Jacob’s Dream and Ours – Sermon 20 July, 2014

Jacob’s Dream and Ours
Genesis 28:10-22
In this age of Communication we can send e-mail quickly around the world. We can visit with someone in another country in a chat. We can see world events on the TV in our living room. But our interpersonal contact is with machines rather than people.
The age of technology promised more free time but what has happened is that less time is spent in building relationships and more time is invested in using those conveniences. And the result is that we feel lonely.
Most of us have had times of loneliness.
In our text this morning we find Jacob a very lonely man. The great plot to receive the blessing from Isaac was a great success in one sense. However, in another sense it was a terrible failure. Jacob was forced to leave home to escape being killed by his furious brother. So, Jacob got the blessing but he had to leave the inheritance with his brother.
Jacob was sent to his uncle’s home to find a wife. The journey to Haran was a long one. When he was about 70 miles from home he reached what is now known as Bethel. We find Jacob outside the city apparently sleeping in the wilderness.
It is hard to imagine what was in Jacob’s head that night.
Was he filled with regret over his actions toward Esau?
Was he mad at his mother, his brother, or his father?
Was he feeling sorry for himself?
Did he feel that God had deserted Him?
We don’t know, but any or all of those things are possible.
If we carefully examine this passage we see two main divisions.
A. God’s Message to Jacob
While sleeping, Jacob had a dream. This was a unique dream because immediately Jacob knew that God was communicating to him. It was a message from God. Jacob saw a ladder that went from the earth to Heaven. On the stairway angels were going up and down. At the top of the ladder the Lord stood. Jacob heard the Lord say:
“I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (13-15)
God sent Jacob several messages:
1. He was there
God reminded Jacob that He was present, because He is present everywhere. David understood this when he wrote:
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”. (Psalm 139:7-10)
Jesus told his disciples, “I am with you always, even to the end of the earth.”
The message is simple. We may “feel” alone, but we are NOT. God is with us.
2. He was working
The Lord told Jacob:
“I am the LORD the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised.”
Jacob may have felt that God had forgotten Him. But God was still at work. Jacob didn’t see it but God was moulding Jacob’s character. He was preparing him for the work He had for him to do.
The ladder had angels going up and down. The thought was that the angels going up were bringing the needs and requests of the people to the Father. The angels coming down were bringing God’s answers and provision. God is involved and at work in our life. If we are a child of God, we can be certain that He has not forgotten us. He has told us that He will “never leave us or forsake us.
3. He was committed to him
God told Jacob that He will be with Him until He fulfilled His promise to Him. Jacob had deceived his father and brother and lied. But God still told him that he was committed. Paul wrote “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
It’s possible that we feel alone because we have failed. We have done foolish things and believe that we don’t deserve to be loved by God. But the message is simple; God is committed to us even though we may be weak in our commitment to Him.
4. There was a Way to God
There was a ladder going from earth to Heaven. God was and is accessible. But the question we must ask is: What does the ladder represent?
Good works? Great experiences? Church membership? Baptism? The Bible tells us that the ladder is Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.”
God has provided a bridge, a ladder for us. The Gospel is clear; we can never earn God’s love. We have already done too many things against Him. Our life is filled with rebellion. A just God must punish, not overlook, sin.
Jesus became our “stairway to heaven” when He died for our sin.
The Bible tells us that we must place our hope and confidence in Him in order to become part of God’s family. We can only get to Heaven by using this stairway, Jesus Christ.
Jacob didn’t understand this at the time of his vision but I think the message was there for us to understand now. The key question is: Have we placed our trust in the one who died for our sin? If we haven’t, the first step toward dealing with our loneliness is to trust the Saviour.
B. Jacob’s response
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen. 28:16-17)
In Jacob’s response we see three things.
1. Jacob was strengthened
His eyes were opened. He realized that he was not alone after all. It is important to know that God loves us.
He never leaves us like some of our friends do.
He always listens when our friends are too busy for us.
He always knows what to do.
He loves us even when we don’t act the way we should.
Don’t miss the message. If we have the Lord, we have everything. If we have everything BUT the Lord, we have nothing. Jesus is the friend that can and will supply our need.
2. Jacob worshiped
We read that Jacob was afraid. He said “this is none other than the house of God.” This is not a fear that comes from threat, it is a fear that comes from respect. This is a common reaction in the Bible. Over and over again we see people encountered with God and they were terrified.
Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:6)
When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14)
At the mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6)
Jacob realized that He was on Holy Ground. When we are on holy ground we become aware of our sin. Jacob knew he deserved nothing from God’s hand. But God in His mercy gave Him life. In response to this blessing he set up a monument from the stone he used as a pillar and used the stone as a reminder of His encounter with God. That stone became a pillar of grace. It served as a reminder that God has not given to us as we deserve. He has instead given us His mercy and His love. When we realize this we bow in worship.
3. He vowed to serve God
The last words of Jacob are somewhat perplexing.
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
It is hard to tell whether Jacob is saying, “O.K. if you deliver on what you promise, I will serve you.” Or whether he is saying, “In light of the fact that you are going to be with me and provide for me, I will give you my life.” Frankly, it doesn’t matter. The point is clear:
If we understand God’s promise to us and receive it, we should be led to serve Him with our lives.
Jacob understood the blessing was more than he deserved.
He understood that the blessing was amazing.
He understood that a love like this can never be repaid.
Jacob knew that in response to God’s love, he should give his love and devotion in return.
Jacob’s experience reminds us that we are not alone. We may not see Him. We may not feel Him. But He is present.
If we have trusted Christ . . . if we have taken the stairway to Heaven, then will we believe Him when He tells us that He is with us? And will we believe Him when He tells us that He will never let us go?
Do we appreciate the value of His love?
I encourage you this week to erect your own monument to the Lord to remind you of God. It doesn’t have to be a granite statue in your back yard.
Do something that will remind you that you are in the presence of the Lord. I hope that you will always have friends around you. I hope they are good friends; the kind that care, and love, and support you.
But even if you don’t, I hope you’ll remember that because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you will never walk alone.

Krikor Youmshajekian