Handling God's Dark Room - Pt.4 | Rev. Terry K. Anderson

I want to talk again to us from our series of sermons entitled Handling God's Dark Room.

Tony Campolo in a book written around I think about 1984, the title of the book I have it on my

shelf it's entitled it's Friday but Sunday is coming and in that book he tells a story of a man

who broke into a department store but he did not break in to steal anything he went into this

department store and spent all night switching price tags items that cost $500 he put a price tag

on it for $50 items that were $380 he put a price tag of $38 he spent all night switching price

tags got up the next morning went into the store and went out with a King's ransom of items because

it was three hours before the store manager realized that price tags had been switched

Satan has switched the price tags he's made us believe what is up is down what is right is wrong

what is black is white what is good is evil and we spend sometimes an entire lifetime never

realizing that the devil has switched the price tags this truth is underlined emboldened and

italicized in the life of this man Samson a cursory reading of the text would make us think

that Samson's problem was Delilah and that his sin was sexual immorality less we rushed to the

wrong conclusions the aforementioned Delilah and sex are not the sin but rather sins offspring

Samson sin your sin and my sin and the sin which turned Lucifer the bright son of the morning

into Satan the deceiver is the sin of pride Satan has so switched the price tags that we like

Samson expect advantage without adversity we expect power without pain we expect wisdom without

weakness according to the author Steve Brown authenticity is possible only in the context of

public shame forced honesty or Christian experience God delights in making some bodies into no

bodies so he can make the no bodies into the some bodies he had in mind in the first place

brothers and sisters hear me this morning the crown is yours you can have it but across comes

with it Samson was a man with great potential but he never quite reached the level of life

he was capable of living his name Samson means distinguished and strong but he was anything

but what his name implied because of his rebellion and his sin Samson found himself in

God's dark room and his life is telling and testimony listen to me his life is telling

and testimony of how strong people are sometimes coaxed in the great imbecility what begins with

reluctance to the truth soon moves to resistance to the truth and when you resist the truth long

enough if you're not careful it soon becomes rebellion to the truth though strong as Samson

brothers those strong as Samson Christian friends look out for Delilah's scissors physical

development intellectual attainment social position financial accumulation can make one

weak enough to fall asleep on Delilah's lap and the sin is not sexual as much as an evil

association sudden success much can lull you into the false sense of security believing

that you hit a triple when you were just born on third base brothers and sisters let's look

this morning at Samson's life to take away some lessons of how to handle God's dark room

I want you to look with me at the road to the dark room look at the road Samson takes

to end up in prison when Samson's birth was announced his parents were told that he was

to be a Nazarite a Nazarite not one from Nazareth but a Nazarite was devoted concentrated

to God with some rules attached he was not to cut his hair he was to refrain from wine

or strong drink and he was to avoid contact with all dead bodies like many prominent people

who have fallen into public disgrace Samson's parents spoiled and indulged him consequently

he never learned to delay gratification though he had potential as a judge of Israel he failed

because of a selfishness and a feeling of entitlement Samson did not understand that

his strength was not in the length of his hair his strength was not in his body but

his strength was in his position chosen as a Nazarite by God and you and I have strength

this morning not because of anything that we've done but we are a chosen generation

a royal priesthood I wish I had a Bible reader you are not who you are because of where you

came from you are who you are because God chose you you didn't choose him he chose you

the spirit of God is the underlying force of Samson's character and the spirit of God

alone secures for him his rank in the long line of mediators of divine truth and supernatural

revelation Samson's passion overcame his reason and in spite of his physical strength he was

powerless against his flesh Samson left the landscape of his life littered with the bodies

of his enemies but his life was also one disaster after another his parents were left heartbroken

his family humiliated his wife given to another man the name of God and the testimony of Israel

were damaged in the eyes of heathens because Samson who was called by God to lead fell

because he could not control his urges like many of us he walked away from God one bad choice at

