Sermon

JUDGES The Blind Victor

September 22, 2018 St. Paul's Anglican Church Chatswood - Sermons

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Good morning, everyone. It would be good if you had Bibles in front of you.
We are turning our attention today to the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the Bible,
and his story begins in chapter 13, so we've been looking at chapter 13 to 16,
so it would be good if you have the text in front of you.
He's a man who is all muscles and testosterone.
The life of Samson is an exciting life in some ways,
full of sex and violence and death and power,
but it's a tragedy as well.
It's a disturbing and disappointing life.
There were two women initially that he used,
and the one that he fell in love with used him.
It is such a relational tragedy.
He is, in fact, the last of Israel's judges,
and with him we discover the most flawed judge in the book.
He's a violent, impulsive, sex-driven, ungodly, and complacent man.
He uses his God-given strength to selfishly get himself out of the trouble
that his weakness gets him into.
He is, in fact, a picture of the state of God's people of Israel rolled into one individual.
He's a flawed saviour who points us to a flawless saviour.
And so there's three things I want to kind of nail as we look through this text today.
I want to see, first of all, Israel's flawed vision.
I want to see, secondly, Samson's flawed vision.
And thirdly, the flawless saviour and a vision for a changed life.
So firstly, Israel's flawed vision.
The story of Samson begins in chapter 13.
So if you've got your Bibles, you can flick back there.
And it begins before he is even born.
We see in the opening verse the now very familiar statement,
again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
We've seen this phrase consistently pop up in Judges.
It's the beginning of each of the cycles as Israel descended into idolatry once again.
And this is the last time it's used in the book.
It's the final time, again, Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
It is, however, there is another statement that's used twice.
The book had two introductions.
It's got two conclusions.
And twice, once in each one of those conclusions, there's another phrase which is used.
It's the same kind of phrase, but in a different way.
It goes like this.
In those days, everybody did what was right in his own eyes or as they saw fit.
And that there is the perfect definition of sin.
Sin does not ultimately consist in us violating our conscience or violating our personal standards
or violating community standards.
It consists in violating God's will.
This is very different to the moral code of our culture.
Our society continually affirms that whatever our hearts wants, it must be true.
Only I can determine what is right and wrong for me.
In other words, my own eyes, that is my own feelings, my mind's perceptions, are the only way to determine what is right and wrong for me.
It's the definition of sin that you see right back in Genesis 1 and 2,
where Adam and Eve determine for themselves what is right and wrong for them.
And common sense contradicts this view.
Even if you don't have a Bible, it contradicts the view.
If evil is determined by my own eyes, how can we ever tell the Nazis it was wrong for them to exterminate 6 million Jews?
They thought they actually thought they were doing the human race a favour by providing justice for imagined wrongs in history.
And so if our own eyes are not entirely in and of themselves sufficient, then whose eyes are sufficient?
Maybe the eyes of experts can determine what's right and wrong.
Maybe the eyes of the majority can determine what's right and wrong.
However, these eyes don't avoid holocausts either.
The Bible says that sin is violating God's will and therefore our relationship with him.
What God sees is sin, is sin.
Regardless of what the experts say, regardless of what our culture thinks, it's what God determines is sin.
And the key here is that sin is so deceptive.
Sin is so deceptive that Israel had by this point rationalised their sin.
They in fact weren't uncomfortable living side by side with the Philistines.
There's a group denial.
Excuse me.
There's a group denial of God's will here.
They're collectively doing it.
They thought that there was nothing wrong with their lives.
And as we've said several times in this series,
idolatry is not abandoning God and pursuing something else.
It's pursuing other things alongside God, with God.
And of course, this should lead us to be very careful and constantly evaluating ourselves through reflection on the Bible and personal accountability to others.
We are always finding ways to rationalise sin.
Sin in our culture like materialism, sin like bitterness, sin like pride, rationalising it.
As Thomas Brooks, the 17th century Puritan wrote, Satan paints sin with virtues colours.
And this is the approach to life and morality that Israel has.
And in fact, they've had all along doing what was evil in God's eyes because it was right in their own eyes.
That's Israel's flawed vision.
And we see that Samson, he has a flawed vision as well.
He is no different than Israel.
He is introduced as the new judge in chapter 13.
He is in fact, the only judge who is chosen before he is born.
And from birth, Samson is set apart for service to God as a Nazarite.
