Do You Know When God Has Been Here?

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

This morning we are going to be going all the way back to the Book of Genesis and try to answer the question, Do We Know When God has been here?

And we are going to specifically be looking at Genesis 28, and some of the adventures of Jacob.

And just to put the Scripture into context a bit, we are looking at a time when Jacob is fleeing because of the anger of his brother Esau for "stealing" his birthright.

He no longer has the protection of his family or his tribe and finds himself wandering the wilderness.

In order to save his life, his mother Rebeckah had convinced Isaac, his father, to let Jacob go to her uncle Laban's house to find a wife.

Isaac in turn gave Jacob his full blessing, passing on the blessing of God to both Abraham and Isaac, and sent him on his way to find a wife, instructing him not to marry a Canaanite woman.

So, Jacob basically running for his life and looking for a wife leaves.

Jacob has set out on this long journey (approx. 500 miles) to Laban through the dangerous wilderness.

And he also had to watch his back for Esau, who could be sneaking up to kill him.

So naturally, Jacob is uneasy and frightened by the journey that was ahead of him.

He didn't know what to expect or what lurked around each corner.

He was not a hunter so he really had no defensive skills.

The only thing he could do at this time, was lie, cheat, and deceive or to trust in God.

Which he does a little of both throughout his journey.

And it was during this dark time in his life he has an encounter with God.

So, let’s get right into it this morning.

Starting in Genesis 28, verse 16, the Bible records . . .

Scripture Focus

Genesis 28:16–17 NIV84

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.”

The Dream

Now, what I read was the end of the encounter with God that Jacob has through a dream or a vision.

Which actually reveals Jacob’s lack of realization of God’s presence with him—not only the night before, but also through his entire journey.

God was and would always be with Jacob, no matter how bad a mess he made of things.

God would not abandon him.

So, let’s back up a few verses and see exactly what is going on here.

Starting in verse 10 of that same chapter, it says . . .

Genesis 28:10–15 NIV84

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

So, Jacob had come to a stopping place for the night, because the sun was setting and at night things in the wilderness got pretty hairy for people traveling about.

So, He stopped to camp for the night.

Jacob took some stones and made one into a pillow to lay his head on and he drifted off to sleep.

And, sometime during the night, God showed Jacob a vision through a dream.

And this vision consisted of angels ascending and descending to and from heaven.

We commonly know this as "Jacob's Ladder."

But in reality what Jacob saw was not a ladder as we picture it but rather like a ramp or steps going up/down, to/from heaven.

Sort of like the steps we would see on a pyramid.

And at the very top of the steps the Lord stood proclaiming . . .

Genesis 28:13–15 NIV84

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. 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.”

So, God was trying to show Jacob something through this dream.

He was showing Jacob that just as He is the God of Abraham and Isaac, He is also the God of Jacob.

He is showing Jacob that just because he has faults and shortcomings that God has not forgotten him, abandoned him, or taken away His promise to Israel.

And God does this by restating the same promise He had already made to Abraham and Isaac . . .

Genesis 28:14 NIV84

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.

And why does God see the need to do this?

Because God also knows Jacob's reservations and fears.

He knows that Jacob is weak in himself and unable to make the journey and fulfill God's will on his own.

So, God makes a promise to Jacob . . .

Genesis 28:15 NIV84

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.”

And the point of all of this is, it is no different for us.

In our own power, we are defenseless against the forces of evil.

In our own power, there is no hope.

And at times our lives may seem desperate and like there is no solution or way to get out of the mess we are in.

However, God offers us the same promise if we trust and follow Him.

Hebrews 13:5–6 NIV84

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

And what did Jesus Himself say?

Matthew 28:18–20 NIV84

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This is the promise of God to every believer.

He will not leave us.

He will guide us, He will direct us.

He will LEAD us, IF WE ALLOW HIM TO.

The Realization

However, before we can ever receive the promise, we have to realize the promise is true.

This is what Jacob did.

Look at verses 16-17 . . .

Genesis 28:16–17 NIV84

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.”

So, waking from his dream, Jacob has a stark realization and makes a profound statement.

SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE AND I WAS NOT AWARE OF IT!

And I have to wonder how many times has this happened to us?

How many times has God tried to get our attention and we fail to realize it was Him?

How many times has God tried to bless us but couldn't because we didn't even know He was there?

GOD IS EVERYWHERE....EVER PRESENT....ALWAYS THERE.

SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE TODAY

DO WE KNOW IT?

Jacob came to this realization and the Bible says that he was "afraid."

This was that reverent fear that we should all have of God.

The Bible says he proclaimed, how awesome is this place!

Jacob proclaims that the place he was at was none other than the house of God, the gate of heaven!

So, Jacob regarded this place as a sanctuary, as a place to find God.

This was a physical place, much like this church building is a physical place.

However, we do not have to come to the church building to experience God.

God doesn't just reside in the church building.

God's desire is to reside in the church building.

The church is the heart and soul of each and every believer.

1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV84

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

And . . .

1 Corinthians 6:15 NIV84

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

And . . .

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV84

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

That is where we find God.

Inside of each and every one of us.

The Response

Look at how Jacob responded to his circumstances . . .

Genesis 28:18–22 NIV84

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. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 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.”

So, he got up early the next morning and took the stones

He set up a pillar (a monument-almost like a statue).

He anointed it with oil, dedicating it to God.

He changed the name of the place where he was at from "Luz" to "Bethel" (House of God).

Now this is not what we literally do, but is symbolic of the change that God makes in us.

The monument was Jacob's testimony of what God had done (We should testify to what God has done in us).

Jacob dedicated this monument to God (We should dedicate ourselves to God).

Jacob changed the name from “Luz” to “Bethel” meaning house of God (When we accept Christ there should be a change, we should change form the old to the new “house of God”).

Altar/Challenge

And as a result of this Jacob made a vow to God.

Genesis 28:20–22 NIV84

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.”

He vowed to trust God for his provision.

He vowed to trust God for his safety.

He even vowed to trust God with his finances by offering the tithe.

He vowed to trust God with everything.

This morning what about us?

Have we made any vows to God?

Are we following through on our end?

Let’s pray . . .