Amazing Grace Baptist Church Mount Airy · Amazing Grace Baptist Church

"Where's the Rock" - Bro. Elijah Childers - Wednesday Night - 12/3/25

·34 min·3 clips

Samuel sets an Ebenezer stone after God's thunderous victory, asking where your rock is tonight.

This episode features a sermon by Bro. Elijah Childers from Amazing Grace Baptist Church, focusing on perseverance and spiritual markers. Pastor Jonathan Barker introduces the message, which centers on 1 Samuel chapter 7 and the concept of an "Ebenezer." The teaching examines Israel's 20-year period of spiritual darkness after the Ark of the Covenant was placed in Kirjath-jearim. Childers recounts how Israel lamented for two decades until the prophet Samuel called for national repentance. Samuel instructed Israel to put away foreign gods like Baal and Ashtaroth and to serve the Lord exclusively. The people gathered at Mizpah, where they fasted, poured out water, and confessed their sins. As Samuel offered a burnt offering of a suckling lamb, the Philistines attacked, but God thundered against them and routed their army. Following this victory, Samuel erected a stone monument called Ebenezer, meaning "stone of help," between Mizpah and Shen. The sermon highlights how the Philistines recognized God's power within months, while Israel remained in darkness for twenty years. Childers emphasizes that sin takes people further than intended and costs more than expected. He identifies three key elements in the story: a call to repentance, a call to prayer, and the necessity of innocent blood sacrifice, which prefigures Christ's atonement. The "battle of Mizpah" is described as the spiritual struggle against sin and self that precedes physical victory. A surprising insight is that many believers never reach their "Mizpah" because they grow comfortable with spiritual silence. The Ebenezer stone served as a physical reminder for future generations of God's intervention. Childers warns that Satan seeks to destroy these spiritual markers, likening this to handing out sledgehammers to demolish heritage. He shares personal Ebenezers, including his salvation experience, his marriage, and the birth of his daughter. The message connects Old Testament events to contemporary Christian life, urging listeners to identify and celebrate their own spiritual milestones. Childers stresses that victories come only through repentance, prayer, and reliance on Christ's sacrifice. The tone is passionate, exhortative, and pastoral, blending scriptural exposition with personal testimony and practical application. Listeners seeking encouragement during difficult seasons or desiring to understand Old Testament symbolism will appreciate this sermon. Those preferring theological debate or non-religious content should skip this explicitly evangelical message.

As heard by us

A straight sermon on repentance, sacrifice, and where real comfort comes from.

The sermon stays with 1 Samuel 7 and keeps its focus on repentance, prayer, sacrifice, and the question of where comfort truly comes from. Barker returns to that question often, and the repetition gives the message more pressure than ornament.

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Why you'd press play

If you need a sermon that asks where your comfort really lives, start here.

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