Samson, God's Superman — Leonard Ravenhill

One of the serious handicaps in traveling from one country to another is the is the problem of languages and I have been in some countries where I had to have one interpreter or I prefer to call them interrupters and Sometimes two interpreters.

But it's always comfortable to be in America because while you don't speak English at least you understand it. The pastor said this morning that there are some people who have itching ears. I'm sure this is true because there are so many kelps that are prosperous right now.

The Secret of Samson’s Strength

But if it is true, and it is true that there are many people with itching ears I have no commission from God to scratch them. The text you'll find tonight in the book of Judges the 16th chapter and verse 6.

Judges the 16th chapter verse 6. And Delilah said to Samson. Tell me I pray thee wherein thy great strength lieth and Wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. Tell me wherein the secret of thy great strength lieth.

That added word is in one of the European versions of the scriptures the word added is the word secret. It's not there by inspiration. It's there at least by inference. This is a story we like to tell to children it lends itself to a great deal of color and excitement.

And I think very often we pass this story on to children like the story of David and Goliath. Because it's too big for us to handle. I've seen this colorful picture of Samson a type of Israel in its glory.

I See a type of the church. I Believe us the story begins by a series of dramatic events in the life of Samson. Well, isn't that how the history of Israel began? Didn't she move in supernatural power out of Egypt.

Wasn't he surrounded? With all the natural power supernatural power. Didn't the Church of Jesus Christ begin like that? Before he retired as the brilliant founder editor of Christianity today Dr. Carlyle Henry sent a questionnaire out to 20 Intellectual preachers in the country.

I did not know there were so many but He sent out this great question to 20 great preachers, and he asked them this. What do you see for the Church of Jesus Christ by the year 2000? The answers are very interesting.

I remember two of them outstandingly and I'll quote one. One was from the very famous Quaker philosopher. And I know theology sometimes puzzles me but Elton Trueblood says some very stabbing things. His answer to the question was this by the year 2000 the Church of Jesus Christ will be a conscious minority Surrounded by an arrogant militant paganism.

Well, I read that and I went to sleep. I woke up about one o 'clock in the morning and I turned it over in my mind and turned it over and over. The Church by the year 2000 will be a conscious minority Surrounded by an arrogant militant paganism.

I began to back up and ask myself isn't that where the Church of Jesus Christ is tonight? Are we not surrounded tonight by an arrogant militant paganism and let's back it right up to its inception. The Church of Jesus was not given to the world on a silver platter.

The Church of Jesus Christ was born in a sophisticated totalitarian world. It was born under a slave system. It was born when it was handicapped in every every possible way. I've crossed the Atlantic about 20 times.

Usually I like to go by boat. I don't like flying personally, I think that's for the birds, but I do like to go by boat and Many times when we've crossed it. I've discussed with others thought with others about the Situation that the Church of Jesus Christ is in today, and I believe that on the threshold of 1979 the crisis in America is greater than it was in 1776.

You can tell me about the deteriorating dollar. We try to pump life into it and somehow it refuses to go back into life. You can tell me about the collapse of Cambodia, Laos, those other countries where 50 million people went down the drain overnight.

It didn't cost most of us a tear anyhow. You can tell me about the dismantling of those great countries in Africa. Now I'll try to provoke your thinking. You know good preaching does one of three things it makes people glad sad or mad.

Mine is usually in the last category. But if you're not grown up don't come. You'll waste my time and yours. I'm going to talk to you in the next two weeks by the grace of God as though you're a theorist about living your Christian Life as anything that you could have this side of eternity.

America’s Crisis and the Church’s Failure

You see up to this present moment the white man has had the ball. He fumbled it. If there's a vote in the United Nations tomorrow out of about 52 nations. How many white nations are there there? There are no new white nations being born.

Every new nation is a colored nation. I used to go through the United Nations. I was editing a paper in New York at that time. And I would go down the corridors of the United Nations and everybody I met was a very distinguished looking colored man.

Very often with a beautiful robe and a gold chain around his neck and some fancy thing on his head. And he would salute and speak in good English because of course most of them are educated in America or Oxford or Cambridge.

They've got the ball at their feet. The third world is growing our world is shrinking and you can tell me about all the tragedies and there are many of them right now. Isn't it strange. Isn't it almost indefinable that the nations that won the war are losing the war right now.

