Date: 21 July 2024, 9.30 am
Speaker: Ps Daniel Tan Sermon Text: Genesis 28:10-22
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TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
Blessed Sunday to everyone.
Let’s consider - have you and I had an encounter with God through His Word recently?
The bible tells us -
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
For all of us who have been regularly attending our Sunday services, I pray that Hebrews 4:12 is a reality in our lives.
That the living and active Word of God pierces our souls and does its work of transformation in our lives.
May I share an encouraging testimony that I came across from the Philippines Bible Society.
Before her life-changing encounter with God and His Word, Odette Molina considered herself a people pleaser. She had many friends and went to church.
Though she faced many problems at home, Odette lived a fairly comfortable life.
“But there was emptiness in my heart,” she revealed. “I thought of committing suicide because I felt I had no purpose.”
One weekday night in July 1985, with the intent of ending her life, Odette looked for poison and her father’s gun. As she was searching for these items, she whispered to God, “Lord, I will give you time to change my mind. It’s almost quarter to midnight.”
She then began to look in a desk drawer for writing materials for her suicide note.
Instead of pulling out pen and paper, Odette found herself holding a Gideons Bible. She opened its pages and stumbled upon Hebrews 13:5-6.
She was struck by God’s line in verse 5 which says, “I will never leave you. I will never abandon you.”
Reading those verses was the turning point for Odette. She realized, “The Lord loves me. He will be the one to help me. When I heard the Lord speak to me, I felt different. I started crying.”
Little did she know that these words from Hebrews 13, would make her efficacious for God.
Subsequently, Odette and 5 other nurses left to work in a hospital in the Middle East.
However, the work environment was terrible and they were mistreated.
What kept Odette going was Hebrews 13 and her access via the Internet to prayer videos, praise and worship services, and other bible-based sermons.
Through their employment ordeal, Odette showed trust in the Lord and the Lord enabled her to then become a witness to the 5 other nurses.
Soon, they all accepted the Lord, putting their trust in God’s amazing love and sovereignty.
By God’s providential care, all 6 of them managed to get an exit visa and left to return to the Philippines.
Upon her return, Odette went on to establish a café using it as a venue for her ministry in sharing the Gospel.
God’s Word is living and active and when we have encountered God, our lives will be transformed.
For Odette, God’s Word enabled her to live a life of worship and witness by trusting in His sovereign care even when she was mistreated in a foreign land.
This morning from Genesis 28:10-22 we will observe something similar with Jacob.
I’ve entitled the sermon from Pillow to Pillar.
Jacob went from God’s revelation of Himself in Jacob’s dreams to committed worship of God.
The God who seeks
If you have been following the Genesis sermon series, you would know that Jacob in Genesis 28 is not found in a very good light.
In Genesis 25, God told Isaac and Rebekah, regarding the future of the twins in her womb, Esau and Jacob.
The older will serve the younger.
Jacob is named Jacob because he was grasping Esau’s heel as they were born.
As a figure of speech, the name Jacob also has the connotation of being the deceiver. And this happened twice already before Genesis 28.
Firstly, Jacob deceived Esau of his birthright and secondly, Jacob deceived Isaac to receive the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau.
And so, Jacob in Genesis 28 though leaving to find a wife in Paddan-aram is more significantly running away to save his life.
Because of Jacob’s deception, Esau is so mad, he swore that when Isaac dies, he will murder Jacob.
The flight of Jacob is an ironic one.
Jacob has received the birthright and the blessings of his father, yet, he now has to run away from all that he has so deceitfully gained.
He is running for his life into the wilderness, an expanse of 900 kilometres to Haran.
The next time Jacob bumps into Esau, it will be 20 years later and it will be a surprizing reunion.
We will get to that when we journey through Genesis 33.
So, these chapters from Genesis 28 to 33, would be the transition of the baton being passed from Isaac to Jacob.
Now Jacob is fleeing the consequence of his sin against Esau and Isaac. He is fleeing a dysfunctional family whose parents exhibit favouritism.
Favouritism that undermines significantly the revealed will of God.
Tired and running out of daylight, Jacob finds a place to lay his head in the wilderness.
And amazingly and graciously, God seeks Jacob.
I’m sure you and I wonder - why would God condescend to reveal Himself to Jacob, this deceiver?
Yet, when we reflect, we are to be reminded, we are no different from Jacob.
We all like darkness, we all have rebelled against God. We all are liars, we all are deceivers.
