1 SAMUEL 7 RETURN TO THE LORD AGAIN2018 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 7 Return To The Lord Again

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2018. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God. That's what I'm going to ask you to consider throughout our time together this morning. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God.

to draw near to God. I kind of liken it in my mind to a boat out on the open sea.

Now, if there's a boat on the open sea, well, without propulsion and without direction and steering, that boat is going to be moved about by the currents, by the waves, by the wind. The various forces at work will bring that boat, well, to any place that is desired, but that boat will not reach the destination, perhaps, that it was set out to reach.

But with power, you know, with direction and with the steering, then it's able to navigate through those currents. Even if the current is against it, even if the wind is contrary, it's able to go through that, go beyond that and reach the destination. But it is with power.

Great effort, and even with power, and even with steering it, it requires some deliberate holding steady the course in order for it to reach the destination. And in a similar way, the Christian life is like that.

that we have in our lives on physical level, emotional level, spiritual level, waves and winds and currents and things around us that are working to try to get us to change course, to get us off the course that God has for us, to move us in a different direction. And we as believers need to make deliberate decisions regularly and continually about

to stay on the course and draw near to God in the way that he has called us to. Sometimes that is happening and needs to happen daily and even throughout the day. And sometimes there's various seasons where there's storms that we have to work harder to stay on course than perhaps other seasons. But

All throughout, I would describe it this way, the Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God, to hold that course in spite of the wind, the waves, and the currents that would try to lead us astray. As we look at 1 Samuel 7 this morning, I've titled the message, Return to the Lord Again.

Return to the Lord. And it's a little bit redundant to say return again, but it is accurate to the reality that we face, that as those who would desire to walk with God, there is going to be this ongoing returning to the Lord.

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For those perhaps who have been backslidden and running away from God, but also for those who are walking with God, we are in this continual state of needing to return to the Lord, needing to come back to the place where he desires for us to be.

I think the Apostle Paul expressed it really well in Philippians chapter 3. He says in verse 13,

Paul says, I don't count myself to have apprehended. I don't get in the boat, set the course, and then just kick back and forget it, you know, just let the boat take me where it takes me because I set the course. It's a one-time thing. He says, no, no, I don't count myself to have apprehended. I'm at the helm. I'm guiding the boat. I'm pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

That there is this deliberate effort, this deliberate choice, intentional, I'm going to seek the Lord, to follow the Lord, to please the Lord. And I think for most of us, we know better than to say, hey, I have apprehended. Maybe Paul didn't, but I have. We know better than to make that kind of declaration.

But I would ask you to consider your walk, your relationship with God, and your practice of walking with God throughout the week, that perhaps your approach to that walk with God may actually demonstrate that you think you have apprehended, because you're not apprehending

pressing toward the goal. You're not pushing to please God. You're not intensely, you know, seeking after those things. You're not making that deliberate decision to draw near to God. Instead, you're kind of coasting on the idea that, well, I've accepted the Lord. I've believed in Jesus. I've, you know, and there's those things that you've done in the past, and you're thinking, well, that's holding my course. And

And this morning, I would challenge you to return to the Lord again, that there is a need for us to recognize that we haven't apprehended and to press toward the goal, to make those decisions and to draw near to God. Well, there's five points I'll share as we work our way through 1 Samuel 7. We're going to begin in verses 1 and 2. Here's point number one. Mourn the distance between you and the Lord.

Mourn the distance. Here with Israel, we see a bit of a lamentation as they recognize that they have drifted from the Lord. Looking again at verse 1 and 2, here's what it says.

So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath-Jerim a long time. It was there 20 years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. Now at this point in Israel's history, they were in a very bad condition spiritually. Going back a few chapters in 1 Samuel chapter 4, we saw Israel go into battle against the Philistines, and they lost.

And so then they brought the Ark of the Covenant into the battle the next day. And in bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the battle, it wasn't a testimony of their trust in God, but they were trusting in the Ark as an artifact, as a good luck charm, essentially. And they said, maybe the Ark will save us. And they weren't looking to God. They weren't being led by God. And so they were defeated by the Philistines.

It's even described as a severe defeat or a massive slaughter as they lost 30,000 men in that battle. And they lost the Ark of the Covenant. It was captured by the Philistines. And for the next 20 years, Israel is oppressed by the Philistines, by their enemies. In addition to all of that, Israel is involved in idolatry. And we'll see that mentioned throughout our passage this morning as well.

