118: John Thomas Perks – Exhortation: Samson

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Welcome to the good Christian
talks podcast.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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Thank you so much for joining us
this week.

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On this podcast, we select one
taco week to help each one of

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us.
Get the Bible in our daily news

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feed.
We post at the start of each

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week for you to listen.
With a short intro beforehand to

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kind of set the stage for the
talk here about to here.

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And now let’s hear more about
this week’s talk for this week.

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We’re listening to a talk that
was given by Brother.

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John Thomas perks from the
Ontario Canada achalasia.

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This is an excitation he gave at
the Guyana Ecclesia in South

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America, and he is taking a look
at the struggle that we all

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face.
Going between, what we know that

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God wants us to do and the pull
and the, the distraction of the

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world.
And specifically, he’s looking

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at the example of Samson and has
some interesting insights on the

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character of Samson and the
struggle that he felt throughout

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his life living as a Nazarite
and as a judge.

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But also, the way he interacted
with the Philistines are really

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interesting expectation.
There are a few spots where R.

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I’m assuming this was done over
by Zoom or another video

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conferencing tool is it but
there’s a few spots where you

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can tell brother Jones
connection breaks up a little

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bit.
So there’s a few spots where he

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sort of cuts off mid statement
and then comes back not a bad

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enough to lose track of the echo
of the talk.

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It happens at opportune moments,
but overall was a really good

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excitation, a good reminder of
the struggle that we all face.

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The temptation of the world and
the pull of those in the world

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to conform to what the world
thinks is Right versus what God

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thinks is, right?
So really enjoyed the

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excitation.
It was a recommendation that a

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sister down in Guyana sent our
way and I’m glad she did.

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It’s a an excellent one and a
good reminder especially with

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everything that’s going on in
the world right now.

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And everyone thinks they have
the best solution and they want

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you to be on board with it.
And to convince you of that,

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it’s a good reminder that.
At the plan and what we’re

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standing for is different than
what the world has to offer and

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is better than anything the
world could offer to us.

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So again, thank you to the
sister who sent this excitation

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in and thank you all for
listening.

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If you have recommendations,
please send them in.

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We can always use them and
they’re always appreciated with

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that.
We will turn it over to our

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brother.
John Thomas perks for his

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extrication on Samson and
choosing God over the world this

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morning.
I want to talk about a battle

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and it’s a battle that I believe
at one time or another and all

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christadelphians lives, we’ve
had to fight.

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When I was a teenager, I would
say, I almost lost this battle

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that we’re going to talk about
this morning.

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And I would say that the enemy
still pokes his head, over the

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distant Hills, once in a while
to see if my defenses.

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Down.
I’m at times in our lives and

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maybe a raging battle one, that
we might even be losing.

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And at times we might enjoy
times of peace and this battle I

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think is really clear.
It comes out very clearly in our

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reading from Thursday in
Ezekiel.

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So if you can just turn real
quickly to Ezekiel chapter 20

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and just a marvelous After a sad
chapter but it just paints

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everything.
So clearly Ezekiel chapter 20

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and just read with me, verse 5
and 6, it says, say to them,

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thus says the Lord God on the
day.

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When I chose Israel, and raised
my hand in an oath to the

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descendants of the House of
Jacob and made myself known to

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them in the land of Egypt.
I raised my hand and an oath to

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them.
Say, I am the Lord your God on

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that day.
I raised my hand in an oath to

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them to bring them out of the
land of Egypt into a land that I

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had searched out for them,
flowing with milk and honey, the

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glory of all lands.
So here God is, he’s raising his

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hand in an oath they saying I
chose you and not only did I

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choose you as my special people,
he went out and searched for a

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land and the glory, the glory of
land, that was flowing with milk

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and honey.
And he said, I raise my hand

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that I would bring you into that
land, they were his people and

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he was their God, you know what,
a tremendous thing.

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This is the creator of all
things.

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Saying, I picked you.
It was a great calling and it

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had tremendous benefit.
And it had very serious

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responsibilities.
They were to devote themselves

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fully to God no more Idols, no
more Idols of Egypt.

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No more Idols of the lands
around them.

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They were to live lives of
purpose.

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God’s purpose and what was their
response.

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If you jump over 20:32, look at
their response to this.

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And God says, what you have in
your mind shall never be when

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you We will be like the Gentiles
like the families and other

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countries serving wood and
Stone.