The Old Testament says, we are like wayward sheep. We have all deliberately turned away from God.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The New Testament says the same thing. No matter how well we think we have lived, we all have sinned, we all have fallen short of God’s standards.
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Yet, we see here God graciously sought Jacob.
When he was fleeing and while he was, I sense at his most vulnerable, asleep in the wilderness - God revealed Himself to Jacob.
Like the testimony of Odette’s life that was mentioned earlier, God graciously does reveal Himself when we are at our most vulnerable.
And wonderfully, He reveals Himself not just when we are actively seeking Him. But marvellously, even when we are actively fleeing away from Him.
What a gracious God we have.
Church, remember when we were yet believers, Romans 5:8 tell us
Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is the gracious God that sought us.
While we were still enemies of God, He sent Jesus to the cross at Calvary.
God sought Jacob and Scripture says, Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The lost like you and I.
If God took so much effort when we were His enemies, how much more would He not seek us when we are His child.
Church, I don’t know what state, your faith journey is in right now.
Maybe like Jacob, you are running away from God because of the consequence of your sins.
Yet, the testimony of Jacob is that God continues to seek us out.
Wherever you run, God will graciously pursue you. The Psalmist teaches:
Ps 139:7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Strive no more to be turning your backs to God. Instead yield to God’s gracious pursuit of you.
In Jesus, you will find your rest.
The God who reveals
In Jacob’s dream, he sees a ladder linking Heaven and Earth. And significantly Jacob sees God standing at the head of the ladder.
What a sight this must be for Jacob. God revealing Himself to Jacob. Giving him a vision of who God is.
What a sight to behold that God has all His angels doing His bidding both in Heaven and on Earth.
For they are ascending and descending on the ladder that links Heaven to Earth.
This is a picture of God in sovereign control. God has His angels to ensure that things work out according to His decree.
And with this picture of this sovereign God, God says to Jacob, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.
I am the personal God of your ancestors. It is a personal relationship that I have with Abraham and with Isaac.
And so the covenant promise that I have made with Abraham has been rightly passed down to Isaac …
That promise is now to be passed down to you, Jacob.
The baton from Abraham that has been passed to Isaac is now being passed to you, Jacob.
And then, God proclaims the covenantal promise that was conveyed twice to Isaac in Genesis 26.
God now addresses Isaac with it in v13 to 14.
Gen 28:13 “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
Jacob, you will live. You will find a wife and will have many offspring. You will spread out on the Promised Land and I will use you as a blessing to all the families of the earth.
My word, God implies is my promise and I will deliver.
Today, because we have the New Testament, we can see that Jacob’s vision of the ladder points to a greater reality.
We see that the Gospel of John chapter 1.
Jesus was appointing his disciples Philip and Nathaniel at Galilee.
To Nathaniel’s proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel, Jesus replied:
Jn 1:51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Jesus Christ in His incarnation is God dwelling amongst man.
Jesus Christ is the link between God in heaven and man on earth. He is the bridge.
At the tower of Babel, man tried to reach heaven. That is not possible. The gap between heaven and earth is impossible for man to bridge.
Only by the love of God in Christ Jesus has that gap been closed.
So, Jacob’s ladder points us to Jesus. He is the one whom the angels of God are ascending and descending upon.
And so Scripture says in 1 Tim 2:
1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Friends, if you are searching to reach God, He has come in the person of Jesus.
In Christ and in Christ alone, He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to God the Father except through His Son Jesus.
The work of men at the tower of Babel, shows how fruitless it is. There is nothing man can do to reach God.
Jesus is the true and living Jacob’s ladder. His death and resurrection has open up the way back to God.
In Genesis 28, God revealed who He is to Jacob and affirmed His promises as well.
God has made good all of His promises now for descendants of Jacob in Messiah Jesus.
Friends, if you are here in this hall or listening online, you are not here by chance.
I pray that you will be open to what God is speaking through His Word.
Regardless of who you are, what your background is, you can inherit the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Our gracious God says:
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Today, if you are not yet in Christ, but you want to inherit these promises that God has given to Jacob …. come and speak to me or any of the church leaders.
The God to worship
From Pillow to Pillar. From revelation to reverence.
Because God is the one who seeks us, because God is the one who has revealed His gracious promises, He is the God to worship.
I submit, from v16 to 22, we can see Jacob’s reaction and his response.
Firstly, from verses 16 and 17 we see Jacob’s reaction to God’s revelation of Himself and His promises to Abraham.