And the Nazarite vows can be found in Numbers chapter 6, verses 1 to 21.

Numbers 6:1–21
And there are three basic stipulations to the Nazarite vow.
Hair wasn't to be cut.
They weren't to drink any produce from the vines.
And they were not to have any contact with dead bodies.
And the intention of the vow was to seek special help from God during a crucial time.
And so the vows had a limited time factor associated with them.
It was a sign that you were looking to God for help in this moment,
a special help with particular intensity and focus.
And in Numbers 6, the vow was taken voluntarily and for a select period of time.
But Samson's different.
Samson is put under God's rule as a Nazarite before he's even born.
As the spiritual condition of Israel plunges even further,
chapter 13 prepares us right at the very beginning to receive the greatest of judges.
A miracle birth to rescue God's people.
This is the greatest judge yet.
A wonderful deliverer.
A powerful deliverer.
And instead we have by far the most flawed character in the book.
At the beginning of chapter 14, in fact, throughout the entire section of Samson's life,
he is stirred by much more physical impulses.
This is a man who doesn't think with his brain at all.
Instead of him living out the promise as the one who will deliver Israel from its enemies,
the first thing Samson decides to do as an adult is, in fact, to marry one of them.
His parents attempt to dissuade him.
But in verse 3, he says,
Get her for me.
She's the right one for me.
Or literally, in the original language,
Get her for me because she is right in my eyes.
She's right in my eyes.
And so Samson is not the judge we thought he might be.
Rather than fight God's enemies, he moves amongst them.
It's interesting that Samson found the woman at Timnah.
That is deep inside Israelite territory.
He was free to come and go amongst the Philistines.
There's no threat there.
The Philistines are living amongst the Israelites.
They were settled, living normal lives inside Israel.
This is a peaceful occupation.
You see, there's something significant that is missing from this final judges cycle that we've been introduced to.
There's a very significant element that's missing.
It's in every one of them prior to this.
For the first time, Israel is not crying out to God for help.
They're not asking for release from their oppressor.
Israel doesn't groan.
They're not resisting their captors.
It's like they are virtually unconscious of their enslavement.
It would seem that they have adopted and adapted to the values and the idols of the Philistines.
And so, therefore, they haven't even asked for Samson.
God had to miraculously raise him up because they weren't looking for him.
They didn't want him.
We cannot exaggerate the danger that Israel was in.
They are on the brink of the extinction and they don't even know it.
As Michael Wilcox says in his commentary on this passage,
there is no such thing as harmonious coexistence between the church and the world.
For where there is no conflict, it is because the world has already taken over.
Be careful of wanting to become acceptable.
Israel and Philistine here are so intertwined that God has to do something special
in order to pry the two nations apart because they're not looking for it.
Have a look at chapter 14, verse 4.
His parents did not know that this was from the Lord.
That is, Samson marrying this woman from Tibna,
who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines,
for at that time they were ruling over Israel.
God is using the weakness of Samson,
that is his sexual appetite,
his vindictiveness,
his notoriously bad temper,
to bring about a confrontation
between Israel and Philistine
because they've been so settled,
God is going to use his weakness to drive a wedge.
It is Samson's weakness and his sinfulness
that causes friction between the two nations.
And it's a friction that Israel doesn't want.
In fact, at one point,
the leaders of Israel bind Samson
and hand him over to the Philistines
so that we can go back
to our peaceful, complacent lives.
Now, by the time we get to chapter 16,
the friction has grown
and Samson has killed over a thousand Philistines.
He's caused a bit of a stir.
Israel, however,
at this point,
is no closer to their freedom
and living in obedience to God.
And it would turn out
by the time you get to chapter 16,
Samson hasn't changed a bit either.
The next woman his weakness leads him to
is a prostitute.
His behavior is becoming more and more reckless.
For some reason,
he decides to pick up the city gate.
I mean, he could have just smashed it.
But he decides to pick it up
and carry it forever
and dump it on some hilltop.
It's like,
is everyone watching me?
I mean, goodness me.
This is Mr. Universe kind of stuff.
His behavior is more reckless and pointless
than in verse 14 of chapter 16.
We're introduced to his next woman.
And it's the first time in the book
where it says he fell in love
with a woman in the valley of Sorek
whose name was Delilah.