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That was their response to this
wonderful calling of God.

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It was, we don’t want to be
special, we don’t want to be

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different.
They were saying, we don’t want

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your ways.
In fact, when you get right down

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to it, they were saying to their
Heavenly.

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Father, we don’t want you.
That’s astounding, but it’s not

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such a foreign concept.
This isn’t something that Just

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written a long time ago and you
know, these things were written

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for our learning for our
instruction and so we might look

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at our lives and say, you know
what I was, I was born into a

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Christian delphian family.
I was raised with those beliefs.

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I was taught the gospel.
And you make me in the same

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situation.
You’ve always been raised with

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this or you may have been taught
the truth.

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And now you are you know God has
still picked you, you’ve been

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chosen by God and yet there’s
this Relentless pressure from

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the world, the world is
constantly staying with conform,

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be like us, choose our ways
knock-offs. and ultimately at

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some point in their lives, well
that battle might be going on as

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I mentioned sometimes it might
be raging sometimes it might be

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at peace, we have to decide do I
want to be gods or do I want to

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be the world’s and sometimes
people come right out and say it

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like they did in Ezekiel they
say I don’t want God and I don’t

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want his ways and sometimes
people don’t say that with

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words, but Our actions speak
loud and clear.

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And I was thinking of Malachi,
we don’t have to turn there but

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in Malachi, you know, God,
confronts the people, and

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they’re shocked.
They say, in what ways have we

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defiled your name?
And he says, you know, by

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offering blind and lame in the
offerings.

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So, by their actions they were
saying we don’t want you God,

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Now I want to examine this
battle.

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This Battle of God has chosen us
and he’s given us tremendous

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blessings.
That’s a long time.

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He said.
So what after 13 just to set the

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context, Judges chapter 13?
And in the first five verses we

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read about Samson’s parents and
here it says again, the children

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of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord and the Lord

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delivered them into the hand of
the Philistines for 40 years and

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there was a certain man from
Zora of the family of the

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danites whose name was manoah
and his wife was Barren and had

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no children.
The means of the Lord appeared

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to the woman and said to her,
indeed, now you are Barren and

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have for no children but you
shall conceive and bear a son

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now.
Therefore, please be careful not

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to drink wine or similar drink
and not to eat anything unclean

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for behold.
You shall conceive and bear a

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son, and no Reiser shall come
upon his head with a child,

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shall be a Nazarite to God from
the womb and he shall begin to

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deliver.
So the wife of Manoa has to

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commit to a certain lifestyle
not only for herself but for her

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son as we read in those verses
Samson was chosen and he was

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chosen to be separate.
He was to be an we first three

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and four it says from the seed
to the skin of the grape they

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were to have none of it that was
rule.

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Number one rule number two is is
no cutting of your hair and rule

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number three that they were
never to touch anything any dead

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bodies.
Now, keep this in mind, this is

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the life that was chosen for
Samson.

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It was a, it was an
understanding that was struck

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between this Angel and Samson’s,
mom seems in had no say in the

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deal.
This is the life that was chosen

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for him and there was tremendous
Just blessings.

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You know, I think every young
christadelphians boy, when they

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read the stories of Samson
pictured themselves with

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enormous strength and being able
to do tremendous things.

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I mean, this is a super hero in
real life.

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So tremendous blessings that
power that he had, but there was

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tremendous responsibilities, he
was to be separated to God, he

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was to serve his heavenly
father.

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And so what we see is, Mixed
with these exploits where he

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went against the Philistines.
Is this dangerous game where

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he’s flirting with the ways of
the Philistines?

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And we have to ask what’s going
on here?

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You know, this is a man who’s
been chosen by God and he has

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all his power and he has all
these blessings.

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And yet, he’s flirting with the
Philistines and accepting sent,

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you know, sort of enticed by
their ways and getting closer

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and Closer to them in his life.
And so as I was thinking about

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this I thought well what was
what was Samson’s greatest

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challenge in his life?
Was it motivation?

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You know, it seems like the only
time he really struck the

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Philistines was when he had been
insulted or when he had been

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offended, or when he had been
provoked and then he would go

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out and he would, he would go
out and the Philistines.

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So was it motivation are was, is
Big Challenge.

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The eye.
Will battles with the

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Philistines.
Was that as big as challenge.

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Or was it the third option?
Which I think?

