Choices

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of Judges chapter 13.

Judges 13 · chapter mention

We're continuing our study about choices.

And today I want to preach about the consequences of our choices.

And we've chosen to use Samson as the life we're going to look at.

We're going to do a case study of his life and read about six, seven passages,

just real brief little passages,

and see what conclusions we can draw from what we've read about his life

because I think he's a wonderful example of what we're trying to say to you this morning.

Before I do that, I want to read just a single verse.

You don't have to even turn to it.

You may put it on the screen. I think you're going to.

It's in Proverbs 13, 15.

And this is what it says,

Good understanding gives favor, but the way of the transgressor is hard.

We had a fellow on our staff years ago who did counseling with a lot of different folks

who had addictions, all kinds of problems.

And he would often say to them as he would listen to them tell their story,

at the conclusion of a sentence or a paragraph,

they would look up and he would say,

Yeah, I'm sorry.

He said, The way of the transgressor is hard.

And they would talk a little bit more

and they would tell something else that had gone amiss in their life.

And he would again repeat that phrase, driving home that biblical idea

that the way of the transgressor is hard.

And that's something we all need to think about

and remember in our life when we make bad decisions.

And I want to tell you, I've made a host of them

and every one of us in this room have.

So don't think that you're being singled out this morning.

Everybody, if you live long, you're going to make some bad, bad choices.

But when we do, we shouldn't be surprised

to find that what the scripture tells us is true.

The way of the transgressor is hard.

Boy, it's tough living life.

But it's especially tough when you make bad, bad choices.

In Exodus chapter 20, we're given the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

I'm sure most of you, if not all of you, are aware of that.

You get ten statements there, nine of them negative,

one of them positive.

And they're admonitions from God.

Don't do this.

And that one single one, do this.

Honor your father and mother.

Your days may be long upon the land.

The Lord thy God giveth thee.

If you read the scripture from Genesis to Revelation,

you find in the Old and the New Testament alike

that God continually uses men to tell us,

here's some things you want to avoid.

Don't do these things.

And then there are other things.

Paul, for instance, in Colossians 3,

admonishes us to do certain things,

to put on certain behaviors,

to reflect certain ideas and behaviors

in our walk and in our life.

Jesus does that in the Sermon on the Mount, you'll recall.

So, if you think about it,

what that indicates to us is this.

We have a choice in the life we live.

You ever thought about it that way?

The scripture would never tell us,

don't do this,

if it were impossible for you not to do that.

The scripture would never admonish us,

do this.

God would be rather mean in telling us,

do this,

if it weren't possible for us to do that.

You understand that?

So, we have a choice in the life we live.

And the choices we make in life

determine, in many respects,

the course our life takes.

Now, a lot of folk think that it's fate,

it's just God decides everything in our lives,

we don't have much voice in it,

circumstances determine,

this determines, that determines,

my parents determine,

but I don't have much say in the life I live.

I'll tell you something,

that is not true.

God certainly has predetermined

certain things about you

you're never going to change.

And there are certain circumstances

and environments we live in

that impact our choices.

They impact,

they don't make the choice,

but they impact that choice.

We've all seen folk in our lives

who you look at them and you think,

man, where this guy comes from

and the situation he finds himself in

and even just who he is as a person,

nothing he's done,

but just the life that's been put upon him,

he doesn't have much shot at making it.

And to our amazement, what happens?

Sometimes they just rise to the top

and just live incredible, incredible lives.

And I could give you a list of names of people

I've known personally who that's the case.

You look at them and on the outside you think,

they just don't have much of a chance.

But boy, they just soar in life.

One of my best friends in that category.

And I've also seen this so many times.

Here are people who are given every opportunity.

I mean, they just are blessed with everything.

They've got looks, they've got smarts,

they're athletic, they're that.

And you just think,

they're going to just knock the top out,

so to speak, in life.

But you look at them

and over the course of their life,

they're pretty much dismal failures.

Not in every case.

I don't mean to imply that

everybody who's born in that kind of situation

is always going to fail.

They're not.

Most of them are going to do well.

But sometimes you're surprised to think,

hey, is it this person ends up like this

when they seeming they had everything going for them?

Can I tell you what that's about?

It's about the choices we make in life.

