TRANSCRIPTION | Sunday, February 13, 2022 | Meaningful Connections Series | Cringe Moments

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

We've been in a series entitled Meaningful Connections. I'm going to continue in that vein today in order to do so, I need to drop an anchor in a verse that you might find a little bit unusual, especially for that subject. But I believe it's going to make sense as we go where God is going to lead us in the scripture to the judges. Chapter 14 verse number twelve, it says, Let me tell you a riddle, Sampson said to them. If you can give the answer within seven days of this wedding feast, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 sets of clothes. If you can't tell me the answer, then you must give me 30 linen garments and $0.30 a clothes.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Tell us your riddle, they said. Let's hear it. And he replied out of the eater. Something to eat. Out of the strong. Something sweet. For three days, they couldn't figure out that riddle. They couldn't give him an answer. The riddle again is out of the order, something to eat out of the strong. Something. Sweet. Just look over at somebody and tell them, I feel your pain. I feel your pain. I'd like to share with you this morning on that subject, father, help me to preach, help me to teach, help me to deliver your word with a special function and a special grace. Let me yield the sword of your spirit. Your word with skill. Fullness, God. Speak to us today about your work and your Holy Spirit. Provoke each of us during next step in you, whatever that might be.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Lord, let it be done in Jesus name in this church said. Imagine. It seems like that YouTube and whatever social media app that you're on is just filled with cringe worthy videos. You know, those moments where you see that someone is experiencing pain or they're about to experience pain and you're just like, Oh, that's going to hurt or me, and that's got to hurt. Other times it's something maybe not even just on video, but just in life. You, you see that someone is in a really awkward situation and you hurt for them. It's like you cringe because you know that that would be so embarrassing or that would be so weird.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I was, you know, I grew up playing ball and always in love, playing ball. And the other night we were in a game up around the Bardstown area and it got really physical, really intense game. And Dawson was coming across the half court line. And this this big old football player looking guy. Just I mean. Ran over him and just ran right through Dawson's face, and in fact. When he was getting up off the floor, I wasn't for sure if his face had been completely rearranged.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I thought we might have a son that looked totally different taking him home than we had right now. But when it happened, I did. In fact, the whole crowd, just because it's like, Oh man, that had hurt, I feel your.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Payne here is have those moments where somebody is going through something and it's just like, it's not necessarily your situation is not necessarily your moment, but you cringe because you can feel what's associated with that, whether it's pain or even awkwardness, even sometimes if you initially are laughing about something humorous, it's not so funny once you realize the joke is on you. And suddenly what was laughter turns into cringing. We've been studying the life of Samson. And I'm telling you, as I read the life of Singapore, and I'm sure that you can relate. Over and over again, I find myself cringing.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Because you can just see with the decisions that Sampson was making in his life. Oh, my. That had to hurt, even as you just reading through it, maybe even for the first time and you start to realize, Oh, this is not headed to a good place, it's a cringe with all that is going to hurt.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And I ask you today, not in a judgmental tone or in a self-righteous tone, but I bet you can even think about people that you know, people you care about, people you really love, people that you're doing your best to have a meaningful connection with.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And you just see them making decisions and you are cringing because you're like, that's going to hurt if you keep making decisions like that and you keep heading on that path. If you've raised kids, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Sometimes it's just something practical, something it's sometimes it's more something to do with their spiritual life, but you see them making decisions, and they've not yet got the maturity that they need have not yet grown in the wisdom that they should have. And you just cringe because like all that is going to hurt. When I look at Sampson's life over and over again, I cringe because it's like, Dude, why can't you just learn that's going to hurt? And you don't have to hurt that bad.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

If you would just learn something even from the previous mistake, much less keep repeating the same mistakes, a cringe moment. In Simpson's life, Simpson is known to be the strongest man on the face of the planet. At least as far as we understand history in the Bible.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