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Is that the one that I’ve
settled on, I think Samson’s

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biggest challenge was his
internal struggle.

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I think he was saying, is this
really what I want?

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You, I want what my family has
chosen for me.

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Do I want their beliefs, do I
want this calling to be a

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Nazarite?
Do I want to be different?

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Do I want all these rules in my
life?

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Or do I want this lifestyle?
I see around me this Freedom,

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that the people around me seem
to have And so there was this an

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enticement to those ways and I
think that’s a familiar struggle

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and that’s the battle I was
talking about at the beginning

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that we all have to fight at
some time in our lives.

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Is this really what I want?
Or is the world what I want.

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Now I’m convinced that Samson
went back and forth on this his

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parents like our parents would
have taught him about God, they

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would have taught him about his
ways, they would have talked

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about this, angel coming and
speaking to them, they would

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have talked about their hope.
And he would have seen in his

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own life, the power of God, he
would have been shown the

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benefits and the honor All the
Privileges of being chosen by

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God and then there would be this
temptation of leaving, it all

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behind and just breaking it
loose and being like everybody

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else.
And that’s what the people in

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Ezekiel said, we will be like
the Gentiles will serve Stone

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and wood.
And God was saying, no, you’re

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not going to, but that was their
heart.

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We just want to be like everyone
else.

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So C is this true of Samson’s?
Like, if we can know that you

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definitely didn’t seem to be
excited about being an azeri.

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When you, if you ever get a
chance and you do a comparison

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between Samuel and Samson, you
don’t vastly different lives.

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Both from mothers who couldn’t
have children, both promised to

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have a son Samuels, whole life
is dedicated to God.

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You never see him wavering.
You never see him thinking,

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Maybe you know, maybe I’d like
to marry a Philistine woman like

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his horse is straight and it’s
always towards God and Samson’s

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just all over the place.
So let’s looking and Judges

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00:15:05,800 –> 00:15:10,600
chapter. 14, Judges chapter 14
verse 1.

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00:15:11,000 –> 00:15:14,300
It says he’s attracted to a
Philistine girl.

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00:15:15,000 –> 00:15:18,900
It says now, Samson went down to
timna and saw a woman and timna

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00:15:18,900 –> 00:15:20,900
of the daughters of the
Philistines.

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00:15:21,300 –> 00:15:24,900
And despite his parents protest,
he’s determined, no, no, this is

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00:15:24,900 –> 00:15:26,500
she makes me happy.
This is the girl.

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00:15:26,500 –> 00:15:32,900
I want in Chapter 14, verse 5,
it says so Samson.

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00:15:32,900 –> 00:15:36,600
Went down to Timba with his
father and mother and came to

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00:15:36,600 –> 00:15:39,200
The Vineyards of timna.
Now, some point here, it seems

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00:15:39,200 –> 00:15:42,400
like his parents, he got away
from his parents a little bit

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00:15:42,400 –> 00:15:45,100
and he goes into a Vineyard and
this is where he kills this

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00:15:45,200 –> 00:15:47,400
young lion.
And then he doesn’t tell his

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00:15:47,400 –> 00:15:51,200
parents.
I’m the reason he doesn’t tell

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00:15:51,200 –> 00:15:53,200
his parents because the first
thing is parents are going to

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00:15:53,200 –> 00:15:54,900
say, is what were you doing in a
Vineyard?

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00:15:56,500 –> 00:15:59,300
You know, why would he go to a
place of great Temptation, if

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00:15:59,300 –> 00:16:02,600
he’s not supposed to touch from
seed to skin?

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00:16:03,600 –> 00:16:07,600
He’s not supposed to eat or
drink from seed to skin.

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00:16:07,600 –> 00:16:10,200
What is he doing in a Vineyard?
And I think this is the

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00:16:10,200 –> 00:16:13,000
beginning of that game.
Where he’s that temptation?

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00:16:13,000 –> 00:16:17,400
Is there in Chapter 14?
Verse 10.

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00:16:18,000 –> 00:16:20,900
It says so, as far Their wings
down to the woman and Sampson

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00:16:20,900 –> 00:16:23,400
gave us.
He’s there for the young for

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00:16:23,400 –> 00:16:25,800
young man, used to do so, so
here he is.

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00:16:25,800 –> 00:16:30,300
He’s partying with the
Philistines and judges 16, which

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00:16:30,300 –> 00:16:33,800
we read this morning, you know,
he’s with a harlot from Gaza,

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00:16:34,400 –> 00:16:37,400
you know, this is not the life
that Samuel lived.