And Delilah,
the woman he loved,
will be his downfall.
She is paid off to betray him.
He is totally reckless with her,
goading her.
And eventually she wears him down,
down,
down,
down,
until he is fed up with it.
He's fed up with it
because he wants to settle down now
and live a comfortable life.
All his days of fighting with the Philistines,
he wants them to be over.
And yet she will be his downfall.
Her name sounds like,
in the original language,
her name sounds like the night.
Samson has finally climbed into bed with darkness.
He eventually tells her
the secret of his strength.
His head is shaved.
Verse 19 says that his strength has left him,
but more importantly,
verse 20,
it says God has left him.
The Lord has left him.
And Samson now really is
like every other man
as verse 7, 11, 13, and 17
indicate he would be.
The strong man is finally seized,
he's shackled,
and the man
who saw
and grabbed
whatever he wanted
is now blind.
His eyes are removed
and he can no longer see.
The man who burnt
the Philistines grain
in chapter 15,
he's now reduced to grinding it
in chapter 16.
And so for the first time
in the book of Judges,
God's judge
is defeated
and humiliated.
For the first time,
God's judge
is defeated
and humiliated.
And then in verse 22,
it contains a somewhat,
another one of these obvious statements
that don't need repeating,
but the hair on his head
began to grow
again
after it had been shaved,
which is generally
what happens.
You know,
like,
even my hair
will grow back.
Not as much as I want,
but it will grow back.
And Ian Francis,
you have the same issue,
and it will grow back.
And what's there?
I mean,
they still charge you
the same amount
even if it's
not a lot.
Apparently,
it's a search and fine fee.
So why record the obvious?
The point is
the Philistines
let his hair grow back.
And I'm assuming
that they were,
they weren't completely
clueless here,
I'm assuming.
I'm assuming
they didn't just fail
to notice
that his hair
had grown back.
They simply
must have assumed
that once
his hair was cut,
he was no longer
a Nazarite.
And there is truth
in that
because number six
indicates
that the Nazarite vow
was effective
until the hair was cut
and then it was all over.
It was for a certain
period of time.
They had a,
such a narrow view
of God.
Samson's strength
did not come
from the vows
he made,
it came from the God
who he made them to.
You see,
the Philistines
didn't know
the God of Ehud,
the God of the
unexpected.
They didn't know
the God of Gideon,
the God whose strength
is made perfect
in weakness
and who never
breaks his word.
This is the God
who said to Samson,
said to Samson's parents,
he will be
a Nazarite
until
the day
of his death.
You see,
God's abandonment
of Samson here
is temporary.
the promise
held,
even though Samson
despised the promise,
the promise of God
still held.
This is
abounding grace
to even the worst
of sinners
with this God,
which is what we have
sung already this morning.
In 2 Timothy 2.13
it says,
if we are
faithless,
he remains
faithful
because he cannot
deny himself.
You see,
the Philistines
only ever knew
of conditional gods.
Their gods
could be manipulated.
As I said last week,
the God of the
vending machine.
The God of the Bible
is the God of grace
who is faithful
to us
even when we are
unfaithful to him.
This God
is not bound
or limited
by the terms
of the Nazarite vow.
They don't understand
that God's work
and power
are not constrained
by or contingent
upon his servants'
obedience.
And that's really
what's going on
behind the scenes here.
The true
contest here
is not between
Samson
and the Philistines.
It's between
the Lord God
and Dagon,
their God.
The false
God of the
Philistines.
Who is stronger?
Who will
Israel
finally serve?
And it seemed
at this point
that Dagon
had won.
See what the
rulers of the
Philistines
are saying
in verse 23?
This is the
moment of
celebration for them.
Our God
has delivered
Samson
our enemy
into our
hands.
The setting
for the
gathering of
the leaders
and the people
is the
temple of
Dagon.
They celebrate
and they
praise Dagon
as Israel's
God's
failed
rescuer
is
brought out
to entertain
them,
mock them,
to be mocked
and humiliated
in verse 25.
And yet
God's rescuer
is not yet
finished.
In verse 26,
he asked
to be put
where I can
feel the
pillars
that support
the temple
so that I
may lean
against them.
Under the
roof
that is held
up by
these pillars
is a great
crowd,
including the
rulers of the
Philistines
and crucially
the statue
to their
God
Dagon.
