Rev. William Finley- "Samson's Final Prayer"

Rev. William Finley delivers a powerful sermon on the story of Samson, highlighting how God offers second chances even to those who have strayed from their spiritual calling.

• Samson was divinely appointed from birth with a specific calling to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines
• The Spirit of God empowered Samson with supernatural strength throughout his early life
• Samson's weakness was his attraction to worldly pleasures, particularly his relationships with Philistine women
• Delilah exploited Samson's weakness, leading to the loss of his strength, his eyesight, and his freedom
• Samson lost his spiritual vision long before he lost his physical sight
• In his final prayer, Samson asked God to remember him "just this once" 
• God answered Samson's prayer, allowing him to defeat more enemies in his death than in his life
• If God can remember and restore someone like Samson, He can do the same for anyone who sincerely calls on Him

If you're lost, get saved today. If you're away from God, you can join the fold again. If you're struggling in your faith, be encouraged to continue steadfastly. The Lord is coming back soon—let us all be ready.

Chapters

• 1:39 Introduction by Pastor Shecraft
• 2:53 Samson's Story and Divine Calling
• 8:05 Samson's Weakness and Spiritual Blindness
• 15:30 Samson's Final Prayer for Remembrance
• 19:40 God's Response and Message for Today
• 20:49 Closing Remarks and Encouragement

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:20

Hello, this is Lloyd Shecraft. I'm the pastor of the Fairland Holiness Church in Falk, arkansas, and here's another great message from another holiness preacher.

Speaker 2: 1:43

I want to say thank you to Brother Webb for the opportunity to say something here tonight. All the preaching has been just outstanding. The Lord was here with us today and last night. God's been good to us, hasn't he? He really has. He's been good to us. I appreciate it. I appreciate his spirit. Where would we be without him? Him working in us and, through us, leading us? I know, leading guide I always put those two together. They sound a lot like the same, but leading us and guiding us. I'm so thankful for the Spirit of God. We need him. We need him more now than ever. That's been my prayer, lord, more now than ever. I need you more now. Hallelujah, hallelujah. It's nothing like life to kind of educate you and show you your need for God. Amen, amen. Life is quite a school, it really is, so we're looking forward to it.

Speaker 2: 2:45

I'll get out of the way here in a few minutes, but let's go to Judges tonight. This is a familiar, familiar story and it's an account. Of course, it's not just a story that's been told. This is an account of what happened, isn't it? So I know every preacher in here has preached this, but I want to bring this back up to us here tonight and see what God would do with us here for the next few minutes.

Speaker 2: 3:15

The Bible says let's start in verse 27. Now the house was full of men and women and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And there were upon the roof about 3,000 men and women that beheld while Samson's made sport. And Samson called unto the Lord and said O Lord, god, remember me. I pray thee and strengthen me. I pray thee only this once, o God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. The Bible said in verse 29, and Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was borne up of, the one with his right hand and the other with his left, and Samson said Let me die with the Philistines. He bowed himself with all his might and the house fell upon the lords.

Speaker 2: 4:17

We've all read this so many times and we've learned this in its most basic forms growing up, if you grew up in church, and so this is so familiar to us. But I wanted to bring this back to us here tonight because Samson's life, even though it ended sort of tragically, because Samson, shall we say, was tricked, he was baited, but he himself is the one that put him in that place. God did give him another chance, hallelujah. God did remember him, to which, the more he slew, more at his death than he had his whole life. What was Samson's calling in life? Well, we know that, samson, if you look in the 13th chapter of the book of Judges, you'll see where the angel come to Manoah's wife and he said For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarene unto God from the womb, and this was his calling, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Hallelujah, oh, thank God for a calling. Hallelujah. I said thank God for a calling. Samson was called by God, was he not? The Bible said in verse 24, and the woman bear a son. Now she immediately as we know the story and I'm cutting through here pretty quickly but she goes to her husband and she speaks to him and tells him what happened and of course he runs out to meet. Moral of the story is it comes down to it, it happened like he said it was going to happen. I believe the promises of God, hallelujah. I'm thankful we can take his word to the bank. It'll happen, won't it? The Bible said in verse 24, and the woman bare a son and called his name Samson. And the child grew and the Lord blessed him.

Speaker 2: 6:42

The Bible says in 25, and the spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtol. Hallelujah, the next chapter. We see it very quickly how God used Samson. He wanted that woman that he should not have had out of Timnath. But the Bible did say in verse 5, his mother and his father knew not that it was of the Lord. He sought an occasion. His business was with the Philistines, wasn't it? We know the story here, how God moves on him. And at the very end the Bible said that the spirit of the Lord came down on Samson and he slew.

Speaker 2: 7:21

The Bible said in verse 6, as he went to Timnath, that the spirit of the Lord came mightily on him and he ran him as he would have ran a kid. That is the time when he runs the lion, just a mere man. The spirit of God comes on him and he rends that lion as he would have a kid. It's very obvious what happens in this chapter you see God's hand at work in his life, all through it, all through it. But Samson had a weakness. You know, if Satan finds out where your weakness is at, he will exploit it. I take comfort in the fact that God was still using Samson all the way through his life. God used him for his glory. We must always remember when the spirit of God, when we're baptizing the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost, comes on us. He does it for a purpose. He's got a work to do in us and through us and in this world. Every time that Samson was used and the Spirit of God would come upon him and he would develop that superhuman strength, it was because of the Spirit of God Almighty that was working in his life, hallelujah.

Speaker 2: 8:38

But the Bible says that it came down in chapter 16, where once again Satan exploits the weaknesses of Samson. And the Bible said that, delilah, he should have never been with her in the first place. Amen. God's people don't need a spouse from the world, amen. But the Bible said that Samson had went in unto her and he had, once again, samson had a problem with being pleased with the world. He had a problem with liking what was out there. He had a problem with liking what was out there. He had a problem with enjoying what was out there and finding pleasure in what was out there. He had a weakness that Satan knew was there, and every time Satan would push that weakness, old Samson would crumble underneath of it. You will either yield to the Spirit of God and you'll either seek out the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of God or you'll seek to please your flesh. It's one or it's the other, my friend, that's what Samson ended up doing at the very last part of this.

Speaker 2: 9:57

We find him in the lap of Delilah. Shouldn't have been there? And she asked him time and time again. She had become an instrument of Satan. She had become used of the very enemies of God to take God's warrior down. Oh God, help us here tonight, lord. I said, help us here tonight, god, that we would take heed before it ever took place in our lives and we'd take heed before Satan ever got a foothold, before he ever was able to exploit a weakness in a man or a lady, that we would take hold and take heed, hallelujah. But we find Samson. Let me calm down here.

Speaker 2: 10:44

We find Samson laying in the lap of Delilah, and she constantly asks him these questions. You would think after one time he would figure out what was going on. You would think after two times he would figure out what was going on. But the Bible says she vexed him. There was something wrong with Samson to lay there long enough to get vexed. He shouldn't have been there in the first place. Listen, my friend, don't take heed to the devil's temptations. He laid there. He shouldn't have been there, but he laid there too long, my friend. The Bible said that it vexed him. It vexed him. It got his attention so bad that he literally told her where his strength lied. Oh God, help us here tonight.

Speaker 2: 11:40

Now this goes back to that vow, that Nazarite vow how many know. Samson wasn't supposed to cut his hair. He wasn't supposed to have strong drink. I don't think he was supposed to touch any deadly thing. I don't think, for as a dead animal, there's a lot of things that Samson was supposed to keep, according to that Nazarite vow. But the Bible said that when he gave her that information and was willing to capitulate.

Speaker 2: 12:08

The Bible says that he was asleep. He laid there and as soon as she got him asleep, satan always does his dirty work in the darkness. Yes, samson couldn't stop at that point. She was in control. So we find Samson at this point in time.

Speaker 2: 12:30

The Bible said, when they cut his hair, that she brought in someone and they began to afflict him. You know, satan will afflict you. The world's not all fun and games. Backsliding's not all fun and games. Walking away from God is not all fun and games. Losing your anointing is not all fun and games, my friend, there will be a payday someday. We used to sing that song. There will be a payday at the end of the road. There will be a payday. But end of the road. There will be a payday.