The two nations that suffered most during World War two Germany and Japan have a stronger economy than we have a won the war. Milton Friedman is the greatest living economist I think is in Chicago University.

And he says I cannot understand why every nation in the world is rushing to super inflation in 1979. And as a wizard in economics he says I don't understand it. Somebody's sitting on the money bag. I could give you some names, but I won't.

Oh well somebody rubs his eyes and says listen I'm an old man, and you know I've seen America get out of situations like this and other nations. Well, there's one different thing the Word of God says about this hour that we're entering to entering into.

Sure there's been distress of nations you see I Think we've forgotten if we ever we thought about it that World War one Ended at 11 o 'clock in the morning on the 11th day of the 11th month. 11 months from the signing of the armistice with Turkey.

And 11 months from the time that Allen be entered into Jerusalem now. There's a series of 511 do you think God was knocking on the door of humanity and saying we're entering the midnight hour? Even in 1930 1919.

I Say tell me about the nation. But you see there's one little clause that rather stirs me when I think of our present dilemma financially economically morally. We're law in the nation morally or immorally now than any period in history.

I believe spiritually. We're lower. And when you told me about the disaster in the economic world when you told me tell me about the secret moving a political power. After all we brought 50 prime young communists into this country this week.

50 brilliant Chinese scholars a Hundred percent dedicated to communism or they would not be allowed to leave the country. Do you think they're here only to learn? Don't you think it's a sad chapter that we're really opening new relationships with the most godless society in the world today?

China and also with Russia. You know the word of God says it says about the day in which we live it will be this press of nation but it adds another little phrase it says with perplexity and Nobody knows the way out.

I want to tell you the answer to our problem in America Is not in the White House. It's in God's house. If we put that house, right. And I'm here for nothing less than to share my thinking and prayers with you in the next two weeks.

But God will do something that will not only change our individual lives or even the life of this church or community, but somehow. That that much-needed overdue revival. Which is the only way of saving America our generation may be born in this next two or three weeks.

After all with all the disasters that are around. The greatest disaster in the world at this moment to me is a sick church in a dying world. Is recovery possible. Sure it is. Sure it is and the way for the church to recover is to get that supernatural touch of the Spirit of God.

The Church’s Need for Supernatural Power

I guess if we read it properly the Word of God is the most exciting book That's ever been written. It's God's last word to man and here again. We have a picture of a man with supernatural power. Whatever he does he does something no one else can do now again.

He's not a philosopher. There's no like well you have the Prophecy of Jeremiah the prophecy of Isaiah and so forth there are no great prophecies by This wonderful man Samson. He's he's a type of the people that do know their God.

Now that's what the Word of God says. Not the people that know their Bible. There's all the difference in the world between knowing the Word of God and knowing the God of the Word and The scripture says the people that do know their God shall be strong and to exploit.

Now here's a man who is dazzling and starting everybody by his great achievement. And so his enemies design on him and they want to find his secret. What's a better way than getting a woman on the job?

And so they say to this woman now you'll find out the secret and she comes up to this man. And she says hey, I want to ask you a question. What's the secret of your great strength? What what what what vulnerable spot you have?

How can we bind you and bring you to impotence? Samson said unto her in verse 7 if they bind me with seven green wisps. That whenever dried then shall I be weak. Oh, I wish he'd left that out. I Got a man, but he said if you bind me with seven you see this was a secret.

He knew he was supernatural. She knew he was supernatural. His enemies knew he was supernatural, but where's the supernatural in the church of God today? What is the act of the Apostles. The act of the Apostles is the Church of Jesus Christ doing everything Jesus did when he was on Earth apart from walking on the water.

Isn't that exactly what the disciples did? Well Samson said if you bind me with seven green wisps that were never used then shall I be weak like other men and they tried It and it didn't work. And then he says in verse 9 if you found me verse 11 if they bind me fast with new ropes that were never used.

Then shall I be weak like other men. He emphasizes it again. And then in verse 17, he says the same thing if I be shaven and my strength go for me I should become weak. The great curse in the Church of God today is mediocrity.