Verse 27
says there's
a further
3,000
people on
the roof.
then for
only the
second time
in his
life,
Samson
prays.
On every
other occasion,
Samson just
assumed that I'm
going to be
strong here
and used
his strength
to save
himself.
Now for
the first
time,
he's blind,
he's weak,
he's humiliated
and he simply
asks in
verse 28,
Sovereign
Lord,
remember me.
Please
God,
strengthen me
just once
more and
let me with
one blow
take revenge
on the
Philistines
for my
two eyes.
Now this
is perhaps
the first
time that
Samson
exercises
real and
genuine
faith as
Hebrews 11
commends
him for.
Can't see
him exercising
faith anywhere
else.
It is
true
that there
is no
mention here
of Samson
doing what
he's doing
in order to
save Israel.
He seems
to be pulling
the temple
down as
revenge on
his own
eyes.
There is
however a
newfound
humility.
Samson
had been
humbled
into the
dust
but more
importantly
he knew
he was
humbled
into the
dust.
The request
he makes
of God
here is
different to
his previous
feats of
strength.
Verse 28
he first of
all asked
Sovereign
Lord remember
me.
It's so
simple.
It's humble.
It's a request
for attention.
He knows
he's forgettable
and that God
has every
single right
to ignore
him.
And then
he asked
God to
strengthen
him just
one more
time.
And at
last Samson
acknowledges
his
dependence.
Finally
acknowledges
his dependence
on God's
grace.
And as he
reached for
the two
pillars he
did not
know in
that moment
that God
would in
fact grant
his strength
or whether
this would
just be
another
humiliating
act where
they will
mock him.
And his
final prayer
comes in
verse 30
let me
die with
the
Philistines.
And having
uttered that
prayer it
says he
pushed with
all of
his might
and down
came the
temple on
the rulers
and all
the people
in it
and thus
he killed
many more
when he
died than
when he
lived.
The most
important
moment
of
Samson's
life
is his
death
and the
most
faithful
event
of his
life
is the
manner
of his
death
the most
triumphant
episode
in his
life
is his
death
as he
at last
and at
the last
performs
the role
for which
he was
miraculously
given
life for.
he starts
to rescue
God's
people
as the
angel
said he
would
in chapter
13
verse 5.
A
rescue
that
finds its
fulfillment
and ending
Jesus
centuries
later.
You see
Samson
the flawed
saviour
shines the
spotlight
on Jesus
the flawless
saviour.
the death
of Samson
has so
many
similarities
with the
death
of Jesus
but it
is
different
in two
very
crucial
ways.
Firstly
Samson
is in
the temple
of Dagon
because of
his own
inability
to live
under God's
rule
and for
God's
glory.
His
downfall
is brought
about by
his own
disobedience.
On the
other hand
Jesus
always
lived for
his
father's
glory
and died
because of
his
obedience.
Secondly
Samson's
death
achieved a
limited
salvation
for Israel.
When the
angel came
to his
mum to
announce his
birth in
chapter 13
verse 5
it records
the angel
saying these
words to
her.
He will
take the
lead in
delivering
Israel
from the
hands of
the
Philistines.
Or
literally
he will
start the
process.
He will
begin to
deliver
Israel.
And it's
a deliverance
that
finds
a
fulfillment
to a
degree
with
King
David
and
David's
defeat
of
Goliath.
But
ultimately
God's
enemies
are
defeated
by
great
King
David's
great
son
Jesus.
Hebrews
10.10
describes it
like this.
We have
been made
holy through
the sacrifice
of the
body of
Jesus
Christ
once and
for all.
In a
similar way
1 Peter
3.18
says
puts it
like this
for Christ
also suffered
once
for sin
the
righteous
for the
unrighteous
to bring
you
to God.
And yet
in so
many ways
Samson's
end is a
picture and a
shadow of
Jesus'
death.
Both
Samson and
Jesus were
betrayed by
someone who
had acted
as a
friend,
Delilah
and
Judas.
Both
were handed
over to
their Gentile
oppressors.
Both
were tortured,
both were
bound and
put on public
display for
ridicule.
Both
were asked
to perform.
Samson
does,
Jesus
didn't.
Both
died
with their
arms
outstretched.
Both
appeared to
be completely
defeated by
their enemies
but both
in their
death
completely
crushed
their enemies.
