"The Ladder to Heaven"

Intro: People have tried all sorts of ways to get to heaven.

Examples:

Tower of Babel - Ziggurats (

Works righteousness

Avoidance of sin; Self -denial; Self-flagellation

Discovering secret knowledge

Knowing all the facts about God or the Bible

Sacred rituals or religious rites

Doing good deeds for others - social work, feeding the poor, fighting AIDS in Africa, etc.

Jacob had been doing that too. He tried to gain God’s blessing by cheating and deceiving people.

He took advantage of Esau, his brother, when he was famished and convinced him to trade his birthright for a bowl of delicious soup.

He conspired with his mother to fool his blind father into thinking he was Esau. He put goat fur on his arms as a disguise, since Esau was very rugged and hairy, and he brought in his father Isaac’s favorite food. He lied to his father. He even said that the LORD had blessed him with a good hunt which allowed him to return so quickly.

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: I’M TALKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE TRY TO GET TO HEAVEN, AND THEN SAYING THAT JACOB TRIED TO WITH WICKED MEANS AND INTENT AND THAT IT WORKED. BE CLEAR THAT HE DID NOT GAIN GOD’S FAVOR BY SINNING. GOD CHOSE BEFORE HE WAS BORN, BEFORE HE DID ANYTHING GOOD OR BAD. GOD GRACIOUSLY GAVE HIM HIS BLESSING OF GRACE DESPITE HIS SINFULNESS.

Historical Context:

On the Run

The “Tricky tripper” has burned bridges.

He was trying to be number one. the one at the top. Trying to work his way into God’s favor and earn God’s blessings. He was trying to Climb the ladder to heaven.

His brother wants to kill him ()

He is sent away from his home and family alone (to find a wife)

Example: Through Canada all alone with no map or phone, and traveling through vast expanses of countryside without seeing other people.

Our condition like Jacob

Deception

Selfishness

Works righteousness

Alone and oppressed

The Dream

The Ladder

angel’s ascending and descending

God standing at the top

Meaning: a picture of an open heaven with God sending messenger’s, ministering servants to Jacob to care for his needs, to communicate with him and hear his prayers.

The Promise

Undeserved, gracious

comforting

Heaven Came Down

Angel’s ascending and descending

No ladder

With Jacob the picture was of a separation between God and man that was being bridged by this ladder.

No separation. No intermediary needed.

you will see heaven has been opened

A picture of heaven being totally and permanently opened.

Baptism of Jesus (temporary)

“upon the Son of Man”

Son of man is a title Jesus used for Himself. It comes from a prophecy in where “one like a son of man” will come riding on the clouds (which only God can do) and who will sit on the throne of God and be the final judge (which OBVIOUSLY only God can do).

It also refers to the fact that He is a man. Jesus, the Son of God, became a man so that He could die.

Awakened

A new life

A new Commitment

A future (hope of blessing and fellowship with God despite being alone now with his brother trying to kill him)

Application: What does this have to do with us?