I Raise my Ebenezer

Manuscript Template

Title:  I Raise my Ebenezer

Focus Statement:  

Function Statement:  

Tweetable Phrase:  

Main Text:  1 Samuel 7:1-17

Supporting Text:  Psalm 118:22 / Isaiah 28:16 / Acts 4:11

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  1 Peter 2:6-8

Benediction:  Ephesians 2:19-22

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

Have you stopped to think how often we say things that absolutely make no sense, but just accept it because we’ve always done it?

Here are a few that I found that were clean enough to share in church.

Break the Ice

We use it to describe a way to get past any awkward moments as we start a conversation

It originally was used to describe special ships that would break the ice on frozen water ways, clearing a path for safe travel

Nothing to do with conversation

Under the Weather

We use it to describe when we’re feeling sick

It originally was used to describe the habit of sailors going below deck during storms

Nothing to do with sickness

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps

We use it to describe someone who overcomes obstacles and finds success

Originally it was used as a phrase to describe something impossible

Makes you think about how we use it today - is overcoming obstacles by our strength alone an impossible task? Maybe a topic for another conversation.

Deadline

We use it to describe a due date for a task

Originally it was used in Civil War prisons. If an inmate crossed it, they were shot.

Clearly this has changed over time.

Hang up the phone

Originally used to describe how we ended phone calls when phones were connected to walls

Clearly not the case anymore, but I did find an app you can download that will make the old “slamming” sound when you “fake hang up” on someone

It get even worse when you think about the current slang school age kids are using.

I had no idea what the kids were talking about half the time Friday night during the student’s all-nighter.

Here’s a few examples I found amusing.

BET - now means that something is “settled” like - “we’re meeting at 5 - BET”

NO CAP - now means “I’m being serious” - “this really happened - NO CAP”

CAP - now means “lie”

MID - now means “bad” - “that’s so MID”

TOUCH GRASS - now means “get off the internet - reconnect with reality”

WE - Tension

Have you ever paused to think about the ridiculousness of how we talk?

Time slowly changes the meaning of words and phrases until they mean something completely different than they did when they were originally used.

What’s your favorite phrase that under closer examination makes no sense?

I’ve found myself thinking about this quite a bit since the radio started playing Christmas Songs after Thanksgiving.

There are all kinds of words and phrases in the Christmas songs we sing along with but never use in regular conversation.

For instance

I have never said HARK to get someone’s attention

I have never heard a reporter on TV called a HERALD

I’ve never considered my texts to people as TIDINGS

But the one that gets me is from the song “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson, written back in 1757.

First we need to recognize that the word FOUNT means source, as in God is the Source of Every Blessing, but that’s not the word I find most interesting.

Deep within the song is this line...

“Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by they help I’m come”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word Ebenezer, I think of this...

[Picture: Ebenezer Scrooge]

...Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens Christmas Carol

But, when you do the digging to understand what this word means, I think the word EBENEZER is a word that can change the way we see GOD, CHURCH, and JESUS.

That is what I’d like to talk about today, as we prepare ourselves for Christmas this Thursday.

As we begin, please turn with me to [1 Samuel 7: Sanctuary Bible Page # 218]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text

But before we get into 1 Samuel 7, I think we need a little background on this passage.

Starting back in 1 Samuel 4

Israel lost a battle to the Philistines at the town of Ebenezer

During the battle 30,000 Israelites died

and the Philistines captured the Arc of the Covenant (a wooden chest that represented God’s presence and contained the 10 commandment, Aaron’s budded staff, and a jar of manna), which the Israelites had brought to symbolize God coming to help them in the battle

Moving forward to 1 Samuel 5

The Philistines took the arc to the city of Ashdod and put it in their god Dagon’s temple.

Every night the statue of Dagon fell over, face down to the arc, his head and hands broken off.

When the arc was in Ashdod, God afflicted the Philistines in that town with tumors.

The Philistines moved the arc to Gath, but God afflicted them with tumors.

Then the Philistines moved the arc to Ekron, but God afflicted them with tumors.

By 1 Samuel 6

After having the arc for a total of 7 months

And after all the affliction to the people of the towns that housed the Arc of the Covenant

The Philistines decided to return the arc to Israel along with 5 golden tumors and 5 golden rats as an offering (1 per Philistine king).

The arc was returned to Beth Shemesh, where the Israelites burnt the wood of the cart along with the cows that pulled it, as an offering to God.

But the Israelites in Beth Shemesh looked inside the arc, breaking God’s laws in Numbers 4, and God took the lives of the 70 people who broke the law.

Numbers 4:5-6 - Cover the arc with a shielding curtain so nobody looks inside and cover that shielding curtain with durable leather

Numbers 4:15 - Only the Kohathites are to move the holy things, but even they cannot touch the arc

The people of Beth Shemesh did not move the arc properly, they broke God’s laws, in doing so they forfeited their right to do the work of God; which makes me pause and think what opportunities I have forfeited because of my disobedience? Something to think about.

