[Sermon from Hyde Park Vineyard Church, Chicago, Illinois]

Good morning! It is great to be here with you this morning. My name is Insoo Kim, and until about 3 months ago, I was the assistant pastor here at the Hyde Park Vineyard Church. Through some crazy circumstances and the providence of God, we are now living in Columbus, Ohio, and serving at the Vineyard church there in Columbus.

And as it turns out, your new assistant pastor, Eben and his family, are from Columbus and used to be a part of the church that we are now a part of. Eben probably doesn’t know this, but after Rand told me about interviewing him for the position, I asked everyone I knew there about him, and they had only wonderful things to say about him and his family. So, I am really happy for them to be here. And I’m sure he’ll do a much better job than I did. God always provides!

Well, just to catch up together a little bit, a lot has happened in these last three months. Of course, we moved our family of three to Columbus, and have since become a family of four, with Isaiah, the newest addition to our family. He is wonderful. And Elliot is an amazing big brother. As a new family of four, we are trying to get used to Ohio. Really, we are slowly learning to love Columbus, but honestly, there is just not much of anything to do in Columbus besides eating and shopping. But here are some interesting and impressive facts about Columbus that you may not have known:

• The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus.
• Seven United States presidents were born in Ohio.
• Ohio gave America its first hot dog in 1900.
• 50% of the U.S. population lives within a 500 mile radius of Columbus.
• It is where the Keaton familly lived, from the 80s TV show, Family Ties.
• There are most fast-food restaurants per capita than any other U.S. city.

So we really missed Chicago a lot! No, it really has been great being in Columbus. Really! And of course, we are slowly settling into a new church and slowly making friends. We are learning a lot and are really excited about what God has in store for us at the end of this season.

We have been keeping up with all the Hyde Park Vineyard news and all the staff transition. And it really is evident that God is in control and he has blessed this church with a bunch of new people to replace those of us who have transitioned onto other things. I really love and appreciate you and this church and Rand, and am really thankful for this opportunity to share this brief time we have together this morning. So thank you so much for having me!

Last week, Rand started a new series called, “Courage, Sin, and the Holy Spirit” studying through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. Last week, Rand taught from the beginning of the book of 1 Samuel and introduced a woman named Hannah, who was not able to have a child. So she cries out to God in this incredible prayer in which she says that if God will give her a child, she would give him back to God as an offering. God, moved by Hannah’s prayer grants her a son, who she names Samuel, meaning “heard of God” or “God has heard” as a testimony to what God has done. So when Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the priest, Eli, and there he began to serve God. He was no longer her son, but a servant of God. And Eli took him under his wing and trained him and mentored him in what it means to serve in the house of God. There is a passage in the New Testament that describes Jesus growing up this way: “he continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.” And these are same words that are used to describe Samuel in chapter 2. Rand talked about learning to hear and respond to the voice of God in faith, and the courage that Hannah demonstrated in her prayer and also in her offering of Samuel to God.

Today, we are going to jump ahead a few chapters to chapter 7. Here we find that Samuel has taken over Eli’s job and now he is the leader of the people of Israel serving as priest, prophet, and judge. This Israel that Samuel has taken over the leadership of is in a very sad condition. There is deep corruption of morality in every corner of society, people are worshiping false idols and foreign gods, people have turned from God in every way. In chapter 4, they got their butts kicked by the Philistines. Israel had the ark, which represented the very presence of God in their midst. And because they had this ark, they thought they could win this battle. But God was nowhere to be found. You see, God had lifted his hands of blessing and protection off from the people of Israel because of their sin. They lose the battle. And to make the situation even worse, the Philistines not only kick their butts in battle, but they also take the ark from them. The ark is eventually returned because God does this awesome thing. In chapter 5, the Philistines take the ark and place it next to Dagon, their pagan god, in a temple. And when the people wake up next morning, they look inside the temple, and this idol of Dagon is on the ground, on his face, bowing down before the ark of God. Isn’t that awesome?!? The people see this and they assume that it was some sort of an accident and so they stand Dagon back up again and place him next to the ark of God. The next morning, they go back to this temple, and again, Dagon is on his face, bowing before the ark of God. But this time, his head and his hands were broken off and it is just lying there. That is so cool! So everyone begins to fear the God of the people of Israel. Nobody wants this ark anywhere near where they live, and it is eventually returned to the people of Israel. But still things are not the way they ought to be. The picture is quite bleak. That’s the quick overview of the last few chapters in a nutshell. So we come to today’s passage, chapter 7 of 1 Samuel. It’s not a very long chapter, so why don’t we read this passage together. And, just as a sign of our honoring the word of God, won’t you please stand with me as we read.