Gen 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Some encounters we have in life are life-changing.
Since it’s an Olympic year, let me use this picture of a young Joseph Schooling meeting the multi-gold medallist Michael Phelps, as an example of a life-changing moment.
I’m sure Jospeh was in awe of standing next to Michael and that Michael would have been a great encouragement to the sacrifices and perseverance needed for Joseph to strive for his gold medal at the Olympics.
If its awe-inspiring to meet Michael Phelps, how much more awesome would it be to meet the Creator of the Universe?
Jacob’s natural reaction was - surely God was here and he was afraid. There was reverential awe and fear that Jacob had been in the very presence of Yahweh.
Michael can swim faster than anyone in a swimming pool. But God is the one whom the wind and the waves obey.
We may idol-worship great sporting personalities, but true worship is reserved only for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
A God who seeks you when you were astray, a God who sacrifice His Son to provide the way back to Him.
This is a God worthy of our worship and adoration.
When God reveals Himself to us, Jacob’s reaction is to be our natural reaction as well.
In reverence and in awe I bow in worship to God who has shown Himself to me.
But how often do we feel such reverential awe?
I think we may have lost it somewhat because we have de-emphasized the holiness of God.
We need to echo what Isaiah said when he beheld the Lord in His temple and heard - “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
To that Isaiah said: Isa 6:5 “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
We too live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
Are we no different from the time of Noah and the flood? Are we no better than the tower of Babel? Are we not also struggling with sins of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Church we live in the midst of a people of unclean lips.
But thanks be to God, the wrath of God has been turned away because of the blood of Jesus.
And so with grateful hearts, let us worship God with reverence and awe.
Secondly from 18 to 22, Jacob did not stop at his reaction, he then moved on towards responding to God’s revelation.
Gen 28:18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Jacob set up a pillar and called the place Bethel, which means house of God.
There was a deliberate act of response. A response of worship and the acknowledgement of the significance of the place by renaming it.
Today, Jesus is the true Bethel. For Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us.
And so, the Gospel of John says that Jesus who is the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us.
God in His Son Jesus, tabernacle with us. Jesus is Emmanuel, the true Bethel.
Today, our pillar I submit is Holy Communion.
At Holy Communion, we remember the Gospel. The Good News that Jesus came to be our redeemer.
That He is the mediator between God and Man. He is the Jacob’s ladder, linking man back to God.
Besides this response of worship, we see also the vow of commitment.
The Lord shall be my God and I will give a full tenth.
Jacob commits that now and into the future, he will worship the Lord God and in very practical ways, it means he will tithe, 10% of everything.
This reminds us of Abraham in Genesis 14, when he too gave in worship, a tenth of everything when he met with Melchizedek the king of Salem.
The New Testament instructs us in Hebrews 5
Heb 5:5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
As Abraham gave to Melchizedek the king of Salem, we today, give to Jesus who is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Jacob models for us what is the response of worship.
There is the ongoing commitment to the Lordship of God and it is practically lived out in tithing.
Conclusion
At the end of this month, the Summer Olympics in Paris will begin.
It is also significant for believers because 100 years ago, in the same games in the same city, a faith testimony was display in the life of Eric Liddell.
Ps Luwin spoke of the US 4 x 100m relay team last week. Eric Liddell ran the 400m himself and won it.
Eric Liddell is famous because that was not his pet race. His was the 100m but because the heats was on a Sunday, he refused to run and so had to compete in the 400m instead.
By 1925, Eric was back in China as a missionary, following the footsteps of his parents.
Just last month, in Tianjin, they held an exhibition honouring China-born Scottish Olympic champion Liddell.
The article quotes Tianjin Sports Bureau Deputy Director Li Shan:
"Liddell is one of Scotland's most celebrated athletes. After his Olympic triumph, he returned to Tianjin and dedicated his life to China. He was a true ambassador of the Olympic spirit and China-UK friendship,"
Eric Liddle was born in China, worked in China and died in China in 1945.
Eric was an ambassador not just for sports or his country, he was an ambassador for God.
Eric said of the Olympics:
“It has been a wonderful experience to compete in the Olympic Games and to bring home a gold medal. But since I have been a young lad, I have had my eyes on a different prize. You see, each one of us is in a greater race than any I have run in Paris, and this race ends when God gives out the medals.”
Eric Liddell was captivated by a vision of God that compelled him to live a life of commitment and worship.
May that be our testimony as well.
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