KwaSizabantu Youth Conference
7 Dec 2002 - Day 2

2002/12/07 - 19:00
"The weakness of the strong man" - Rev Bill Bathman
Judges 14:1 - 11

• Samson went down to Timnath. Geographically one does go down towards Timnath from Israel, but there is a deeper spiritual truth here too. Samson left the place God had for him. If you leave God's calling for you and go into another direction, every step you take is down. In verses 1, 5, and 7 we read how Samson went down, and then in verses 5 and 10 his father goes down as well. Samson's parents satisfied their conscience by registering a protest & then allowed his rebellion, and so they too went down. If you leave the centre of God's will, it will be no surprise when the devil comes roaring at you to devour you.
• Samson went down after one girl, and eventually had 30 companions. If Satan can get you to compromise on one point, it is easy to get you compromised on the 2nd, 3rd, and eventually more than 30 issues, e.g. just going for one tot of wine. You then drink more, become drunk, smoke dagga, leave with a girl on your arm to the bush and end up with AIDS, your body diseased. You go down, down, down, until you end in hell.
• God had great plans for Samson. He invested the strength of an entire nation in a single man. Israel needed a leader, and God raised up Samson to deliver His people from the bondage of the Philistines. Samson did some great exploits with God. He caught 300 foxes, bound a torch between two of them and burnt up the standing corn and olive groves of the Philistines. He slew a 1000 men single-handed.
• But Samson had a weakness - women. He went through a number of them and lastly ended up with Delilah. She sought the secret of his strength, and he withstood the first, second and third temptations, but finally yielded. So too, if you leave God's will for you, Satan will keep on hammering away at your resistance and will not flee. His motive is not to get you drunk or an AIDS-spectacle, because that is bad "advertising" for him. No, he wants you to become like other people - lost and damned and on your way to hell. God's desire for you is to be different, set apart, living a resurrected life, walking with Him and He living His life in you.
• Finally Samson revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah. She cut off his hear and woke him up to defend himself against the Philistines. And then we find perhaps the saddest verse in the whole Bible, Chap. 16:20. He woke up and thought to overcome as before, but did not realise that God had left him. And so he is taken captive, his eyes burnt out with a red-hot iron (the very eyes that had lusted after women), and he became the slave of the Philistines. You may have walked with God for some time and done great exploits for Him, but with time you might have compromised firstly with one sin, then two, and so on. Then Satan comes to test you, and you stand up to resist him as before, but you do not realise that God has left you. You have lost your strength, because of your sin, and are taken captive by Satan.
  "Sin is blinding, binding, and grinding."
• We thank God that Samson repented before it was too late, humbled himself before God received mercy. He once again regained his strength and killed more in his death than in his entire life. Even if you've been taken captive by Satan, you too can receive mercy from God. Jesus died on the cross for your sin that you do not have to die, if only you will humble yourself, turn away from your sins and turn to Him with all your heart.

2002/12/07 - 15:00
"We will all give account to God" - Dumisani Makhoba
Hebr 4:12 & 13: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."

Think of the greatness of God - just His Word, let alone the rest of His great Being, separates and divides for it is sharper than the sharpest sword. Do not think that God's silence when you sin is a sign that He cannot see. Rather, it shows His patience and longsuffering as He waits for you to repent. To Him, everything is exposed and transparent.
His love is true love, in comparison to our fickle love which changes with circumstances. God's love is unconditional and, even if we're in a terrible state because of sin, He will receive us if we surrender to Him.
Seek what satisfies the soul and don't run after other things. The theme of this conference is: "Come, let us reason together." God invites you to come and reason together with Him. Are you looking for love? You may come to Him for he loves you more than anyone else and, on top of it, you don't have to earn it.

2002/12/07 - 10:00
"Be not yoked together with the world" - John Powys
2 Cor 6:14 - 18

John Powys took the morning service on Day 2. He preached on the theme of the conference, "Come, let us reason together."