1 Samuel 7:1-17
1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD. 2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. 3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "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." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah. 7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And 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." 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up 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 Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. 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 her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel continued as judge over Israel 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 judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD.

LAMENT AND MOURN YOUR SINS (v. 2)
Chapter 7 opens in a very hard place, by showing us that Israel is sad, without hope, and without joy. We saw that the ark was returned to them by mighty hand of God, but what should have been a joyous occasion for celebration, is nothing more than a reminder of their destitute condition. The events that had just played out before their eyes were a direct result of their sins. From the very top to bottom, Israel was infused in sin. And now, they have come to the very end of their rope. All joy is lost. All hope is gone. Life has lost all meaning. And we read in verse 2 that all the people of Israel mourned. And rightly so! They are having to come face-to-face with some very ugly truths about themselves and their lives. They are having to confront the realities of the dark seeds they have sown into their lives. They are having to come to grips with the sin in their lives and they are mourning.

If I could ask you a rather difficult question this morning: How is your sin life? How is your lust life? How is your worry life? How is your greed life? How is your sin life today? Have you, recently, come to grips with some truths in your life? Is God shedding light in some dark places in your life recently? Where are you today? Where are you in your spiritual journey today?

In life, we often find ourselves in situations and circumstances which we just didn’t plan on. We don’t know exactly when or how it started, but somehow, the path that we took, the decisions that we made, the mistakes that we have made, have led us into some dark places in our lives. And maybe some of you here today are in that place in your life. And as you examine your life, which you don’t do very often because it is just too hard face reality, you see that you’ve lost your hope. You’ve lost your passion. You’ve lost the vision that God gave you when you were a child. And if you were to honestly look at your life, you would say that this is not where you had hoped you would be today. And if that is you, you are in a great place because there is always hope in God! Always! Always! Always!

RETURN TO THE LORD WITH FASTING AND CONFESSING (vv. 3-6)
There is always hope in God. No matter where you were yesterday, no matter where you are this morning, there is always hope! Always! The Bible tells us that God’s anger lasts but for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. There is always forgiveness in God. There is always restoration in God. There is always a new beginning in God. And sometimes, he lets us get to the very end of ourselves so that we will begin to look to Him and nothing else. And this is exactly what we see here in verses 3-6. Samuel tells the people of Israel to remove the foreign gods from their lives. And this is a very important point. He says that if you are really returning to God with all of your heart, then make an external demonstration by removing the idols from your life. If what is happening internally is really true, then let it show externally, and place God at the very center of your life, both inside and out.

I think there are many people who talk about how their faith, their Christian faith, is their own thing and that they just worship alone at home and they don’t really need community. But I’m sorry, that is just wrong! Christian faith is a personal faith, but it is never private. There is no such thing as a private Christian. A Christian without a church family is a contradiction. God created each and every one of us with a longing for healthy relationships – relationship with Him and relationship with others. Our faith is meant to be lived out in community, in the open, in the place where people can see. The very sign of your internal faith in Jesus should have external indicators. The Bible uses the analogy of a fruit tree: A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. That’s it. Plain and simple. You can talk all you want about your private faith, but if there is no outward sign of that faith, than the Bible would say that you need to evaluate your faith. True repentance, true turning back to God, is both an internal and an external thing. And if you want to really begin to grow as a Christian, try giving away to others what God has given you. This is the paradox of the Christian life: The more you give away life, the more you find life. The more you hold on, the less you have. But the more you give away, the more you will find.

So the Israelites remove their idols. They fast and confess, “We have sinned against the Lord.” What are the idols in your life that you need to remove? What do you need to fast from? What do you need to confess this morning?

BE COURAGEOUS BECAUSE GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE (vv. 7-11)
The Israelites return to God by removing their idols, and by fasting and confession. You would think that that should be the end of the story, but it is not. Because then the real test of their faith comes in verses 7-11. The Philistines take this opportunity where the Israelites have gathered in Mizpah to attack them. They figure, “Hey we beat them before. Why not do it again?”

Two different battles involving the same characters and very similar circumstances, but the outcome could not be any more different. Two very similar battles fought with very different results. What changed? What made them so very different?

The answer is in verse 9. We read that the Israelites cry out to God in prayer and they ask Samuel to intercede on their behalf, and we read these powerful words in verse 9: “And the Lord answered them.” This is the difference maker. The intervention of God in any situation makes all the difference in the world. No matter what painful situations you may have experienced in your past, even if you are going through that very same thing right now, you can know for sure that things can be different if you will simply allow God to enter into that story. What battles are you fighting today? Maybe you have been struggling with pornography for a long, long time, and you feel like you will never be free from that. But that is not true. Allow God to enter into your story! Maybe you have been struggling with your self image, and it comes back again and again to haunt you, and you feel like it will never change. Won’t you allow God to enter into your story? Maybe you are in a relationship that is making you comprise in ways that you never thought you would, and you just don’t see a way out. Won’t you allow God to enter into your story? Because when God enters the story, it makes all the difference in the world!

