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The Place Jacob Stays — (Vs. 10-11)

So, we pick up here in Chapter 28 with Jacob being sent on the run from his older brother Esau. In the previous chapter he, with the help of his mother Rebekah, deceived Isaac into giving his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau.

Now, I want to pause here for a second and just say that when you read very carefully and do some deep studying you will find that although the way Jacob and Rebekah went about this situation, it was rightfully Jacob’s blessing to begin with.

If you will remember back, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, right? Therefore it was technically Jacob’s blessing to begin with.

Isaac and Esau were also in the wrong because Esau knew in his heart that he had sold his birthright to Jacob and therefore his father’s blessing belonged to him and then Isaac also did wrong because God had told them when the twins were born that the older would serve the younger.

So, in theory, the whole family was in the wrong for their actions here in Chapter 27.

This is what happens though when people begin to put their own agendas above God’s.

If they had all simply allowed things to play out how God had intended them to, chances are no one would have gotten angry, no one would have had to leave for fear of being killed and there also wouldn’t have been any hard feelings between parents and siblings.

As we can see from the scripture here before us though, that simply didn’t happen.

Jacob sneakily deceives his father into giving him the blessing instead of Esau, Rebekah helps and encourages the task, Esau finds out and is furious, and Isaac is scared to death!

Esau then threatens to kill Jacob, his mother overhears the plan and then sends him off to her brother’s house to hide out until things calm down and to also take himself a wife.

Sadly, the Bible never records that she even got to see her favorite son Jacob again before dying so undoubtedly these actions ended up costing her precious time with the one she loved so dearly!

All because she tried to do God’s job instead of allowing Him to take care of it Himself!

How many times do we know what God’s plan is but instead of waiting patiently on it come to pass in His time, we impatiently rush the plan by trying to do it ourselves and end up causing nothing but heartache and pain?

Now listen, I’m not sitting here trying to tell you that patience is my strong suit this morning because that would be a lie and my wife would probably amen that, but when it comes to allowing God’s plan to come to fruition God’s way, we have to learn to be patient and let Him take care of it!

We will all come out better off in the end I can assure you of that!

So, we pick up here in Chapter 28 and Jacob has received word that he is to leave his home Beersheba and head toward Haran where he would find his mother’s brother, Laban, and there look for a wife.

Isaac gives to Jacob some final words of instruction when it came to the matter of a wife and the matter of worship.

The great Dr. John Phillips wrote: Decisions in both areas will affect a man's life for time and for eternity. One cannot be too careful in dealing with either one of them.

After receiving his final marching orders from his father Isaac, Jacob sets out on a journey to Haran to find his uncle Laban and lay low for a while.

Now, Haran was 400-500 miles away and on foot you can only imagine how long that would take.

But about 3 days into his journey as the sun began to set, The Bible tells us here that Jacob finds a little place, “a certain place”, later we find out called Luz originally, and he turns in for the night.

The Bible says he found him some stones and then used them for pillows!

And here we are thinking we have it bad! I’ll be honest with you, where we stayed at Friday night I believe I’d of almost rather had a stone instead of that pillow I had.

I’m used to a thick pillow and this hotel we stayed at only had those really soft pillows and I didn’t sleep worth a flip! I believe I’d of been better off like old Jacob here with a rock and some sort of blanket on top as my pillow!

But here we are, we’ve come to this certain place, a place called Luz, and Jacob has laid down to get a good nights rest. Undoubtedly after a long day’s journey on foot it didn’t take him but a minute or two to fall asleep!

Then, we see here in the beginning of verse 12, something unexpected happens to our ole buddy Jacob.

Look with me at the Phenomenon Jacob Experiences.

The Phenomenon Jacob Experiences — (Vs. 12-13a)

Up to this point it is pretty safe to say that Jacob did not know the Lord and did not have a relationship with Him. To put it bluntly, he was lost.

But God appears to Jacob here in a dream and makes Himself known unto him.

He says to Jacob, “I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac!”

Now, look back with me for a second at the last thing Jacob’s father Isaac told him before sending him off.

