FBCWest 725 | Remembering God’s Help
Recorded On: 08/16/2026
Bulletin
Hymn # 50 “Blessed Be the Name”
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalms 84:1 - 4
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“This Is Amazing Grace”
“Your Promises”
“Battle Belongs”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Remembering God’s Help”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
1 Samuel 7:1 & 2 The Ark was placed in the house of Abinadab and Eleazer was tasked to care for the Ark and it remained there 20 years
1 Samuel 7:3 - 6 Samuel spoke and prayed and the people repented
1 Samuel 7:7 & 8 After hearing that Israel had gathered the Philistines moved to fight them and Israel was afraid
1 Samuel 7:9 & 10 Samuel offered a sacrifice and prayed for the people and the Lord answered
1 Samuel 7:11 Israel defeats the Philistines
1 Samuel 7:12 - 14 Samuel places a memorial stone and Israel’s borders are restored and they have peace
1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26 Our act of remembrance of what the Lord has done
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Our country has most prepares monuments, statues, and memorials for significant in their history. And I think that's a good thing. However, Israel did not do that.
What they would do is set memorial stones when God acted on their behalf. I think that is also a very good thing and we'll encourage that. We're going to take a look at what Israel does this. But we're also going to take a look at where the Scriptures instruct us to perform a memorial as well for what God has done. If you have your Bibles and you should, turn to 1 Samuel chapter 7, start with the verse verse.
So oftentimes when we see a new chapter we think, well, it's a new thing and it's almost like we forget everything that happened before. Well, what happened before? Well, the arc of the covenant to the presence of God was located in a Shiloh. The people of God thought that it was a good idea for it to go ahead of them in a battle.
And so they lost the arc. It was captured by the Philistines. But not only was the arc captured, Eli the priest died and his two sons died. And then we move forward and the arc because of God's heavy hand on the Philistines is given back to the children of Israel. And that's where we are at this point.
And so we're in the first verse. And the men of Kharif Jirim came and took the arc of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadad on the hill and consecrated LA's are the son to keep the arc of the Lord. Now notice where it was. They just moved it into a house and then they appointed someone to take care of it. Why didn't the priests, the Levites, take it back to where it was in Shiloh? But it was enough to leave it where it was.
And in several chapters from now it was going to be moved not because it's supposed to be moved but because Abinadad and LA's are being blessed for that. So it's not they're doing something because it ought to be done. They're hoping to be blessed. Again we need to do the right thing because it's the right thing. And sometimes we might even suffer difficulty the right thing which means we will ultimately be blessed but they don't. And from that day that the arc remained at Kharif Jirim the time was long for it was 20 years and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
So it gives us insight. Wave 20 years from now it's going to be moved but it's going to be there 20 years. You would think after a few months there's a decade that the Levites would say you know we need to move it to where it belongs but they don't. Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying every reach all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the ashroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him alone and he would deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So Samuel decides he's going to preach and hope that revival comes. Now it's interesting.
It's not like you're saying you know you guys are doing kind of good. You need to do better. You're violating the first couple of commandments. They're supposed to well even Jesus says the most important love your Lord your God with all your heart all your soul all your mind and all your strength. He's saying you need to return your heart to him which means their heart wasn't with him and that they were not only not with him they were as again the first commandment says that I have no other God before the Lord God but they have several and they have several foreign gods and they're going to tell us in a moment who some of the foreign gods are but there's also the ashroth and the ashroth was basically a goddess of fertility. So they were religious activity incorporating it with sexual immorality and having religious revivals and Samuel saying you need to get rid of those gods and you need to get rid of the ashroth and be focused and direct your hearts which means their hearts were wondering from the Lord.
So he's saying you need to direct your heart to him and then serve him exclusively. No more out on the Sabbath and everybody else the rest of the week is kind of like what a lot of Christians do now. We show up on Sunday pretend to worship the Lord and then do whatever we want to do the rest of the time. You say no no you need to God alone and when you do that you will be different than the Philistines because what are the Philistines doing serving other gods. So what is the difference between the people of God and the people when the people of God are doing what the people not have got are doing.
There is no distinction there is no holiness. There is no separateness. So he said if you want to be delivered from the Philistines then stop acting like Philistines. You want to be delivered from whatever maybe we should stop acting like the rest of the world. So the sons of Israel moved the bails and the ashroth and served the Lord alone.
Now I am going to be skeptic because I have read the rest of the book and the rest of the book. It will last a short time but they will do it for a little while and they will remove the bails from them. Here is what is interesting. Bail is the son of Deygan.