Fearful, the people of Beth Shemesh told the people of Kiriath Jearim to take the arc.

They did, moved it correctly, and it sat in the house of Abinadab for 20 years, guarded by Abinadab’s son Eleazar

This is where 1 Samuel 7 starts

20 years after Israel lost a battle to the Philistines

After they lost the arc

After they got the arc back

But still at a time when Israel is under Philistine oppression.

Starting in verse 1

1 Samuel 7:1–6 NIV

1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord. 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.

After 20 years of oppression by the Philistines, and Samuel (serving as the Prophet) directing them toward repentance, the Israelites decided it was time to turn back to the Lord.

Samuel directed them to Mizpah, which was the town where all tribal meetings occured during the time of the judges.

Mizpah was a place for prayer, fasting, and confession of sins.

I think there are two things for us to learn here.

1. When we decide to “turn to the Lord” / to “take our faith seriously” it does not change the fact that we have been living contrary to the ways of God for as long as we have. The Israelites first action was to pray, fast, and confess their sins. Throughout the gospels, Jesus tells people who make a significant step of faith to “repent, and sin no more”. As we start to pursue a deeper relationship with God, we have to acknowledge what we’ve done, confess it to God, and do everything we can to stop the sinful behavior.

2. Samuel had been working to get Israel to repent for 20 years. I don’t know about you, but it is easy for me to get discouraged as time goes by. Just because God hasn’t acted yet, doesn’t mean He won’t. Jesus tells multiple parables in the Gospels about the importance of staying faithful in prayer, and not giving up. God is faithful, but He doesn’t work on our time tables. We need to stay fervent in our prayer for others and never give up on anyone who is far from God.

But the Israelite’s decision to “turn to the Lord” was not without its challenges. Continuing in 1 Samuel 7:7-8.

1 Samuel 7:7–8 NIV

7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”

Many scholars believe that as part of the Philistine oppression, the Philistines had forbade Israel from having large public assemblies, fearful that they could be used to mobilize for war.

Fearing revolt, the Philistines decided to preemptively attacked.

Isn’t this how the devil works in our lives? Doesn’t it feel like every time we decide to take the next step of faith that God calls us to take the attacks from the devil ramp up?

Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in this life we will have trouble. We need to expect challenges, setbacks, and spiritual attack, but we need to CHOOSE TO PERSEVERE anyway. We need to double down, and as Samuel did here, “not stop crying out to God for help”

And God is faithful…

Continuing in 1 Samuel 7:9-11

1 Samuel 7:9–11 NIV

9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him. 10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

God intervened.

In the ancient near east it was believed that every battled occured on two planes

Human

Divine

When an unusual meteorological phenomenon like unexpected thunder occured, it would have been a signal that God was at work, and fighting for Israel

God intervened for Israel, and God promises to intervene for us.

Psalm 121 says that God is where our help comes from, that God watches over us, that God will keep us from harm.

Romans 8:26-28 says that the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness

Romans 8:31-34 says that if God is for us, who can be against us

And after God intervened on Israel’s behalf we get this strange verse in 1 Samuel 7:12

1 Samuel 7:12 NIV

12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Samuel setup this stone memorial to serve as a reminder of what God had done for them

We know what this is.

People still do this today.

Andrea and I climbed Half Dome in Yosemite in California years ago.

[Picture: Half Dome]

And when we got to the top there were hundreds of stone towers people had erected as memorials to mark the accomplishment they made. People want tangible reminders of major events in their lives. Stacking rocks has become a common way to memorialize a significant moment.

[Picture: Half Dome rock cairns]

Samuel named this stone memorial after the town Israel was originally defeated in

He reclaimed the word Ebenezer, no longer letting it represent a major defeat, but redefining it to mean “stone of help”

Samuel reclaimed a memory of great loss for Israel and turned it into a memorial to remind everyone who saw it how faithful God is, acting on their behalf, and worthy of their praise and gratitude

So, how has God intervened in your life?

What moments do you have in your life that you can look back on and remember how faithful God has been?

What do you look back upon when times are tough to remember how God has intervened before, and will intervene again?

And as God promises over and over throughout the Bible, God give Israel peace.

1 Samuel 7:13–17 NIV

13 So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. 14 The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

God gave Israel a peace that lasted throughout Samuel’s entire lifetime.

YOU - Takeaway

Where do you turn for help?

Do you have any Ebenezer moments in your life that you can turn to when things get hard to remind you how faithful God has been, and give you peace that God will continue to be faithful?

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

The reality is, if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have the only Ebenezer moment you need.

Jesus is our Ebenezer, our “stone of help”, winning the ultimate battle on our behalf 2,000 years ago on the cross.

The battle has already been fought and won.

Jesus did all the work, defeating sin and death on that decisive night.

But Jesus is not just our Ebenezer, our “stone of help”

Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:6

1 Peter 2:6 NIV

6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Jesus is also our precious cornerstone.

