my name is Chet Hampton and I have the
privilege of being the campus pastor at
our Lake Norman location
what's up Lake Norman and I have the
opportunity to speak God's Word to you
today and now levar um I'll never fully
fathom the price that's been paid so
that this platform could exist and
that's why I consider it such an honor
and a privilege to get to stand in this
place where such an anointed man of God
our pastor Pastor Steven fans so
consistently and the fact that he's
entrusted me with this opportunity I'm
very grateful so thank you Pastor for
this moment I want to I want to tell two
stories today I want to take us on a bit
of a journey we're going to focus on two
characters we're going to focus on a
biblical character but then also I want
to focus on a on a couple the husband
and a wife set my wife and I know very
well we're very close to them and I hope
that the two stories the two characters
will parallel and God's going to show
you something in your situation today so
I want to focus on the character of
Samson we're going to go to judges
chapter 16 verses 25 through 27 we're
going to talk about Samson on father's
day Samson it says this while they were
in high spirits look at your neighbor
and say who is they while they were in
high spirits they is the Philistines the
Philistines were the people that God had
called Samson to conquer and yet now
Samson finds himself standing in a place
of regret he's standing in the middle of
a Philistine temple and he's a prisoner
he's captive to the very people that God
had called him to conquer and he's going
how am I going to get out of this
situation so it says while they were in
high spirits they shouted bring out
Samson to entertain us so they called
Samson out from the prison and he
performed for them when they sit him
among the pillar Samson said to the
servant who held his hand put me where I
can feel the pillars that support the
temple so that I might lean against them
now the temple was crowded with men and
women all the rulers of the Philistines
were there and on the roof were about
3,000 men and
in watching everyone say watching they
were watching Samson perform and I
believe that so many of us today we are
standing in the middle of a mess we are
standing in the middle of a mistake and
we don't see a way out of it today and
we feel like the enemy is watching us
and he thinks he has this trap but if
you could take courage today and if you
could find hope that what the enemy sees
is a trap God sees as an opportunity for
trial in your lives if you hold on to
live you'll trust him if you'll just
believe you've got something good in
store for you today and so I want you to
look your neighbor in the eyes look at
them intensely in the eyes and I want
you to announce the title of today's
sermon look at them and say what you see
is what you get you may be seated thank
you worship team what you see is what
you get well let me just take a few
moments to to bring some context to Who
I am as a person not that I think I'm
not great but I just want you to feel
like I'm not a complete stranger
standing in your midst today preaching
to you I want to throw a picture of my
family up on the screens you're going to
see my family here this is my wife Jill
and I we've been married for 13 years 13
years strong and those are my kids
McKenna
Ashton Adeline and Jude I'll talk about
my kids real quick because I'm a proud
dad Ashton and McKenna they do a really
good job at keeping me cool and current
at least I think I'm cool they might not
think so like one time I went to this
event at McKenna school it was a it was
a what was it a fundraiser the
fundraiser that was going on at her
school and it was parents day and they
played this song in the parking lot and
they were like okay all the parents
start dancing and none of the parents
were dancing but I was like hey it's
parents say it's the parents dance song
I might as well dance and I don't
proclaim to be a good dancer but I
started dancing and McKenna is looking
over here at me and she was like what
are you doing to my life right now stop
it right now and I told her I wouldn't
do this but I got to do it since I'm
standing on this platform they teach me
these dance moves and
I don't know if this is appropriate to
do in church but if you think it's
inappropriate you can email John cell at
elevation church organ he'll answer all
of your questions that you might have
but they teach me they taught me this
new dance move it's called the drop
anyone heard of the drop the drop so
this is cool you can go and go home and
do this for your kids and you'll
embarrass them just as much as I'm about
to bury my oldest too but this is the
drop are you ready for it are you ready
here we go here we go and I probably did
something wrong in that move they make
sure to tell me that you didn't do it
right but that's the drop they keep me
cool
adilyn we call Adeline our flower patch
kid because she is so sweet on the
inside but she will tear your head off
she's eight years old she came home the
other day she was like that you will
