Scripture: Gen 28:10-22

Thrust: God never wastes adversity to makes His work clearer for us!

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 household, 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.” (Gen 28:10-22)

1. The History

A. He Has A Bad Name - Jacob

The name is not of good nature:

• Supplanter: Someone who wrongfully take the place of another
• Calculating, crafty, clever and wicked

“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Pro 22:1)

B. He Has An Ugly Incident

"What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand." (Rom 1:20, MSG)

2. The Encounter

A. He Had A Dream

Dreams:

• 10 found in Genesis alone
• Common mode of divine communication
• Conveys warning, direction, prophecy or a combination of the three

B. He Heard the Voice of God

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.” (Gen 28:16-17)

"To recognise the voice of God, you have to silence every other voice in your head and focus on the one that matters most." ~ Leanna Romoser

3. The Response

A. He Made A Stone Pillar

• A monument
• To mark the spot where important communication had been made
• In memory of an engagement
• A memorial of God’s mercy and goodness
• A reminder of the vision

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (Jas 1:16-17)

• Don’t be tricked into turning away from God
• We will be tempted to change our opinion about the trustworthiness of our God
• Every good gift in our lives is a gift from God
• God does not change when our circumstances changes
• God doesn’t go from a good to a bad God
• God is the source of all the good in our lives

B. He Made A Vow

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

• All things, including pain, suffering and adversity.
• God is the One who causes things to work toward a specific end which is always good.
• Good does not necessarily mean happy, painless, no lack or our own idea of "good".
• The pain and suffering is not wasted
• It is all meaningful for those who are in Christ

Conclusion

“6 And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Mt 24:6-7)

“If you can trust a puzzle company to make sure every piece is in the box to complete the puzzle, then trust God that every piece of your life is there for a reason.”