Ebenezer stones are erected to commemorate and remember a victory that has already been won.

Jesus did that on the cross

But, cornerstones are laid before construction begins, establishing the entire framework upon which everything else is built

Jesus is the chief cornerstone for the church

He aligns the foundation, provides the template which everything else is built, and provides stability for the entire structure

The apostles and prophets join Jesus on that foundational layer

But each and every believer (You and Me) are added to the structure of the church when we choose to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior

Each doing our part to build God’s church / Kingdom, helping others find redemption in Jesus Christ through our faith

But Peter goes one step further...

1 Peter 2:7–8 NIV

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

The truth is that as we prepare to celebrate Christmas this Thursday, we are celebrating not only Jesus’ birth, but also everything Jesus did during His life.

We are celebrating Jesus as our Ebenezer, our “stone of help”, who has already won the victory against sin and death on the cross, removing the consequences of our sin from us, and allowing us to have an eternal future with God in heaven.

We’re also celebrating Jesus as the chief cornerstone of the church, serving as the foundation and guide for each one of us that is added to His church FAMILY.

In Jesus, we don’t just look back to what He has done, we look forward to what He is doing in and through the lives of everyone that has put their faith in Him.

And as Peter writes, we all have a decision.

We can believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the chief cornerstone of the Church, leading and guiding our lives.

Or...we can reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior, making Jesus a stone that we stumble over, tripping us up, as we try to live a life that we were never created to live.

The commentator DW Holdren, said it well

As people move toward the future, Jesus encounters them. This encounter can have two results. The “stone” in their way is either a “foundation stone” to which they can commit themselves without any concern over being let down, or it is the “stone” which, due to their rejection and God’s eventual exaltation, leads to their fall. They must, however, encounter the stone; it lies in their way

Case, D. A., & Holdren, D. W. (2006). 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude: a commentary for Bible students (p. 64). Wesleyan Publishing House.

At some point we will all encounter Jesus, the way we react to that encounter determines the course of the rest of our lives.

This Christmas season, what will you choose?

Believe in Jesus as your Ebenezer, your stone of help, and the cornerstone to which the church and your life is built

Or...reject Jesus and try to navigate the challenges of this world alone

As Joshua writes in Joshua 24:15, my prayer for this church is that we will follow His lead

Joshua 24:15 NIV

15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

This Christmas, let’s

turn back to the Lord in any area of our lives that we have strayed

celebrate all the ways that Jesus has been our stone of help in the past, serving as our Ebenezer

and let’s commit to pursuing a life guided and directed by Jesus and the Holy Spirit, recognizing that Jesus is the only cornerstone worth building our lives around

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

Ebenezer stones - come take a stone - put it in your pocket this week, and every time you notice it - think of all the times Jesus has already acted on your behalf - use those memories to build your faith that God will continue to act in powerful ways in your life

If you feel God is calling you to make a decision about taking the next step in your faith journey, there are next steps cards up front. Please take one, fill it out, put it back in the basket, as we want to pray for and walk with you as you take these next steps of faith.

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Ephesians 2:19–22 NIV

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

This week...

Let’s stop doing things on our own, using our knowledge and strength to try to overcome the problems of our lives

Let’s listen to the Holy Spirit and follow the leading of God in our lives, obeying every call he puts on our lives

Let’s set up our Ebenezer, remembering all the times that Jesus has been our “stone of help”, acting in powerful ways on our behalf, all the way up to sacrificing His own life, taking the consequences of our sins upon Himself, so we can have an eternal future with God in Heaven

Let’s make a decision - to recognize Jesus as the precious cornerstone that He is, providing the framework for our lives and our role in His church

Let’s approach this Christmas with

HOPE - looking to all the ways that God acted throughout scripture on behalf of His people

PEACE - resting in the knowledge of all the promises that Jesus has made and kept for His people

JOY - remembering all that God has done for us and remaining faithful that God will continue to act

LOVE - thanking God for making the ultimate sacrifice, choosing to sacrifice His Son Jesus as the ultimate act of Love, so that we can have a future with Him, if we believe

Let’s rejoice in all that God has done and promises to continue doing on our behalf.

Quick reminder...

Christmas Worship Night - December 21 at 6 PM

Christmas Eve Service - December 24 at 4 PM

If you’re new, please stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

What does raising your ‘Ebenezer’ mean to you in your current faith journey?

How can you identify moments in your life where God has acted as your ‘stone of help’?

How can reflecting on your ‘Ebenezer’ moments deepen your faith this Christmas?

What ‘Ebenezer’ moments do you have that remind you of God’s faithfulness?

Can you think of a time when you decided to turn back to God? What was that experience like?

In what areas of your life do you need to commit to turning back to God?

How do you handle challenges in your faith when you feel God is not acting on your timetable?

How can you be a source of encouragement for your friends to see Jesus as their ‘stone of help’?

How do you define Jesus’s role as the ‘cornerstone’ in your own life and faith?

What does following Jesus look like for you, especially during tough times?