Amen. So we're there in Judges 16. And of course, before I begin, I want to thank Pastor for the opportunity to preach. I'm always honored to be asked to preach. And so thank you, Pastor, for the opportunity to be up here. And so we're there in Judges 16. Of course, we read the famous story of Samson and Delilah. And Judges 16, if you would look at verse number four, Judges 16, verse four, the Bible says, and it came to pass afterward that he, of course, this is Samson, it says, loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. This, of course, is a Philistine lady. In verse number five, notice it says, and said unto her, entice him and see wherein his great strength lieth. And as we're going to continue reading here, but we see that Samson was a man who was known for having great strength in his life. If you know the story of Samson, he was a very strong man. And the Philistines go up to Delilah and they say, look, entice him and see where does his strength come from. And it goes on, it says, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him. I want you to notice that the Philistines and Delilah are conspiring against Samson here. In verse number five, it goes on, and we will give thee, every one of us, 1,100 pieces of silver. And in verse six, and Delilah said to Samson, tell me, I pray thee, again, wherein thy great strength lieth, and where thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. So we see Samson, a man who was known for his incredible strength, right? And you know, I don't know about you, but I would like to be known for having great strength in the Christian life. Somebody who even the world would look at and say, man, this person is one of great strength. They're strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Somebody who is known as strong. And even though we see Samson at one point having the power of God upon his life, I want you to notice what happens later on in the story. Jump down to verse number 19, and notice what happens to Samson later on. A man who is known for his strength, a man who is known for his power, a man who even the enemies of the Lord will look at him and say, this man has great strength. In verse number 19, notice what happens to Samson. And she, this is Delilah, notice, made him sleep upon her knees. And she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to, notice, afflict him, and notice, and his strength went from him. And we see Samson now at this point is a weak man. It says that she caused this man, this strong, you know, a lady, a woman, caused this strong man to fall asleep upon her knees. And notice, and his strength went from him. At one point he was strong, but now he's weak. At one point he had the strength of the Lord upon himself, but now he is weak. In verse number 20, I want you to notice what the Bible says. And she said, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, notice what Samson says, I will go out as at other times before and shake myself. And this next phrase is a phrase that always stuck out to me in the Bible. To me, it's kind of a sad phrase. What it says about Samson, it says in verse 20, and he wished not that the Lord was departed from him. The word wist means to have knowledge of. It says here that Samson, he wist not, he didn't know what happened, he didn't realize, but the Lord was departed from him. The power of the Lord was gone. The blessing of God was gone. The Lord was departed from him. And the sad thing is that Samson didn't even realize it. And you have to ask yourself, how do you go from being a strong Christian, a strong man, somebody who is of great strength, to one day waking up and being weak? Waking up and one day not even realizing that the Lord has been departed from you. Now how do you get there in the Christian life? Where at one point you're strong, but now you're weak. See, Samson is what I like to consider a used to Christian. He used to be strong, but now he's weak. He used to be reading the Bible, going to church, going soul hunting, living for the Lord, having the power of God, the blessing of God upon his life, being strong in the Lord, but now he's weak. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God in their life? And this evening I have just four quick points. that we see that can cause someone, anyone, yes, even the strongest of Christians to lose the power of God upon their life. You see, what are those things? Well, number one, we see the draw to the world. We see the draw to the world. You see, Samson was a man who was drawn to the things of this world. You're there in Judges 16, keep your place there. Go to Judges 14, if you're at Judges 14. Keep your place there in Judges 16, because I don't know about you, but you want to be considered a strong Christian, somebody who's strong in the Lord? And you might be sitting here this evening and maybe you know in your mind and your heart that there was a point when you were stronger in the Lord. And something might have happened to where you wisped not, somehow the Lord might have departed from you. And obviously I'm not referring to salvation. Salvation is eternal, you can never lose your salvation. I'm not referring to salvation. But I'm talking about being filled with the Spirit, having