In Verses 3-4 Isaac tells Jacob...

Genesis 28:3–4 — 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

Isaac sent Jacob away with his final words telling of God Almighty and the blessing of Abraham so when God appears to Jacob here, even though he didn’t know God, he knew of Him and who exactly it was that was talking with him!

This was none other than God Almighty that his father had told him of!

And not only does he now know who the God of his father and grandfather is but he also knows how one gets to Him!

You see friend, the Bible says something very important here and if you’re not careful, you’ll look right over it and miss the bigger picture that God is revealing to Jacob.

Notice who it is the Bible says is at the top of that ladder doing the speaking?

It says THE LORD is Amen!

Who is the Lord it’s speaking of here? It’s none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

If you look in the New Testament Jesus told Nathanael in...

John 1:51 — And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

You see friend, God wasn’t only revealing Himself to Jacob but He was also revealing how to get to Him and it’s the same message we’re still preaching today....the only way one gets to the Father is through the Son, Amen!

John 14:6 — Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Listen to me very closely this morning Church…you can know who the God of Heaven is and the way to get to Heaven and still miss it altogether, Amen!

If you want to get to Heaven, just as the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, you must be born again!

You must put your faith in the one standing at the top of the ladder for He is the ladder, Amen!

No one before or after has done what was done by the Son!

He bridged the gap between Holy God and sinful man by becoming the atoning sacrifice for him!

He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

The Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God is the only way anyone is getting to Father and if you will repent of your sins and put your faith & trust in Him, you shall be born again for the Bible says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!

Jacob experienced a phenomenon and maybe you’re sitting here this morning or watching online and maybe this is a phenomenon to you!

Maybe you have never heard that the way to Heaven is through the Son. Maybe you’ve never been born again!

Well guess what friend…if that’s you, I want you to know that God has directed a divine intervention in your life and allowed you to make it out to this little old country Church this morning so that you CAN get to know Him!

And all you have to do is simply bow your head in prayer, ask the God of all creation to forgive you of your sins, your shortcomings, your failures, acknowledge His Son Jesus as Lord, believe in thine heart that He came and died and rose again for you and you my dear friend shall be saved!

You don’t have to know all the details!

That’s why when you do get saved you ought to come to Sunday school and Sunday nights and Wednesday nights!

So that you can get more details, Amen!

We’ve even got some here this morning, who have been saved and born again for a long time who need to be coming to Sunday school, Sunday nights and Wednesday nights!

I’d dare say we can all use more details when it comes to our Lord, Amen!

So, we’ve seen The Place Jacob Stays and The Phenomenon He Experiences.

Next, I want you to see The Promises Jacob Receives from God.

The Promises Jacob Receives — (Vs. 13b-15)

The Lord tells Jacob, “the very land you’re laying on right now, yeah, I’m gonna give that to you and all of your family that comes after you!”

“I’m going to make your family so big that they will be as the dust of the earth! North, South, East and West, your family will be spread abroad everywhere and all the earth shall be blessed through you!”

Now, before we go any further, think on this for just a second....Jacob hasn’t even found a wife yet and God has just promised him a huge family!

I mean he don’t even know who his wife will be but yet he’s been promised by God that he will have a large family and that all the world will be blessed because of them!

Then God goes on and makes some very distinctive promises that I want you to pay very close attention to this morning.

He says, “I am with thee and will keep thee in “all” places whither thou goest and I will not leave thee!”

Praise be to God, I want you to know this morning friend, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior there’s no where you will go that He will not be with you, Amen!

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus told His disciples… “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world!”

And then in Hebrews 13:6 it says that… “He will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Wherever you go, whenever you go, whatever situation you find yourself in, praise be to God He is with us always and all the way, Amen!

He’ll go with me, with me....ALL THE WAY!

Isn’t that a very special promise this morning Church?

Even when we come to the end of the world, this life as we know it, the very moments when we need Him most, He has promised He’ll be with us, Amen!

And I want you to know this morning Church, I’ve seen it with my own two eyes!