They're involved in worshiping false gods. So they've lost connection to God. They've trusted in rituals and relics and not God. And they're instead placing their trust in these false gods. Israel at this time is very far off.

from God. And it's here in this condition that God is going to bring Samuel on the scene. He's been around for a little bit, but this is his first time really as a public ministry to the nation of Israel. It's in this state that he is brought to the nation of Israel. Pastor Warren Wiersbe puts it this way.

Samuel stepped on the scene when the priesthood was decayed, when the nation was defeated, and when God's glory had departed. It was a dark time for the nation of Israel as they were far from God. And the priests, we saw that with Eli and his sons, they were not seeking after God. They were not honoring God. The priesthood had decayed. The nation was living in defeat and

defeated by their enemy, ruled over by their enemy, and God's glory had departed. Ichabod, the glory of God, the presence of God was not being known and recognized in that time. They're in a bad place, but things began to turn around in verse 2. Verse 2 really becomes the core of this revival that God is about to accomplish in the nation of Israel.

Notice at the end of verse 2, it tells us that Israel lamented after the Lord. Here they are in this state of oppression, in this state of idolatry, in this condition that is, you know, very tough and difficult. But they're beginning to recognize their disconnect to the Lord. And they begin to mourn about how they've lost fellowship with God.

They begin to mourn about the distance between them and God. One commentary describes this idea this way. It says the phrase to lament after God is taken from human affairs when one person follows another with earnest solicitations and complaints until he at length assents. The idea is that ongoing, continual pursuit of an answer from someone.

pursuit of a response, you know, complaint. You just continue to bring, continue to bring, continue to bring until finally the person says, okay, let's deal with what it is that you are bringing up and talking about. It's that kind of idea to lament after. That's what it pictures. And here's Israel now. They're beginning to recognize their need for God and their distance from God and

And it's a continual thing upon their hearts that they're looking to the Lord. They're beginning to seek the Lord at this time. Now, what's interesting about that is in the same verse, it tells us that the Ark of the Covenant was there with them for 20 years. Remember, the Ark of the Covenant was what God gave them to say, look, this is where I will meet with you.

There, the mercy seat that sat on the ark, and there was the angel's wings, and God says, between the wings of the cherubim, that's where my presence will dwell. That's where I will meet with you. And so here's the ark, the place that God said he would meet with them. It's been with them for 20 years, but they are far from God. The ark had been returned to Israel, but even though it was there, even though the opportunity was there, they had not returned to the Lord.

And they're just beginning to recognize that right now here in verse 2. And they begin to lament that broken fellowship. They mourn that broken fellowship here in verse 2. Are you saddened by your distance from God? That's what was happening. They're recognizing their distance. They don't really know God anymore.

in the way that they should or could or that he's called them to. And it's causing them to lament. Are you saddened by your distance from God? In a sense, we all need to have this kind of awareness. And not that we would be walking about, you know, in a depressed state over, you know, where we could have been if we had been faithful to the Lord. But there does need to be that understanding and that awareness of the need for us

to walk with God. Again, the Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God.

And you and I need to make those deliberate decisions. And sometimes the Lord stirs up within us and allows us to recognize the distance that is there, that we have been disconnected from God, that we have not been walking closely with the Lord. Even those who perhaps have been around the church for 20 years, like the Ark of the Covenant was there in Israel for 20 years, but they

But they weren't connected to the Lord. They didn't know the Lord. And that can be the case today for those who are around the things of God and around the things of church and around the things of religion, but still haven't connected, still don't actually know the Lord. And I pray that the Lord would give us an awareness of that distance that perhaps is there, that there would be a mourning and a lamentation for us to recognize that

That distance doesn't need to be there, but God gives us the opportunity and the invitation to draw near to him, to really know him in a very real and personal way. And God gives us that opportunity. In fact, God had told Israel ahead of time, going back to the book of Deuteronomy, God said, look, you guys are going to walk away from me and you're going to get involved in idolatry. You're

And yet even knowing all of that, God told them in advance that they would have opportunity to come back and get right with him. It's in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 28. God says, And notice this promise. And you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Here's God's promise. Even when you have been in outright rebellion, even when you have run away from God, walked away from God, involved yourself in things that are not of God, from there, God says, if you will turn around and seek me, you will find me. He does add the condition, though, if you seek me with all your heart, it needs to be a real, a genuine seeking after God.

a lamenting and a mourning of the distance that exists between you and God. But if you will turn and seek after God, God says, when you truly search for me, you will find me. And we see that fulfilled here in this passage as we go on into verse three. Now we'll see God begins to speak to Israel through the prophet Samuel. And so that brings us to verse three and four for point number two. And that is, turn to the Lord with all your heart.