He is the Bible's version of Hercules, even though there is no mythology associated with his story. Samson was a man who had incredible military exploits directly associated with his strength. And yet Samson decided that he wanted to get married, and when he picked out a wife, he picked out a wife from among the Philistines, and his parents were very disappointed. They were upset because the Philistines were actually a group of people that were oppressing the Israelites. On top of that, they did not share the faith of the Israelites. They believed in pagan gods, whereas the Israelites believed in the one true and holy god.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And saw his parents try to counsel him like you probably should not get into this relationship, you probably should not marry this woman, and he tries to convince them that it's the right decision for his life. He even tries to convince them that it's God's will over his life, even though it's in direct violation of the covenant that God it established many years before in his life. And he tries to share some scheme with them that he's up to and why that this is going to be a good thing. And he ultimately persuades his dad to in some way put his blessing on it.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And so his dad gets together with this Philistine woman's dad and they negotiate over what the terms of the marriage will be. And so now Samson is going to marry the woman. And in that day, the way that the marriage went down, and then it transpired as it was a seven day period of feasting and they would come together and they would party for seven days. And there was a lot of drinking and there was a lot of eating. And there was all these things that are happening in just a really honestly, it was an unholy atmosphere.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Somewhere in the middle of all this, Simpson, who's known for his strength, is known for being so strong he decides that he wants to be known for being smart. He wants everybody to realize how wise he is. And in that day in that culture, one of the ways that you could prove that you were wise is you could provide a riddle. And if no one could solve the riddle, then you were determined to be the wisest person in the whole room. And so it's in the middle of this marriage, this feasting period, getting started. There are 30 men that have come to him from among the Philistines, and it's almost like Samson's the conquering hero from the other, the other town, the other nation that's come in to the city and they want to get to know him. They want to be associated with him and they're hanging out around him. And Samson stands up in the middle of these 30 men, and he says, I have a riddle.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Strong guys about to try to play smart. A riddle. You know what a riddle is. Here's an example of a riddle. I have three eyes. All in a row. When the red one opens, all others freeze. What am I? A traffic light. Colombia, multiple people shout it out, and I had to give away multiple prizes that. I'm just going to believe Russell sprains our slow, but you're worth waiting on. Come on, somebody. What what animal walks on all fours in the morning? two in the afternoon and three in the evening. The answer is, man, he crawls as a child, he walks in his Middle Ages, but lastly, he uses a cane when he gets older. It's a riddle. So let's hear what Sampson's got to say.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Judge is Chapter 14, verse twelve. Let me tell you a riddle, and then he makes his wager. He makes his bet. Let's hear it, they said verse 14, he replied, out of the ether. Something to eat out of the strong. Something sweet. Out of the eater, something to eat out of the strong, something sweet and he had the room, they couldn't figure it out. And they began to talk about how this guy doesn't just have brawn, he's got brains.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Like this riddle stumps the whole crowd, but they were offended by the fact that they had been stumped because the strong guys was not supposed to be smart. He's supposed to be stupid. And so they decided we're going to figure it out and what they do is they can talk to plan to betray him via his fiancee. This woman that he's in the process of being married to and they go to her, they basically threaten her life. They scare her. They persuade her to then go to Sampson and get the answer out of him, which she is able to do.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

When Sampson is back with these men, even though they've not been able to figure it out for three days on the last day of the feast, the seventh day they come in and they're like, Hey Samson, we've got the answer. And they provide the answer to him that they have gotten from his wife, and he is so mad that he breaks off the marriage and goes and kills 30 million. Like, what is wrong with this guy? He's the one that thought up the riddle.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

He's the one that made the bet. He's the one that named the price. He's the only one that knew the secret, and he's the one that gave the secret away. And now he's so many go kill everybody. You ever hung out around anybody like that? Who it's like, they made the decision, they set the terms, they knew the secret, they gave away the secret. I hope you can fill in the blanks in the situations, in the lives and the connections that maybe you've had in your own life.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And maybe it's even you at times where it's just like, there's just this fit of rage and you're super upset and you're mad and everybody looking at you like, why is he so mad? Why is she so mad? And even the reason that we are mad or the reason we're upset? Look, if you really evaluate, you pick up the layers of it. Nothing can really make a lot of sense, and everybody's just kind of cringing around us.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Like, Really, why is that affecting them the way that it is affecting them? The truth of it is when you get angry, it really reveals the things that you are passionate about and and when you in your life are struggling with anger, there's a revelation in your life associated with that anger.