never believe what happened the fastest
boy in my class challenged me to a race
I said what did you say she was like I
said I'll give you a five-second head
start I said and she's like and dad I
beat him I beat that boy I'm not the
fastest one in my class and I'm a girl
what are you gonna do about that that's
my girl
and Jude he's um he's five years old
he's our youngest we called Jude our
passionate child passionate the
spiritual way to say that he's crazy
we're still trying to figure out what's
going on in his head but maybe this will
give you a window as to how he thinks
him and I were sitting on the couch the
other night we were watching the movie
called The Good dinosaur anyone seen a
good dinosaur before I could sum it up
in one word it's sad it's just a sad
movie it's Preston sacks favorite movie
our campus pastor in Raleigh he told me
that just a sad movie but I'm sitting on
the couch and I look over at Jude it's
this emotional moment in the movie and I
look at him and his eyes are starting to
like glisten and I'm thinking oh man my
son's about to cry and so now I feel
myself getting emotional and I come
about to cry so I put my arm around my
boy my passionate child and I'm feeling
like this magical moment where we're
just gonna weep on the couch together
this is what I could see and just about
the time the tears start to flow down my
face Jude perks up and he looks at me
and goes hey Dad you want to wrestle
after this just completely broke the
emotional moment I didn't see that
coming literary but say I didn't see
that coming I wonder how many of us
today we're standing in a situation that
we didn't see coming I wonder how many
of us today are asking the question how
did I get here because this is where we
find Samson you see Samson was a
prisoner to the Philistines but really
what's so peculiar about the situation
is typically anytime Samson found
himself in a mess or a trap he could
just get himself out of it because God
had gifted him with this amazing
strength I'm talking about physical
strength the type of strength where he
could pull city gates out of the ground
and carry them over thirty miles on his
back without even breaking a sweat and
he finds himself in the middle of this
Philistine temple he's surrounded by
failure he's surrounded by shame the
Philistines are mocking him and scorning
him making fun of him making sport of
him and he can't find a way out what
happened what happened to Samson's
strength what happened to his gift you
see Samson is standing in this moment
he's lost his strength but ultimately he
didn't have a strength issue
he had a side issue you see he had taken
his eyes off the one who had given him
that gift and he began to use his gift
as a way to bless him
rather than bless the people that God
had called him to lead and to serve and
now he's standing in the middle of a
mess and he's going how did I get here
what do we do when we find ourselves in
a situation that we didn't see coming
and we don't see a way out of it
Samson is standing in the very place a
captive where God had called him to
conquer I wonder how many of us today we
feel captive in the places that God has
called us to conquer today maybe in your
marriage maybe in your marriage you feel
like you're failing as a spouse you
still captive in your marriage maybe in
that job maybe you started a business
and it's not where you hoped it would be
maybe that employee walked out the
person that you were depending on you
were relying on and now you feel captive
in the place that God has called you to
conquer maybe in your identity
maybe you act a certain way around
everybody else you act confident but
inside you're insecure you're full of
fear and you're worried that you're
going to be exposed for who you really
are and people aren't going to accept
you for who you really are you feel
captive in the places that God has
called you to conquer what do we do when
we find ourselves in the situation we
didn't see coming and we don't see a way
out of it you know I wanted to tell you
about this family that my wife and I
know very well because the husband found
himself in a similar situation where God
had gifted him giving him abilities
given him strengths but he had taken his
eyes off the gift and he was using the
gifts as a way to bless himself rather
than bless the people that got a place
in his life he had lost sight of his
purpose he had lost sight of that why
and he was frustrated in life he wasn't
as far along in his career as he had
hoped to be and he made a mistake
he broke a vow to his wife and he
pursued another woman this was about
nine years ago that this took place he
pursued another woman and now everything
is about to come crashing down in this
marriage everything is about to fall
apart in this marriage you know the
husband told me how the day that he knew
he was going to tell his wife the
decision that he made he said all day I
was
spending that day with my kids and all I
could do was look at my kids and ask the
question am I ever going to see them
again or as my wife's gonna be so
devastated that she's going to leave and