a time it's the picture of a frog in a kettle here's how you kill a frog in a kettle if the

water is boiling hot and you put a frog in it it'll immediately jump out but if you put a cold

kettle of water on the stove put a frog in it and turn up the heat gradually the frog will stay in

the pot and die because the heat is imperceptible we walk away from God like frogs in the kettle we

surround ourselves with things that don't matter we pay attention to things that will not bring us

any success we surround ourselves with people who don't mean us any good and before you know it you

walked away from God one step at a time brothers and sisters get this this morning we are born

looking like our parents and we died looking like our decisions good or bad now this this this man

who was who was born for destiny born for greatness born to give God glory never wanted what God put

on him Samson was crazy about women he married outside his tribe and then it was not bad enough

that he married a canine night he started messing with canine night prostitutes the liner was not

the first of the prostitutes he was with two other prostitutes before the liner and the liner was

the one who caused him to fall asleep because she kept nagging him tell me your secrets tell me

your secret where does your great strength come from because he killed a thousand men with the

jawbone of an ass he killed 30,000 men just to win a bet he was the strongest man that ever

lived but the liner kept asking where does your strength come from it obviously did not come from

his physical appearance because if he had muscles like Hercules she could have known where his strength

came from so he lied to her like men do and she kept nagging him like women do

somebody ought to help me preach it if you love me you would tell me what your secret is

you say oh god just put some spider webs around me and I'll be weak as any other man she tried

that and it didn't work she said if you really love me you tell me what your strength is he

said tie me with some ropes and and and that'll do it I'll lose my strength she tried that and

it didn't work she said if you're gonna get in this bed with me forget all this talking sweet

and all that because listen she had already made a price with the Philistines she had already

bargained with the Philistines she she was she was thinking about getting paid

she wanted to make this relationship matter financially see how quiet y'all getting right

baby mama drama ain't just started last week the Bible is full of cheating women cheating

men rape murder lives gossip the scripture is full and what I love most about the Old

Testament is its rawness the liler said if you go if you're gonna get with me I'm gonna ask you

one more time what is your secret Samson said Lord this girl gonna drive me to drinking he said

all right if my head is shaved my strength will be gone she calls the Philistines and says come

now because I know his secret but before the Philistines come she makes him fall asleep on her lap

be careful my grandmother would say like this everything that shine yeah y'all was raised

like I was raised be careful where you take a nap be careful how you let your guard down

take heed when you think you're standing lest you fall and when you see somebody in

trouble don't gloat over that because the Bible says if a man be overtaken in a fault I wish I

had a Bible reader ye who are spiritual restore him in the spirit of meekness here it is considering

yourself let's you be overtaken in the same fault because the only reason you are not in prison is

because we ain't been caught we've done some of the same stuff somebody else has done but messy

grace the blood of Jesus covers us what can wash away my sin I wish I had a witness here I'm not

talking to you good at two shoes people in here I'm not talking to y'all here who got your clothes

on but your wings are underneath your dress or underneath your jacket I'm talking to some crooks

like me in here this morning who seemed enough just yesterday that you ought to be dead and in your

grave and that's why we can sing with authority amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a

wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found I was blind but now I can see through many dangers

toils and snaz I have already come I need somebody here today who's got a shot left in you because

God brought you through some stuff that you could have lost your mind God opened the door that

somebody had clothes in your face somebody lied on you and tried to bring you down but God made

your enemy your foot stew won't he do it here I'm trying to hurry here is the is the scariest

most frightening verse I think in all of the scripture Samson shook himself and got up like

he had done before but the Bible says he did not know that the spirit of God left

I don't want to show up to work on Sunday and God has fired me I don't want to stand up to

pray or to teach or to preach and God takes his power from me I wish I had a witness here I need

somebody here who knows that you stand up in the power of the living God it's not because you've

been so holy it's not because you've been so righteous it's because he looks beyond your fault