The trouble with our Bible students and seminars is we turn men out like they turn automobiles off an assembly line. They're all the same quality. They all think the same things. They all read the same notes.

They all listen to the same old dried-up teachers. Now don't mention that in Dallas because I have to go in a few weeks, but It's there. You know the church today is so subnormal that if ever we become normal, we'll think we're abnormal.

What's the secret of that great friend? Oh, I suppose it's a blessing for most of us that we settle for mediocrity, huh? After all how many men really want to sit on the circle of the earth? How many men have tried to conquer the world?

Centuries ago a young man did it. We're told at 27 years of age Alexander the Great sat down and wept bitter tears because he conquered the world and there were no other worlds to conquer. He didn't know anything about getting on the moon, of course.

Hmm. So a young man at 27 has dominated the world militarily. In the day of many of us, there's a man by the name of Hitler. He had a little charlie chopin mustache and one stripe on his arm. And every move he made was successful except the last one because you see he didn't sleep at night like we do.

He stayed up till three four five in the morning. He studied astrology. He had a spiritist medium interpreting every move for him and he made every move right except the last one. He came within an ace of conquering the world.

And between alexander the great and hitler you had a man a little copulent corsican by the name of napoleon. Men still still study his military strategy. Maybe he was the greatest military strategist in history.

And when he was riding the crest of the wave and it seemed as though he was just within reaching for world domination. He gathered together his warlords. On the wall of his office. He had a great map of the world.

He snapped these men to attention said look at this. And he took his index finger and he ran it around the ragged edge of a great country. And as they were a bit shifty he commanded them again. He said look at this and he plunged his finger in the center of the country he'd outlined.

And he said there lies a sleeping giant. Let it sleep. He said if that country ever wakes up with its millions of people and all its hidden mineral power and strength. If they ever combine those forces if that giant wakes and begins to flex its muscles let the world look out.

Because he said That nation will dominate the world. He said that in 1800 and when 35 before he went to the battle of waterloo. There lies a sleeping giant. Let it sleep. If it should wake up and harness its manpower to its other secret powers, it will shake the world.

Do you know which country it was? That he outlined in 1835. China. China tonight has a million men guarding its border into russia. China says she can lose 10 million men and not miss 10 million fighting men.

We have just graciously given it the formula for making atomic weapons and what have we got. There lies a sleeping giant let it sleep. If it wakes up and harnesses its manpower to its mineral powers and other powers it will shake the world.

Dear francis schaefer one of the great thinking men In the church of god today says this in his book death in the city. I would remind you that eight centuries ago 800 years every decent sized town and city in china had a thriving new testament church.

Now think of it for a second what was going on in america 800 years ago. 800 years ago in china. They were not only making the most poor wonderful porcelain and treasuring things from the ming dynasty and all the rest of it.

They are thriving new testament churches, where are they today? All right change the characters. You see I didn't come here to hear politics. All right, change the characters instead of seeing napoleon running his finger around the ragged edge of a great country.

You see the devil standing there not with a map of the world. But a map of the ages and he stands his demons there and says look see this watch this. And he runs his finger around something and says this there is the church of jesus christ a freak.

Let it sleep. Because if the church of jesus christ ever rediscovers the resurrection power of jesus. And every believer gets filled with the holy ghost. They'll shake the world. Everything in the little school.

The Sleeping Church and the Threat of Judgment

I went to in england. I had a teacher. She wasn't very bright. I don't think most teachers are but. My teacher wasn't very bright and uh. She was always suspicious. I wasn't bright. And I found out I was right.

You see she told us a story about the. The most famous character in all the writing and you can put hemingway or anybody else you want in the modern writers. The best known story out of all american literature is the story of rit van winkel.

You can go to any country in the world russia china anywhere they know the story of rit van winkel. You remember he went to sleep up by the bible school. He didn't go to the bible school, but he he. He would have gone to sleep anyhow, but anyhow.

He went up by uh, the hudson river and he fell asleep in sleepy hollow. You remember he came down the hill he got into controversy with somebody. And all I remember about the story was that well, he slept 50 years or 100 years according to who tells the story.

But that isn't the point of the story. My teacher missed it entirely. The fact is that when he went up the hill to go to sleep. There was a sign hanging outside of the tavern there it waved in the breeze and there was a picture on the sign.

