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Jacob's Dream - Genesis 28
To recap, there were two prayer points from Sunday's preach. You might want to spend a bit of time discussing how these get played out in your life. (Also, there was HOME WORK!: read the rest of the story of Jacob in Genesis).
1. What would it take for you to commit your life to the Lord?
Lonely, exiled, even done things that mean you don’t deserve the blessings of God. Your focus has been on surviving, keeping your head above water - hearing a message of possiblity, of opportunity and hope - of provision, of protection, of arriving at your destiny.
Blessings of God and the promises of God are not reliant only on you and your actions, they rely on the personality and the character of the God that we serve - faithful, merciful and powerful
[sinner’s prayer - submit, participate in worship, give generously]
2. Where do you expect to encounter God? where do you not expect to encounter God?
church, home group, work, the park, on transport, in the pub, at home, in the cinema, on your own, with friends, with family, with enemies, in a crowd...
What would it mean to label these places as ‘holy’ and to view them as places of possibility?
Genesis 28:10-22
Gen. 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “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. 14 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. 15 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.” 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 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.” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20 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 21 so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God 22 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.”
Intro.
Story of Jacob - toledot of Isaac (Gen. 25:19 - 35:29) then focus on descendants of Esau, before story moves onto generations of Jacob with the account of Joseph
Only chance to look at Jacob’s life - homework!
1. What is happening? - inc. elements to help us understand culture of near East
2. Anything NT has to say? expand the meaning for the church
3. How relevant to us today and tomorrow?
Backdrop, Supernatural Phenomena, God’s words, Jacob’s response
bring in NT and application for us today along the way > prayer response
Awesome message of encouragement and revelation regarding our God and His involvement with us human beings
Backdrop
Abraham, Isaac, Esau and Jacob - Jacob sent away
[Isaac - Unblocking the wells - prophetic word]
Jacob tricked Esau and lied to his father - how expect God to deal with him??
Context therefore of journey (actually survival of an exile)
3 Supernatural Phenomena (v12):
Focus on words of God but accompanied by dramatic supernatural phenomena - trumpet!
Look briefly in turn - why significant + how God uses supernatural phenomena today:
1. Dream
a. Jacob - tricking his way to inheritance > God needing to communicate that he is on the case re: the inheritance!
b. Jacob worried for his life in exile - how can God communicate?!
Dreams today - Wilma - picture of father enjoying garden
Cecilia - dream of boat turning over and over
Pray over dreams we receive - symbols - helpful - keep notebook by bed!
2. Ladder/ramp
God communicating in language Jacob can understand
Ziggurat
Jacob surprised that ladder appeared there but message that heaven is not forever separated from earth
Jacob not in fact alone - there are other powerful forces at work on his behalf
Wilderness has become a place of possibility!
Power of God coming on a human being points to Jesus + the church, His body
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
3. Angels
As in NT bringing a message of the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven coming on earth
Hear much more about that in Matthew’s gospel!
Luke 2: 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
3 phenomena act as trumpet announcing the coming of a God who transforms human reality
Phenomena of divine appearance that act as vessels for a promise:
God’s words:
a. Promise to Israel v13,14
13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “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. 14 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.
Promise of land to Israel and well-being of others through Israel
In Christ Jesus these are our promises too as Christians
b. Promise to Jacob v15
15 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.”
Presence - (ramp ladder) isolated but not alone, strivings + worries associated with it all being down to us > peace that God is with us!
Matt 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Protection - Psalm 91
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge — 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Not promise of trouble-free life: (swindled by Laban, barrenness of Rachel, pursued by his father-in-law, encounter with the brother who wanted his life, famine)
but protection in the midst of troubles, threats
Re-Patriation - bring him home! (31:13 recalled when he returns from exile)
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
Adam in hospital! - Psalm 91
Why does God treat Jacob well?
v14 bless all families of the earth - not really been a blessing up until now to his own father and brother
because of God’s faithfulness to His servant Abraham + God’s desire to co-operate with human beings - encounter with God can change someone!
Why does God deal so well with us? because of Jesus! + in Jesus we are adopted into the line of Abraham - God the Father looks at us through Jesus who even now intercedes on our behalf
Jacob’s Response
What has changed in Jacob’s circumstances?
What has changed in Jacob?
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 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.” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20 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 21 so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God 22 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.”
Not much changed in Jacob’s physical circumstances
A lot changed in Jacob’s attitude and response to his circumstances
[Responds to the detail of God’s promises - our response to God in worship always responds to the revelation of God to us by the Holy Spirit!]
1. v16 Awareness of God with him!
2. v17 more afraid of God than the world around him!
3. v17,19 views his circumstance differently because of God’s presence > place of possibility
4. v18 acts to label the place where he is ‘holy’
5. commits himself to the Lord with concrete actions of faith:
a) made the Lord his God - submission
b) sought to build the Lord’s house - participation
c) recognized that his location and his provision came from the Lord - tithed - recognition
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Robin Plummer, 04/05/2010 |
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