I'm I'm known I'm known in my life preachers whose gospel used to flash with fire

but the spirit of God left him and they became an empty echo a proverb of a bygone era I'm

knowing people who could sing until the hairs on the back of your neck would rise but they

thought they were the one in whose place they had been called to praise and God stripped them of

their power because God is not going to let you get glory that belonged to him I don't care how

good you think you look I don't care how well you think you preach I don't care how smart you

think you are God will get the last word you don't have to take my word for that ass never

kidding as he stood on the roof of his palace and he admired the great gardens of Babylon the

one of the seven wonders of the ancient world he stood up on his palace roof and said all

Babylon the great how wonderful how great have I made you old Babylon and the Bible says in the

same hour he grew feathers like a bird he grew claws like an eagle he ate grass like cattle and

it was not until he raised his head and realized who God was that his reasoning returned if you

think you're more than you really are you are fooled you have lost your mind if you think you

in here this morning because you such a good Christian if you think you in here this morning

because you so righteous and holy you are crazy and then you look the only one worthy of praise

this morning is the Lord Jesus Christ he's the fountain from which all else flows he's the root

out of which all else grows I wish I had one or two witnesses here I'm trying to close this

little sermon but he's a rock in a weary land a shelter in a time of storm I don't know anybody

in here like that he's the root of David he's the stump of Jesse I don't know anybody in here

like that he's the ancient of days he's the day spring of Israel he's a bright and the morning

star I don't know anybody around here like that he's God's only son there's nobody

like him Samson got up to fight spirit of God had lifted them they bind them bring him in

the prison and the road to the dark room leads to the realities in the dark room the road to the

dark room leads to the realities in the dark room he forfeited his fellowship he fell from

his position from his power and from his purpose and his fall was public

there are some folks you can't recover from because God has to publicly shame you so that

he can again publicly own you because it is not until God empties you of you that he can

feel you with him and then you can sing I am dying oh Lord I've heard your voice and they

told you love to me and I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to the

consecrate me now to your service Lord by the power of grace divine let my soul look up with

a steadfast hope and my will be lost in dying he forfeited his fellowship he forfeited his

faculties not only did he lose his physical sight but worse he lost his spiritual sight

because it is possible brothers and sisters to have your eyes and can see it is possible

to lose your vision before you lose your sight I wish I had somebody to help me God has

destiny written all over your life God wants to use you God wants to bless you God has

a consecrated space for you but you want out on it because you want to be like everybody

else you want everybody to like you you want them to like your posts on Facebook talk back

to me if you can you want to you want to you want to go viral on Facebook you want to do

something spectacular and grand and great something nobody else has ever done so that

you can get acclaimed and public attention and God will let you get it only for you to

discover that what you are running after is not gonna last because soon people move on

you remember when James Brown was the man I feel good like I knew that I would so good

I got you hit me one time baby baby baby

but then MC Hammer came along and then Michael Jackson came along and then Jay Z came along

the people stars fade somebody else comes to take their place because people are fickle

they like you on your Facebook page for a minute and it fades away because their attention

span is not long but when you know who you are and who you belong to and what your purpose

is and what your destiny is you can just run your race put some blinders on you don't

pay attention to who's on the right or who's on the left you just live your life if they

like your good that they don't like you to hell with them I got Jesus and I don't need

nobody he walks with me I'm through the realities of the prison is he he forwarded his fellowship

he forwarded his faculties and then he forfeited his freedom he's blind bound and grinding

he's blind his eyes have been gouged out he's in chains bound and the ladies man is doing

ladies work look at the irony of that the women who swooned when he passed by he's

now doing work that ladies have to do grinding corn that doesn't even belong to him the strongest

man who ever lived can be bound now by change your strength my strength is not in our academic

excellence it's not in our rhetorical prowess it's not in our field centric piety my strength

your strength comes from God not by power nor by might but by my spirit says the lord you

don't want to sing god will take some woman dancing on a pole and put it in this trek