First, we recognize the distance that is there, the disconnect that has developed between us and the Lord. And then we need to turn to the Lord completely and wholly with all of our heart. Here's what it says in verse three and four. Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying, if you return to the Lord with all your heart,

Then put away the foreign gods and the Asherahs from among you and prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve him only. And he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Asherahs and served the Lord only. Notice at the beginning of verse three, it tells us, then Samuel spoke. Then, it's a particular point in time after Israel lamented,

Then Samuel spoke. This is Samuel's first real opportunity to speak to the nation. And it's at this point that God chooses to raise him up. He's been doing a lot of preparing work in Samuel. And we saw that in the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel. But now is the point where God says, okay, now is the time to come on the scene in a national way and speak my word to the people. And you'll notice it's in response to Israel lamenting.

after the Lord, seeking the Lord. And God responds. They find the Lord as he reveals himself through the prophet Samuel. It's similar to what James tells us in James chapter four, verse eight. He says, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Here's a promise that we can hold fast to. Even when there has been serious issues and rebellion and sin in our hearts, we

The promise is if you will turn and draw near to God, you recognize that gap, you start to close the gap by seeking after, by drawing near to God, God will close the gap the rest of the way and he will draw near to you. As we turn and draw near to God, he responds. But as we turn and draw near to God, well, Samuel's message tells us it needs to be done in a particular way.

Samuel's message is that God deserves and demands exclusive rights to your whole heart. God deserves and demands your whole heart completely, exclusively, totally, without anything held back. Samuel tells us in verse 3, if you return to the Lord with all your hearts, notice what he says, then put away the foreign gods. Put away the asterisks.

Prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve him only. Here Samuel tells us how to turn to the Lord. It's very practical. It's very good instruction for us. How do you turn to the Lord? Once you recognize there is a distance and you mourn that distance, you lament that distance, then how do you turn to the Lord? Well, Samuel says, here's what you do. Put away the foreign gods.

It mentions the Baals, which were false gods that the nations around Israel worshipped, as well as the asterisks. And these were pillars and these things that they would worship. And they worshipped Baal for good weather so that they could have good crops. And they worshipped the asterisks as a pursuit of immorality and pleasure. And there were these different gods that were worshipped for various reasons, but

That's what all of these false gods were all about. It was Israel trying to obtain something they wanted through the pursuit of these false gods. And so Samuel tells them, you need to put away all of those gods. Cast out those statues, tear down those pillars, and in its place, serve the Lord only.

Now, what we see happen in verse four is admirable. The children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and served the Lord only. What we see happen here with Israel is a case of real repentance. There are other times in Israel's history where they heard this kind of message and they didn't turn from their false gods or they pretended to turn from their false gods. But in this situation, they provide a good example for us in that they are actually genuinely repentant.

seeking after the Lord. And so they lay aside all of those false gods and they began to serve the Lord only. Now, if you would have asked them at that time or, you know, just before this, if they loved God, they would have responded, absolutely, for sure. If you would have asked them, you know, do you serve the Lord? Oh yes, we serve the Lord. That's definitely true.

But one of the problems that they had was they continued to practice the external things of the law in relationship to God, but their hearts were far from God. And part of that included, in addition to serving the Lord in those external ways of keeping the law, that they also pursued and worshipped all of these false gods. And so they would have said, oh yes, I love God, but the reality was that they were far from God.

Their hearts were not completely sold out to God. Their hearts were divided. They did love God, but they also loved and pursued all of these other things. For them, it was a very physical thing to throw away the statues, to tear down the pillars. For you and I, as we consider these things today, you may not have statues and pillars that

to be dealt with, but there are pursuits of your heart. Just as they pursued different gods for different objectives and goals and things that they wanted, what creeps into our hearts is those kinds of pursuits. And it may take different shapes than it took for them, but it's the same issue. It's the replacing of that place in our hearts that belongs to God. God deserves to

and demands exclusive rights to your whole heart. And so I would ask you to consider, is pleasing God the most important thing in your life? To turn to the Lord with all your heart means that you are going to value God's word, God's opinion, God's desire, God's will above everything else. That pleasing God becomes the most important thing in your whole life.