You are not the victim of fate.

And secondly, a lot of people think,

well, okay, I have a choice,

but that choice just doesn't matter much.

It matters to a huge degree.

Every choice you make matters.

Which leads me to the third thing.

Choices always come with consequences.

Choices.

Choices always come with consequences.

When you act in a certain fashion,

make a certain decision,

there's a consequence that comes along with that.

Good or bad, right?

You make some choices that pays,

well, great dividends in your life.

You make other choices,

and boy, you just reap heartache over that.

Two quick things I'm going to say,

I'm going to jump in the message.

One is this.

If I were a parent or a grandparent,

and I am, and I've tried to do this,

and I'm admonishing you to do the same,

you instill in your children,

you have a choice.

Can I just be real honest with you?

I am sick to hear of hearing people talk,

and they've been doing it since I was a boy,

but it's grown more and more,

that voice is louder and louder,

peer pressure.

I want to tell you something.

Peer pressure is out there,

and it's real,

and I'm not denying that,

but I'm just telling you,

you have defaulted.

If you come to the place that you think

because of all this peer pressure,

you don't have a choice.

You do.

And I'm not just talking to teenagers.

I'm talking to young adults,

and middle-aged adults,

and older adults.

You get roped into believing,

I just don't have a choice

because here's how the whole world's going,

and here's what society's saying,

here's what my friends are doing,

and here's what they're telling me to do.

Here's what my family's counseling me to do.

Don't buy into that idea

that you don't have a choice

because you do.

And secondly,

teach your children

there are consequences that come

as a result of the choices you make.

I'm going to hit on this later

at the end of the message,

but let me just briefly

plant the idea in your mind now.

You are not doing your child,

your grandchild,

a favor when they make a bad decision,

and you rescue them

and bail them out.

You may think,

well, I'm just being loving.

No, you're not.

You're depriving them of learning

one of the lessons

God intends for them to learn

from the time

their little bitty children

own up through adulthood,

and that is,

with choices come consequences.

It's not that I'm pounding on them,

and I'm wanting them to see,

see what you did was so bad?

I'll stand there at their side

and walk with them through that crisis,

but I want to tell you something,

I don't want to be the one

who rescues them

from the heartache

that they have brought on themselves

by their bad decision,

because when I do that,

I'm telling you something.

Here's the lesson they learned.

Mom and Dad bail me out today.

They'll bail me out down the road.

When you start in the third grade,

bail in that little third grader out

because he doesn't do his homework,

and you send that crazy excuse

to the teacher,

says, well, he couldn't do it

because the cat ate it,

or he couldn't do it

because we were away,

and we were doing this

or doing that,

you're not doing him any favor.

When you finish that science project for him

rather than let him get an F,

you've not done him any favor at all.

Now, I want to show you

a good biblical example of that.

Go with me to the book of Judges.

We're going to look real hurriedly.

We've got to move fast.

Look at chapter 13

and verse 1 through 3,

and then here's what we're going to do.

I'm just going to let the cat out of the bag

before we get there.

Every one of these passages,

as I read them,

I want you to be surmising,

what does this tell me about Samson?

We're going to do a case study of his life.

What does this teach me about Samson?

Well, look at verses 1 to 3 in chapter 13.

The Israelites again did

what was evil in the Lord's sight,

so the Lord handed them over

to the Philistines 40 years.

They were always their nemesis.

Verse 2,

There was a certain man from Zorah

from the family of Dan

whose name was Manoah.

His wife was barren and had no children.

The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman

and said to her,

It is true that you are barren

and have no children,

but you will conceive

and give birth to a son.

Now please be careful

not to drink wine

or other alcoholic beverages

or to eat anything unclean.

For indeed you will conceive

and give birth to a son.

You must never cut his hair

because the boy will be a Nazarite

to God from birth

and he will begin to save Israel

from the power of the Philistines.

So what do we learn

from these three verses

we've just read?

Here's the first thing.

Here's this couple

who have always wanted a child.

Now, in all likelihood,

I don't know who all is here today,

but there's probably somebody

in this audience,

probably more than one or two couples,

who can identify with Manoah

and his wife.

You've wanted kids,

you've tried to have kids,

you can't have kids.