The God that the Philistines. So they are worshiping again this very same God and the children of their God that the Philistines were. So they remove them. Now I want you to notice that they remove the bails and mentioned that in a moment. Then Samuel said gather all the people of Israel to miss Paul and I will pray to the Lord for you. So Samuel says, this gather together as a nation as a people to repent to the Lord and I will pray to the Lord's forgiveness for you. And as I am going to act as a priest even though I am a judge and a prophet. But I am going to because apparently none of the other priests and Levites are stepping up doing what they are supposed to do.
So sometimes it may not be your job but you still need to fill in the gap. Say we need to do what the Lord has called us to do. So I am going to pray for you. Me as a prophet, me as a judge will pray for you. And they gathered to miss Paul and drew that out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, we have sinned against the Lord and Samuel judged the sons of Israel at miss Paul.
So they are pouring which is a significance. And as they are pouring out their tears, they are pouring out their supplication, alleging their sin and noticing their sin. We have sinned against God.
Again, we may wrong other people. We only sin against God. So they at least acknowledging their sin. And they are saying, so we have sinned against the Lord and Samuel judges them and says, you did, no excuses, you sinned against God. You judge them. Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered to miss Paul, that the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel and when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. Well, what did Samuel preach if you will turn away from the Philistines God and serve God with all your heart directed to him and serve him alone, he will deliver you from the Philistines. There's not sort of deal of faith because part of the reason for their confession is that they want to be delivered from the hands of the Philistines and Samuel goes, that's what will happen if you do that.
But again, they are people of little. So they become afraid because the Philistines have so far had a pretty good track record of defeating Israel. It's only when God himself deals with the Philistines that they have any impact. So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, do not cease to cry to the Lord's hour God. Now I'm jubilant at that because oftentimes when you'll hear the children of Israel talk about the pain, they'll say, pray to the Lord, your God. At least this time they're acknowledging that the Lord God is their God.
They may not be as faithful as they ought to be and they may not have faith that God will deliver them from the Philistines. At least they're saying, he's our God. But they're saying, Samuel, you need to pray and don't stop praying for us. I kind of have somewhat of understanding of that because I hold a title of pastor and having that title as I have a lot of people who will ask me to pray for them not as a believer who believes like other but because somehow I have some super connection with God because I'm a pastor. I have faith in clay just like y'all. I ain't special. I do try to lean on him and not my own understanding.
I try to fathom him and as we song and as we say that it doesn't matter how I feel or what I see but that God is sovereign and he will accomplish his purposes. Other than that, I have my good days, my bad days and whatever. But I'm used to people asking me because they think that's significant.
That's why I'm so glad we have a prayer meeting where we all pray because out of way doesn't matter what day, God's here and y'all. So they say don't cease praying for us to save us from the hand of the Philistines. So again, they were told that if they did what they were supposed to do that they would be delivered from the hand. The Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the Lord.
And Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and the Lord answered him. Notice what I want you to notice. Phil didn't take the troops and align them for battle because that's what we would have done. The Philistines are gathering. We need to build our defenses. We need to make sure they don't outflank us and whatever.
And we do all the plans to, and Samuel goes to battle belongs to the Lord. Our problem is us, not the Philistines. So we're going to see, have a burnt off, whole burnt offering to acknowledge that we have sinned and we need a tomeant for that sin. And the important thing, not to prepare for battle, but to get right with God. And all too often we spend our time trying to get right with the situation rather than right with God.
But notice the Lord answered him. Now, Samuel was offering up the burnt off and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. So they weren't waiting for the, as about their thinking, now is an excellent time to attack because they're busy doing religious stuff. So we could attack them and. So the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel, but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused him. Now this is where it's interesting.
You see, God has a great sense of humor. How does God have a great sense of humor? This veil is the son of DeGone. Fail is the God of storms. God goes, I'm not going to take on you. I'm taking on your gods. You think your gods is the Lord of storms, storms, storm all over you.
So he defeats them and their God at the same time. God just says they all want to cause an earthquake. Now, that says you, you rely on a God of storms. I want to route you with my own storm. And it confused. So that they were routed before Israel.
When is an army at most danger? When it's retreating and fleeing in panic? When you have a strategic withdrawal means you sort of force the Iraq and then you move your army and then whatever, they're turning their backs and running. And the easiest way to defeat an enemy is when his back is to you, not his front. God defeated them and said, now you get to have the mop up operation.
So they rout them. Now keep losing this. Thank you. So many of Israel went out of this problem and pursued the truck them down as far as the low-beth car. So they are not just fighting the battle at Midsma. They are pursuing them and getting victory. Then Samuel took a stone instead of between Midsma and Shin and named it, the Lord has helped us.