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00:16:39,000 –> 00:16:44,300
We see this.
This enticement to the world’s

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00:16:44,300 –> 00:16:49,400
ways in Samson and in Judges
chapter 16, which Which we had

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00:16:49,400 –> 00:16:53,300
read for us.
This is this is a troubling

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00:16:54,000 –> 00:16:58,100
chapter.
Rockets Sampson and I’ve always

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00:16:58,100 –> 00:17:01,900
wondered this and I’m sure many
of us have could Samson.

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00:17:03,000 –> 00:17:05,400
I’ve been so foolish to let this
happen.

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00:17:06,500 –> 00:17:11,599
So, like in verse 7, you know,
Delilah’s pestering them, he

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00:17:11,599 –> 00:17:14,800
says, well, you know, if you tie
me up with seven fresh

253
00:17:14,800 –> 00:17:19,599
bowstrings, you know, then then
I’ll become like other men and

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00:17:19,700 –> 00:17:22,900
he wakes up in the morning and
he’s tied up with seven fresh

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00:17:23,400 –> 00:17:29,800
bowstrings, okay coincidence.
And then in verse 11, you know,

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00:17:29,800 –> 00:17:33,500
she passed through them again,
verse 11, he says, if they bind

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00:17:33,500 –> 00:17:37,800
me securely with new ropes that
had never been used, He wakes up

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00:17:37,800 –> 00:17:40,100
in the morning and he’s tied up
with new ropes that had never

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00:17:40,100 –> 00:17:44,100
been used.
And I’m sure he’s beginning to

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00:17:44,100 –> 00:17:48,300
see a pattern and then she
pesters them again.

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00:17:48,300 –> 00:17:53,000
I will if you leave he tells me
we’ve my hair Seven Locks of my

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00:17:53,000 –> 00:17:56,300
hair in Tulum, then I lose my
power in, he wakes up and it’s

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00:17:56,300 –> 00:18:00,800
happening, it’s happening again.
Didn’t he know what was going to

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00:18:00,800 –> 00:18:02,800
happen when he told her the
truth?

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00:18:04,700 –> 00:18:10,700
Some And I don’t think I think
she knew what was going on.

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00:18:10,700 –> 00:18:13,500
He I think he knew and every
time he’s getting a little bit

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00:18:13,500 –> 00:18:15,500
closer, to the fact it’s his
hair.

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00:18:15,800 –> 00:18:20,300
I think he’s in this, he’s a
willing participant in this game

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00:18:20,300 –> 00:18:25,300
where he is toying with being
just like everyone else and

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00:18:25,300 –> 00:18:28,500
giving up like they did in
Ezekiel, we just want to be like

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00:18:28,500 –> 00:18:35,500
the Gentiles He’s flirting with
the idea of not being Sanctified

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00:18:37,000 –> 00:18:38,700
and being just like everyone
else.

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00:18:40,300 –> 00:18:44,400
Maybe he was enticed by the idea
of no more responsibilities and

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00:18:44,400 –> 00:18:47,500
no more pressure and can you
hear?

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00:18:47,500 –> 00:18:52,400
I’m saying, To his parents, I
didn’t choose this, I didn’t

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00:18:52,400 –> 00:18:57,400
choose to be a Nazarite, you did
write something.

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00:18:58,400 –> 00:19:02,300
We may have heard from our young
people or ourselves at some

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00:19:02,300 –> 00:19:06,300
point in time.
I think there’s there’s three

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00:19:06,400 –> 00:19:09,500
Universal dangerous things that
are happening here.

280
00:19:10,600 –> 00:19:14,100
In his battle for Faith.
And the first one is in verse

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00:19:14,100 –> 00:19:18,900
16, it says, and it came to pass
when she Pastor Tim Daly with

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00:19:18,900 –> 00:19:22,500
her words.
She pestered him daily.

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00:19:22,500 –> 00:19:27,800
That is our world.
Our world through social media,

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00:19:27,800 –> 00:19:33,600
and billboards and TV.
And radio testers us 24/7.

