Sermon Tone Analysis

Raise Your Ebenezer

Why an Ebenezer?

The Goodness of God

To help us orient ourselves around the blessings and goodness of God.

At times we become so enmeshed with the chaos around us that we miss the presence of God.

We miss the goodness of God because our situations seem to be so dire.

Here we see Jacob reminded of the goodness of God.

We know he will be going through some trials and remembering the goodness of God is VITAL as the enemy attacks you and tries to deceive you into believing God is not good.

To Remind us of the Promises of God

Look here to the passage we have just read from.

Genesis 28:15 (NKJV)

15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

Peace and Clarity

The promises of God bring peace and clarity to our hearts and minds.

In dark and confusing moments, my hope is, that you will see your Ebenezer and be recalled from the chaos to a moment of clarity and peace.

There are many who, I’m afraid, have lost what faith they have had.

They faced cruel trials of cultural upheaval and instead of remembering clearly their time in the presence of God, they are swept away and are lost… hopefully for only a time but sometimes, for a long time.

SO, lets see what else we may find in Scripture to help us align our hearts with God.

What Other Ebenezers May We Find in the Bible and what about our own lives?

Philippians 4 is an Ebenezer in my life.

IT is marked with ks beside the verse numbers in one of my bibles.

Philippians 4:6–7 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

To be Reminded of Presence of God

The Lord is in this place.

Genesis 28:16–17 (NKJV) 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!

This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

I was chatting this week with a few people who are in some pretty intense trials.

What can be missed during these times is the need to practice the presence of God.

When Kierstin was struggling with her psychosis, I used a fan as an Ebenezer for her to remind her of all that God had done for her but most importantly to remind her that the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God was with her.

When she felt the wind on her face she would remember the Holy Spirit was there.

What is YOUR Ebenezer Moment?

Share testimonies.

Find something to remember these moments by.

We need to talk of God’s deeds in our lives with one another.

It could be a paper on the refrigerator, it could be a song, it could be a tattoo, it could be a piece of jewelry, it could be a passage of Scripture that you have marked in your Bible that you will never forget.