take the kids and I'll never see them
again and now he's got to stand before
his wife the very person that he looked
at in the eyes and made a promise made a
vow that I'll never break your trust now
he's got to look at her and tell her
something that she doesn't see coming
and he knows the moment that she tells
her it's going to completely crush her I
wonder what we do when we find ourselves
in the situation we didn't see coming
you know so often in my own life I can
tend to look at the what instead of the
who I can tend to look at the something
instead of the someone I can look at the
how instead of Tim what the Bible says
in 2nd Corinthians 4:18 that we are to
fix our eyes we are fix our eyes not on
what is seen but what it's unseen since
what is seen is temporary your situation
is temporary fix your eyes on what is
unseen because what is unseen is eternal
and I wonder what would happen today as
we find ourself in this situation that
we don't see a way out of I wonder what
would happen today if we begin to ask
God God how do you see my situation God
what do you see for my life I see so
many problems around me but God what do
you see I believe that God would tell us
today in your situation he sees the
possibility over the problem he sees the
possibility over the problem today you
know ask the wife of this family I've
been telling you about I said how did
you find the strength to get out of bed
the next day and decide I'm gonna fight
for my marriage
and she said this this is so powerful I
want you to hear this she said I had to
see myself laughing with my husband
again
I had to see myself forgiving him
letting him off the hook even though I
didn't want to even though all I could
focus on was the problem I had to see
myself enjoying my marriage
and she had to see the possibility and
not the problem even though it's so easy
to focus on the problem that's before us
I'm telling you if you could see the
victory in here you'll begin to see the
victory out here because the vision
within is so much greater than the
vision without see the possibility stop
focusing on the problem because that's
how God sees your situation today you've
got to see yourself free from that
addiction
you've got to see yourself as God using
you to bring hope and life to others
that might be bound by the same
addiction today you've got to see it as
though that family remember that friend
that you've been believing to find
Christ you've got to see them as though
they're sitting right next to you in
church today you've got to see yourself
healed from that sickness walking free
from it no longer bound by infirmity in
sickness you've got to see yourself
victorious today you've got to see the
possibility because the possibility is
exciting and we've got to have things to
look forward to in life like I could see
myself today preaching in these
brand-new all-white
Jordan fours I could see it these are my
father's day gift from my kids and my
wife
they got me deeds for Father's Day I
could see myself preaching in them
because I got to make a confession
I may have found them in the closet a
couple weeks ago
and my wife was trying to hide them from
me and I just saw the box life I thought
whose are these I want to make sure that
you know they're still in the box so I
may have opened them up and looked at
him I may have even smelled them I
didn't put them on I'm sorry baby I
couldn't tell you just to your face in
person I knew if I told everyone up here
you couldn't strangle me on stage I
[Laughter]
could see it and I'm telling you this
because I believe that God has a gift
for you today and even though you don't
hold it presently even though you don't
possess it today you've got to
understand he's got this gift and sooner
or later if you'll see yourself
victorious if you see yourself free he's
going to give you that gift and you're
going to see yourself literally walking
in that gift if you hold on if you'll
trust him today see the possibility over
the problem that's before you today
you know Sampson thanks for the gift
thank you appreciate it
I love it Sampson is standing in this
place he's standing in this temple he's
in the middle of a mess he's surrounded
by what represents his mistake he's lost
his strength and oh yeah he's lost
another thing see the Bible says that
when the Philistines captured him they
gouged out his eyes he physically can't
see so he's standing he's standing blind
in this temple
but even though Samson had lost his
sight in this moment he was so full of
vision he was so full of vision and he's
thinking to himself he's seeing the
victory he's seeing the possibility he's
going if I could just get to the pillars
because I know the pillars are the
source of what holds up this entire
structure that is standing over me that
is standing against me if I could just
get to the pillars I believe that God
would strengthen me just one more time
to accomplish the purpose that he has
for me and pushed down these pillars and
defeat the Philistines if I could just
get to the pillars but there was a
problem