 

What is it that makes you mad? What is it that makes you angry? What is it that brings you into a place of rage? And what you discover with Sampson is over and over again. This man struggles with his narcissistic pride.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

He always wanted to be seen as a big deal. In fact, what you what you discover about his life is that he's there's this cringing element associated with him because he just never really is able to figure out the fact that the joke is on him.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

In fact, did you know that Simpson, when he was born, there was a word given over his life and he was it was said of him that this man was going to be a part. God wanted him to be a part of delivering the Israelite people from the Philistine Army.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

That is a major reason God put him in the Earth. And yet when you start reading about Simpson's life, you cringe because you can't find a single time in the entire Bible where Simpson fought for anything other than himself. The only thing he was ever concerned about was people's opinion of him. He never once fought for Israel to see Israel have a breakthrough or to see Israel be delivered because he was always concerned about himself. But maybe the thing that causes you the greatest French? When it comes to Simpson's life. Is this moment? When you start to evaluate this riddle, here's the riddle. Out of the eater, something to eat out of the strong, something sweet. How does it eat or something to eat out of the strong something sweet? If you know Sampson's story and you hear him say that and you hear him put it in the middle of a wager and a gambling endeavor, there is a part of you that cringes. Because here's the story. Sampson. In this moment reveals he has no conviction. He has no repentance. And he is approaching sin in his life very casually. To the point that he is actually basically turning it into a joke where he gets to prove to other people. How big and bad he is. In regards to his lifestyle. That continues to evade judgment. He's being very cocky. When he gives us riddle. And it's not just because he thinks he's smart. It's because he has misappropriated where he is at in regards to his relationship with God out of the East or something to eat. Out of the strong something sweet. Here's the story. Sampson was going to try to find this wife in the Philistine camp and on his way there, a lion came out of nowhere. And when the Lion ran out, it was going to eat him, it was going to devour him, but the Bible says that God put his spirit on. Sampson and Sampson was able with his bare hands to tear that lion to pieces. He taught to shreds. Any time in scripture that you see someone that represents a follower of God being attacked by a lion, it always references what we see in the New Testament that our enemy walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. This is an example of the enemy coming into his life. It's an example of the devil trying to destroy him, trying to eat him, trying to ruin his life. But God moved in his life and God got him victory.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

God was able to see that lie and tore to shreds. Aren't you glad to know that we serve a god who can stop the mouths of lions and shut the mouth of the lion? A god who can tear the lion to shreds? I need somebody who's ever seen God do just that. That's exactly what happens in Sampson's life. This line is sure that it's going to have suffered tonight, and it's going to be Sampson and God's design. Having none of it. He's going to be set free. He's going to be delivered a move in his life. But it ain't over. Because scripture implies that an extended period of time passed and Sampson is now going back and forth in this relationship with this woman, he should have never been hanging out to start with. And while he's taken this path that he should have never been taken on a repetitive basis this day, he walks by. And evidently, this vultures have picked away at this line until most likely there's nothing left except a skeletal system. And imagine a big old rib cage of a massive lion laying here. And bees. Have taken and formed a hive. In the rib cage of this line. And when Sampson walks by, he knows that there's a covenant over his life. He's not supposed to touch anything that is dead or unclean, especially if it involves tasting it or eating from it. It's just a covenant over his life. It's just a promise under the Old Testament rules and regulations that he has made before God and his family has set him in place with before God. But when he goes by this line that once roared in his life. Now it's dead. But this time he sees something sweet inside of it. And when he sees this sweet taste, he forgets about the fact that it's even something he could get stung messing with. And he reaches into the thing that God killed in his life. And pulls out something sweet and in that moment begins to literally eat in a sinful way and taste sinful things in his life. And that is exactly what the enemy is going to try to do to every single one of us that we will have a salvation experience. Then old things will pass away and everything will become new again, and God will kill that stuff that was trying to eat us. He'll kill that stuff that was trying to devour us. But what the heck? Amen. But what the enemy does is the enemy realizes, well, if I if I couldn't devour them in that way, now I'm going to try to entice them and draw them away with something that appears to be sweet.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

That's how addiction works. Got to kill the addiction and let it lay dead. And then the enemy will start trying to convince you that it's really sweet to the taste. And he'll forget about you. Cause you to forget all about the fact you might get stung if you start messing around with that just so you can get another taste. It's the same thing that happens in relationships, it's you'll get in a situation and a relationship will become inappropriate. You might even get incorrectly or inappropriately, emotionally attached and then got to kill that thing and bring separation for you.