It's a pitiful situation.

But then suddenly,

something changes

and you now are expecting a baby.

Boy, those couples

who've tried and worked hard

to have a baby

and they can't

and suddenly they become pregnant.

There is a joy in their face

and in their life

that's just,

you've seen it before,

it's just incredible, right?

They're so thrilled.

At last, we're pregnant.

That's how this couple was.

Secondly, we know this.

Even before prenatal care

was a phrase,

she was already getting

good prenatal care.

This angel,

the Lord told her,

he said,

don't drink alcoholic beverages,

don't eat food

that will defile you,

and the reason is because

this is a special boy

you're going to bear.

So for her health,

the health of the baby,

for what the Spirit of God

has told her through this angel,

she just takes great care

of herself during this pregnancy.

Third thing I realize is this

when I read these three verses,

this boy is destined for greatness.

Now, every one of you,

when you first held your baby,

if you're like me,

you thought,

pro football player, right?

Smartest doctor right here

who's ever lived, right?

All those kind of things.

We see our children

as one day being great,

but listen,

God speaks to her

through this angel

and says,

your baby is destined

for greatness

and even says,

here's what it's going to be.

He's going to be

a great Savior of Israel.

These are the chosen people of God.

They brought them

in the promised land.

We know from reading this book,

he became a judge in Israel.

Not a judge

with a black judicial robe,

but a judge

in the biblical sense

who was a warrior.

He was a champion,

a war hero,

if you will.

He's going to rescue

his people physically

from the hands

of the Philistine.

So right off the bat,

man,

he's got good genes,

good parents.

He's destined for greatness.

Look at the second passage.

Look at chapter 14,

verses 1 to 3.

Samson went down to Timnah

and saw a young Philistine woman there.

He went back

and told his father and mother,

I have seen a young Philistine woman

in Timnah.

Now,

get her for me

as a wife.

Well,

that sounds a little bit abrasive,

don't you think?

I mean,

get her for me

as a wife.

But his father and mother

came to him,

can't you find

a young woman

among your relatives

or among any of our people?

Must you go

to the uncircumcised Philistines

for a wife?

So,

again,

what do we discover?

Well,

we discover

as a young man,

he's wanting to date

a Philistine

and even marry

a Philistine girl.

Now,

to you,

that's just a word.

But in his society,

man,

that's a big deal.

Because you see,

when God

allowed them

to go in

and take possession

of the land,

he gave clear instructions.

This has been going on

for years and years

and years.

don't marry

outside the Hebrew race.

And there was

a track record

that proved

that was good advice.

Both before

and after this,

ask Israel

about King Ahab

who married

Jezebel,

a foreign woman,

and brought all

that religious garbage

with her

into that marriage.

And so God says,

keep the race pure.

Don't marry anybody

but a Hebrew.

He had parents

who told him,

advised him,

hey,

here's what the Scripture says.

Here's what God says.

Why do you want

to go marry

this philistine?

Don't do that.

Go get me

that woman.

I want to marry.

He's pretty strong-willed,

don't you think?

He doesn't heed

the advice

of his parents.

I want to ask

for a show of hands.

I wouldn't embarrass

anybody here,

but I want to tell you

something.

Every one of us

in this room

were parents.

There's been some

point in your life,

they may have

heeded 99%

of your advice,

but there's not

a parent in this room

at some time

you looked at your child

and you said,

don't do,

and they did,

right?

Or you said,

do this,

and they didn't,

right?

So sometimes

our words fall

on deaf ears.

I have a feeling

by looking at

his response,

I don't want to

wrongly judge him.

I have a feeling

this young man

who his parents

may have doted on him,

I get the feeling

here's a young guy

who he doesn't know

the word no.

I mean,

he's not used

to hearing

the word no.

He certainly

has not been

willing to

easily accept

the word no.

Look at the third

passage,

chapter 14,

this time

verses 5 through 7.

Samson went down

to Timnah

with his father

and mother

and came

to the vineyards

of Timnah.

Suddenly a young lion

came roaring

at him.

The spirit

of the Lord

took control

of him

and he tore

the lion apart

with his bare hands

as he might have

torn a young goat.

But he did not

tell his father

or mother

what he had done.

