seek to hear His voice calling us to a better way.
      • God gives us the strength to look at new ideas or programs like the Life Groups we have offered in the summer and see how He can use them to engage and grow others as disciples.
      • God give us the strength to listen to songs, or prayers, or sermons we might not have chosen at first and recognize that He is at work in and through them.
      • God even gives us the strength seek and grant forgiveness rather than stew in our anger and bitterness. God gives us the strength to build others up even though they might have torn us down.
  • That choice of humility is one reason for the Lord’s Supper that we will celebrate shortly.
    • This celebration is an opportunity for us believers to examine our lives to see how we still need a Savior.
    • When we Christian examine ourselves, the Bible tells us that if we confess our sins, Christ is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness in 1 John 1:9.
    • Examination leads to us to renew the commitment we made at our profession of faith.
    • As we take the bread and the juice, we commit again to the reality that Christ forgives and cleanses all those who come humbly to Him.
    • If you are not yet a believer in the room, you too can examine your need for a Savior with us. But we ask that you refrain from taking the bread or the juice, until you have made first made your public commitment in a profession of faith.
• Finally then, and building on all the previous ideas, if we clothe ourselves with humility we don’t resist tailoring (14:19-20).
  • Verse 19 is unique in the way that we see the Spirit of Lord show up in the disastrous wedding of Samson, to tailor the situation to the Lord’s purposes.
    • The Lord empowers Samson to go to Ashkelon, a full-fledged city of Philistia, not a border town like Timnah.
    • He strikes down thirty of their men, strips them and gives their clothing to his escort.
    • Then still in his rage Samson goes home, but God keeps him from intermarrying with the Philistines by orchestrating the marriage of his fiancé to one of his escort.
  • Samson had not humbly chosen to obey God’s command, but God had a better way for Samson.
    • God had said in 14:4 that He was “seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines.”
    • He had promised that Samson would “take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines,” in verse 13:5.
    • Though Samson wanted to overthrow the Philistines by marriage and clever tricks, God tailored Samson to be the deliverer and judge he was called to be.
    • Samson’s white hot rage at the Timnites, though the result of his own personal failure was a tool utilized by God for a good purpose.
  • We may not have the same calling as Samson, but God certainly wants to tailor our lives!
    • Today, Jesus calls you to be tailored the same way he called to Samson. Luke 9:23 says if anyone would follow Jesus he or she must deny himself daily, take up his cross and follow Him. He also tells us in the Great Commission to make disciples by teaching them all his commands, including Luke 9:23.
    • God does not need us to accomplish his plans in the world. He chooses to utilize us.
    • We are much more useful we are to him, when we do not resist the ways he tailors us to His purposes.
    • God wants to utilize our failures to change and to transform us.
      • We show humility when we recognize God’s hand amid our failure.
      • We show humility when we seek to point out God’s work to others.
    • Will you resist the Lord’s tailoring in your life, or will clothe yourself with humility and respond to him?

Conclusion:

• As we conclude our message today, can I tell you one of the ways that the Lord has tailored me this week?
  • At some point earlier in the week, I realized that I had not intentionally shared my faith for at least a week.
  • It was not that I was pursing all kinds of devilish things, I just had allowed the busyness of life to crowd out that way of obeying God’s command.
  • So I began to pray that God would grant me the opportunity to share.
  • On Friday, we had a repairman coming to work on our range.
  • I had worked outside for the majority of the day. I was hot, sweaty, and tired. When the repairman came, witnessing was the furthest thing from my mind.
  • It was at that point that the Lord began to stir in me. He reminded me of my failure, and of my pride. He then in a still, small voice said, if you are humble, you will obey and share your faith.
  • So I did. The repairman was a believer, and we had a wonderful conversation.
  • Why did God ask me to share with a believe? I believe it was because he was calling me to clothe myself with humility and follow him.
• Friends, the ugliness of life is unavoidable, but we can clothe ourselves with humility and follow when God calls. Is he calling you today?