Does that describe where you're at? And if that doesn't describe where you're at, understand that there are some foreign gods that have crept in.

And there are some other pursuits that you are after, and maybe those are related to your career, or maybe related to your family, or maybe related to your pursuit of pleasure, or something else. But these things creep in, and the waves come in, and the currents, you know, and the winds, and they try to bring these pursuits into our hearts that would set us on a different course. But to return to the Lord involves giving Him love.

Our complete heart, exclusively His. So that we only involve ourselves in what is pleasing to God. And we only pursue things when it's pleasing to God. And we only seek after Him above all else, before anything else. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God in this way.

It's not a one time, okay, I'm going to live and be pleasing to God. I make that decision today, September 16th, and then that's it. I've made that decision. I never have to make that decision again. You know what? I have to make that decision again this afternoon, and I have to make that decision again this evening, and tomorrow morning, and the next day. It's a series of decisions. I must please the Lord first and foremost.

Here we learn how to turn to the Lord, how to return to the Lord. Like Paul said, I don't count myself to have apprehended, but I press on to give God my whole heart, to please God above all else, putting away foreign gods, any pursuit that would compete, any idol that would set itself up in my heart, that would compete with that place in my heart where God belongs. And I'm putting God first. I'm going to serve him only.

Turn to the Lord with all your heart. As we head into now verse five and six, we get point number three, and that is turn to the Lord with others. Turning to the Lord with your whole heart, it's a personal thing. It's an individual thing, and we see them respond in that way, but that's not the extent of the work that God wants to do and needs to do within us. There's also a gathering together of believers, right?

part of this work, part of this revival that he desires to bring. In verse 5, it says, And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you. So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. The first step for them in turning to the Lord was personal.

And they responded well. They put away the foreign gods and they served the Lord only. And now Samuel says, okay, here's the next step. Now gather all Israel. God is about to bring deliverance for them against the Philistines. He's about to do a great new and fresh work in their nation. But Israel could not experience that work with just the individual aspect of

of what God wanted to do. Not just that repentance and that turning to the Lord individually, that wasn't sufficient for the work that God wanted to do. They also then needed to gather together. Having turned to the Lord completely themselves, now they need to gather together with others who are turning to the Lord in order to experience what God has for them next. And as they gather, it's not just about being together

physically together in one place or kind of having a common sentiment or desire. Everybody spread the word. Let's all think these thoughts or pray for this particular thing. Gathering is not just about being together in one place or one thought, one location. Gathering is about participating together in the pursuit of God. And you see that in verse 6. As they gathered together...

they draw water and pour it out before the Lord. Corporately, together, they're walking through some things in this turning to the Lord. And then they're fasting that day, and they're confessing, and they say, we have sinned against the Lord. They're going through this process. Now, the pouring out of water is interesting because we don't have that specifically instructed in the scripture. So

We kind of assume some things about the significance of that because God doesn't tell us specifically, but it seems to be an expression of repentance, a way to express emptiness and need to be poured out, or you might describe yourself as pouring out your heart before the Lord. It's just you're emptying yourself before the Lord. And so it seems to be that kind of expression, that

They are saying, not just individually, but together as a nation, corporately, they're saying, we are empty and we need you. And going along with that, they spent that day fasting, abstaining from food. To say more important than our physical needs, God, we have a need of you in our lives.

More important than satisfying ourselves physically and filling our bellies, more important than that, we need to put you first and put our spiritual needs above our physical needs. And it's an expression, a way to lament and to repent and to confess. And here they specifically confess, we have sinned against the Lord. Individually, they had done this. Privately, they had put away foreign gods.

and turn back to the Lord only. But there's also the need for them to gather together corporately, to link arms with their brethren and say, man, we are empty and we need the Lord. And we really need to put the spiritual needs first and foremost in our lives and recognize that we have strayed, that we have sinned, that we have turned against the Lord.