the power of God upon your life, the blessing of the Lord upon your life. How can someone go from being a strong Christian to waking up, being weak, and not even realizing that the Lord has been departed? Well, it begins with a draw to the world. Judges 14, look at verse number one. I want you to notice that Samson was a man who was drawn to the things of this world. Judges 14, verse one, and Samson went down to Timnath. Notice, and saw a woman in Timnath. of the daughters of the Philistines. What's Samson doing? He's going down to the world. He's going down to the Philistines. He's going to Timnath. Verse number two, and he came up and told his father and his mother and said, notice, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. As we keep going, we're gonna see that Samson had a problem with his eyes. He sees something in the world and it's just drawing him to the things of this world. He goes to Timnath, which he probably shouldn't be doing, and what does he do? He gets enticed. He sees something and he's drawn to it. And we see this is a habit in the life of Samson. Go back to Judges 16, if we're Judges 16. Judges 16, verse one, we see the draw to the world. Judges 16, verse number one, again, then went Samson again to Gaza, again the world. And what does he do? In verse one, and saw there, notice, an harlot, and went in unto her. Jump down to verse number four, notice, again, and it came to pass afterward that he, notice, loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. See, all throughout his life, Sam's just being what? He's just being drawn to the world. He goes to this place, and he loves this woman. He goes to that place, he sees another woman. He goes here to Gaza, and he sees there another woman, and what does he do? He loves her, right? And you know, for us, you know, obviously the story here is referring to a woman, but look, this could be a picture of sin in general. And what that might be for you might be different for somebody else. You know, what the world might have to offer, like we heard this morning, for you, your Delilah might be the alcohol that the world has to offer. Your Delilah might be the music of the world. It might be the entertainment of the world. Whatever sin the world has to offer, somehow Samson is drawn to the world. You see, what happens to a Christian who at one point was strong in the Lord, in the power of his might, reading the word of God, going to church, living the Christian life, but now he becomes weak, well, he's drawn to the things of the world. Keep placing it in Judges 16, go through it to 2 Timothy 4. 2 Timothy 4. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Look, I don't know about you, but you wanna have the power of God upon your life? And you want to keep it that way. So be mindful not to be drawn to the things of this world. And look, the devil's goal is for you to forsake the direction that God has for you. How do you go from being strong to now being weak and not even realizing that the Lord has departed? You know, the saddest part about Samson is that he didn't even realize what happened to him. Look, when people lose the power of God upon their life, look, they don't just realize it. They just wake up and they're just weak Christians. They don't even, they wonder what happened. All the while, they were strong, but yes, there's something in the world that was drawing them to the world. 2 Timothy 4, look at verse number nine. 2 Timothy 4, 9, the Bible says, do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. This, of course, is Paul talking to Timothy. And in verse number 10, notice what Paul says about somebody who used to be strong. For Demas hath forsaken me. Here we have Paul saying, look, this man, Demas, who at one point he was with me, at one point he was strong in the Lord, but now, what does he do? He says, he has forsaken me. The word forsaken means to abandon or to leave. You say, why? Well, Paul tells us why. It says, having loved this present world. See, what took Demas in this instance out for being a strong Christian? Well, it's because he loved this present world. And look, in your life, Christian, you gotta realize, look, that if something in the world draws you, wants to pull you away from the things of God, look, you may be strong now, but look, that is something you gotta be mindful of that can knock you out of the race, and you can wake up one day not even realizing that the blessing of God, the power of God has been taken away from you. Go through to 1 Peter 4, go to 1 Peter chapter 4. