Ebenezer Stone of Help

Send us a text

Sermon Title: The Ebenezer Year: Remembering God’s Hand in 2025

The Context of the Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7)

For twenty years, the Israelites had been living in a state of defeat and spiritual "unfitness." They had lost the Ark of the Covenant, they were under the thumb of the Philistines, and they were discouraged.

Samuel tells them: "If you want to turn this around, you have to get your heart right with God" (The Spirit-first principle). They fasted, they prayed, and they repented. Just as they were getting their hearts right, the enemy attacked.

The Scene

The Philistines marched against them while they were at prayer. Israel was terrified. But God thundered from heaven, threw the enemy into a panic, and Israel won a massive victory.

Here is the key: Samuel didn’t just say "Good job everyone, let's go home." He stopped. He took a massive, heavy stone, hauled it to the center of the battlefield, and pounded it into the ground.

Expanded Introduction Points

1. The Definition of the Name

• Eben = Stone
• Ezer = Help
• "Ebenezer" literally means "Stone of Help." * Application: Every time someone walked past that stone, they weren't reminded of their own strength; they were reminded of God’s help.

2. The Purpose of the Stone: To Fight "Spiritual Amnesia"

• Humans are naturally forgetful. We tend to remember our fears and forget our victories.
• The Ebenezer stone was a permanent landmark for a temporary moment.
• Application: 2025 had moments of panic, but look at the landmarks God left behind. We are "planting a stone" today so that when we face the giants of 2026, we can look back and remember: “If He did it then, He will do it again.”

3. The Meaning of "Hitherto"

• Samuel said, "Hitherto (up to this point) hath the Lord helped us."
• "Hitherto" is a bridge word. It looks backward to the past but points forward to the future. It implies that God’s help didn’t stop at the stone; it’s a continuous flow.

A "Hook" Illustration for the Pulpit: The "Rearview Mirror"

"Think about your car. Why is the windshield so large and the rearview mirror so small? It’s because your direction is more important than your history. However, you cannot safely move forward if you never check what’s behind you.

Checking the rearview mirror tells you how far you’ve traveled and who is gaining on you. Looking back at 2025 is like checking your spiritual rearview mirror. We see the 'Ebenezer stones' God planted on the highway of our lives—that hospital bill that got paid, that relationship that was healed, that night when you thought you wouldn't make it but God whispered, 'Peace, be still.'

We don't look back to live there; we look back to gain the confidence to drive into 2026."

Connection to your Theme (The Hand-off)

"Before we talk about being Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually Fit in 2026, we have to recognize that we are standing on the 'Ebenezer' of 2025. You didn't survive this year because you were lucky; you survived because the 'Stone of Help' was under your feet."

Scripture: "Then Samuel took a stone... and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." — 1 Samuel 7:12

I. The Blessing of Protection (The Invisible Shield)

In 2025, the world saw natural disasters—from the wildfires in California to storms across the South. Yet, we stand here. We often thank God for the accidents we saw, but we must thank Him for the thousands of

Support the show