The Biblical character of Samson played with seduction. He was a mighty warrior of God, a Nazarite who had been dedicated to the Lord’s work from birth. He knew God’s law and he was disciplined in body, mind and soul. In today’s terms, we’d call him a super Christ-follower. He’d be the kind of guy that all of us would want to imitate! Sadly, when we arrive at Judges 16 we discover him sleeping with prostitutes. And we find him playing seduction games with Delilah - an evil woman willing to sell him out for a few pieces of silver. He knew this! Yet he still played the seduction games with her. We also know the dangers of seduction, yet we too sometimes play games with sin.
Every week I publish my sermon notes so that you may read them for yourselves. For my parishioners, this could be a good review from the weekend before. And it gives you a chance to see what I intended to say! For other pastors and ministers, feel free to borrow and use any of this material. I'd love for God to be glorified by you incorporating these notes into your own worship.
Summer Singles Part 10: "Playing With Seduction" 08.05.12
Scripture: Judges 16:15-19 NIV / Follow the YouVersion LIVE Event Notes
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Today’s Single: I must not ___PLAY GAMES WITH SIN___.
You might think this is so simple and so obvious that it doesn’t even need to be taught. However, too many of us are like Samson. We know better. We are Christ-followers. But we play games with sin. Like Samson, we think because of God’s goodness and God’s grace that we can play with sin and not have it hurt us. Or that in the long run it won’t matter. Nothing could be more false. Sin - doing what doesn’t please God or not doing what does please Him - is dangerous and demands we keep a border around it - a safety zone for our souls. Today we must know these dangers: sin will tempt us, compromise us, force us into self-defeating secrecy, and ultimately kill us.
Play Video: “I Am Sin: Temptation” [0:21] by Igniter Media
Danger Zone #1: Sin will ___TEMPT ME___.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Sin looks good. It’s something deep within our core that is desirable. Because of our humanness, we never escape the temptation of sin. We all have weak spots in our character. For Samson, it was out-of-bounds women.
“Samson... saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.” Judges 16:1 NIV
“He fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.” Judges 16:4 NIV
The Judges storyteller puts it in these two places to show us the habit of sin that Samson was following. Delilah wasn’t the first of Samson’s dalliances. He thought he could flirt with the sin of temptation and remain unaffected. To be clear - temptation is NOT sin. It’s the step of seduction that comes to us before sin. We naturally DESIRE to sin.
“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1:14 NIV
This does NOT mean, though, that we fall back on the old crutch that we can’t help ourselves. ... that the devil made me do it! We should look for an escape hatch. God promises such an escape to every temptation.
“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 endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13b NIV
Sometimes that escape hatch is as simple as RUN! Joseph’s example:
“She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” Genesis 39:12 NIV
Play Video: “I Am Sin: Compromise” [0:26] by Igniter Media
Danger Zone #2: Sin will ___COMPROMISE ME___.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that whatever is tempting us isn’t that big of a deal. It may even be something that is ok for some Christ followers but not ok for you. Or it may be something clearly out of bounds, but you’ve convinced yourself it’s only once and - after all - God will love you anyway. We must be very careful with our thinking.
“Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ.” 1 John 3:6 GW
This is not just talking about the lapse, the single falling, the mistake. This is talking about the habitual returning to sin - the repetition after the mistake. That’s what so dangerous about thinking that one time won’t hurt us. That God will understand. Samson was tempted by a prostitute. Instead of repenting of his sin and going back to his Nazarite disciplines, he continued on with his sinning ways, which brought him to Delilah. Sin, once it has you, just continues to compromise you and your walk with God. It never is finished its ruination of you. And it forces...
Play Video: “I Am Sin: Secrets” [0:29] by Igniter Media
Danger Zone #3: Sin will ___FORCE ME INTO SECRECY___.
Just at the exact moment when we most need the support and strength of other Christ-followers - when we are moving down the sin highway - is when we instinctually begin moving in the opposite direction. We keep our sin a secret. We don’t want to tell anyone. It may be that we think others won’t understand. It may be that we think we won’t be forgiven. It may even be that we think we don’t deserve the love and support of others. Because of our sin we aren’t worth loving! This also goes against God’s truth and His instruction. First God’s truth:
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
Written to Christ-followers. Christ followers still sin (1 John 1:9). Christ died not just for past sins, but for all our sins! You are so worth it! Christ loves you! 2nd - God doesn’t want you to remain in secrecy mode.
“You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.” Proverbs 28:13 GNT
This was the practice of the early, NT, Requel church! James...
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16a NIV
Confession, openness, admission, repentance is the path of healing. This comes from the love and support of a few other Christians who reaffirm both Christ’s love and the need for us to stop sinful habits. Secrecy, cover-ups, hiding is the spiral leads to disease, and...
Play Video: “I Am Sin: Death” [0:28] by Igniter Media
Danger Zone #4: Sin will ___KILL ME___.
Sin is an equal opportunity destroyer. It doesn’t matter how long or how short you have been a Christian. Sin destroys. Sin tears apart our relationship with God and with one another. It’s just as dangerous to our spiritual lives as radioactivity would be to our physical lives. STAY AWAY!
James warns us of the dangerous progression...
“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 NIV
The end of the story for Samson was a brief return to his former strength but also to his death. Playing around with the seduction of sin - if allowed it’s ultimate destination - is death.
This talk has taken a definite turn to the negative side. Surely everyone here is uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable. I wish we didn’t need to talk about sin and temptation, compromise, secrecy, and death. Like a parent who lovingly guards his children from the dangers of the highway, I want to guard you - my children, my parishioners - from the dangers of sin. (a) Don’t be fooled into thinking that any sin is no big deal. (b) Don’t make your temptations even greater by sticking around to find out what might happen. (c) Don’t allow sin to get a foothold into your life and begin to enslave you again. You’ve had enough of that!
“We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans 6:2 NIV
Let’s be real honest with one another. Some of you feel trapped in your sin. You feel like this whole discussion is a waste of time because you couldn’t escape your sin, even if you wanted to do so. You feel like you are already well down the path and beyond repair, beyond change.
I want you to know that God does not feel about you that way. He sees you in a different way than you see yourself. You may see yourself trapped, but He sees you free. You may see yourself bound, but He sees you released. You may see yourself only in the reflection of your sinful habits. But God sees you in the light of His Son’s sacrifice for you, with your sins paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. You may see yourself as ruined, but God sees you as redeemed. Listen to “Beautiful Things” by Gungor.
Play Video: “Free” by Journey Box Media [4:43]
Final Thought: Live my life ___FREE FROM SIN’S BONDAGE___.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 NIV
This is an emotional video. I can’t watch it without shedding tears of joy of just how much God loves us. He sees us so differently than we see ourselves. This may be the most important idea we walk away with today - that how we see ourselves determines our response to sin and its seduction. Do we see ourselves as fallen, broken, hurt, weak creatures with no choice? Or do we see ourselves with God’s amazing power, love, grace and hope? This IS a choice. We choose HOW we see ourselves and, therefore HOW we respond.
Our response is not just a feeling, but an action - a step in the right direction. A step away from sin. A step away from temptation, compromise, secrecy, and death. A step toward salvation, redemption, openness, and eternal life.