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Well, the draw to the world, drawn to things of this world, having loved this present world, being enticed by the things of the world. Go to 1 Peter 4. And look, we should not allow ourselves to be drawn towards the things of this world. And look, it's a choice that you make. If you say, man, I'm just drawn to watch sports during church time. Look, that's a choice that you're choosing to make. I'm just drawn to drink alcohol. That's a choice you're choosing to make. I'm just drawn to do drugs or listen to this music. Look, that is a choice you're choosing to make. And God wants us to choose to follow Him in a new direction, in a new way, and not allow the things of this world to take us away from Him. 1 Peter 4, look at verse number one, the Bible says, for as much then as Christ had suffered for us in the flesh. And we read that verse and it's easy to read, but here it says that Christ suffered for us in the flesh, and obviously being in this comfortable room, cushy seats, it's easy to just read that and just blow that off. That Christ had suffered for us in the flesh, but notice what the Bible says, it says, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. It says you gotta have the same mind willing to do it, willing to, like Christ, suffer in the flesh. You see, why do people give up the Christian life? Why, at one point, they were strong. At one point, they had the power of God upon their life, the blessing of God. But now they're weak, not wisting, not knowing the Lord has been departed from them. It's because they didn't arm themselves with the same mind as what the Bible says. It says to arm yourselves with the same mind that Christ suffered for us, so we should suffer for him. What is that? Those are the temptations of the world. The things of this world. It says here that we should no longer live the rest of our lives, the rest of our time in the flesh to what? To the lust of men. But what? But to the will of God. See, it is a choice that we make. See, it is a choice that we should take as Christians to have the power of God upon our life, to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might, that we should choose to walk in the will of God and not to live our lives for the lusts of men. The Bible says, 2 Corinthians 5, 15, I'll turn there. And that he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them. And look, realize, look, that there is a draw to the world. Whatever that might be for you, I don't know what that is for you, but look, you know it in yourself. If there's something in the world that just draws you away, and one day you may realize, waking up, not realizing that the Lord has departed from you. And again, not salvation, but the power of God upon your life. Go to 1 John 2, go to 1 John 2. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Like Samson, a man who was strong. A man known for his great strength. You go to 1 John 2. A man known for his great strength ends up being defeated by a lady, by a woman, not knowing, not wisting that the Lord was apart from him. While he was enamored, he loved the things of this world, he was drawn to them. And you gotta be careful, Christian, not to get enamored with the things of this world, with the Delilas of this world. 1 John 2, verse 15, the Bible says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Pretty crystal clear command, right? Love not the world. You say, what does that mean? Well, neither the things that are in the world. Look, we should just be loving the things of the world. You say, why? Because look, we can't serve two masters. Or else we'll love the one and hate the other? Or we'll hold to the one and despise the other? You say, well, how can a Christian who is strong in the Lord all of a sudden just despise the things of God? Well, because you can't serve one master and the other master at the same time. You will hold to the one and despise the other. And here the Bible says, look, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Verse 16, for all that is in the world, notice the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. See, be careful, Christian, not to get enamored with the things of this world. You see, what was Samson's problem? Well, his eyes, he was lusting after with his eyes. There's always, look, and there's always something out there in the world that's gonna make you want to go out there. That's gonna want to entice you away. There's always a Delilah out there waiting for you, whatever that is for you. But look, be careful not to get enamored with those things. You see why? It can cause you to lose the power of God upon your life. Key place there, but go back to Judges 14. Go to Judges 14 if you're Judges 14. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God in their life? To be strong at one point. and lose the power of God? Well, number one, it's the draw to the world. And look, when the things of this world, Christian, get in the way of what you should be doing as a Christian, look, you gotta be careful. You gotta be careful. Look, if there's something in this world that causes you to miss church, to miss the things of God, to miss your Bible reading, look, you gotta be careful with those things. You see, what can cause you people, cause someone to lose the power of God in their life? Well, number one, the draw to the world. But number two, the disregard to warnings. The disregard to warnings. We'll see that Samson was a man, you couldn't really talk to Samson very much, right? Because Samson was a little puffed up because he was so strong. And Samson was a man who just disregarded warnings in his life. Judges 14, look at verse number one. I want you to notice that Samson disregarded a warning. Judges 14, verse one. And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, notice, and told his father and his mother. And this is a good thing, and he's telling his mom and dad, you know, people in his life who are there to help him, maybe give him some guidance, some direction. And he tells them, he said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And notice, now therefore get her for me to wife. You know, a little bit rude, sounds like, right? Just saying, hey, I want this woman, you go out there and just get her for me. Just telling his parents what to do. And his father and his mother, what do they do? Well, because they love their son, they want to help their son, they kind of give him a little warning about this situation, right? In verse number three, notice the response from mom and dad. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? Notice the warning from the parents. And look, obviously it sounds like this has happened in the past. Mom and dad are like, look, is there never a woman? It's like another one, Samson. Is there never a woman amongst our people that you can be equally yoked with, that you're just going down to the world, going down to the Philistines, that that goes to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? But notice the response. Notice the disregard to the warning. And Samson said unto his father, get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. A little bit of a rude response, right? And you think to yourself, look, somebody who disregards warnings, you know what they're gonna do? They're probably gonna despise the right warning. They're gonna despise the right counsel. You know, Samson would have been wise to, you know, stop and consider, you know what, maybe, you know, mom and dad, they might know what they're talking about. They're a little older, they love me, they're looking out for me. They're saying, like, maybe this isn't a good idea, Samson. But Samson, he just blows off the warning. Just disregards the direction, disregards the instruction, disregards what they're saying. He's saying, no, no, you just get her for me. This is what I'm gonna do. Just disregard what mom and dad are saying. Look, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? It is a disregard to warnings. A disregard when somebody who is maybe older than you, and I'm not just talking physically, but yes, even physically, somebody who's maybe more mature or just older than you, they give you some wise counsel, you just disregard it. Look, you'd be wise to stop and consider, you know what, maybe you have a point. Or somebody who is older than you in the Lord, like our pastor or our pastor's wife, who want to give you wise counsel, give you some wise warning. Look, it would be a foolish thing to just disregard the warning. And say, but you should stop and say, you know what, maybe they have a point. Maybe I should stop and consider it and say, you know what, is this really a good thing? What does Samson do? He says, get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. Right? It's not what I want to hear. It's not pleasing to my ears. It's not what I want to hear, mom and dad. This is just what I want to do. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Well, they disregard warnings. Go, if you will, to Proverbs chapter number 15. Proverbs 15. And look, you gotta learn to just receive warnings in your life. Go to Proverbs 15. In Proverbs 22, you're going to Proverbs 15. In Proverbs 22, verse three, the Bible says, a prudent man foreseeeth the evil and hideth himself. See, a prudent man is gonna see something wrong coming up ahead, and they don't just keep going, they just, no, they're gonna hide themselves. But the simple pass on and are punished. Proverbs 12 verse 1, the Bible says, Proverbs 15, look at verse number 32, the Bible says, Notice, despiseth his own soul. Someone who refuses instruction, refuses a warning, the Bible says they despise their own soul. It's like you're only hurting yourself. And look, so don't get to the place, Christian, where you just sit in church and you just think, well, this is for everyone else, but not for me. Because I'm Samson, because I'm just so strong. I've been doing this for so long that I don't need to hear this warning. This is for the other guy. This is for the guy that's weak. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul. Verse 32, but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. Go to Ezekiel 33, if you go to Ezekiel chapter 33. Ezekiel 33. Look, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? They just disregard warnings. They just wanna sit there and just not hear anything. They don't wanna be told anything. It's just whatever pleaseth me well is what I wanna hear. And look, God gave us our pastor to warn us when we're going in the wrong direction. And look, sometimes you have to be reminded of these things, right? Because look, pastor's not up here just wasting his time trying to fill time. No, pastor's trying to change your life. He's trying to preach a sermon to warn you, and you'd be wise, I'd be wise, we would be wise, to actually listen to the warning and not be like Samson and just say, no, no, this doesn't please me well. And at one point, you might have had the power of God upon your life, but look, one day, be careful that you wist not that the Lord has departed from you. Because you refuse to hear instruction, you refuse to hear the