Then he went

and spoke to the woman

because Samson

wanted her.

Well,

what do we learn

from this?

A,

he still got it

bad for this

Philistine girl,

right?

Have you ever seen

your kids get

head over heels

in love with somebody

and they just

lose all reason?

I mean,

you can tell them

until you're blue

in the face,

don't do it,

and that's what,

they're going

in that direction.

Well,

we know that,

first of all.

But there's

something else

I see here too.

And the only way

I know to put it

is this.

He is freaky,

freaky strong,

right?

Any of you

ever been out

walking in the

neighborhood

and a dog

get after you?

Kind of scares you

a little bit,

big dog,

showing teeth,

driving,

snipping at your heels,

you're trying

to get away,

you're looking

for a stick

or a rock

and you're kicking

him or trying

to get away from him?

This isn't

a neighborhood

dog.

This is a lion.

I mean,

a lion.

Can you imagine

that?

I mean,

I just can't

get my head

around.

A lion

comes out

of these vineyards

and he attacks

him.

What does he do?

He grabs that

lion and he

rips it as

though it

were a baby

goat.

He just

tears it to

shreds.

I'm going

to tell you

something.

He's a bad

dude.

He is

freaky,

freaky strong.

He's

otherworldly

strong.

You know

somebody strong

and picking.

Some of you

right now

got an image

of somebody.

No,

you don't

know anybody

like Samson.

I mean,

he just

rips this

lion to

shreds.

He's freaky

strong.

Well,

what else

do we know?

Look,

you will,

at chapter

14 and

this time

verse 10.

His father

went to

visit the

woman and

Samson prepared

a feast there

as young men

were accustomed

to do.

When the

Philistine saw

him,

they brought

30 men to

accompany him.

Let me tell

you a riddle,

Samson said

to them.

If you can

explain it to

me during the

seven days of

the feast and

figure it out,

I will give

you 30 linen

garments and

30 exchanges

of clothes.

But if you

can't explain

it to me,

you must give

me 30 linen

garments and

30 changes

of clothes.

Tell us your

riddle,

they replied.

Let's hear it.

You know what

they're thinking?

He's all

muscle.

He doesn't

have anything

between his

ears.

He's one,

we're 30.

Give us your

riddle.

Give us seven

days.

We're going to

take your

clothes.

So he said

to them,

out of the

eater came

something to

eat and out

of the strong

came something

sweet.

Now,

most of you

here already

know this

story,

but some of

you maybe

don't.

if you

read between

the verses

we read

just prior

to this

and what

we've read

just here,

you find

that he

keeps going

back and

forth to

Timna to

see this

girl.

And on

the way

down there

to see

this girl

one day,

this lion

comes running

out and he

tears it apart

as we read

just a minute

ago.

Here's what

you didn't

read.

On a trip

back home,

he passes

by that same

lion's carcass

and guess

what?

Bees have

come,

honeybees,

and they

have built

a hive

inside the

carcass of

the lion.

And so

it puzzles

him.

He reaches

down and

he pulls

out some

honey and

tastes it.

And that's

when he

comes up

with this

idea about

this riddle.

Who would

have ever

thought you'd

get honey

out of a

lion?

Now,

I want to

tell you

something.

If I'm

looking at

this and

putting all

this together

and trying

to get good

info on

Samson,

do a profile

of Samson,

you know

what I

immediately

determine

from that?

If you've

got the

image,

here's this

big muscle

bound guy

and he's

just stupid,

you're wrong.

This guy

has got

not only

brawn,

he's got

brains.

I mean,

you read

this poem,

right?

That's pretty

smart writing.

I mean,

that's pretty

cool thinking.

He's a guy

with some

good ideas.

He's not

anybody's

dummy.

I think

God has

just positioned

him.

He's

given him

everything he

needs to be

successful in

life.

He's given

him physical

strength,

but listen,

he's given

him intellect

as well.

Now,

here's the

sad thing.

We often

mistakenly think

if you're

smart,

boy,

you can

just write

your own

ticket.

You're

smart.

You're

just going

to be

smart in

everything.

Can I

tell you

something?

I know

folk who

are real,

real,

real smart

in one

area of

life.

They don't

have the

sense to

get in

out of the

brain in

another

area of

life.

