We Need a Selfless, Sinless Savior

If you grew up in church, you are familiar with the story of Samson. Maybe he was even a Bible “hero” in the stories you remember. But the actual account of Samson tells a different story. Samson was a selfish, self-indulgent, and impulsive savior. This was true especially regarding women (14:1, 3, 7; 16:1, 4). But it was also true in relation to food (14:8-9). Samson was also rebellious, disobeying his parents (14:3, 6, 9), not honoring his Nazarite vows (14:1, 3, 7, 8, 9; 16:1, 4). And he was weak-willed, being eventually worn down by the women in his life (14:16-17; 16:15-18). In fact, women were his downfall. Despite Samson’s failures as a man, the Lord used him to begin to save Israel.

This Sunday, we gleaned four lessons from Samson’s story that help us endure in faith:
1. The Lord can work through flawed individuals to accomplish his will.

• With few exceptions, the characters of the Bible show us that God is a God of grace and undeserved mercy. He doesn’t use people who have their act together. And he doesn’t wait for people to get their act together. He uses flawed people to accomplish his will, so that our faith would not rest on men, but on God.
• This is good news for us because we are all flawed. God might use, even us.
• As Bishop J. C. Ryle said, “The best of men are men at their best, and the worst of men are men at their worst.” And when we’re honest, we admit that we have been at our best and our worst at different times.
• However, that is not to say that God excuses sin. No! We see that the Lord disciplined Samson for his selfish, sinful, self-indulgence (16:20-21).

2. We need a selfless, sinless Savior.

• Samson’s story reminds us we need a better savior, a selfless, sinless Savior.
• And, of course, that Savior is Jesus.
  • Jesus had a humble birth and showed no human potential.
  • Unlike Samson, Jesus did only what was right in the eyes of God.
  • Unlike Samson, Jesus paid the selfless price of his life to save sinners.

Our hope is grounded in the Sovereign Lord who works all things together, including sin, to save his people. No matter what evil we face, we can trust that God is at work to save us. He will hold us fast.

High Pointe Pickleball Group and Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Group
If you’re interested in getting to know other members of High Pointe and get a little exercise in at the same time, Stephen and Kaitlyn Wehe have organized some fun groups. We play Pickleball every other Tuesday night in Taylor. And the men are going to start gathering every Saturday morning to Ultimate Frisbee. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out to Stephen at 405-808-7447.

Fujairah Mission Trip | November 15-19, 2024
If you are interested in going to the Middle East to see the world the Lord is doing in the emirate of Fujairah, contact pastor Juan: juan@highpointeaustin.org.

We are still making plans, but the flights will be approximately $1,300.00 round trip (from Austin to Dubai). We are still working out the details of the lodging, but those are dependent on who will go. So, those going will be responsible for their airfare, lodging, and food. If you are a church member and you’ve never been on an international mission trip, we want to provide a $500.00 scholarship. More details will be forthcoming.

One-Day Membership Class | Sunday, November 10 | 1:15 PM to 4:30 PM in the Old Choir Room
If you’re interested in learning more about High Pointe or pursuing membership with High Pointe, please mark your calendars for our One-Day Membership Class. This class will cover three main questions: What is the church and why should I join, what does High Pointe believe, and what do we expect of church members at High Pointe. You can register for the class here.

Life Classes
Life Classes are meant to equip High Pointe for life as a Christian. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and join us. Childcare is available for ages 8 months through Pre-K. This session, we are offering the following classes from August 25 to December 5:

• Growing in Prayer
• Discipling: Principles and Practice
• Student Ministry Life Class | Spiritual Disciplines: For children 6th–12th grades

• Kids Life Class: For children K–5th grade

 
Sunday AM Preaching Schedule: Pray regularly for the ministry of the Word at High Pointe. Also, prepare for our gatherings by reading the sermon text, thinking it through, and asking questions about the text before Sunday. Here is our (tentative) preaching schedule designed to help you prepare for Sundays:  

• October 27 | Judges 17-18, Pastor Juan
• November 03 | Judges 19-21, Pastor Juan
• November 10 | Begin Study of 1 Thessalonians, Pastor Robert
• November 17 | 1 Thessalonians, Pastor Robert
• November 24 | Begin Study of Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan
• December 1 | Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan
• December 8 | Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan
• December 15 | Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan
• December 22 | Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan
• December 29 | Luke’s Gospel, Pastor Juan

Begin praying as you prepare to gather with us this Sunday at 10:00 am.

Gospel Partner of the Month: 9Marks
9Marks helps pastors, future pastors, and church members see what a biblical church looks like, and to take practical steps for becoming one. 9Marks aims to see churches characterized by nine biblical marks of a healthy church. Why these nine? Because sadly, they’re too often assumed or ignored in evangelical churches.

Learn About the Nine Marks

On-Call Pastor  To better care for you, High Pointe, we have an “on-call” pastor available for emergencies after office hours and on weekends. To reach the on-call pastor, call 512-837-7725, extension 1.