Sunday morning and she'll sing rings around you you don't want to teach your class stay home

God will sober up some alcoholic and put him in your Sunday school class Sunday morning

and he'll teach circles around you because the power doesn't come from you God can use whoever

he wants to you i'm through but samson comes to the end of his life in a dark room

our brothers and sisters listen to me there's there's a road that led him to the dark room

there's a harsh reality he has to face in the dark room but if you stay that long enough

there's restoration in the dark room

i'm through preaching the choir took all my time i'm through

the only door that leads out of the dark room is the door of repentance

here it is samson called on the lord

i want you to see this restoration and i'm through god knows i wish i had more time to

stay right there but i want you to see this restoration while he's blinded

while he's blinded while he's grinding his hair is growing

because remember his strength was in his hair

and the enemy wasn't paying attention

because if the enemy had been paying attention then never would have let his hair come back

but while his enemy hadn't blinded and blinded and grinding god was letting his hair come out

and while your enemy is at work lying on you

you god is letting your hair grow back

while that negro who walked out on you talking about you ain't gonna be nothing without me

god is letting your hair grow back

some people who thought that by now you'd be dead or independent you're it god is letting your

hair and you know how your hair keeps growing keep coming to church keep praising god keep telling

god thank you for another day keep thanking god for letting you see a brand new sunrise keep on

waving your hands in the sanctuary and god will let your hair grow back

here it is

samson samson said lord

i know i've been a disappointment

lord i know i have not done what i was born to do

you lord i know that i have not lived up to my full potential

they got me blind they've taken my eyes out i'm a public embarrassment

i've brought dishonor to your name i'm ashamed even to call myself your child

heathens are laughing at me and in turn they're laughing at you because i was supposed to honor you

i was supposed to make your name great in israel and i have been a public embarrassment

i have brought shame and dishonor to israel my nation and to god my father but listen to his

prayer he said to the servant who was leading him by the hand because he's blind he said bring me

to the pillars that's holding up this building bring me to the middle of this palace and just

let me stand there because they are making sport of me that's what the king james says they want me

to entertain them so bring me to the middle of the building that i might be made sport of

by my enemies and the man leads him to the center of the building and they began to ridicule him

they began to mock him they began to laugh at him but samson ha is growing

you're gonna help me close this won't you while they are laughing at him his hair is coming back

while they are mocking him god is letting his hair come back while they are making fun of him

god is letting his long locks flow again and i want you to hear samson's prayer and i'm going

to be through he says lord i know i've shamed you lord i know i have not lived up to my full

potential but lord i want to ask you one more time give me my strength back restore unto me

the joy of my salvation give me back what the devil stole from me and i will bring honor and

glory to your name he tells the man bring me in the middle and put me between the pillars

that's holding up this building and the bible says when he prayed god gave him his strength back

and he pushed with all his might and the walls came tumbling down and he killed more people in death

than he ever killed in his life there's another champion i want you to look at this moment

he came to a hill called calvary they mocked him they ridiculed him they criticized them

they talked bad about him they gambled for his garments they put him in the middle

of two fees one on the right hand and one on the left hand he didn't pray the prayer samson prayed

he said father forgive them for they know not what they do you're gonna help me close this won't you

and then he bible says they hung him on the cross he died he didn't kill more in death than he did

in life he saved more in death than he did in life there is a fountain filled with blood

drawn from in manuals veins sin is plod beneath that flood lose all that guilty stain is there

anybody here been saved by his blood is there anybody here know you're been washed is there

anybody here know your name is written in the land's book of life if you're saved and you're

not ashamed to testify if he kept you and you don't care who's looking at you why don't you

tell somebody he saved me he saved me he saved me he saved me he washed me he redeemed me by the

blood of the land he's washed me why that's smooth figure for your blood figure that he died but

brother you're gonna help me please this won't you Sunday morning he got up with all power i know he's all right