Samson couldn't see he didn't know how
to get there by himself we have such a
picture in judges chapter 16 verse 26
or Samson said to the servant who held
his hand put me where I can feel the
pillars here's a picture of heroic
strong mighty Samson asking a servant
can you help me can you guide me can you
show me the way I know where I need to
get to but I can't get there by myself I
can't get there alone and I wonder how
many of us today are trying to get to
the promise of God all by ourselves and
God never intended it to be that way in
our life that's why he's given us a
place like this that's why he's given us
the church that's why you're sitting
around people because God wants to use
people he wants to surround you with the
right people that can show you the way
that can help position you in the very
place where God can accomplish his
purpose for your life which you just
have to ask for help you see in your
situation today God sees humility over
heroics he sees humility over heroics
his Father's Day weekend and so many
times as the dad I have I found myself
in a place where I'm apologizing to my
kids more than they're apologizing to me
try to do this dad thing all by myself I
learned one time at the way I reacted to
one of my kids it was actually my son I
have this gift as a dad where I can see
disaster before tongues
like you're jumping around on the couch
and I see that coffee table and I can
see your head colliding with that coffee
table if you don't knock it off if you
don't calm down and so Ashton was a
little younger at this point and he was
goofing around I'm like I'm telling you
boy you better calm down you're gonna
get hurt and sure enough he gets hurt
and he's laying on the ground and he's
crying and you would think as a sweet
merciful caring father that I would go
and scoop my arm my son up in my arms
and say it's gonna be okay buddy daddy's
here you're gonna be okay no that's not
what I did I sit over my son and I said
I told you I told you you should have
listened to me look at where you're
right now laying on the ground hurt
crime what are you going to do now and
this is literally what he told me this
is what he said he goes please don't
call the cops I didn't see that coming
and I thought to myself oh my goodness
um am i coming across at abrasive and
that harsh dad my son literally thinks
I'm going to turn him in because he
didn't obey me I was trying to figure
this parenting thing all by myself but
in our situation God sees humility over
heroics I'm trying to fight this battle
all by yourself you can't do it alone
you know ask the family of this husband
and wife I've been telling you about I
asked him I said um what was it that you
realize got you to this place the
husband told me how his whole life he
had grown up a pretty prideful person
never asked him for help
never asked him for guidance always
thinking he could get to where he needed
to be on his own fact him and his wife
never even went to premarital counseling
he said we've got love and all you need
is love love is all you need that's all
you need
we're going to be okay and yet it was
his pride that put him in this very
position to make such a devastating
mistake and even after he confessed to
his wife what he had done they go
through counseling and the guidance is
there and the health is there but he's
not receiving it he's not applying it
nothing's getting better his wife has a
bad day she tells him how she can't
believe what he's done
ever trust him again and he tries to
make a case for himself set up a defense
make excuses as to why he made this
decision but nothing was getting better
they weren't getting to the pillars to
where they could push over this
situation he said in till I finally
realized that I needed to humble myself
and just start to listen to my wife
practice James 1:19 be quick to listen
slow to speak slow to become angry
he's like until I humbled myself then my
marriage could heal the wife told me how
something was revealed in her when her
husband made this mistake she said that
her whole world everything came crashing
down and rightfully so I think she was
entitled to a few bad days but she said
everything came crashing down she said I
lost all hope
I lost all security but it made her
realize something she said all of my
hope all of my face all of my dependence
I was putting in my husband and not my
Heavenly Father and she said that she
said until I put my complete faith in my
God then I could begin to fight for my
marriage but we've got to come to the
place were willing to humble ourselves
who are the people in your life today
that can get you to the pillars you know
this husband told me that the person he
knew that he needed to call was the last
person he wanted to call for help he
said I knew I needed to call my father
he said because I always look to my
father as my hero he set such a great
example for me as a as a husband and a
father I knew I needed to call him but
the last person you want to call as your
hero and tell him what you've done
how humiliating and horrific it is you
said I called my dad and my dad said son