Common

sense just

isn't so

common

anymore.

Have you

found that?

I mean,

I know a

lot of

folk who

they're

brainiacs.

I mean,

they can

think about

things I

can't even

consider,

but it

doesn't mean

they're smart

in every

walk of

life.

It doesn't

mean they

make good

decisions.

There's a

difference in

being smart

and having

good judgment.

You know

what I mean?

You've

known folk

who didn't

have a lot

of education

who weren't

just the

sharpest

pencil in

the box,

but they

used what

they had

and they

had good

judgment.

They didn't

make bad

mistakes.

Samson is

lacking that.

Super smart,

not very good

judgment at

all.

Well,

I want you

to see

something else

about him.

Look at

verse 10

to 14.

We just

read that.

One last

thing I want

to say about

that before

we press

on.

One of

the things I

know about

him from

reading this

passage,

you probably

have already

guessed it,

he's a

risk taker.

He's a

gambler.

And I don't

mean in the

sense that he's

going around

gambling a lot.

I don't know if

he put down a lot

of money a lot

of times or not,

but I know this

from what he

did.

He likes

living on

the edge.

He likes

getting right up

to the edge

of life.

He likes

living on

the edge.

He pushes

the envelope.

When I use

those kind

of phrases,

does it bring

somebody to

mind in

your life?

A son,

a daughter,

maybe you,

maybe somebody

you work with,

they're just

always taking

risks.

You say,

well,

preacher,

how do you

get that out

of what we

just read?

Here's how I

get it.

I know because

I know the rest

of the story.

He doesn't

have the money

to cover this

bet.

He's just

bet 30

garments.

He doesn't

own.

He's bet

30 changes

of clothes.

He doesn't

have.

So he's

risking something.

He doesn't

have to pay

off if he

loses.

You know

why?

Because he's

arrogant,

because he's

confident,

because he's

impetuous.

He thinks

he's a sure

thing to win

this thing,

which is what

risk takers

often do.

They don't

consider,

what if this

thing goes

sour?

They just

want what

they want.

They're driven

by greed.

They're impetuous.

And they don't

see any way

this can go

bad when there

might be a

hundred ways

it could go

sideways.

But he

doesn't see

that.

You understand

that?

So he just

puts himself

out there.

Well, how in

the world

could they

figure out

this riddle?

Well, you're

about to find

out.

Look, if you

will, at the

fifth passage.

The fifth

passage.

Beginning in

the latter

portion of

verse 14,

we read

these words.

After three

days, they

were unable

to explain

the riddle.

On the

fourth day,

they said to

Samson's wife,

persuade your

husband to

explain the

riddle to

us, or we

will burn

you and your

father's

household to

death.

Did you

invite us

here to rob

us?

So Samson's

wife came to

him weeping

and said,

you hate me

and you

don't love

me.

You told

my people the

riddle but

haven't explained

it to me.

Look, he said,

I haven't even

explained it to my

father and

mother, so why

should I

explain it to

you?

She wept the

whole seven

days of the

feast and at

last on the

seventh day, he

explained it to

her because she

had nagged him

so much.

And all the

men said,

amen.

Then she

explained it to

her.

Then she

explained it to

her people.

On the

seventh day

before sunset,

the men of

the city said

to him,

what is sweeter

than honey and

what is stronger

than a lion?

Well, she

did him in.

Now, let's

just be honest

a minute because

we always see

this from

Samson's

perspective, but

if you're that

girl, you

haven't known

him long.

You don't

know him

well.

This is an

arranged marriage.

They've come

threatening to

kill you and

your family if

you don't tell

them the answer

to the riddle.

I'm going to

tell you

something.

I understand

exactly why she

did what she

did.

I'm not

excusing it.

She should

have found

another way.

He shouldn't

have put her

though under

that kind of

circumstance.

Wouldn't you

agree?

So, it's

just a mess.

And what I

realize is

this, this

guy cannot

say no to

a pretty face.

And I'm

going to tell

you something.

There are a

lot of guys

out there and

gals like that,

but more guys

than gals, if

I'm honest about

this morning,

my experience

has been,

who they just

have such an

attraction to the

opposite sex,

they lose their

mind.

You know what

I'm saying?