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00:19:34,100 –> 00:19:40,000
Be like us, follow our ways.
Think like we do, It’s little

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00:19:40,000 –> 00:19:45,800
endless and she was relentless.
It says he was vexed to death

287
00:19:46,900 –> 00:19:51,800
and then a second thing, the
second Universal dangerous

288
00:19:51,800 –> 00:19:56,900
element is in verse 19.
It says, then she lulled him to

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00:19:56,900 –> 00:20:00,700
sleep.
And isn’t that our world?

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00:20:01,600 –> 00:20:06,000
We want to be diligent and
vibrant and passionate for our

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00:20:06,000 –> 00:20:10,000
God, and our world, our world
just loathe To sleep.

292
00:20:12,500 –> 00:20:15,300
It makes her.
It makes her spiritual senses

293
00:20:15,300 –> 00:20:19,100
dull.
And the third thing that was

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00:20:19,100 –> 00:20:21,900
dangerous, and I think it’s
Universal, we have to be aware

295
00:20:21,900 –> 00:20:23,900
of it.
Is that his heart was an

296
00:20:23,900 –> 00:20:28,000
anchored, he was back and forth
used.

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00:20:28,100 –> 00:20:32,600
He was passionate for God, and
then he was passionate for

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00:20:32,600 –> 00:20:36,500
Philistine ways.
And what does it say over and

299
00:20:36,500 –> 00:20:40,200
over one of the great bible
study tools that I was taught

300
00:20:40,200 –> 00:20:45,800
was look for repeating words,
look for repeating phrases and

301
00:20:45,800 –> 00:20:50,400
in this chapter is a phrase that
comes up a number of times.

302
00:20:50,400 –> 00:20:55,200
And it’s at the end of verse 7,
it says, when he’s explaining

303
00:20:55,200 –> 00:20:58,800
about the, how he will lose his
power, he says, then I shall

304
00:20:58,800 –> 00:21:02,600
become weak and be like any
other man, and it comes up in

305
00:21:02,600 –> 00:21:05,700
verse 7.
It comes up and burst Lemon in.

306
00:21:05,700 –> 00:21:10,800
It comes up in verse 17, and
literally in the Hebrew, it

307
00:21:10,800 –> 00:21:19,300
means I’ll be as one of mesh, or
I’ll be like, mankind, or I

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00:21:19,300 –> 00:21:21,400
won’t be different from other
men.

309
00:21:22,000 –> 00:21:26,400
I’ll be like other men when you
do this, I’ll be like other men,

310
00:21:26,400 –> 00:21:29,500
and how is he saying it?
Is he saying it with a little

311
00:21:30,200 –> 00:21:34,000
sparkling as I little hope, you
know, women be great to just be

312
00:21:34,000 –> 00:21:38,000
like other men. men, as they
said in Ezekiel, we just want to

313
00:21:38,000 –> 00:21:45,100
be like the Gentiles, A 17.
It says, he told her all his

314
00:21:45,100 –> 00:21:48,800
heart.
You know what did that involve?

315
00:21:48,800 –> 00:21:52,100
Did it involve his frustrations,
his struggles with being a

316
00:21:52,108 –> 00:22:01,000
Nazarite, the expectations, but
in the end, what he did was he

317
00:22:01,000 –> 00:22:04,900
had chosen the world and what
was the result?

318
00:22:04,900 –> 00:22:07,200
And I think this is something we
all have to do.

319
00:22:07,200 –> 00:22:11,100
If we’re in this battle we have
to think beyond the the battle

320
00:22:11,100 –> 00:22:13,900
right now and say, okay, what
are the consequences of this

321
00:22:13,900 –> 00:22:19,100
decision?
Look at verse 20, here’s the

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00:22:19,100 –> 00:22:21,600
consequences.
This isn’t.

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00:22:21,600 –> 00:22:24,300
She said that it fills the
Philistines are upon you since.

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00:22:24,700 –> 00:22:28,400
So we awoke from his sleep and
said I will go out as before at

325
00:22:28,400 –> 00:22:30,500
other times and shake myself
free.

326
00:22:30,700 –> 00:22:35,900
But he did not know that the
Lord had departed from him and I

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00:22:35,900 –> 00:22:39,000
have a little footnote, it’s my
own footnote and I put it in

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00:22:39,000 –> 00:22:43,800
there.
And I quote in, he got what he

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00:22:43,800 –> 00:22:48,200
wished he became.
Like every other man.

330
00:22:50,200 –> 00:22:56,800
So what’s the lesson in Ezekiel
and it was Samson God

331
00:22:56,800 –> 00:23:01,800
hand-picked them, they were they
were special in his eyes.