And then the enemy will start trying to show you how sweet it might taste. And try to draw you into sexual immorality. Same thing happens with every form of seeing loss of the lust of the flesh. The pride of life. The enemy, when he can't eat us the first time he comes back trying to tempt us with something that appears to be sweet. And what happens in Simpson's life, you see, partakes of this thing in a sinful way literally takes it back to his family and gets his mom and dad involved in the sinful action. And they don't even realize what they're submitting to because he's become so deceptive and such a manipulator. Now, can't we all point to something in our life? Can we all think of a situation where when you look back, you cringe?

 

You like God, set me free. God delivered me God. And then there came the enemy after some time passed. And tried to make it look sweet. Tried to convince you you wouldn't get stung. And sometimes the problem with that is that if you appear to be surviving that action or if you sin tend to think that there's been no negative repercussion, you can start to think it's all good. And you continue to make really bad decisions while anybody around you with any discernment whatsoever is cringing. Because it's almost like, do they not realize where this is going to go?

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I just because you didn't get stung last time, don't mean you ain't gonna get stung this time. I did it, did they not realize where this thing is headed? And so what happens with Samson is. It for me, it's the greatest cringe in his whole life. I mean, it's honestly where this message came from, I was just rereading it again, and I recognized there was a facial expression I had while I was reading it. Just 16, 20. And Delilah said. The Philistines are upon you, Samson. And so he awoke out of his sleep. And he said, I'll go out as at other times before. And I'll shake myself free. But he did not know. That the Lord had departed from him. Dude, how do you get there?

Raised in a godly home. Parents praying on it over him before he came out of his mom was one. The family trying to set a covenant in order that this guy would walk out destiny and walk out purpose and how do you get here? It's because something transpired in his life that caused him to sing God is nothing more than a bailout plan. And he never had a meaningful connection with God, much less others. And I think one of the reasons he never had a meaningful connection with God is because of the verbiage and the terminology that is associated with the

verse that we just read. Because if you've been in church a while and you've hung out around people who are doing their best to follow Jesus. You've seen some of this. Maybe you've even personally lived some of this. I know I have. Look at the verbiage, it's judges 16, 20 and in Delaware said, Hey, they're on you, man. Now, this is three relationships later. He's not learned anything about who he should be hanging out with and who he should not be hanging out with.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

He's just down on the downward spiral, and he says I will shake myself free. And he knew not that the Lord had departed from him. I will shake myself free. The only thing he ever knew about God was movement. The only thing he ever knew about God was action. The only thing he ever knew about God was expression. But Psalm, 46, tells us that to really know God, you must be still. And then you will know that I am God. He never knew God, because all he ever did was run from relationship to relationship. So when it didn't work out with this woman, he ran to a relationship with a Harlot. And when it didn't work out with the Harlot, he ran to a relationship with Delilah.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And the only time that Samson ever got steal is when he was laying his head in the wrong lap. And he knew how to be steel when he's hanging out with Delilah, and he has exhausted himself in lust. Well, he doesn't know how to be steel when it's gone, I need a meaningful connection with you. God, I'm making really bad decisions. God, I'm doing one stupid thing after another. And God, I know you've made me strong, but I'm starting to realize spiritually, I'm not real smart.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

God, I need you to instead of over here laughing about the fact. That he played around and got by with eating the sweetness of sin. And all along, God's trying to get his attention, because when the Philistines come to him and they give him the answer for his riddle, they give him the answer in the form of a question. You know, sometimes God will take people you don't expect and turn them into a puppet for his voice. And what happens, it's a Phillies, things they don't even serve God, but when they come and they begin to speak to Samson, I believe they are literally being used of God to try to provoke his heart towards

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

conviction. Because when they give him the answer, the way that they give him the answers, judge is 14 and 18. And so the man of the city, these 30 man on the seventh day, they go down and they say the answer to your riddle is given in this way what is sweeter than honey?

