July 19, 2015

Samson 1 - Set Apart For God

Speaker: Reid S. Monaghan Series: Judges: Partial Victories & the Faithfulness of God Topic: Exposition Passage: Judges 13–15

INTRODUCTION, REHASH

 

     The Spirit of the Lord

 

     Set Apart by God

 

BACKSTORY OF A PURPOSED BIRTH

 

    Rebellion and Retribution, 13:1

 

     A Set-Apart Savior, 13:2-5

 
         Nazirite?

 

    Meet the Parents, 13:6-24

 

    The Spirit Stirring, 13:25

 

Meet Samson

 

     Samson or God?, 14:1-4

 
          God is doing something, Samson doing something else

 

     In a Vineyard, 14:5-7

 

     With the Unclean, 14:8-11

 

     The Riddler, 14:12-20

 

Deliverance through Samson, Judges 15

 

     They didn’t know

 

     Salvation is of the Lord

 

COMMUNITY MEDITATION

KNOW

  • Did Samson always act aware that he was set part and called to live out a mission from God? Did his unfaithfulness, erase God’s faithfulness?
  • Notice all the secrets in this passage. The reader is granted information that the people living the story simply do not see. How is this like life?
  • Discuss the following statement; God can work in, through and despite of the flawed actions of sinful people. Agree? Disagree? Troubling? Encouraging?

FEEL

  • How does it make you feel to know God is at work in ways we may not immediately perceive. Does this frustrate you?
  • What must we know in addition to the circumstances happening in our lives? About God? About ourselves? Let us confess together that we are not God.

LIVE

  • Samson seemed unaware of his calling at points in his life. How could he forget? What do we forget?
  • How can our own temptations, sins and weakness rob us in our spiritual life.
  • Read 2 Timothy 2:8-21. Discuss the importance of God’s faithful calling and then our faithful obedience. If we are set apart by God, in what ways should we live?

other sermons in this series