Building An Ebenezer
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Philippians 1:1-11
Philippians 1:1-11
Changing Pastures painting story
It’s this Changing Pasture view which can become monumental in our lives.
They become “Ebenezers”
Pastor Jason has challenged us to become “unstuck” by reminding us that the blessing awaits beyond the stone that must be moved.
I might add that the storm we are in must be endured.
So what is an Ebenezer?
Moses - consecration of the first born - Passover
Exodus 13:14
Joshua crossing the Jordan
so that this will be a sign among you. When your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
Samuel subdued the Philistines at Mizpah
Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. And he called its name Ebenezer saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
An Ebenezer is a reminder of God’s faithfulness. A reminder that he never fails
Chapter 11 of Hebrews, the chapter often referred to the “Hall of Faith” gives many examples of Ebenezer's on both the personal and the national level
Today I want us to focus on how we are Building Ebenezer’s.
Are Ebenezer’s only made and referenced in the Old Testament heros of the faith listed in Hebrews
What exactly is the purpose of an Ebenezer?
To press on knowing that God will complete his good work in us
Philippians 1:6
I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.
literally means “the stone of help” -
What Ebenezer do we as Christians share today?
who is known as the Chief Cornerstone
Ephesians 2:20
having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
When we make Jesus the cornerstone of our lives, he then becomes our Ebenezer!
How do Ebenezers help us in our daily walk?
They help us not just for encouragement, physical, emotional, or psychological needs, but for our spiritual well-being as well.
James 1:2–4 “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith develops patience. But let patience perfect its work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
An Ebenezer for ENCOURAGEMENT
Philippi became the source of encouragement for Paul
Philip of Macedon - Gold! in hills N & E
Saw importance of it location and seized it from the Thracians and renamed it after himself.
his “golden rule” - He who has the gold makes the rules
Its wealth built his army, provided a stable economic base, and bribed a lot of enemies
“No fortress was impregnable to whose wall a donkey laden with gold could be driven”
Son - Alex the Great used the army and gold to conquer the world
By time Romans took over in 168bc - gold depleted
But as a Roman colony it became the main road known as the Egnatian Road between Rome and the province of Asia
This city became the Apostle Paul’s Ebenezer
Acts 16:7
When they came near Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not allow them.
Sometimes God say “No!” to bless us, as well as others
He wanted to go to Bithynia; God wanted him in Philippi
Acts 16:11-12
From Troas we set sail on a straight course to Samothrace and the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the main city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony. We stayed in this city several days.
What Paul thought he wanted (Bithynia) would not bring him joy. His joy lay “beyond the stone” which came though a vision. Like Pastor Jason said, he had to go to where the promise was!
What was missing - no temple, no synagogue! They met by a river (16:13) converted Lydia and her household and met in her home!
Why is that important - no synagogue or temple meant Rome being intolerant were closed to that idea. . . but a Church
The narrative that follows supports the idea of anti-Semitism as Paul and Silas wind up in jail
Memories for Ebenezers
So began the first Church in Greece - and firsts are always remembered!
An Ebenezer for the PHYSICAL
Just as Moses and Joshua are commanded by God to tell their children how God delivered, I am too reminded by story of Gods provision 1958 snowstorm - tithes or bills? 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind
Psalms 37:25
I have been young, and now am old;
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor their offspring begging bread.
I am sure that some here today are reminded of something similar they have been told.
When testimonies are told, or their relationship with Jesus, we remember
So does Paul. This letter to the Philippians is a positive letter and his memories of how they have grown, and even while Paul is in prison in Rome he is encouraged and remembers with joy!
These Ebenezers give us
Strength in our times of weakness
Courage in times of danger
Hope in times of despair
When things are down and life is coming at you from all angles, read Paul’s letter to the Philippians and draw strength from it and praise God.
An Ebenezer for EMOTIONAL
In 1 Kings 19 we see Elijah was on an emotional high coming down from Mt Carmel that he out-ran the Chariot of Ahab. But when he ran into Jezebel, he ran for his life.; But God reached down while he was in the Desert and met him where he was. God didn’t scold, rebuke or turn away from him in his time of emotional crisis, he comforted him and encouraged him.
Psalm 18
An Ebenezer for PSYCHOLOGICAL
Nehemiah was so torn up inside about his home of Jerusalem when the news of the devastation that the king of Babylon noticed. Sometimes thing affect us inside that the outside cannot hide it. But God worked through a Gentile King to bring about his plans
When we are going through some terrible times and all seemed to be crashing around us, but in a moment when we need it most, God reveals himself to us.
You see , The Egypts and Babylons of our lives make us appreciative of the Promised Land
Exodus 14:13 “But Moses said to the people, “Fear not! Stand firm! And see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see again.”
An Ebenezer for SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING
As Noah worked many years preparing the ark and subject to ridicule, taunts, and jeers, only to find those same individuals being swept away during the deluge, he had to find comfort and peace with his savior. And did so through the blessings of God and the promise. Whenever Noah looked up and saw the rainbow in the sky, he was at rest and spiritually restored.
Isaiah 49:13 “Sing, O heavens! And be joyful, O earth! And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy on His afflicted.”
Comforted - console, to groan, to grieve
Mercy - to hold with tenderest affection
Afflicted - suffering ones, depressed
Just as he rescued me in my hour our greatest torment, he wants to rescue you from eternal separation.