Mrs. Linda Armour, in her last few days on this side of eternity, I went to see her in the hospital and John was there in the room and we were talking and I was asking how she was doing and it wasn’t getting any better…and Mrs. Linda, they had her sedated and she didn’t seem to know what was really going on on this side but I’m going to tell you something....we were sitting there, and we were talking and she was laying in that hospital bed and all of a sudden, she came up with both arms out of nowhere and she said… “I see Jesus! I see Jesus!”

And I’m telling you this morning friend, there’s not one shadow of doubt in my mind that she did see Jesus!

I believe with all my heart, the Lord Jesus was saying, “Mrs. Linda it’s OK to let go. I’m here. I’ve always been here and I’m not going anywhere now! I’m here to walk you over to the other side!”

Praise be to God in the highest for these sweet, special and precious promises we find in His Word!

We’ve seen The Place Jacob Stayed, The Phenomenon He Experienced, The Promises He Received, and now I want us to look at Jacob’s Puzzled Response.

Jacob’s Puzzled Response — (Vs. 16-19)

The Bible says Jacob woke up out his sleep and said “surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not!”

Someone here or online may have tuned in to this sermon today not really expecting to get anything out of it and my prayer is that this is your response at this very moment!

Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not!

I pray that every time a stranger graces us with their presence that they leave saying, “surely the Lord is in that place!” AMEN!

Now, if you made your way here this morning and you’ve never come to know the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but you can feel God moving upon your heart right now, your feeling undoubtedly the same thing that Jacob felt here.

Look at his response there in Verse 17.

He was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the House of God and the gate of Heaven!

Friend, maybe you’ve come here this morning, not really knowing what to expect, and God has touched your heart and let you know that your’e lost and in need of a Savior, and right now in this very moment, you’re scared, you’re afraid, you don’t know what’s happening, you’ve never experienced this sort of thing before and you don’t know what to do next!

This is where the title of the message comes into play....I want to say to you....Welcome to the House of God!

We’re all so glad you came!

Let those fears pass away, there’s nothing here to be afraid of!

You’ve found a safe haven here in the House of God and you’ve also heard about the gate to Heaven, which is the one and only Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

And the Bible says in...

Romans 10:9–10 (NKJV) — 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Friend, why don’t you leave all those fears behind this morning and come to the Lord Jesus today?

That’s what Jacob did!

Look what happens next here in Verse 18.

The Bible says he woke up early in the morning…I highly doubt ole Jacob got too much sleep after a dream like that, but he woke up early and notice what it says he did....

He took his pillow and set it up for a pillar and then poured oil upon the top of it!

His priority the night before had been sleep and that’s representative of the pillow but now his priority is worshiping God which is representative of the pillar!

Isn’t that good?

I believe there is someone here today or watching online and I believe God is wanting you to turn your pillow into a pillar!

I believe God is wanting some people here this morning to change their priorities and put Him, His desires, His wants before their own!

Who’s willing to give up their priorities here today for God’s priorities?

Let’s finish this out real quick here by looking at Jacob’s Proposition to God.

Jacob’s Proposition to God — (Vs. 20-22)

God made a promise to Jacob and in turn, Jacob made a promise to God!

As you read on, you will find that God upheld His end of the Promise as well did Jacob.

Now, I want to finish this out by saying this…just because God promised Jacob all these things doesn’t mean that he lived a life of luxury afterwards and that there weren’t some hard times to come.

If you read on, you’ll find the swindler got swindled by his own Father in Law and had to spend double the time working for the daughter he loved than originally promised and then even rand into some trouble with his father in law later on because of their herds.

I say that to say this…if you’re here this morning and you’ve never accepted the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, there’s no better time than today to make that move.

And I can assure you that it will be the best move you will ever make!

Now, it may prove to be a hard road at times, it may prove to be a bumpy road at times, it may even prove to be a dangerous road at times, but one thing is for certain…no matter how rough that road gets, you will never have to travel it alone if you make the Lord Jesus Lord over your life!

Won’t you do that today? Won’t you make Him Lord over your life? Won’t you accept the gift of salvation that was paid at Calvary by the one and only Son of God?