Samson
destroyed
the Philistines
and Dagon
and Jesus
the ultimate
enemy,
Satan
and death
himself.
Colossians
2.13
to 15
says this
about Jesus
triumphant
death.
When you
were dead
in your
sins
and in
the
uncircumcision
of your
flesh,
God made
you alive
with Christ.
He forgave
you all
of your
sins,
having
cancelled
the charge
of our
legal
indebtedness
which stood
against us
and condemned
us.
He has
taken it
away,
nailed it
to the
cross
and having
disarmed
the powers
and authorities
he made
a public
spectacle
of them
triumphant
over them
by the
cross.
cross.
The cross
of Christ
took away
the penalty
of our
idolatry
which is
death.
Jesus
was so
triumphant
that Satan
can no
longer
successfully
prosecute
the people
of God.
Jesus'
death
also took
away the
power of
sin in
our lives
enabling
the spirit
of God
to live
in us
and to
break
the lure
of idols
in our
hearts.
It took
the death
of Jesus
to destroy
Satan,
the unseen
power behind
our idolatry
and death.
As Samson
is the
last
judge
of
and
saviour
of Israel
in this
book,
so Jesus
is the
final and
the greatest
saviour
of all
people.
Samson
and Jesus
are not
just the
final
saviours,
but they
are also
the
lone
saviours.
Othniel
and Ehud,
they rallied
all of
Israel with
them to
fight their
oppressors
in chapter
3.
Deborah
and Barak
took two
tribes with
them in
chapter 4.
Gideon
had his
300 and
Samson's
act of
deliverance
was by
himself.
He
wasn't
asked for,
he
wasn't
even
wanted
by
Israel.
God
showed
in
Samson
that he
doesn't
need
an army
to
deliver
his
people.
He
doesn't
even
need
his
people
to
ask
for
it
in
order
to
deliver
his
people.
Doesn't
need
300,
he
can
deliver
his
people
through
the
death
of
just
one.
And in
Samson,
even more
than all
the other
judges,
we actually
see the
pattern of
victorious
defeat.
Rejected,
beaten,
chained,
alone,
and finally
dying under
the avalanche
of his
enemies,
Samson
triumphs.
God
delivers
his
people
in
all
time
and
eternity
through
the
victorious
defeat
of
just
one
savior.
This
is the
gospel
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ,
the
gospel
is the
heartbeat
of
this
church.
Jesus,
the
God
who
made
everything
and
rules
everything,
became
weak
to
rescue
the
weak
and
in
so
doing
became
immeasurably
strong.
And this
is the
last and
crucial
difference
between
Samson
and
Jesus.
With
Samson's
burial,
his rule
was done.
It was
over.
See that
in verse
31,
then his
brothers
and his
father
and his
whole
family
went down
to get
him
and they
stuck him
in a
tomb
and he
had led
Israel
for 20
years.
That's
it.
Done.
It's
the end
of Samson.
His story's
finished.
But with
the burial
of Jesus,
the story
has just
begun.
Jesus
ruled
over the
grave
as the
creator
God
and he
rules
beyond
the
grave
as the
resurrected
Lord
of all.
The
one
who
became
weak
to save
the weak
rules
now in
strength
and power
eternally
and
immeasurably
becoming
and continuing
as a
Christian
follows
this same
pattern
becoming
weak
to become
strong.
Only those
who admit
they are
unworthy
receive the
approval of
God.
Only those
who know
their weakness
are unable
to know.
Only those
who understand
their weaknesses
are able to
know the
God-given
inner strength.
strength.
It's the
sort of
strength
that enables
us to
avoid the
pitfalls of
Samson's
life.
Eyes that
love sin.
Eyes that
are comfortable
with pride
and lust
and anger
and vengefulness
and complacency.
These are the
pitfalls that
must be
avoided.
Samson's
story is
Israel's
story.
Samson
was called
by God
and separated
out from
all of
Israel to
serve God
in a special
way.
Israel,
likewise,
a holy
nation,
separated to
God from
the rest of
the world
for the
purpose of
serving their
God.
Purpose of
revealing him
to the
world.
And yet
Israel was
consistently
looking over
its shoulder
to the
other nations
and wishing
that it
could be
like them
and do
what they
did to
worship
their gods
and adopt
their ways.
Samson
was a
holy man.
Israel
was a
holy nation.
Samson
went after
other women.
