<TITLE>11. Par 35-38</TITLE>L-35 Little old Samson standing out there, and caught up (as we spoke of him the other night) with the Philistines all around him, he had nothing but the jawbone of a mule. But when he could reach back to feel those seven little locks, he was very persistent.
Shamgar, many people never read of him in the Bible. He was one of the judges of Israel. Just one little paragraph wrote of him in the whole Bible. But when he was standing there, after his harvest was over... His little children looked thin and poor, his wife, maybe the sleeves out of her dress. The Philistines would come right in, take everything they had as soon as they got it all worked up. Got up to a good place, then the Philistines would come in and take it away from them.

L-36 So about time he got all of his grain thrashed out and in the barn, thought, "Well, maybe we can live. I can sell a little of it, and get some little dresses for my girls, and some shoes for my boys; maybe be able to get a little cheap dress for the wife this year," he heard something, pulled back the barn door window and looked out there (the barn door, rather) and looked out. Here come a thousand Philistines, armor, spears, swords, trained men, tromp, tromp, up--right up the highway. There they'd pack away his grain.
He stood there. Now, he wasn't a fighter; he was a farmer. He didn't even have a sword, as far as we know. But he happened to remember, "I'm a Jew; I'm circumcised. I'm a child of God. I've got a right. I've got access to the same God of David. I've got access to the same God of Moses. I've got access to the same God of Daniel." And he... The Spirit come upon him, and he grabbed that ox-goad, and went out there, and was persistent. And he slew a thousand Philistines with an ox-goad, a stick, what they punch the ox with: slew a thousand Philistines.

L-37 I was one time going into a stadium where I was to preach, and there was great field of people, many thousands, waiting. And I read a little something over that stadium and always... It was a football stadium. It always encouraged me. It was a little sign there said, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." So I think that's a whole lot of it. It's get a lot of real Christian come-at-it persistency. "God promised it, and it's mine." That's right.
John the Baptist was very persistent. They'd say--maybe Caiaphas or some of the priests would come out and say--"Here's Rev. Dr. Ph.D. So-and-so. Don't you think he fits the Messiah?"
John said, "It's not Him."
Brought another one. "Here's a good man. What about him?"
"That's not Him," for he knew when he saw that dove descending from heaven, that would be Him. Then he was persistent. Oh, it's so much in the Bible to talk about; I never get to it.

L-38 Let's get to the Greek woman. First place, she was a Greek. She wasn't a Jew; she was a Gentile. But she had heard of the fame of Jesus. She'd heard of the critics also, how they criticized Him. But she didn't pay attention to the critics. She was listening at the fame. She, being a Greek...
You know, you always got something to hinder. But you know, somehow or another faith finds a source that people don't see. Faith finds its source. People don't see that. So it must've been with this little woman, that faith had found a source. The Word of God, the Bible said in Hebrews 4:12, "is a sword, it's a sword cutting the marrow to the bone, to the sunder, to the spirit; and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." That's what the Word is.


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