warning. Ezekiel 33, look at verse number seven. Theme is the verse you probably heard this of the watchman, Ezekiel 33 in verse seven. It says, so thou, O son of man, of course the Lord is speaking to Ezekiel. It says, I have sent thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt notice, hear the word at my mouth, notice, and warn them from me. You say, what's the job of the watchman? It's to warn. It's to hear the word from the Lord, right? This is why our pastor studies all week to prepare a sermon to what, to do what? To warn us. Hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me. In verse number eight, when I say unto the wicked, O wicked man. And I like how it said, when I say unto the wicked, realize that Ezekiel is preaching to the house of Israel. And it says, when I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will acquire thine hand. Verse number nine, nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, If he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity. You see, what's the job of our pastor? It's to warn us, to be a watchman, to look out for the flock, to watch for your souls. And we would be wise not to disregard the warnings. You know what this morning was? This morning was a warning about the foolishness of alcohol. You see, what does a foolish person do? They disregard the warning. Well, hopefully the kids hear the warning. You know, if adults don't want to hear it, that's, you know, whatever, you know, he shall die in his iniquity. But hopefully the kids grow up and hear the warnings from a pastor, the warning from the Word of God, and take heed to what the Bible says, so they can have the power of God upon their life. You see, how can someone who is at one point strong, at one point filled with the Spirit, serving the Lord, how can they grow up and just wish not that the Lord has departed from them? Well, they disregard warnings. They think, well, I'm Samson, I'm strong, and I don't need to hear this. Look, as God's people, we should realize, look, we should just maintain a tender heart to the things of God and just be ready to receive the warning. And look, don't get to the place where you think you don't need instruction. And look, Samson might've gotten a little too strong with the way he spoke to his parents, a little too strong for his own good, a little too puffed up for the way he even talked to them. You see why? Because look, we all need instruction. The Bible says in Proverbs 6.23, Look, the Bible says that reproofs of instruction, that's just the way life goes. That's just the way life is. You see, how can I grow up to be someone who just loses the power of God or be someone who just disregards warnings, disregards the commandments of the Lord? Number one, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The draw to the world. What can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The disregard to warnings. And number three, go back to Judges 16. Number three, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Number three, the downplay of sin. The downplay of sin. You know when we downplay sin, we're just hurting ourselves. And, you know, this morning's sermon was kind of perfect for this because, look, like Pastor was saying, look, what other church out there, what other pastor's gonna take the time to preach against alcohol? Right, look, they wanna downplay sin. Look, when you start downplaying sin, that's a dangerous territory. Judges 16, I want you to notice that Samson was a man who was just playing with sin. Judges 16, look at verse number 10. Judges 16, 10, and Delilah said unto Samson, notice, behold, thou hast mocked me. And look, Delilah's saying, look, and look, Delilah's out to get Samson. Realize that or not. Like, Delilah and the Philistines, they're trying to find out how they can afflict them, how they can hurt him, how they can make him weak. They're trying to destroy this man. And what is Samson doing? He's playing with this lady. He's playing with sin. Behold, thou hast mocked me. You say, why? Because look, Samson is just playing with her. He is mocking her. And told me lies. Now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, if they bind me fast with new ropes, that never were occupied, then shall I be weak and be as another man. I want you to know Samson is lying to her. He's just lying to keep playing with his sin. At least that's what happens. When you start playing with sin, you know what you'll do? You start lying. You start lying to yourself and you start wanting to lie to other people. When you start playing with sin. Nobody walks in here and says, yep, yep, I was drinking alcohol the other night. Oh, yeah, I was doing those drugs the other night. Oh, yeah, I was watching that bad movie the other night. Oh, yeah, I was doing this and that. They want to lie. Because if we start playing with sin, guess what? You're just going to start lying. If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak and be as another man, lying? Do I therefore took new ropes and bound him therewith, verse 12, and said unto him, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liars in wait abiding in the chamber. and he break them from off his arms like a thread. Again, just lying to her. Verse 13, and