In addition to praying, Samuel does something quite extraordinary. As the enemy is quickly approaching, Samuel, calmly and purposefully brings an offering to the Lord. A sacrifice of burnt offering, we read in verses 9-10. I think this act reinforces what we are talking about here today. As the world around him is falling to pieces, Samuel chooses to keep his eyes on God and not on himself or his situation. Samuel almost has this tunnel vision here. When he should be losing it, something rises up in him – a faith, a confidence, a hope, a courage – that enables him to see the bigger picture of God in this story. And again, when God enters the story, everything changes. When God enters the story, it makes all the difference in the world! Two very similar battles. Two very different results. When God enters the story, it makes all the difference in the world!

What is your story? What do you need courage for today? If you knew that God was in your story, what would you attempt tomorrow that you wouldn’t otherwise?

REMEMBER WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE (v. 12)
Now the war is over. The victory has been won. But the story does not end there. Something remains. We read in verse 12 that Samuel sets up a memorial stone:

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

I’ve shared this in the past, but we as Christians suck at remembering what God has done for us. And the results of forgetting are catastrophic in the life of a Christian. For some reason, we do a much better job remembering how someone has hurt us, or failed us, or how God didn’t come through in some circumstance like we had hoped for. But we too easily forget what He has done for us. And God knows this about us, how we easily forget who he is and what he has done. So he commands throughout the Bible, again and again, “Remember! Remember! Remember who I am! Remember what I have done for you! Remember how I brought you out of Egypt! Remember how I split open the red sea for you to cross on dry ground! Remember how I destroyed your enemies! Remember! Remember! Remember!” And we forget!

So, we see throughout the Bible, this act of putting up memorial stones to God. They would even choose the names for the places where they lived to help them remember. So when God calls out to Abraham right before he is about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and provides a ram its place, Abraham calls that place “The Lord Will Provide.” Abraham remembers. Hagar, the maidservant of Abraham and Sarah, when she was out in the desert with her child, Ishmael, waiting just to die, God reveals himself to her there. So she calls the well there, “Beer Lahai Roi” meaning, “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” Rahab remembers. And when Jacob wrestles with God and gets his blessing, the place where his name is changed from Jacob to Israel, he calls that place, “Peniel” meaning, “The Face of God.” Jacob remembers. Even the communion we took this morning is that. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” So we remember what he did on the cross. How he delivered us from death by shedding his blood there on the cross, and that our lives will never be the same again. We remember. And here in verse 12, we see Samuel doing this same thing. Nothing fancy. Nothing all that interesting. He puts up a stone and he gives it a name, “Ebenezer.” “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”

Today, right now, if you take just a minute to look back at your life, I bet you can see all the ways that God has come through for you in your life. In your finances, in your health, in your relationships, in your career, in your studies, how God has proven himself to you again and again and again. You need to put up a memorial stone to remember these significant times. And you need to tell your story to your children, your friends, your relatives, people in your workplace, in school. You need to write them down. When life gets hard, and it will, you need to look at that picture you took 10, 20, 50 years ago, of some place, some item, or some person that you can look at and say, “I remember. God has been faithful and he will always be faithful. Thus far has the Lord helped us. And he will continue to do so. I don’t feel like things are good. I don’t feel hopeful. I don’t feel like things will get better. But, I see this memorial stone, and I remember how God has come through for me in the past. So, today, right here, in the midst of the storm, I choose to put my trust in God. I will let God enter into my story!” Get in the habit of putting up Ebenezers in your life.


JESUS, THE ULTIMATE EBENEZER
For some of you here today, maybe this wasn’t where you wanted to be this morning. Maybe you were dragged here by your friend or family and wasn’t really sure what to expect. Maybe this whole talk about Jesus and the Christian faith is all very new and foreign to you. But you are sitting in your seat right now, and God is doing something in your heart that you don’t understand, that you weren’t expecting. Something is stirring in your heart now, and you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t understand all that is happening, but I just have this deep desire to let God enter into my life, into my story.” If that is you, I am going to ask you to stand in just a minute and I just want to pray with you and bless you, and encourage you to set up your stone of remembrance this morning, right here, right now. Your Ebenezer stone. And I am not talking about just “a help or a helper” but “The Helper”, the Ultimate Ebenezer, Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray.