Man of Steel

A recent message from Cathleen Parks:

Probably the Biggest Blockbuster of this summer is Man of Steel open this upcoming Friday, June 14th

OPEN: (play the opening to the original Superman series, as well as displaying a picture of George Reeves - which stay on the screen thru the opening of message)

(video: "Faster than a locomotive. More powerful than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the air! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman.

Superman. Visitor from a strange planet endowed with powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men. Superman. Who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, wages a never ending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.")

George Reeves was one of original actors who portrayed Superman on TV. But his fame was not without certain risks. Every time he donned his superman suit in public there were people who would: kick him in the shins, 

hit him in his back with their fists, 

and otherwise assault him. 

Obviously, that was usually people that were young and his admirers didn’t mean any harm really… they were just eager to prove how strong the "Man of Steel" really was. This was their idol.

One afternoon in Detroit in 1953, Reeves’ costume nearly cost him his life. He was making an appearance at a department store when a young fan pulled out his father’s loaded .45 caliber Army Colt and pointed it directly at Reeves’ chest. Miraculously, Reeves talked the kid into putting it down. He assured the boy that Superman could stand the force of the shot, but "when bullets bounce off my chest, they might hurt you and others around here." That cracks me up - the fact that he stayed in character. I’d have been like ‘hey kid, I’m just a man in a suit. Put that gun away!!!’

That seems crazy though doesn’t it? To think, that just the appearance of George Reeves in his Superman costume would elicit such a response from people. But, there was something about that suit that set George Reeves apart.

If he’d walked into that Department store simply wearing a business suit, or a Hawaiian shirt, he might have been mobbed by his fans… but I doubt they would have hit him – or pointed a gun at him. It was the suit that set him apart

It was the suit that stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way”

It was the suit that struck fear into the hearts of evil doers 

And it was the suit that created hope in the hearts of the down trodden

It was the suit that set Superman apart

He was a strange visitor from another planet, endowed with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

But… he was fiction. 

The red caped Superman has never existed except in the lands of TV, movies and comic books

I. Years ago, however, there lived a real superman – born in a little Smallville known as Zorah

He may not have been faster than a speeding bullet

More powerful than a locomotive 

Able to leap tall buildings with a single bound

BUT I suspect he could have bent steel in his bare hands

His name was Samson.

Just as an example of how powerful Samson was:

"…Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and he came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion roared against him and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid; and he had nothing in his hand." (Judges 14:5-6 RSV)

"When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the ropes which were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and seized it, and with it he slew a thousand men." (Judges 15:14-15 RSV)

"The Gazites were told, ’Samson has come here,’ and they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, ’Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.’ But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is before Hebron." (Judges 16:2-3 RSV)

Samson killed a lion with his bare hands

Wiped out 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey 

AND uprooted a city gate, carrying it nearly 40 miles away.

Samson was not someone you messed with.

To paraphrase an old Jim Croce song:

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit in the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger… and you don’t mess around with Samson 

The Philistines feared him, the Israelites adored him, and everybody knew WHO he was

Just like Superman and his cape, Samson had one thing that set apart from mortal men. One distinctive mark, one unique characteristic that even to this day identifies Samson as a superhero. When you think of Samson, what do you think of? (his long hair )

Samson’s long hair was the mark of his vow to God 

From the date of his birth till sometime just before his death, he never cut his hair.

Can you imagine how long his hair must have been?

II. Samson’s hair was the outward mark of his Nazirite vow.

Numbers 6:2-8 "Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. "All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. "All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. Neither for his father nor for his mother, nor for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean; because his separation to God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD." 

Notice: A Nazirite was required to observe the following guidelines:

He was never to cut his hair

He was never to drink alcoholic beverages

And He was never to touch a corpse (a dead human body)

AND as long as he observed these regulations – he was HOLY unto the LORD

Samson was committed to those rules even before he was born. As far as I could tell Samson never broke THOSE rules. He had other problems in his life, other sins - but he never broke those rules.

Now, what was distinctive about Samson was that he was the only Nazirite ever endowed with superhuman strength because of his vow. 

Samson was unique, distinctive, special – and I think there was a reason for that.

III. The reason? I believe Israel NEEDED a hero like Samson. A superhuman hero.

Look again at Judges 13:1. In the first verse of the chapter, God sets the stage for the reason He is creating a hero like Samson:

"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years."

Forty years is a long time. How many of you are under 40 year old?  Can you imagine what it would be like to live your entire life totally dominated by a cruel and repressive nation like the Philistines? Israel had done what was evil in God’s sight. And because of that, they were delivered into bondage to the Philistines. Israel became a whipped people. 

For example, when the Israelites were threatened because of Samson’s exploits, they complained to Samson:, "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?" (Judges 15:11) 

They just wanted to be left alone and here Samson was bringing the wrath of their overlords down upon them.

But Israel’s dilemma had been their own fault.

You see, because of Israel’s failure to set themselves apart TO God…

And because of their failure to separate themselves FROM the uncleanness & the deadness of the culture around them they were now weakened and in bondage. 

Samson was God’s OBJECT LESSON to the Israelites. Through Samson, God was saying to Israel:

"If you want to be strong "

"If you want to be confident." 

"If want the Philistines to fear you."

The key is:

To be different from the world around you. To “live by faith” which means obedience to God’s Word and when you do that…. It’s clear, you’re not like everybody around you, there’s something different.

By his very existence Samson was billboard declaring “separate yourselves.” Make yourselves a HOLY PEOPLE for your God.

IV. Back to Superman. Why was he so strong?

Was it because of his cape? Or because of what he ate? Was it because Clark Kent worked out at the gym every day?

NO… (pause). Then why was Superman strong? He was strong because he was "a strange visitor from another planet."

NOW - why was Samson so strong?

Was it because of his vow? Was it because he didn’t eat unclean foods, and touch unclean things? Was it because he didn’t cut his hair? NO, NOT REALLY! If that were true, every Nazirite would have had Samson’s strength.

Samson’s was strong because – years before he was even born - his parents were visited by a strange visitor from another realm.

REREAD: Judges 13:3-7 (the angel of the LORD appearing to Samson’s mother)

3 The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. 5 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

6 The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.’”

As you read these words, you realized that Samson had his strength because God’s angel had come with a promise. Samson’s strength didn’t rest with his hair. Samson’s strength came from God.

…And that’s the way it’s always been for God’s people.

David wrote:

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Ps 28:7 

The LORD is the strength of his people, he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Ps 28:8 

In the New Testament, Paul writes to us:

“… be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Eph 6:10)

– JUST LIKE SAMSON – Our strength lies with God

Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) 

In other words, if you’re not connected to Jesus… if He doesn’t abide in you and work thru you… you may as well go down to Katy Barber Shop and get a buzz cut… because you will have no real strength without Jesus. You might be able to do many things in this life, but without Jesus - nothing of any value will last.

It is when we realize that it is in God’s strength that we have any impact in our lives that we can begin to make a difference in life. Paul recognized that and he wrote:

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Co 12:10)

How many of you can say that today? I am content with: 

Weaknesses

Insults

Hardships

Persecutions

Calamaties

And again: “I can do all things in him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

You see, God isn’t interested in how how intelligent we are or how well we perform. He’s only interested in our faithfulness. He’s only interested in us being set apart to be used by Him. When we’re willing to be used... then He can take our weaknesses and turn them into His strength.