You see God the Father looked down from Heaven and saw that humanity needed a savior and sent His Son Jesus Christ
Now Paul shows us the way in Romans 10:9 & 10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
We need to confess openly, with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. This leads us into salvation
We need to believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. This leads us into righteousness. The good tidings, this good news, this gospel can be found in 1 Peter 1:21–23
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him (Jesus Christ) up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Notice the corruptible seed and the incorruptible seed. We are all born of Adam. This is the corruptible seed. But Jesus was born of the Father. He is the incorruptible seed. Psalm 16:10 says neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. He is the Word of God and in him we live forever! Our belief in Jesus Christ gives us a new birth, a new life, and a new destiny! Our faith in Him causes regeneration in us so the Holy Spirit can seal us; Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER that ye BELIEVED, ye were SEALED with that HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE.
It is indeed good tidings! It is indeed the good news! It is indeed the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
But something we often overlook, especially when sharing the good news. For the good news doesn’t really become good news, unless we hear and understand the bad news.
The Bad News is that most think they are “good people” and that “my good works will get me to heaven”. That if I lead a good life everything will turn out OK. That a loving God will not send me to hell if I am good enough. That sincerely held belief, that we are good enough, is bad news. The really bad news is that they are right. Yes, that belief will get them to heaven. The problem is, that when they arrive they will be meeting their judge, at the great white throne judgement described in Revelation 20, and not their Father.
Satan has caused many a man to fall because he gets us to doubt Gods word. “Did God really say. . .” And if we are not in His Word and studying it, we don’t know what God really did say nor the ramifications of what he said. “I think” or “in my opinion” can lead us into thoughts, discussions, and great study but we need to be careful that our “thoughts” and “opinions” do not lead us into compromising God’s word. This leads us into phrases and words such as “we are all God’s children”. Even Jesus didn’t believe that as he says of the leaders of the day “Ye are of your father the devil’ in John 8:44 . Paul says in Romans 9:8 that the children of the flesh are not the children of God. Galatians 3:26 says that we are children of God by FAITH in Christ Jesus! Unless we have Faith in Jesus, we are not children of God.
People need to hear the BAD News so that they can accept the Good news! They need to hear that Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and as we are all descendants of Adam, the Bible says that ALL have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. We need to understand that Romans 3:23 is broken into two distinct problems that only the blood of Jesus Christ can rectify. The problem of transgressions and the problem of consequences.
“All have sinned.” Every last one of us. None of us are good enough and none of us can do anything about it. Galatians 2 16 clearly states that “. . . A man is not justified by the WORKS of the law, but by the FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST”. This is the transgression; we ALL have sinned. Just a nugget to guide you when studying the Bible. When you see the word “All” remember this, All means All, and that’s All that All means! All have sinned. It is not by works lest any man should boast Ephesians 2:9.
This leads into the second part we have “come short of the glory of God.” This is the consequence of our transgressions. We will never be able to obtain the Glory that God has intended for us until we accept the gift of God presented to us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The bad news is, unless we accept the good news, we will receive the wages that we have worked for. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. God doesn’t send any one to hell. We earn it, because all our righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6. We can never be good enough. All of attempts fail no matter what we think. Proverbs 14:12 says there is a way that SEEMS right but the end thereof is death. Isaiah 59:2 says that our iniquities have separated usfrom your God . Our sins have hid his face from us.
But even as there are 2 parts to our problem, transgressions and consequences, so is there 2 parts of the solution; Redemption and Restoration. Until we fully understand the dire predicament we are in, we cannot fully understand the great sacrifice that God made to redeem us. That Jesus came to seek and to save that which is lost. That his blood is the only thing that can redeem us. That he is our Kinsman Redeemer! That only he can provide the sacrifice required to save us from our sin. That only he can take the atoning sacrifice into the holy of holies and to present us spotless before the Father. He is the object of our faith. He is the only one worthy to redeem us. That is our Redemption. And when we accept the gift of God, the shed blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness we then become partakers of the second part of Romans 3:23 , the glory of God, which we were at one time, short of! That is the Restoration!
We have looked at the Definition, the Content, and the Appropriation.
Now what do we do with the good news of the gospel.
This is our Responsibility
God has provided the bridge back to him through the death of his son Jesus Christ on the cross. We are redeemed by His death. His shed blood that covers our sin. Then we are saved by his resurrection, by his life! Romans 5:10 . “. . .when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
1 Peter 3:18
Says, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.
We are responsible in how we react to the good news of the gospel. We have the Responsibility to respond. We have the Ability to Respond. This is our Response - Ability to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is believe and take him at his word. He is at our hearts door. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
My friends, this is the good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people! The good news that Jesus died for you and me. That he became the propitiation for our sin! That he was buried. But that the grave could not hold him! That he rose again! That because he lives, we too shall live! He ascended to the Father and he IS coming back for those who love him. And all we have to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!
Oh my friend, if you haven’t responded before to the good news, I encourage you to take God at his Word and to accept his offer of forgiveness. Then you too can have an Ebenezer to build upon. You no longer have to look at the picture I described earlier and see the storms in your life but realize that the Good Shepherd is helping you to Change pasture
I ask now everyone bow their heads and close their eyes.
Maybe you have never accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and would like to Believe and accept his gift of salvation. If so repeat after me;
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I have fallen short of your Glory. I thank you that Jesus Christ came to seek and to save me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to redeem me. I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus. I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. I take you at your word that you have saved me. In Jesus name, amen.
If you have prayed that prayer, speak to one of the deacons, (Deacons would you please stand with me), and share with them the goods news of your salvation.
Let us all stand and join together as we sing Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