you know you need to do you need to tell
your wife and everything might come
crashing down it might all fall apart
but maybe that's exactly what needs to
happen so that God can begin to take the
broken pieces and rebuild your marriage
piece by piece by piece by piece
God sees humility over heroics in your
situation and now we see Samson standing
in a place he's between the pillars he's
in the exact spot where God can use him
where God can accomplish his purpose
even though he's surrounded by a mess
even though he's surrounded by mistakes
God's got him exactly where he wants him
and I want to believe that God's got you
exactly where he wants you today but
this isn't a strength issue this is a
sight issue and Samson knew that in this
moment he couldn't focus on getting
strong because he needed the strength to
push the pillars down but he couldn't
focus on getting strong and we find in
judges chapter 16 where Samson calls out
to the Lord judges 16:28 says then
Samson prayed to the Lord Sovereign Lord
remember me please God strengthen me
just once more and let me with one blow
get revenge on the Philistines for my
two eyes it was Samson's physical
blindness that caused him to put his
sights back on the one who could bless
him Samson realized that I can't focus
on getting strong right now all I can do
is set my eyes on the one who holds all
power and also all authority in his hand
in heaven and on the earth if I could
just stand in this place and surrender
in his presence because you see today in
your situation God sees surrender over
strength he sees surrender over strength
in your situation and some of us were
trying to fix it all by ourselves in our
own ability in our own might and in our
own power but the Bible says not by
might nor by power but by my spirit says
the Lord the Spirit of God wants to
empower you today to push through that
situation he wants to empower you today
to push through that struggle if you'll
surrender in its presence if you'll fix
your eyes on the one who can strengthen
you today stop focusing on the problem
humble yourself and surrender in his
presence you know the wife told me
of the family I've been telling you
about she said hi every day she would
wake up she would wake up hurt and
worried hurt because of what her husband
had done worried that he would do it
again and so she's trying to find the
strength to make it through every day to
try to make the situation better to try
to push through it and finally the
Spirit of the Lord convicted her it's a
child daughter give your husband to me
surrender this situation to me let me
work on him he knows what's right he
knows what's wrong let him find that out
you surrendered to me and I'll give you
the strength to push through this
situation and this is exactly what
Samson does we see it in Judges where
Samson calls out to God he surrenders in
his presence and the Bible says how the
Spirit of the Lord came upon him one
more time and it strengthened him and he
began to push those pillars and the
entire structure came crashing down
killing everyone inside even Samson and
it's the proof that God did more through
Samson when he was willing to give it
all than when he was trying to get it
all his entire life God sees surrender
over strength in your situation today
what you see is what you get what you
see is what you get so many of us are
standing in the middle of a mess we're
standing in the middle of our shame and
we're focusing on the problem how am I
going to get out of this how many get
how am I going to get through this today
I didn't see this coming and I don't see
a way out but what you see is what you
get you're focusing on a mess but turn
your eyes to the one who can perform a
miracle in your situation today you're
focusing on the fact that your captive
but focus on the one who calls you more
than a conqueror today you're focusing
on the fact of failure but focus on the
one who is freedom and who is life and
who is Liberty focus on him what you see
is what you get and if you'll stand here
and complete surrender today hands
lifted and you look at him the author
and perfecter of your facing if you'll
say this if you'll say God God what you
see is what you get in my brokenness in
my shame in my fault got in my failures
and in my fears got all my talents and
all my abilities got I give it to you I
surrender it to you in your presence
believing that there's power in your
presence God would you remember me one
more time would you give me the strength
to push through this situation and
here's what I remember there's a passage
in Luke 23 where Jesus is hanging in the
middle of a mess he's hanging between
two thieves and he's dying he's
surrendering he's sacrificing for my sin
and for your sin past present and future
he's hanging there in the middle of a
mess and the thief looks over and the
thief says Lord would you remember me
would you remember me when you come into
your kingdom and Jesus looks over and
says surely today today not tomorrow not
a year from now not when you get
yourself perfect not when you get