332
00:23:01,800 –> 00:23:05,800
We have been handpicked by our
heavenly father, then we have

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00:23:05,800 –> 00:23:12,900
enormous blessings and we have
enormous responsibilities in

334
00:23:12,900 –> 00:23:15,800
First Peter chapter 2 verses 9
through 10.

335
00:23:16,300 –> 00:23:22,700
If I could we could just read
that First Peter chapter 2 Think

336
00:23:22,700 –> 00:23:27,800
about how we can chosen by God,
it says but you are a chosen

337
00:23:28,400 –> 00:23:35,000
generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, his own special

338
00:23:35,200 –> 00:23:39,000
people that you may proclaim the
Praises of him who called you

339
00:23:39,000 –> 00:23:41,500
out of Darkness Into His
Marvelous Light.

340
00:23:42,100 –> 00:23:47,100
Who once were not a people but
are now the people of God who

341
00:23:47,100 –> 00:23:50,300
had not obtained Mercy, but now
have obtained Mercy.

342
00:23:50,700 –> 00:23:52,300
Awesome.
Hope we have.

343
00:23:54,700 –> 00:23:57,400
Here, we’ve been called to be
separate to have an act of

344
00:23:57,400 –> 00:24:00,800
conscience, and yes, there are
responsibilities, but it gives

345
00:24:00,800 –> 00:24:03,700
us a purpose to this life and it
gives us a purpose.

346
00:24:03,700 –> 00:24:07,100
Be honest.
Like and we can have all that or

347
00:24:07,100 –> 00:24:13,700
we can be like every other man.
Samson thought he was freeing

348
00:24:13,700 –> 00:24:18,600
himself, he thought he was going
to be free, but look at what

349
00:24:18,600 –> 00:24:22,600
happened and go back in and
verse 21.

350
00:24:24,300 –> 00:24:30,500
I’m just 16.
And this is so true.

351
00:24:30,500 –> 00:24:32,900
This is the freedom of the
world.

352
00:24:32,900 –> 00:24:37,700
If we choose to be like every
other man, here’s what we get.

353
00:24:37,700 –> 00:24:41,500
Key becomes verse 21.
It says the Philistines took

354
00:24:41,500 –> 00:24:45,100
them and put out his eyes.
Yes.

355
00:24:45,100 –> 00:24:49,500
The first thing we become blind.
The people in this world are

356
00:24:49,500 –> 00:24:53,000
blind, they have no vision,
they’re groping through life,

357
00:24:53,000 –> 00:24:57,900
day to day with no hope.
What else happens?

358
00:24:58,500 –> 00:25:01,200
They took them put out his eyes
and brought them down to gas

359
00:25:01,200 –> 00:25:05,300
that they bound him with bronze,
feathers, he becomes a slave, he

360
00:25:05,300 –> 00:25:10,200
thought he was getting Freedom.
He became a slave and people are

361
00:25:10,200 –> 00:25:14,400
slaves to sin, and they don’t
even know it, he became destined

362
00:25:14,400 –> 00:25:19,000
to death.
And what was, what was his job.

363
00:25:19,000 –> 00:25:22,300
Now, they bound him with bronze
Fetters, and he became a grinder

364
00:25:22,300 –> 00:25:24,500
in the prisons.
And I’ve seen pictures where,

365
00:25:24,800 –> 00:25:28,900
you know, he’s pushing this this
Millstone, he’s pushing this bar

366
00:25:28,900 –> 00:25:34,200
around and around and around,
and isn’t that life without a

367
00:25:34,208 –> 00:25:38,800
hope.
We just go around and around and

368
00:25:38,800 –> 00:25:43,200
around in circles until we die.
That’s what he chose and that’s

369
00:25:44,200 –> 00:25:47,300
the only other choice.
Other than the blessings of God

370
00:25:47,800 –> 00:25:52,900
is a life of slavery of
blindness going around and

371
00:25:52,900 –> 00:25:57,400
around in circles until we die.
That’s what being like any other

372
00:25:57,400 –> 00:26:01,900
man will ultimately get you.
Why would we ever choose that

373
00:26:01,900 –> 00:26:06,200
over the gift of God?
let’s just go to a couple

374
00:26:06,200 –> 00:26:10,900
passages just to remind us of
what we’ve been chosen to be a

375
00:26:10,900 –> 00:26:21,200
part of we go to Ephesians,
please Ephesians chapter 1,

376
00:26:24,500 –> 00:26:35,500
Verses 3 through 6, it says
blessed be the God and father of

377
00:26:35,500 –> 00:26:37,800
our Lord.
Jesus Christ who has blessed us

378
00:26:37,800 –> 00:26:42,000
with every spiritual blessing.
In the Heavenly places in Christ

379
00:26:42,600 –> 00:26:45,900
just as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the

380
00:26:45,900 –> 00:26:49,500
world that we should be holy.
And Without Blame before him in

381
00:26:49,500 –> 00:26:54,700
love having predestined us to
adoption. action as Sons by

382
00:26:54,700 –> 00:26:58,300
Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure

383
00:26:58,300 –> 00:27:03,100
of his will, to the praise of
the glory of his grace by which

384
00:27:03,100 –> 00:27:11,600
he made us accepted in the
Beloved, In 2:1 of Ephesians and

385
00:27:11,600 –> 00:27:17,900
you, he made alive who were dead
in trespasses and sins and then

386
00:27:17,900 –> 00:27:21,900
just look at verses four through
five, but God who is rich in

387
00:27:21,900 –> 00:27:25,800
Mercy because of his great love
with which he loved us.

388
00:27:27,100 –> 00:27:30,500
And even when we were dead in
trespasses made us alive

389
00:27:30,500 –> 00:27:34,800
together, with Christ by Grace,
you have been saved.

390
00:27:36,200 –> 00:27:39,700
Think about those blessings
adoption as Sons heirs to the

391
00:27:39,700 –> 00:27:43,800
kingdom of God.
The choice should be so clear

392
00:27:44,500 –> 00:27:49,000
and it’s ironic that when Samson
was strong and he had his sight,

393
00:27:49,200 –> 00:27:53,800
he couldn’t see the truth.
And yet when he was blinded and

394
00:27:53,800 –> 00:27:58,700
when he was weak, he was finally
able to see the value of what he

395
00:27:58,700 –> 00:28:03,200
had been given.
There are many, many people who

396
00:28:03,200 –> 00:28:07,600
have chosen, the path that
Samson was choosing and I don’t

397
00:28:07,600 –> 00:28:11,100
want to say that Samson won’t be
in the Kingdom that end of his

398
00:28:11,100 –> 00:28:16,900
life when he turned to, God may
speak very loudly.

399
00:28:18,400 –> 00:28:21,700
But there are people that choose
to walk away from the promises

400
00:28:21,700 –> 00:28:26,500
of God and become like every
other man, there are way too

401
00:28:26,500 –> 00:28:30,700
many people, right at the Finish
Line, who are so distracted by

402
00:28:30,700 –> 00:28:34,300
the temporary that they’re
losing sight of the Eternal.

403
00:28:35,700 –> 00:28:40,100
So may, we never choose to be
like every other man.

404
00:28:41,100 –> 00:28:44,700
And as we turn our attention to
the bread and the wine to the

405
00:28:44,708 –> 00:28:50,000
son of man who from a very early
age, knew that he was to be

406
00:28:50,000 –> 00:28:55,200
about his father’s business.
It was a calling that would have

407
00:28:55,200 –> 00:28:59,300
a tremendous cost, he would go
through tremendous suffering,

408
00:29:00,800 –> 00:29:03,300
and he would have tremendous
Temptations, but he never

409
00:29:03,300 –> 00:29:07,100
wavered.
And yet he for the joy that was

410
00:29:07,100 –> 00:29:10,700
set before him.
Endured the cross despising, the

411
00:29:10,700 –> 00:29:14,900
shame and has sat down at the
right hand of the Throne of God.

412
00:29:15,200 –> 00:29:18,400
So as you partake of the bread
and the wine, you know, I

413
00:29:18,408 –> 00:29:20,800
appreciate that.
We’ve been called that we’ve

414
00:29:20,800 –> 00:29:25,300
been separated that we have this
hope in these blessings that

415
00:29:25,300 –> 00:29:29,900
we’ve been called to be by our
God to be a part of his family.

416
00:29:30,400 –> 00:29:41,400
Thank you.
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417
00:29:41,400 –> 00:29:44,500
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gmail.com or message us on any
of our social media platforms.

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Thank you for listening.
God bless and talk to you next

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week.