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And what is stronger than a lie? What is sweeter than Honey and what is stronger than a lion? Samsung knew the answer. Because there was a humor that was sung among the people of God that was later recorded in the Book of Psalms.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And it is believed to have possibly been a human that had been passed down through thousands of years to the people of God. It's simply this Psalm 119, 103, oh god, how sweet are your words? They are sweeter than honey to my mouth.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

When they answered his riddle, God was trying to wake him up. And help him realize, you know what sweeter than Honey. My words, the words are ignoring the commands that you're not acknowledging the thing that you're not being obedient to.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Hey, Samson, you want to know what's more sweeter than Honey me? God is saying my words. He can't rattle him loose. His God consciousness was long ago seared. Because as if the first question wasn't enough, the second question is what is stronger than a lion?

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And there is no doubt in the history of God's people that the book of Job was passed down through oracles. Long before Samson was alive. And here it is. Joe, before nine, by the blast of God, they perish.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

The voice of the fierce lion and the teeth of the young lions are broken. The old lion perishes and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. HUD says even Obama blasted by my voice, lions fall dead and their teeth chatter out of their mouth.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

Thank God is trying to get Samson's attention. Samson, wake up. Can't you sense God cringing as he looks at Sampson's life of Samson, this doesn't have to hurt this bad. This doesn't have to be this painful. This doesn't have to transpire the way that it's transpiring.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

But Samson, at some point you've got to learn how to get steel somewhere other than Delilah's lap. Sampson, who want you to know me who we have a relationship with me. Sampson. Stop being so desperate for acceptance and affirmation and accolade that the only thing you ever fight for is your own pride.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

It don't have to be this way. If you've served God very long and you've lived life very long, we've probably all had God cringing trying to get that through to us. Can I get a witness from somebody on a Sunday morning like we've all been there at some place, at some time, at some moment, and I'm so grateful that we have a God that will stop the mount of a lion. I'm grateful. But I came to warn somebody. I don't see it from a guy that's got it all figured out, I say it to somebody that loves you and cares about you, and thank God I've had people speak it into my own life over the years. That that analogy of. The lion is dead, the lion that was going to eat you, the lion that was going to devour you, God took care of it. Well, now that it's dead in the enemies, just trying a new tactic.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

This time he's trying to convince you how sweet it is. Don't go feeling around in dead places. Don't go playing with the stuff that God's already conquered in your life. The guys already set you free from. Does that make sense to anybody on a Sunday morning?

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

I don't let the enemy persuade you. To reach into a dead place. Believing that there's something sweet worth tasting. Because your covenant with God is not worth jeopardizing. And if all you've ever known is God is a bailout plan.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And if all you've ever known is God, that shows up and. In action expression. Don't miss the moment to just be steel. Just stop what you're doing. Turn everything else down. Stop running from here to there and from this one to that one and just. Stay steel, stop around from job to job and church to church. Just stay still for a minute. And let God be God in your life. Adobe, one of these steel. And God, quite frankly, we are not good at it. I got we hear your voice. We heeded the warning of your word. And we don't want to be like Samson. We don't want to give hidden reason to cringe. As we bring self-inflicted pain upon our lives through bad decision after bad decision instead, God, we want to make room.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

 

To hear your voice. To experience your presence. God, there's some of us that come from even certain religious backgrounds that it seems like it's all about a manifestation or it's all about a specific realm of expression. And if that's not happening, you ain't moving.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

And God, that is why there has been so many fallen men and fallen women in that line of faith. Because we don't know how to be steel. And get to know you. So God, let us learn from Sampson that a meaningful connection with you is not just all about the manifestation of power.

 

Pastor Eric Gilbert

The to really know your God. Sometimes we just have to be still in the secret place of your presence. So that's what we make room for right now. Is the secret place? Of your presence.