yourself cleaned up but today you will
be with me I will be with you it's the
proof that if you surrender right now in
the presence of God he will meet you
right here exactly where you are despite
your problem despite your mistake
despite your shame despite your failures
he will meet you right here call upon
his name when you don't see a way out
look to the one who is the way who is
the truth who is the life he wants to
give you the strength to push through
this situation but you never saw coming
and you don't see a way out this will
work this will work it it has to work
it'll work it's not a formula it's a
journey it's a decision every day God
I'm going to see the possibility over
the problem god I'm going to humble
myself and stop trying to be the hero
god I'm gonna surrender to you and
you're gonna give me the strength this
will work no matter where you are
do you know how I know this will work
because I've seen it work what you see
is what you get
I've seen it work the couple that I've
been telling you about the husband and
wife husband broke a vow to his wife
I've been telling you about them this
entire time they're still married to
this day God is using their story to
bring honor or glory to his name can I
show you a picture of the family I've
been telling you about it would that be
okay go ahead a look
[Applause]
[Music]
all glory and honor to the name that is
above every name no matter your
situation today if you see the
possibility if you humble yourself if
you'll surrender in his presence God got
good things in store for you what you
see is a trap God sees is an opportunity
for triumph in your life if you'll trust
him that you hold on to his promises
he's going to get you there he wants to
get you between the pillars where you
can put through the situation where the
structure of shame and failure and
mistakes can come crashing down in your
life you know so often in my life it's
often in my life I'll find myself
walking along and I'll see what you see
is what you get I'll see the remains and
the rubble and the pieces
of my mistakes and what used to be a
reminder what used to be the evidence of
what stood against me now the fact that
it's lying on the ground as rubble as
remains as pieces it's just the evidence
that what's it against me does not stand
against me anymore
God wants to give you the strength to
push it down so that you could walk
along and look at the remains and the
rubble of your past because God wants to
use the broken pieces of your past he
wants to place you on a platform so you
can stand upon to declare his goodness
is faithfulness his grace in your life
what disease what you get fix your eyes
on the one to lift your house where is
your health comes from it comes from the
Lord I have to acknowledge my wife can
you put your hands together for my wife
Jill
[Music]
now I've told this story a few times and
every time I tell the people's the hell
thanks Chad thanks for sharing it's
great what God has done in your life
night the hey thank her she's the hero
in this because she saw something that I
couldn't even see this is not a message
about marriage today this is not me
standing up here trying to say that my
struggle is greater than yours it's
simply a way to say hey she'll just fix
your eyes on the one who can make away
he wants to turn what the enemy meant
for bad and use it for his good we
believe that all things work together
for the good of those who love him and
are called according said it's perfect
can you just lift your hands in his
presence right now and just in your
heart say god what you see is what you
get
god I surrender to you in this moment I
focus on the possibility I humble myself
I surrender to you in this moment you
know if you're in this place today you
don't know Jesus heads bowed and eyes
closed if you don't know Jesus if he's
not Lord of your life I want to give you
the opportunity to place them at the
center of your lives today to humble
yourself to surrender to him he'll come
into your heart make you a brand new
person
so in this place pray this prayer out
loud and mean it with all of your heart
say Heavenly Father
thank you for sending your son to die
for me I believe that Jesus is Lord I
believe he's the savior of the world
I believe he died and was raised to life
giving me life giving me hope and giving
me a future today I give you my life
Jesus now if you just prayed that prayer
at all of our locations making Jesus
Lord of your life then I want you to do
something very courageous very bold
right now on the count of three I want
you to shoot your hand up in the air and
then leave it up because we want to give
you a Bible as a way to commemorate this
moment this was the day that you became
a new creation this was the day that you
fully surrendered to God this was the
day
that you humbled yourself and he becomes
the hero in your store here we go one do
three FS you raise your hand up stick
your hand up in the air
awesome hands going up put the hands
going up all over the place come on Turk
put your hands together thank God for
what he's doing not touch you no
question