This was a necessary aspect of the work that God was about to do in their midst. And as we look at these things today, it's really no different. God has designed us this way. As believers in Jesus Christ, God has designed us to need other believers. We need others and others need us. And this is true for every single believer. You might think, well,

You know, I understand people need Pastor Sisko, but nobody needs me. I'm not important, but that's not the truth. Here's the truth. For every believer...

The body of Christ needs you, and you need the body of Christ. In fact, it's why the Lord describes us as a body. In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul talking about the body of Christ says, "...the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Notice a couple things here. He talks about the whole body. The body of Christ comes together, is joined and knit together by each part, by what every joint supplies. So we have the body of Christ knit together by the contribution of each member, great or small, all, you know,

All members are necessary. Paul also explains in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And we as a body grow, we develop in our walk with the Lord, in our relationship to the Lord, as each part does its share. We grow, we develop, we mature as each part contributes its share. This is the reality. This is the truth. We are joints or knit together by what every joint means.

supplies. Even perhaps you might question the believers who smoke joints. Even those ones were knit together by what every joint supplies. We need each other. And coming together, gathering together to seek the Lord, to know the Lord, to walk with the Lord is an essential part of us in turning to the Lord. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God.

Deliberate decisions to get together with other believers and express our need before God and put the spiritual things above natural things in our lives and to confess before the Lord and to recognize and admit our sin and our issues that we are not just me and Jesus, you know, and that's all that we need.

No, Jesus has designed you to also need one another, is that there are those times that we must link together, that the whole body would link arms, grab hands, pray together, seek the Lord together, walk together, trust God together. It's not just about showing up once or twice a week in the same room with a bunch of other people, but it's about participating together in that pursuit of God.

Think about what the author of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24 and 25. He says, Here we're instructed to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. And we make a mistake sometimes as believers thinking,

We kind of think about the gathering together of believers as, you know, well, we go to have our needs met. We go because it's our religious duty. We go, and sometimes we're just like in a receiving mode. Man, I just need to be fed. I just need to be prayed for. I just need some time of worship. And I just need, you know, and we're just in this receiving mentality, right?

But as we gather together, he says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. We need to gather together. It's an important part, but we also need to do so considering one another, thinking, how can I stir up love and good works within you? How can I help you develop and grow? How can I help you become what Christ desires for you to become? How can I help you accomplish what God has set before you?

As we gather together, it's not meant to be just come and, you know, Jerry exercises his gift and he talks for a long time. The idea is we gather together to give us opportunity to minister to one another, exhorting one another, and more and more as you see the day approaching. And so this gathering together is essential, and it's happening, of course, on Sunday mornings or perhaps Wednesday nights, but, you know, maybe God would want to stir you up to join us tonight and gather together for prayer.

Maybe there's a need for you to gather together on Tuesdays with the ladies and work through the book of James. Maybe you need to gather together with the guys every other Saturday and meet and pray together. And that is a need that we have. And again, the deliberate decision that we need to make to draw near to the Lord is going to involve some type of gathering, some type of linking arms and joining up with other believers.

to seek God, to know God, that we're not just going to receive, but we're also going to give and to help and to encourage and to consider one another, to stir up love and good works. Moving on into verses seven through 11, now we get point number four, and that is cry out to the Lord and face the opposition. Here's something you can count on. When you return to the Lord, when you make that deliberate decision to draw near to God,

You can count on some kind of opposition, some kind of attack, whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual oppression, there is going to be opposition every time you make decisions to draw near to God. You can count on that. That is for sure. And we see that played out in verse seven. Now, when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel.

And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. Immediately upon this decision to gather together, to seek the Lord, to pour themselves out before God, to express their need, they're trusting in the Lord and turning to the Lord. What happens? The enemy rises up and brings fear. They were afraid of the Philistines. You and I will experience the same thing. When we make those decisions to draw near to God...

There's going to be opposition. And that decision is going to be challenged. Will you really follow the Lord? Because the enemy of your soul doesn't want you to make that decision, doesn't want you to follow through on that decision. And so he will bring opposition in some form or fashion. And here is the opposition comes. Israel is afraid. They are scared. They are freaked out. And rightly so.

The last time they fought with the Philistines, they lost and it was called a great slaughter. Back in 1 Samuel 4, 30,000 men died. Since then, they've been oppressed for 20 years. And the Philistines have taken much of their territory. And so now as the Philistines gather together, it's right for them to be afraid. This is a massive force that they have been lost to and defeated by for 20 years. They were afraid of the Philistines.