It was a picture of george iii the king of england at that time. And while all rit van winkel was sleeping they painted out the face of george iii and they painted in the face of another george by the name of washington.

And surely the secret of the story is not that he went to sleep for 50 years. The moral of the story is he slept through a revolution. And i'm not suggesting that i'm telling you that's what the church of jesus christ is doing today.

What's the greatest threat to america tonight? Communism now. Financial bankruptcy. We're nearly there now. The greatest threat to america or england or modern life is god himself. You see there comes a period when god quits dealing with men and there comes a period when god quits dealing with nations.

Do you ever think of the fact that god was once married and he got divorced because his wife played the harlot? Don't we get excited about the week before? Easter and we talk about palm sundry and jesus made a triumphant entry into jerusalem.

Did he make a triumphant entry or did he make a tearful exit? They said we're getting rid of you. He said you're fools. I'm getting rid of you. Your house is desolate. For 2 000 years god has not bothered with the bride that he had.

For 2 000 years the jews have been a football for anybody to kick around. Isn't it amazing that a little country that you could gather in your arms and drop in one of the great lakes? Is the most expensive commodity in america today?

We give them billions of dollars. We don't give a dime to northern ireland, which is the most protestant country in the world. We don't talk about peace there. But we fight like mad not to save israel to save our oil reserves, I think.

But anyhow, it's a good cover-up. But the point is god was once married to israel. He divorced israel for 2 000 years. He hasn't bothered. She's been brutalized. God sits in heaven and watches hitler liquidate 6 million jews.

We're told. The point is he walked out on a nation that was rebellious. Do you think he didn't walk out on america or england? Or do you think maybe he's done it and we don't know we're still keeping up our emotions.

You know what? We've got this story pretty messed up, haven't we? I said that this sam samson is a type of the church. She moved in supernatural power in the first century or two. In the first three centuries of christianity a christian could not own a piece of property.

A church could not own its own building. But it thrived it prospered. Do you know what? Do you know what the breakdown of the failure of the church is as soon as the church becomes rich? And she can be accepted by society.

She loses an anointing and she goes down the drain. The church is most healthy in the world tonight where there's persecution. The proof of that will be how many of you will make it back as many nights as you can during the next two weeks.

Because you may be away the night the fire falls and that will be bad. Now, do you really love god enough? To put everything on one side and say god if you're going to work. I want to be there that night.

Do you love god enough to do that? Do you love your spiritual life enough? Do you love the church enough to do that? Do you love america enough to do that? Here is a man doing what nobody else could do.

His enemies say what's the secret of his strength? They lock him up in a city and he takes part of the city away. They send men to arrest him and he picks up the jawbone of an ass. And he slew 2 000 men with the jawbone of an ass.

Isn't that something? I heard of a preacher saying god doesn't use the jawbone of an ass anymore. An old lady said he does in our poop it every week. But uh apart from that. The jawbone of an ass, huh?

Do you think we're really serious about having in god we trust in our coins? I read a book recently that said we're the only country within god we trust in our coins. Forget it england had that on the coins.

Before america was born. It's written in latin defender of the faith of protestant faith, too. I mean if in god we trust do we need armies? Why are we taxed up to our ears? Well, we're taxed up to our ears to pay for crime and war machines.

Now do a bit of homework. Look back in the in the first book of kings I guess do you know one night an angel was going home and he was in a hurry and he forgot the 55 mile an hour Limit and and he rushed to a city and he dragged one of his wings Through a city and the wing of an angel destroyed 185 000 people.

The wing of an angel destroyed a hundred and eighty five thousand people. And jesus said on the cross I can call 12 legions of angels. That's 12 times 5 000 or 10 000 or the affix a legion. And Make it a hundred and twenty thousand angels each able to destroy a hundred and eighty five Thousand people and I think jesus is saying in a nice way.

Look, I can not only get off this cross. I can wipe the population of the world out as quick as that. That's all you want. Here is a man who's proving the power of god. He takes the jawbone of an ass and he slays a lot of chosen men.

They put him inside the city. He carries away the gates of the city. Hmm. He was quite a runner. He'd have made the olympics because he could change foxes and he caught foxes 600 of them and tied their tails together and put a faggot between their tails.