Delilah said unto Samson, hitherto thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Again, he's just playing with her, playing with sin. Tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound, and he said unto her, if thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she fastened it with the pin and said unto him, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep and went away with the pin of the beam and with the web. And again, verse 13, what does he do? He lies to her again. You know what Samson's thinking? Samson's thinking to himself, I did it before. I got away with it before. I lied about it before. And I can do it again. You see, what can cause a Christian who is strong in the Lord, living for the God, having the blessing of God upon their life, full of the spirit of God, to all of a sudden just wake up, not wisting the Lord has departed? Well, guess what they do? They start playing with sin. And guess what? Yeah, maybe you got away with it once. Maybe you'll get away with it twice. But look, eventually it's going to come back to bite you. Because look, when you play with a snake, you might get bit. When you play with fire, you might get burned. And look, like Samson, we'll find out Samson was playing with it, got away with it, just did it again and again and again. But one day it caught up to him. We see Samson getting a little too comfortable with sin. Look, when you sit here, Christian, and you think to yourself, I don't see what the big deal is with this sin. Maybe you're a little too comfortable with sin. Don't get to the place where you just downplay sin and wickedness. Where you think to yourself, well, I don't see what the big deal is. Well, look, if the Bible says it's a big deal, then it's a big deal. If the Bible calls it a sin, then it's a sin. And look, when you play with fire, eventually you will get burned. Keep listening to Judges 16. Go to Romans 7, if you have Romans chapter 7. I said, look, we shouldn't downplay sin. And look, thank God for our church. Unlike other churches who just want to play church, they want to preach the Bible without preaching it's sin, without calling out wickedness. What are they doing? They have to lie and cover things up. They don't want to preach the whole counsel of God. But thank God we have a church that just tells it like it is. And realize, look, that God hates sin. You go to Romans 7 if you would, but in Psalm 119, 113, the Bible says, I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love. You notice, God says, look, I hate vain thoughts, foolish and empty thoughts. God says, I hate vain thoughts. Think about that the next time you're scrolling social media, wasting your time on just vanity and foolishness. And as you're doing that, look, realize, look, the Bible says that God says, I hate vain thoughts. God hates that foolishness. God hates those thoughts. You see, that seems a little excessive, but you know what? That's what the Bible says. Psalm 119, 163, I hate and abhor lying, but thy law do I love. I hate and abhor lying. Proverbs 8, 13, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate. You know, God hates a lot of things. Sounds like God hates sin. Should we downplay sin then? No. Romans chapter number seven, look, we need the proper perspective of sin. Romans 7, verse number 12, the Bible says, Romans 7, 12, what for the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good, verse 13, was in that which is good may death unto me, God forbid. But notice, but sin, that it might appear sin. And look, other churches are gonna say, oh, alcohol is not a sin, it's not a big deal, no, no, no. Sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful. See, how does God want us to view sin? It should be exceeding sinful. You know, people, you know what? Most Christians will hear this morning's sermon, you know what they're gonna think? They're gonna think that's a little too much. They're gonna think you're going too far there, Pastor. You're thinking, you're exceeding, you're exceeding the problem of alcohol. I don't know. That sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful. That's why, look, that's why God says, look, He didn't say, don't drink it. He said, don't look at it. That's a little too excessive. No, that's what the Bible says. That's why, look, that's why, yeah, this morning He said, you shouldn't walk down that aisle. Amen. You shouldn't walk down that aisle. You say, is it that big of a deal? It seems a little excessive. Look, that's what the Bible says. Yeah, it is excessive. Why? Because, look, it's exceeding sinful. It's wickedness, it's disgusting, it's filthy. God hates vain thoughts. Think about that, God hates vain thoughts. That seems a little excessive, as you're scrolling social media, wasting your time on vanity and foolishness. It might sound excessive, but that's what the Bible says, that the commandment might become exceeding sinful. And you know why there's a man who would actually preach something that sounds exceedingly sinful? It's because he has the power of God upon his life. But when you're playing with sin, Samson, mocking sin, downplaying it, you're lying just to go back and forth with it, look, yeah, one day you'll wake up and not realize that you wish not that the Lord was apart from you. Wish not that the power of God, the blessing of God was gone from you. Look, you need to make sure that sin is exceedingly sinful in your life, Christian. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Well, the downplay of sin. Go back to what Judge 16 did for Judge 16. So number one, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The draw to the world. What can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The disregard to warnings. What can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The downplay of sin. And lastly, number four, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The distorted view of the Christian life. The distorted view of the Christian life. I want you to notice what Samson says here. We'll read it again, Judges 16, verse 16. And it came to pass, when she pressed upon him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death. But he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head, for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And look, eventually it's gonna catch up to you. Eventually, it's gonna come out. And we see Samson here. Samson's strength came from God and the fact that he was separated unto the Lord. The man was a Nazarite from his room, the Bible says. And here we see that, look, what gave him his strength was that he was separated unto God. And he's admitting, look, if I'm no longer a Nazarite, I will be weak and become as other men. Verse 18, and when Delilah saw that, he told her all his heart. She sent and called for the lords of the Philistines saying, come up this once, for he had showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her and brought money in their hand. Verse 19, and she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head, and she began to afflict him, and notice, and his strength went from him. See Samson eventually catches up. He says, look, I've been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb, if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me. And it only causes a man to come up and to shave Samson's head. And she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him. And obviously, we're not gonna go there, but in number six, when the Nazarite would shave off their head, what they're showing is that they were done with their Nazarite vow. They're saying, look, I'm done being separated and being consecrated unto the Lord. And look, when you decide, Christian, to be done being a separated Christian, Don't be surprised when you become weak, when you become to be afflicted, and the power of God has gone upon your life. Verse number 20, and she said, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he woke out of his sleep and said, look, notice what he says. The view, the distorted view of the Christian life. He says, I will go out as at other times before. What's he saying? He's saying, I've done it before. I played with sin before. I've disregarded warnings before. I've downplayed sin before. I will go out as at other times and shake myself. But notice, and he wist not, that the Lord was departed from him. You see, what's the distorted view of the Christian life? Look, the distorted view of the Christian life is that you can live this life in the flesh. That you can just be drawn to the world, do the things of the world, love the world, that you can downplay sin, disregard the word of God, play with sin, and just think that you can just wake up every day and just shake yourself off like it doesn't happen. Look, but one day, it's gonna catch up. One day, you're gonna realize that living the Christian life in the flesh, living this life, when you don't read the Bible, you don't pray, you're not walking in the Spirit, just disregarding the commandments of God, it's not gonna happen. And Samson woke up, wisting that, not realizing that the Lord was departed from him. Go through it in 2 Corinthians 4, if you read 2 Corinthians 4. You see, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Well, it's the distorted view of the Christian life. Thinking you can live how you want, do what you want, look at what you want, disregard the word of God, disregard the warnings, downplay sin, and just think you can wake up and shake yourself off and just keep on going. And you think to yourself, well, I've done it before, I can do it again. I've disregarded before, I've played with the sin before, and I can do it again. Eventually, you'll wish not that the Lord has departed from you. You go to 2 Corinthians 4, but in Ephesians 6, verse 12, the Bible says, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, But against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Look, realize we're in a spiritual battle. We're in a spiritual battle, and you know, it's real spiritual to say that, right? But the reason it's hard for people to think that is because, look, the things of this world are just drawing too many people away. It's because our minds are wandering off to the Delilas of the world. being drawn away to things that, honestly, are tempting to the flesh. But realize, look, eventually the power of God can be gone from us. You say, why? Because, look, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The Christian life cannot be lived in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 4, look at verse number 16, 2 Corinthians 4, 16. 