As opposition rises up in your life, don't be surprised when it's real opposition that brings great fear. It's going to bring great fear. But don't feel alone in that. You're not. When the Lord speaks to Pastor Sisko and he sets before him a step of faith and he calls him to a closer walk with him, Pastor Sisko lies in bed at night crying because he's so afraid. I'm joking, but I'm also not joking. You can ask him afterwards.

When the Lord moves on my heart and calls me in certain directions and I seek to follow the Lord and hold that course that he set me on and there's opposition, it's not just like, you know, little Lego figures coming at me. It's like monsters coming at me. It's like, hey, these are real battles that bring real fear. Don't feel alone in that. You're not alone. That is what we face. When the apostle Paul was seeking to follow the Lord and hold the course that God had him on,

God had to send an angel to Paul and say, Paul, don't be afraid. Keep speaking boldly here in Corinth. I have many people in this city. Maybe it was Ephesus. I forget. One of those. But the Lord showed up and encouraged Paul, don't be afraid because Paul was afraid. It's hard to hold that course and there's opposition. There always is. It's not surprising that they're afraid. But here we see the nation of Israel handle their fear the right way. They're afraid and

And so they asked God for help. In verse 8, it tells us, So the children of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.

Now, as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. They handled their fear correctly. They took it to the Lord. They came to Samuel and said, cry out to the Lord for us.

And Samuel cries out to the Lord and the Lord hears, the Lord answers, the Lord thunders upon the Philistines and confuses them. He shows up in a big way in the midst of this battle, in the midst of their fear. But something very interesting to note is found in verse 11. It says, Here they're afraid. As the Philistines gathered together,

to fight against them. So they cry out to the Lord. God responds, confuses, and then Israel goes to battle. God showed up and did a mighty work, but the soldiers still had to engage in the battle. They didn't sit back at Mizpah, you know, just kind of fold their arms and relax and yeah, thunder them, scare them off, take care of them. You do it. We're just going to sit here.

They had to face the opposition. They were fearful. They were scared. They lost this battle many times before, but they had to face that opposition and really trust that God was going to provide the victory for them. So that's a good example for us. We're going to face opposition. The enemy is going to bring some type of opposition as you desire to draw near to God. That's something you can count on. And it's going to be fearful and stressful and agonizing perhaps.

You need to trust God and face the opposition and fight the battle and engage in the war that God has called you to. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God. And sometimes what happens is,

We walk through the first part. We mourn the distance between us and God. We start to turn to the Lord with our whole heart. We even gather together with others, but then opposition comes and we're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, I didn't sign up for this. This is too hard and scary. And there are those who back down because of the opposition and they miss out on the connection to God and walk with God that is available because of fear, because of that opposition. Cry out to the Lord and face it. Trust him.

As he's stirring up a work in your heart and drawing you close, he's going to take care of those battles. But he's also going to call you to engage in that battle as well. Go to battle. Fight the fight as you trust in the Lord. Well, finishing it up in verses 12 through 14, we get point number five, and that is set a reminder of the Lord's help. Verse 12 tells us, Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer.

saying, thus far the Lord has helped us. So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron to Gath. And Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also, there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. They drive the Philistines back and

God gives them peace. He restores much of their territory. But calling your attention to verse 12, Samuel, in the midst of that, sets up a memorial, sets up a big stone, an altar. And he says, this is now called Ebenezer, which literally means stone of help. God has helped us this far. He's brought us to this point. He's restored our boundary to here. He's driven the enemy back to this point.

He sets up a memorial. And God does that many times with his people. Sets up and establishes something that his people can look to and remember, this is what God has done in our lives. As they were crossing over the Jordan River into the promised land, God told Joshua, take stones out of the Jordan River, plant them on the bank, make a big stack, a big pile of 12 stones and

So that you can always remember, this is where we cross. This is where God parted the Jordan River and we came into and how God delivered you in that way. And he said, later on when your kids ask, what's with this big pile of stones? You can tell them, here's what God did in our lives. Jesus gave us communion as a memorial. Do this in remembrance of me. Frequently, often, go back to and remember the work that God has done.

