PRIDE WILL BLIND YOU!

Judges 16:1-21

INTRODUCTION: Lord Acton said “All power tends to corrupt. And absolute power corrupts…absolutely.” Samson had a lot of power and it was God Who gave Samson that power. Samson kill a huge lion with his bare hands and he wiped out an entire army of Philistines with just the jawbone of a donkey. Samson singlehandedly protected the people of Israel from the Philistines. The Philistines offered Delilah the modern-day equivalent of 80,000 dollars to discover how to make Samson weak. Samson was the protector of Israel and Hebrews lists Samson as a man of faith. So you would expect him to be a man of great morals as well. Judges tells us he slept with a prostitute one night and he was probably sleeping with Delilah as well. Samson’s great power went to his head and he began Samson became so self- absorbed that he forgot about the Lord’s commands to all Israel. Judges 14:6; Judges 14:19; Judges 15:14-16. But after he had slept with the prostitute it was never said again “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson.” Samson was blinded by his pride in his great strength and his pride cost him dearly. Proverbs 11:2; Proverbs 16:18. And that is exactly what happened to Samson.

I. OUR PRIDE LEADS US TO SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS!

Samson’s story teaches us that even the mighty can be taken down by pride. That is why the apostle Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 12:5-19. Paul is telling us that God will actually bring trouble into the lives of those He loves to help keep them humble. We stay humble when we think less about ourselves and more about the greatness of our God.

II. OUR PRIDE CAUSES US TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE CAN DO INSTEAD OF ON GOD WHO GAVE US   OUR ABLITIES!

Our pride comes from us focusing on our abilities and accomplishments rather than focusing our God Who has given us our abilities and allows us to accomplish work for His glory. 1 Corinthians 4:7. 2 Corinthians 4:7. Samson forgot that all his strength and power came from God. And Samson’s forgetting where his strength came from destroyed his life. Judges 16:20. Samson wasn’t weak because his hair was cut. Samson was weak because the Lord had left him.

III. HONEST REPENTANCE LEADS TO RESTORATION!

Samson’s story is a story about a man who out of pride and arrogance chose to live his life his way and stopped following God’s way. In the end Samson suffered for his pride. Samson’s story does not end there however. In spite of his failures, in spite of his walking away from his God, and in spite of his sexual immorality—Samson repented and God restored his strength. Judges 16:28-30. When Samson honestly repented of his sin, God restored his strength. God makes that same offer to each of us today: 1 John 1:9. Don’t let Satan or others fool you. God is still in the business of forgiveness and restoration: James 4:6-10.