We have a hymn that we sing to talk about, Maya Benizor, acknowledging what God has done as a memorial stone. In our country we have monuments and memorials for famous people. We have the Washington Monument. We have the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorial. We even do things about the sacrifices of people. World War II or the Vietnam Memorial.
Acknowledging the sacrifice of those who served in those battles and in the Vietnam Memorial, those who gave their last full measure of devotion. Although we don't have memorials, God, and it's no wonder we forget God's goodness and how He has delivered us in the past. Instead of Israel saying, what a wonderful man was.
This erect a memorial to Samuel because he prayed and God delivered us. No, no. God was the one who fought the battle.
God was the one who defeated them. So we are going to remember that God did this. Again, this is not the first time they did it when they crossed over the river. So that every time they were near the river Jordan, they would see a pile of rocks and say, now we got here because God separated the waters. And when God would do something, they would set memorials.
I think that's very, for we Christians to do. To remind ourselves that God has always been faithful rather than worrying, well, is he going to deliver us this time? Well, what kind of memorials should you do? What's up to you?
I'm not much journal keeper, not news person. So I'm not much of a journalist, but I think that may be an appropriate thing is to say, I was anxious about this and I prayed to the Lord, need on such a such a date. So that the next time that you're anxious and afraid that God, you might turn to that journal and say on December 13th, 1947, God did something.
But you see, when we forget that God did something, tend to fall back to our previous situation where we love to worry. And though Jesus tells us worrying doesn't accomplish anything, no matter if it kind of takes away from you. And so it may be that you find a rock in a river. It's time God delivers me or does something. I'm going to do something on that rock and say, I'm going to put that rock on my desk or on the interest of my house, whatever to say. I remember that God did this.
The rock isn't God, if the rock is a remembrance, did something. We should remember, now I hope you think I'm a wonderful pastor. Maybe someday I'll prove you right, maybe. But I hope your faith is not the fact that I was a wonderful pastor.
It's that God is a wonderful God. And that He delivered us, that He saved us, and He sustained us. So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come in the first of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. As long as they continued to worship the Lord God alone, God provided deliverance, all the days of Samuel. The next slide, please.
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Echron even to Gath. Notice those were some of the places that they left. They all had to get rid of it. Israel is not only safe and secure in their land that was left, but they are increasing their borders to where they had originally been. From Echron even to Gath, and Israel delivered their tortures to the Philistines. So they were at peace between Israel and the Emirates. It's amazing what God can do.
He just turned to Him. Now one memorial that we should do, as a matter of fact, we have been instructed to do this memorial. And we find this memorial in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, sorry, with verse 23. All writings, Echron, for I received from the Lord, I didn't hear it from Peter or John who were there. Jesus Himself delivered this to me, and said, that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.
Going back to the last, what we call the last supper, the Passover meal that He's, and then Jesus takes that Passover meal and says, I'm going to set up a new memorial, and I want you to do this. And when He had given things, He broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this and remembrance of me. It's a memorial. It's not a ritual. We love to argue with our Catholic brothers and sisters whether it's a permanent verses and ordinance.
Have the theological dispute if you want. But what it is, it's a memorial that we come and say, Jesus's body was brought up. It's a memorial for us. After supper saying, this is a cup in the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it. And remembrance of me, again, a memorial that when we take the Lord's supper, we take communion. We don't do this because we're trying to do it correctly spiritually or theologically, we do it because we remember that because his body was broken for us on the cross and because his blood was shed, we are now forgiven. We have been redeemed and not only have our sins have been forgiven, we have been made children of the living God and not only God that He has caused us to live an eternal life with him. Now, I'm sure this battle that they fought with the Philistines was a wonderful battle. And some people carrying this may have fought and suffered what a PST and all that and came through battles and praise God for the victory that they won in that battle and ultimately in our country in the various wars that we fought.
A greater battle has been fought than this one. For you see, since Vietnam, our countries had lost the battles and wars. The cross-lite to fight Republicans were independence. We're always fighting with each other over various things. And I bet after the current battles and fights we're doing, there'll be another and another because that's the nature of human beings. But on that cross and because of his resurrection, the battle not only was the Lord, it was sin and it was done and we have a victory that is eternal forever and ever and ever amen.
We need to remember that God delivers those of him with all their hearts, all their souls, all their strength, all their mind. And when we do that, Natalie does he deliver us from foreign gods and foreign people thus into his marvelous presence. Never forget that and all God's people said.