And so Samuel sets up this Ebenezer stone. Let's remember, let's stop and reflect at the victory that God has provided. It's interesting also to consider though, this Ebenezer stone would be a clear indicator if Israel later regressed and lost territory to the Philistines again. Because here you are, you know, at the border of Israel and you look across the field in the enemy's territory and you say, hey, that's the Ebenezer stone. It's not in our territory anymore.

What happened? It would be a clear indicator when they had moved away from the place where God had brought them. It would protect them against that gradual loss of territory to the enemy. Again, it's like a boat drifting in the water. It's hard to tell if it's moved unless there is some type of stationary, permanent thing standing in the water that you can see the distance between that and the boat.

If there's not some buoy or something established there and the boat's, it's hard to tell that it's moved. It's hard to tell that it's drifted. And sometimes we need to establish those kinds of reminders in our lives. They may take some different forms depending on how the Lord wants to move on your heart. But it's appropriate. When you come to a point in your life where you are turning to the Lord and God has done a great work, it's appropriate for you to consider, Lord, how can I remember this?

Remember the work that you've done in my life at this point. Sometimes I encourage people in regards to baptism as an Ebenezer stone. Baptism, of course, it's not necessary for salvation, but sometimes it's appropriate to be baptized again, not because you need it to be saved or because you won't be saved if you don't or anything like that, but just as a memorial for you

You testifying, God has done a new fresh work in my life and I need this kind of reminder. I need this kind of established thing so that I can look back and remember and I can have people around me know that God has done a new work in my life. Sometimes as we have opportunity for people to come up for prayer, that can be a memorial sometimes in your life that you respond, that you get up and sure, you can pray just between you and the Lord, but sometimes you need that

Where you actually get out of the chair and have an encounter with God in a different way. We live in a digital age, of course. And so maybe it's as simple as actually literally setting yourself a reminder. You know, tell your phone to tell you every day at 7 in the morning, this is what God has done in my life. And maybe that is something that God would want to do in your life. For me, I include some personal things that God has spoken to me about in my notes to remind me even as I'm teaching throughout a service.

of things that he has spoken to me, things that he wants me to approach in a certain way, that there are reminders that I have, memorials that I would not regress to a previous condition where God had called me out of. Set a reminder of the Lord's help. It gives you an opportunity to reflect and thank God for the work that he has done, but it also gives you a point, a place to be able to compare and recognize when you have drifted

when things have faded, when you've wandered a bit. The Christian life is a series of deliberate decisions to draw near to God. And so this morning, I would encourage you to make that decision. Return to the Lord again. Don't count yourself as apprehended. Press on toward the goal. Recognize the distance between you and the Lord and

Draw near to God. Get to know him. Seek after him. Turn to the Lord with all of your heart, putting away the foreign gods and serving the Lord only. Link arms with other believers in some form or fashion that you would seek the Lord together and pursue God together. Cry out to God as the opposition comes, as there comes some testing of those decisions that you make. Trust God and face that opposition. Go through it. Don't back away from

from what God has called you to because it's hard or difficult or scary and set yourself a reminder. God's helped you. He's worked in your life. Don't forget it. Don't let yourself wander and slip from that. And we all do, we all have. But give yourself that opportunity to see the stone and remember God has worked in my life. I need to pursue him and draw near to him. Let's pray. Lord, we come before you this morning with our hearts before you and Lord, you know our hearts.

You know what's happening within them. You know where they've been. Lord, you know where we are in relationship to you. And so God, I pray that you would continue to speak to each one of us. Lord, if there is distance between us, Lord, if we have been disconnected, Lord, if we have been drifting or just kind of counting on previous victories and old things and really haven't been pressing toward anything,

the goal, that upward call in you, Lord, that we haven't been making that deliberate decision to walk with you, to know you more. And I pray that you would help us, Lord, to do that, that we would make that deliberate choice. Lord, we want to know you. We desire and we need more of you in our lives. And Lord, that doesn't necessarily mean more busyness or more activities.

but it's about that connection to you. Lord, we need to know you. We need to hear your voice. We need to express our hearts to you. Help us, God, to draw near to you. Help us to love you with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength. God, would you give us strength and courage to make that choice?

Would you give us clarity, Lord, on those areas of our hearts that maybe are competing with you, but we don't really recognize it yet. Lord, would you show us those things that we could put away those foreign gods and make pleasing you the most important thing of our lives. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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