They just so

want this other

person, they

just lose their

mind.

Well, look at a

sixth passage

found in verses

19 and 20 of

chapter 14, the

last two verses.

The Spirit of the

Lord took control

of him and he

went down to

Ashkelon and

killed 30 of

their men.

Did you just

hear what I

said?

He killed 30

other men.

I want to ask

you to raise

your hand if

you know

somebody in

your lifetime

who's been a

murderer.

But I know

this, you

don't know

anybody who's

murdered 30

people.

I mean, when

you start talking

about people who

killed 30

people, that's a

lot of folk.

That's a lot of

people.

This is a man

with a bad,

bad, uncontrollable

temper who has

put himself in

between a rock and

a hard place and

now he kills 30

people in order to

capture their

clothes.

He stripped them

and gave their

clothes to those

who had explained

the riddle in a

rage.

Samson turned to

his father's house,

returned to his

father's house,

and his wife was

given to one of the

men who had

accompanied him.

Boy, here's the

final thing I see

about Samson I'm

going to tell you

today.

He is bad with

women.

He's lost his

marriage and is

only seven days

old.

He's bad with

women.

And this isn't the

only episode he has

with women, he has

others, but the

climactic ending

relationship is with

a woman by the

name of Delilah,

another Philistine

woman, and you

know that story.

That's the one that

makes Samson famous.

It's found in

chapter 16, so I'm

not going to read

it.

Let's just rehearse

it together for a

moment.

Remember how that

story goes down?

He goes to her

house.

They're talking.

He's wanting to be

with Delilah.

He's sweet-talking

her.

She's sweet-talking

him.

The Philistines have

come unbeknownst to

Samson, and they say

to Delilah, find out

the source of his

strength.

There's got to be

something that makes

this guy so strong.

If you can discover

that, here's how we'll

reward you.

So she plays him.

He's got his head in

her lap, and she says,

Samson, you're so

good-looking.

You're so strong.

Would you tell me the

secret of your strength?

He probably tries to put

her off at first.

Then he just makes up

this cockamamie tale.

And so, to his

amazement, when he goes

to sleep finally, she

does exactly what he

says would rob him of

his strength.

And says, Samson, the

Philistines are upon

you.

And he jumps up, and

it's obvious that was

not the truth.

Well, she allows him

to lay back down in

her lap, and I can see

her brushing his hair.

You're so good-looking,

Samson.

You're so strong.

Man, I'm so lucky to

have you.

But you know what?

You and I, we're not as

intimate as we need to

be because you just

won't tell me the source

of your strength.

You lied to me while I

go.

Tell me what the real

source of your strength

is.

Now, I'm not a very

smart guy at all.

But you know what

should have been going

off in his head?

Wait a second.

I just told you how I

go lie, but you used

that lie against me, and

if it had been the

source of my strength,

well, I'd be in big-time

trouble right now.

But that never

registers, apparently,

with Samson.

So he spins another

tale, but this time,

get this, this time,

it involves one aspect

of the story.

It involves his hair.

Sure enough, it's not

the truth.

She does the same

thing, tries to use

his strategy to make

him helpless.

They're upon you.

They rush in the room.

He's as strong as ever.

He causes them to

flee.

Third time, he's in

her lap.

Samson, you just

won't be honest with

me.

You won't tell me.

You don't love me.

If you loved me, you'd

tell me.

Like the goofball he

was, he tells her a

third story.

Again, not the truth,

but watch what's

happening.

Remember what I said

about he liked living

on the edge?

He tells another story

about his hair, but

this time he's getting

closer and closer to

telling him the real

secret.

She does that, again,

to no avail.

Fourth time, he's fed

up.

He's tired.

And he just says,

okay, here it is.

I'm a Nazirite.

I've been a Nazirite

since the day I was

born.

I've never drank

alcohol.

I've never done this.

I've never shaved my

head.

If I cut my head, I'd

be like anybody else.

He falls asleep.

She does just that.

They rush in, and his

strength is gone.

They power him down

and gouge out his

eyes.

Can you imagine the

inhumanity of that?

Can you imagine

taking your fingers and

ripping out somebody's

eyes right out of the

socket?

That's what they do.

They hate him.

He's public enemy,

number one.

You go to a Philistine

post office, and there's

Samson's picture.

I mean, they hate him.

They hate him.

He's killed so many of

their folks.

He's taken 300 foxes,

tied them tail to tail,

and put fire on their

tails, and had them run

through their fields and

destroyed their landscape,

their economy.

They hate his guts.

And finally, they got the

upper hand.

His strength is gone.

They gouge out his eyes.

I want to show you a

pitiful, pitiful picture,

and then I'm going to make

some summary statements,

and we'll close.

Go with me, if you will,

to chapter 16, and I want

you to look at verse 21.

The Philistines seized him

and gouged out his eyes.

They brought him down to

Gaza and bound him with

bronze shackles, and he was

forced to grind grain in the

prison.

Here's this superhero,

superhero in the minds of the

little boys and girls in

Israel.

Can you imagine a little boy

or girl passing Samson?

Hey, y'all.

Samson.

Strongest guy in the world.

Philistines run from him.

And I want you to look at him

now.

Here he is in the basement of

this prison, and he's pushing

a lever around and around this

mill, grinding their grain.

And his eyes, I don't mean to be

grotesque, but his eyes are

gouged out.

It's not that he's blind.

We just kind of think blind.

No.

There's no replacements in these

sockets.

They're just empty.

It's hard to look at him in the

face.

They're just empty sockets.

And he is a shell of the man he

once was.

And here's what I want to ask you.

Who would have ever, ever, ever

guessed it?

Who would have ever envisioned

that's how he'll end up one day?

So we go to him.

And we say, Mr. Samson, do we have

a word with you?

We've been your fans.

We've seen you in Israel.

And man, you're so highly regarded

over there.

But we look at you now and,

well, you're a mess.

Your strength is gone.

You're used to being a slave.

You're in shackles.

You're not free to go and come as

you please.

You can't get around unless somebody

leads you by the hand.

How did it get like this?

How did it end up like this?

You know what experience as a

counselor tells me he would

probably have said, if we're being

honest about it this morning?

He'd have probably turned,

especially in the early going,

a day or two after it happened,

in the early going, he'd have

turned and he'd have looked at you

and he said, it was that

stinking Delilah.

She did this.

I trusted her.

She nagged me.

She begged me to tell.

And I put my faith and trust in

her because I loved her and wanted

to be with her.

I wanted to be her husband.

And she did this.

It's her fault.

Well, those Philistines,

they're barbarians.

Who would do this to a man?

Who would belittle?

Why didn't they just kill me?

Why didn't they just kill me

instead of make me a prisoner

and subject me to this kind

of lifestyle?

It's those barbaric Philistines.

They're to blame.

Boy, if you'd had a lot of courage,

you'd have really been tempted

to have said,

Mrs. Sampson, with all due respect,

didn't you do this to yourself?

Isn't this kind of about the bad

choices you made?

Do you bear any of the

responsibility for this?

You say, well, certainly you had to.

I want to tell you something.

I meet a lot of people in life,

have met a lot of people in life

over the course of 50 years

of being a pastor.

They never take any responsibility

at all.

It's their mama.

It's their daddy.

It's their grandparents.

It's the house they lived in.

It's the job they didn't get

or the job they were forced to do.

It's their bad spouse.

It's their rotten children.

It's their rotten parents.

It's the breaks.

It's God's fault.

And they never come to grips

with, you know what?

You made some real, real bad choices.

Three things I'm going to say

and I close.

One, no one is responsible

for your choice but you.

Just as no one is responsible

for my choice but me.

Have I been pressured at times?

Oh yeah.

You can't be a pastor

and not get pressure

from the outside

and the inside and everywhere

to do something that you know

is not the right thing to do.

But I'm going to tell you something.

At the end of the day,

when I make a decision,

when I make a choice

about anything in my life,

it's mine.

I may not want to own it

but it's mine.

It's only mine.

And you can say,

well my boss made me do that.

That's how this company operates.

I wouldn't have a job.

No.

It was your decision.

Were they wrong?

Yeah, they were wrong.

But that was their decision.

You're responsible for your decision.

So I'm going to tell you right now,

whatever bad thing

you may have ever done in your life,

whatever bad decision you made,

the best thing you can do right now

is to own up to it

and say, you know what?

That was my decision.

I know the circumstances were bad.

I know the situation was bad.

The environment was bad.

A lot of pressure.

But at the end of the day,

I got to own that decision

because I want to tell you something.

I can never put it behind me.

I can never repent of it.

I can never move on

until I come to own it.

And you've made some bad decisions

in your life.

I've made a lot of bad decisions

in my life.

The question is,

have you ever owned them?

Have you ever just stepped up

to the plate

and put on your big boy pants

and said,

I own this.

This is mine.

I did this.

It's not anybody else's fault

but mine.

Secondly,

our choices,

as I said earlier,

have consequences.

They always do.

It's called the law of the harvest.

Galatians 6-7 says this.

Listen.

Paul writes,

God is not mocked.

Be not deceived.

God is not mocked.

For whatsoever man sows,

that shall he also reap.

So if I do this good thing,

I can expect something good

to come out of it.

But if I do a bad thing,

I should expect to reap

a bad harvest.

You understand that?

Good decisions bring blessing.

Bad decisions bring heartache.

And I know as parents

and grandparents,

we want to do it on our children

and love our children

and give them every opportunity

to help them to rise to the top.

I want to tell you something.

The way you do that

is not by doting on them

and erasing their mistakes

and saving them

and rushing in,

saving the day

and being the savior

and the hero

and bailing them out.

The way you do that

is let them learn

as a little bitty child

and all the way through life,

I'm here for you.

I'll stand beside you

but I'll not pay the penalty

for you.

I'll not bail you out

because I want to tell you,

it's in their best interest

to learn

there are consequences

to our decisions.

I didn't plan to say this

and the service

didn't say it in the last

but I know our time's late

but I just feel so compelled

to tell you this.

I'm watching TV

in about the year 2000

and a news flash comes up.

There's been a shooting

in a middle school

in Alabama.

The cameras show

a little 14-year-old boy

he's being arrested

he's being put

into a squad car

he's taking his grandfather's shotgun

who he lives with

his grandfather

to school

and he shot

a schoolmate.

They're putting him

into the squad car

they're beating him over

you know how they do

to keep him from

bumping their heads

and they're putting him

in the squad car

and he looks back

out the door

and there's a guy

with a camera there

and the guy's asking him

what were you thinking?

And this is what he said

I'll never forget

he looks in the face

of the camera

and he says

I just want to go home.

I just want to go home

to my grandpa

I just want somebody

to take me home

to my grandpa

and as a parent

and a grandparent

he just broke my heart

because I thought to myself

son you're never going home.

You're not

have your folks

not taught you?

There are consequences

to your actions

and your world

has just changed forever.

Forever.

And I'm telling you

and not just kids

and teenagers

and young adults

but middle-aged

adults

and older adults

boy you better think

before you act

because every action

has a consequence

and there's some

actions you take

they're not very significant

where I eat lunch

they don't matter

a whole lot

but I'm going to tell you

something

if I'm unfaithful

to my wife

that can wreck

my whole life

if I take something

that's not mine

if I deal under the table

if I'm not honest

boy that can have

the implications

that just

devastate

my whole life

do you understand that?

Teach your children

and by teach them

I don't mean

just verbally

tell them

you got to let them

experience it

you got to be

standing there with them

and say

boy I'm sorry

and like my friend

put your arm around

and say

the way of the transgressor

is hard isn't it?

boy I'm sorry son

I'm sorry daughter

boy when you mess up

there's a price

to be paid in

and I'm sorry

I'm sorry you didn't

get to go to Disney World

I'm sorry you didn't

get to be on that

ball team

I'm sorry you didn't

get that scholarship

but we'll learn

from this

when we're going forward

way better thing

to do than to rescue

them every time

they fail

thirdly

good choices

lead to a good life

and poor choices

lead to a bad life

of undue heartache

well if you spill

enough heartache

we don't need to make

it harder on ourselves

I close by telling you this

the book of

Proverbs

is about wisdom

it's called wisdom literature

that word wisdom

people think of this

white sage

long beard

he's like a contestant

on Jeopardy

who knows all the answers

no

the word wisdom

actually means

skillful

and he was used

in a variety

of circumstances

but let me just tell you