2 Corinthians 4, 16, the Bible says, For which cause we faint not. But though, notice, our outward man perish, yet, notice, the inward man is renewed day by day. This is here, like, where do we get our strength? Because look, physically, we may faint, physically sometimes. For which cause we faint not. Notice, but though our outward man perish, the outward man, this old man, this body, this flesh, it feels like it's perishing. See, how can you find a Christian who the circumstances are against him, but yet they're still going strong, still living for the Lord. The outward man is perishing, but notice, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. You see why? Because look, it's about walking in the new man. Because the Christian life cannot be lived in the flesh. Too many a Christian have been strong at one point, but yet they lost the power of God upon their life. You say, why? Because look, they thought they could do this life in the flesh. And look, you can see it. The things of the flesh are manifest. You can see it when somebody's just walking in the flesh, not walking in the spirit. You say, how do you lose the power of God? You just live this life. You think you can do this in the flesh. Disregard the warnings. Play with sin. Disregard the counsel. Be drawn to the world. It can't happen. For which cause we faint not, but though the outward man will perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. What can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? Number one, the drought of the world. Number two, the disregard to warnings. Number three, the downplay of sin. And number four, the distorted view of the Christian life. Go back to Judges 16, if we're Judges 16, we'll end here. Judges 16. Look, more important, and obviously, look, we're beating up on Samson, but obviously, Samson's a great man of God. And look, more importantly than starting the Christian life is finishing the Christian life. And look, you may be sitting here and you, in your mind, in your heart, look, you know there was a point where maybe you were stronger in the Lord. Where you felt stronger. Look, if that's true, it's good that you at least can recognize that and realize that. And decides to go back there where you were. And realize what could have caused that. What could have been the things of this world? It could have been the disregard of warnings. It could have been the downplay of sin, a distorted view of the Christian life, and just decide to go back in the things of God. Look, Samson's life at this point was ruined, but he was able to finish his life strong. We'll end here with Samson on a good note, Judges 16, verse number 21. But the Philistines took him, notice what they do, and put out his eyes. I think it's interesting that they took out his eyes. The one thing that was causing Samson to always get in trouble, right? His eyes. They put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters, and he did grind in the prison house. Verse 22, how be it the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Jump down to verse number 28. And Samson called unto the Lord and said, O Lord God, notice what he says. He says, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once. Asking God for strength, because that's where strength comes from. Verse 39, and Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one on his right hand and the other on his left. And Samson said, let me die with the Philistines, and he bowed himself with all his might, and the house fell upon the Lord's and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Notice Samson's biggest victory was at the end of his life. Even after he got backslidden, even after the Lord was departed from him, God allowed him to get strength again. God strengthened him again. And look, this can be you, Christian. If you're sitting in here and you feel like, man, at one point I was strong in the Lord, ask God to strengthen you again. Say, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me. Because look, our greatest victories can be ahead if we would so choose to. And look, we can all get backslidden. Even the strongest of us, even the Samsons of this world can get backslidden. We all go through hard times, but the goal is to finish. Second Timothy 4.7, Paul said this, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept in the faith. So be careful, Christian. You say, what can cause someone to lose the power of God upon their life? The drought of the world, the disregard to warnings, the downplay of sin, and the distorted view of the Christian life. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening. God, I thank you for your word and for our church, for everyone that's here. I just thank you for all the blessings you've given us, Lord. And I pray that you help us all to be strong in you, Lord, to help us walk in the spirit, to be pleasing in your sight, to obey your word, and to love your word, and to do those things which are pleasing to you, God. We love you, and we thank you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. We'll go ahead and turn your psalm books with me this evening.