Speaker 2: 13:05

But I want you to understand something here tonight. When they had done their wicked deed and Samson had given in and give away just for a few moments, he had lost his power, he had lost his strength. Now the enemy had him, the Philistines, that wicked enemy of Israel, that nemesis of Israel, and they were dancing him, about, parading him, about mocking him, having gashed his eyes out. I want to say something here and I don't mean to be. I hope this is how do I put this. I hope this is just a direct and as textually correct as anything else. Satan lost his physical eyes that day, but he had lost his spiritual eyes a long time before then. Holy Ghost, help us here today. I don't want to lose the Spirit of God in my life. I don't want to lose the power of God. I don't want to lose the power of God. I don't want to lose the touch of God. I don't want to lose that comforting power of the Holy Ghost in my life, the one that warns me of what lies ahead, the one that draws me back when maybe I'm not as close as I should be, the one that, hey, hey, I need God to draw me ever close. I need his spirit, his ever-abiding spirit in my life. Samson had lost those visions, that spiritual vision, a long time before. Oh God, help me, help us. And here he is. He has a trophy of the Philistines. Now we catch up to our text here tonight and I'll be done in just a couple minutes.

Speaker 2: 14:48

The Bible said that they had taken him and their hearts were merry in verse 25. They said call for Samson that he may make us sport. And they called for him out of the prison house. And he made them sport. They set him between the pillars. The Bible said, and Samson said unto the lad that held him in verse 26, take him by the hand, suffer me that I may feel those pillars. I'll be honest with you tonight. I wish that somebody could get a desire to fill those pillars again tonight. I wonder if Samson remembered those times when God would come on him. I wonder if Samson remembered those times when the Holy Ghost was all over him. No doubt he felt bad for where he was standing. No doubt he felt defeated, because we'll see in his prayer in just a few minutes where he asked God just to remember him one more time. But I wish somebody would get the desire.

Speaker 2: 15:55

Maybe you've walked away from God, maybe it's just small things, maybe you're a backslider here tonight and you're desiring to be back where God wants you to be. It starts with a desire, my friend, hallelujah. It starts with a desire and it starts with a want. It starts with paying attention to that conviction that comes out of your heart. I'm preaching old things here tonight. I know I've stood in this church for 20 some years. I remember all the good times we had when dad pastored in Whitesburg. I've been helped and blessed and I know I'm preaching old things here tonight, but the Holy Ghost still wants to draw a backslider.

Speaker 2: 16:45

The house was full of men and women, all the lords of the Philistines were there and there upon the roof, about 3,000 men and women that beheld while Samson was made sport. This was an ungodly thing that was taking place at the expense of a backslider. Samson called unto the Lord and said oh Lord, remember me. I pray thee, give me five minutes If the Holy Ghost doesn't get in this, just like we. You know, remember me, I pray thee.

Speaker 2: 17:29

I remember a thief on a cross, and I say a thief. I call him a thief. He was a male factor, one of those that were crucified with Jesus Christ, one mocked and scorned and ridiculed, but the other was able to get out. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said this day, shalt thou be with me in paradise. I'm telling you, if God, if God can have mercy on a thief that's being hung next to Jesus, he can have mercy on you tonight. Strengthen me, I pray thee Only this once, o God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines from my two eyes.

Speaker 2: 18:18

Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood and which it was borne up, of the one with his right and of the other with his left. Samson said let me die with the Philistines. And the Bible said he bowed himself and God answered his last prayer. If you'll say, remember me tonight, I'm being very how do I put this? I'm being very broad with that, but if God can remember Samson, god can remember you. Hallelujah. I said if God can remember Samson, god can remember you. You're going to have to get to the place here tonight, to where you're willing to say Lord, it doesn't matter, just remember me, whatever it takes. Father, just this one last time, remember me. Do you feel him pulling at your heart? Do you feel him tugging? He's here for you tonight, hallelujah. Thank you, brother Webb.

Speaker 1: 19:51

Hello everyone. My name is Brother Scott Culpepper From Easley, South Carolina. I help edit audio for both Holiness Preaching Online as well as the HPO for Kids podcast. I'd like to tell you how much we appreciate you listening to this sermon. If you're lost, I pray that you'd get saved today. If you're away from God, you can join the fold again. If you're struggling in your faith, I pray this sermon encourages you to continue steadfastly. The Lord is coming back soon. Let us all be ready. Thank you again for tuning in to Wholeness Preaching Online. God bless.