OUR EBENEZER

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 01 July 2012

Hi all,

The first time I came across the word “Ebenezer” it was the name of a church close to where I was living at the time. The significance of the word didn’t come to me until I started reading the book of 1^st Samuel. Today’s meditation looks at the word and its meaning and the circumstances surrounding it. Its significance for today is also included.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 01 July 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	OUR EBENEZER
One of the tragedies of 21st century Christianity is how few know their way around the Bible. Thank God there are one or two churches where this is not true. From previous experience, it seems the Baptist Church remains loyal to both Old and New Testament. Their devotion to God’s Word is something Phyllida and I admire. What is so tragic is that in many of our charismatic congregations, the Bible is little more than a series of “proof texts” to support our particular doctrinal attitude. Frankly, I would love to be wrong about this. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to “eat” these words and confess I was in error. What many of our churches have succumbed to is what I call “shot-gun theology” The man of God stands up to preach. He takes a handful of “proof texts”, many of which are out of context. He stuffs them down the barrel of his shot-gun and fires them at point blank range into the crowd of dedicated believers who are still looking for the Book of Hezekiah! I wish this were not true. I would love to be proved wrong. God help to prove me wrong. Sadly it’s true in more churches than we dare admit. Of course there is a great advantage in this. The man of God can “dribble on” and consume an hour of his people’s time. Of course, they love it. Try asking them a couple of days after the service what God had said to them through the Sunday morning service. They would have no idea. I know this to be fact because I’ve been there and done it! What we really need in our Sunday services is our “Ebenezer”; a” stone of help”; something to stimulate our memory about what has happened in the Sunday Service. Better still we need an “Ebenezer” to remind us what the Lord said to us through His servant. Let’s be honest with each other here. If you can’t remember what the preacher said, why did you go? Was it habit, or merely your Sunday morning thing? Please be aware that in raising this with you I’m also raising it with me. I’m not any better. All I can say is that the Lord is prompting me to change. Change is never easy and is seldom comfortable. I’m told that the only human being who likes change is a baby with a soiled nappy! Well, God is talking to me about change. All I’m doing is passing on what I’m being challenged to do by the Lord. We all need an “Ebenezer”! We need something which will help remind us what took place last week, the week before and the week before that etc. In the past 30 years I’ve heard about 1500 to 1600 sermons. How many do I remember? 10? 20? 50? I’m ashamed to say that for me it’s about 10. It seems to me we need to “reinvent” the Sunday service to get feed-back from the person in the pews. Don’t tell me it would “disturb the “flow of the Spirit”! Garbage!  But how do we change? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!" 1 Samuel 7:12 NLT 6 The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me. Psalms 116:6 NLT 6 Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalms 28:6-7 ESV 8 It is better to go to the LORD for safety than to trust in mere men. 9 It is better to go to the LORD for safety than to trust in human leaders. Psalms 118:8-9 NIrV 5 Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help. Blessed are those who put their hope in the LORD their God. Psalms 146:5 NIrV 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Psalms 107:7 NLT 45 Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true. Joshua 21:45 NLT 35 Then Jesus said to them, "When I sent you out without a wallet, traveling bag, or sandals, you didn't lack anything, did you?" "Not a thing!" they answered. Luke 22:35 GW 7 Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. Psalms 63:7 NLT	“Ebenezer”; stone of help; to prompt the memory. Up to this point the Lord has helped; He smashed the enemy. The Philistines approached them, planning their downfall. Samuel sacrificed a lamb and on the Lord did call. God “thundered” at the Philistines which made them turn and flee Israel chased after them and won the victory. So Samuel took a special stone resembling a tooth. A place when every Israelite, be it a man or youth, Could easily remember the help the Lord God gave. An “Ebenezer” was raised up; it’s where they had been saved. Twice before the Philistines had trounced them on this spot. But on this third occasion, defeat is what they got. The Lord performed a miracle, by coming to their aid. The stone was a reminder; the recollection wouldn’t fade. God’s Word is full of stories, just like the one above. To show that He would save them by His all-consuming love. Childlike faith was needed, when facing deadly odds. Faith that He would save them and not some pagan god. The Lord is always listening. He hears our “mercy” pleas. He knows our situation. He looks at us and sees, That we have put our trust in Him, not in the hands of men. We know that what He’s done before, He can do once again. For Him it’s very easy; to Him it’s just child’s play. To come and thrash the enemy and blow them all away. All that He is looking for is where we’ve placed our hope. If He’s just a means by which we think that we can cope, We’ll be disappointed. He’s not a lucky charm, For us to wear around the neck, or wound around the arm. For that is not commitment. In fact, we’re sure to lose, If that becomes the attitude and what we’d rather choose. But when our faith and hope is in the Lord who reigns on high; He’ll rescue us from danger. If we will just rely, Upon His many promises, not one will ever fail. They will never crumble, be out of date or stale. He is our “Ebenezer”! The rock on which we stand. Our everlasting helper; the strength of our right hand. The One Who brings the victory regardless of the odds, For He is Christ our Saviour, the spotless Son of God. Jim Strickland – Written 1st July 2012