1. Sermon by Pastor Andy

2. Judges 13: 1-5 1. Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. 2. A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.

3. 3. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

4. Judges 16:1,4-5 1. One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 4. Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

5. Judges 16: 28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me…”

6. P ersonal C alling Samson born a Nazirite -- someone dedicated to the Lord.

8. Do you know your calling – What God’s plan and purposes for you here? As a giver As a lay leader As a care giver – giving love – many today in the church and the world who need your love Some may have a higher calling into the ministry.

9. P ersonal D iscipline Temptation is very real Know what our weakness

10. Samson’s Two Spiritual Flaws He never appreciated his spiritual heritage. He couldn’t control his emotions. Proverbs 16:32 “Better a patient person than a warrior, with self-control than one who takes a city.”

11. Turning personal failure into God’s victories Judges 16:28a Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me…”

12. W hich one of us has not experienced failure as a child of God?

13. The point of Samson story is this – despite his personal failure, God still found unique use for him. God uses us despite our weakness and our failure, not because of our great abilities.

14. Conclusion A successful Christian is not the person who never fails, but it is the person who when they fail, gets back up and goes on for the Lord.

15. Conclusion