And he set the corner of the enemy on fire and destroyed all their crops. Well, do you wonder the enemies were after him? How does he do it? Nobody else can move like this. What's the secret of his supernatural power?

You see we've got this man all mixed up. I like art I I don't understand modern art. I was in the house a while ago a lady had a gorgeous. She told me it was a gorgeous picture in the next room. I went to see it.

It was a big blob of yellow on a frame. And she said you know what that is. I said, yeah, she said what I said a poached egg. She said it's a sunrise done by song. So I said I wouldn't have known. I thought he just got the paint and went like that and wherever it stopped.

That's it. In many art galleries in the world i've said you have pictures of samson and every time I see samson. He's a superman. According to our thinking, you know, the average man in israel was this height.

Saul the king of israel was head and shoulders above the average man. Goliath was head and shoulders above paul and samson somewhere up there. Now do you think a woman's going to be dumb enough to say to a man 19 feet high?

Hey, buddy. What's the secret of your strength? Do you take wheaties? I don't believe samson was an inch taller than any other man. Yes. The word of god cancels all our ideas and those stupid artists.

We showing with big muscles like watermelons and legs like redwood trees and a range of muscles here. You know like mr. America. He's nothing like that at all because the word of god says it's not by what?

By what nor by but by my Spirit says the lord of hosts. And hebrews 11 says time would fail me to say the giddy tell of gideon and day and of david and of barack. And of samson who threw his muscles on or through faith from jude kingdom.

And wrought righteousness and obtained promises. It's not by might. It's not by power. It's by my spirit. The word of god says the lame take the prey and to those who have no might he increased us hence.

And i've heard people when they've been despairing in prayer pray like something like this lord. Thou art able to do far more exceeding abundantly above all that we can either ask or think and everybody says amen.

Boy, that was a great prayer. Well, that happens to be what the bible does not say except in part. The bible says that god. You know the high and lost you want to inhabit eternity. The nations are like a dust in a bucket.

He sits on the circle of the earth. There's a show in minnesota right now. You go into a theater you get in a chair and you sit back and they carry you into space. At least you think so and they begin to tell you about the secrets of the universe.

We live in a shrinking world in an expanding universe. They suddenly discovered there are 150 billion stars in the milky way. And the little boy in england I used to look up at them and say to my mummy Why is there that great track of light in the sky mother said that's the milky way?

It's the one super galaxy in the heaven. It has 150 million. No billion stars. And now science says there are there are 150 billion galaxies. And in the 40th chapter of isaiah it tells me that god knows the names of every one of those 150 billion stars in every one of those 150 billion galaxies.

The man that wrote the hymn when I surveyed the wondrous cross Isaac. Gave us another hymn in which he said he made the stars those heavenly flames. He counts their numbers calls their names his wisdom's vast and knows no bounds.

A deep at all a thought to drown. What is the creature still of force the sprightly man the warlike horse? The piercing wit the active limb all are too mean delights for him that Saints are lovely in his sight.

He views his children with delight. He sees their hopes. He knows their fears. He looks and loves his image there. God doesn't glory in stars. He can blow them off the end of his tongue. Jesus didn't die to redeem star.

He died to redeem us. He died to make us the habitation of the most high god. Somebody said a while ago to one of the most brilliant chinese scholars. You've read the quran. You've read the venus. You read most of the sacred books.

Have you read the new testament? Ah, he said I read little new testament time number three three times. And he said what's the most wonderful thing in it and the preacher thought he had the answer the virgin birth a physical resurrection of jesus.

He looked at the christian said are you a christian? You're the most wonderful thing in the world. Well christian came up, you know, well we christians aren't perfect. We're just sinners that god's patched up and you know, we're a bit lousy like the rest of folk.

We lie now and again and we're not always so honest and sometimes we'd rather Watch the crimson tide than the crimson cross. The uh China man said sir You are the most wonderful thing on this earth, you know, the christian didn't know why till the china man even told him.

Because he said it says at the end of ephesians chapter two that you Are the habitation of god. He said sir does god live in you. I don't ask people if they're saved. Everybody's saved now from mr. Carter to johnny jenkins.