Israel
went after
other gods.
Samson's
story is
Israel's
story and
it's our
story too.
And his
tragedy may
be our
tragedy if
we resist
the call of
God on
our life
as he
did.
Everyone
who has
come to
Christ in
weakness and
dependence on
God is a
holy person
separated from
the world for
the purpose of
serving God.
1 Peter 2
9 calls it
like this.
A chosen
people.
He calls us.
Those are in
Christ.
You're a
chosen people.
A royal
priesthood,
a holy
nation,
God's
special
possession
that you
may declare
the praise
of him
who called
you out of
darkness,
called you
out of the
night into
his wonderful
light.
God's
God's
intention
according to
1 Peter
is take
the fight
to the
enemy
through his
people,
through us
being different
and through
us being
light in the
darkness,
exposing our
world's gods
for what they
are as
hollow
shams.
we exist
for the
praise of
the one
who calls
us out
of the
darkness,
away from
the clutches
of the
light,
into the
light.
We exist
to declare
his praises
so that
more and
more people
might be
called out
of darkness
into his
light.
Will
we embrace
God's
call on
our
life?
That's the
trajectory of
judges.
Will we
run with
it and
find our
joy and
our reason
for living
in being
what God
has called
us to
be?
Or will
we be
the reluctant
saints as
Samson was,
as Israel
were, always
looking over
the shoulders
wishing we
could be as
other people?
Will we be
separated or
will we
consistently
pursue the
idols of
our society?
Will we
like Samson
be led
with our
eyes and
covetedness of
our hearts?
Will we lie
down comfortably
with the
night?
The greatest
danger to
the Christian
and the
church is
becoming just
the same
as everyone
else?
To become
settled and
comfortable with
idolatry and
exchanging the
glory of God
for things made
by human
hands?
Will you be
driven by your
eyes?
many years
ago, I
grew up on a
farm.
We had
pigs on
our farm
and you
could give
the pigs
really nice
food.
I mean, I
would need it,
but it was
nice food.
But what the
pigs got used
to for me is
food scraps and
other rubbish,
whatever it was,
any junk, you
throw it in a
bucket and
every day or
two you take
this stinking
mess up to the
pig pen and
they would see
me coming and
they would make
this little
noise and
they do this
little dance and
you'd put this
slop down and
they would
wolf it up like
it was hot
apple pie and
ice cream.
Pigs eyes
delighting in
muck and
rubbish,
exchanging the
glory of God
for things that
are significantly
less.
thinking it's
more valuable.
Will we
serve God
because we
must or
because,
will we serve
him because
he, we
must or even
because he
gives me what
I want him
to give me
or because he
is truly
valuable and
I love him
for the gospel,
for what he
has done for
me.
Horatio Gates
Spafford was
a prominent
American lawyer
and Presbyterian
church elder in
the 1800s.
He lost
nearly his
entire fortune
in the great
Chicago fire of
1871.
In the same
year, his
four-year-old son
died to scarlet
fever.
Two years
later, the
family decided
to take a
holiday to
Europe, but
Horatio was
held back
because of
business.
So his
wife and
his four
daughters
traveled ahead
of him
and across
the Atlantic
and on
November the
22nd,
1873, while
crossing the
Atlantic, their
ship was
struck by an
iron sailing
vessel and
226 people
lost their
lives, including
all four of
Spafford's
daughters.
His wife got
to England, sent
back a telegram
and said,
saved,
alone.
Spafford
immediately jumped
on a sailing
boat,
head to
England.
As he
sailed over
the location
of the
accident where
his four
daughters lost
his life, he
penned a
hymn, it's
called how
it is well
with my
soul.
Though
Satan should
buffet, though
trials should
come, let
this blessed
assurance control
that Christ has
regarded my
helpless estate
and he has
shed his own
blood for my
soul.
My sin
or the
bliss of
this glorious
thought, my
sin not
impart but
the whole
is nailed
to the
cross and
I bear it
no more.
Praise the
Lord, praise
the Lord, oh
my soul.
Will the
call of
God on
your life
to be his
saints, to
be his
servants, still
captivate your
heart, still
fill you with a
sense of
wonder and
privilege and
move you to
continue to be
his faithful
soldiers and
servants rejecting
the idols of
your culture in
the next five
years, ten
years, twenty
years, twenty
five years until
your life's
end.
Let's