Possible to be born again. You can see girls with bare bosoms and a cross on it and it's acceptable. You can live like hell in hollywood and be born again. I don't ask people if they're born again. I don't ask them if they're saved.

I ask them does christ live in you. They hum and they are and say well now no, no, no, no, come on. Either christ lives in you or he doesn't and if christ doesn't live you're still dead in trespasses and in sin.

And the china man says you're the most amazing person that your god lives inside of you. There is no other religion like that christianity. There may be a study of comparative religion. Christianity is not a comparative religion.

It's a superlative religion. It is the only world religion in the world where a man's god lives inside of him. We say jesus christ came you're a bad man. He came to make you good. Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good.

He came into the world to make dead men live. Samson was very much alive. All the evidence was supernatural power. Why he subdued his enemies? That's why as long as he was obedient he was more than conqueror.

There was no weapon formed against him that could prosper. Didn't matter what he imagined subdued all his enemies. He threw down every stronghold. Because in our language of the indwelling christ. The indwelling power of the spirit of god.

Oh, yes, he. He pulled down the gates of the city. He destroyed their crops. He destroyed their enemies, but you know what? He was a very natural man. He fell in love if that is natural, I suppose it is.

The girl lived at timnath and he could go down the road that way. He could go down the road this way and they said You can't go that way. Why because haven't you heard the news? There's a lion in the way.

Do you know how many people that lion has destroyed or maimed or killed or eaten? You can't go that way go this way. He went that way. And when the lion saw him the lion said well here comes my lunch.

Man, he looks real tasty. Samson's walking down the road with his dad and mom and he says dad and mom you're getting old. Would you sit down here for a minute have a little business to do around the corner?

And he went around the corner and the lion sprang at him and what did he do? He took it by its jaws and ripped it as though it were a kid of the ghost. Well, that's a miracle. The second half of the text is more miraculous, you know it says.

But after he destroyed the lion He said nothing about it. Well, at least we'd have photographed the thing wouldn't we. I mean. Hmm. I mean after all you can't destroy the biggest longest fiercest strongest Mightiest lion in the world and let it go by like that.

I mean, you've got to show the relatives and everybody else and put it on the front of the church magazine. There was a lion in the way. Well, then if samson is a type of a spiritual man the devil the life is a type of the devil.

That's also about seeking whom he may devour now. Listen, the tragedy of america tonight is not due to the fact of all the immorality and sin and shame. It's due to the paralysis of the church. This is a warfare.

There's a battle in the heavenlies right now against the principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. One day my son david will talk to you about binding the strong man. I used to have a little old man that came to a church.

I passed it in england in 1933 four or five. A church where we had constant revival for three years where people lined up outside on a sunday night to get in. This little man did not have good health.

He was very poor. His shirt was always clean but ragged. I said to him one day. Mr. Furnable, please don't bother to come on the sabbath morning or sabbath evening. I can't teach you anything. You've walked with god about 50 years.

I'm in my 20s. What can I teach you? But I said make me a promise you'll never never never miss the prayer meeting. We got about 200 maybe 250 people to our prayer meeting and it was a prayer meeting.

It began at 7 30 on a wednesday night. We never knew the end. I never told them when he would told because I didn't know. It would go on two hours and three hours praying with fervency and sweat and tears.

That little man was a spark plug every time in that prayer meeting. I'd see him come down the aisle and sit in the front and say well, hallelujah. We we're on our way tonight. Furnables here. And somewhere in his praying he would pray this lord teach us what is flesh and what is spirit.

And teach us how to bind and how to lose. I don't care whether it's this church. I've been for a whole month in dr. Charles Stanley's lovely church there in first baptist. Great big place packed with three thousand five hundred people every sunday morning 2500 every sunday night a great thriving church.

I said the same there as I'll say here or in the country church that no church is stronger than its prayer meeting. I like singing. I wish we'd spend as much time training people to pray as we taught them to try to teach them to sing.

There was a line in the way didn't bother samson. He just walked up to that line the line sprang at him and with that supernatural stress you see there's something in his life. Which is the most precious thing this side of eternity.

I know some men intellectual wizards. I couldn't count on my fingers and toes all the millionaires and multi-millionaires that I know. I don't esteem them for their social standing or intellectual strength necessarily.