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Sermons from the
Book of Genesis |
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Many years ago during the war, a group of soldiers in a trench, were being shelled. There was a explosion and a piece of shrapnel hit a fellow named Bert. One soldier that was 6 ft. 3 inches that everyone called Tiny Jim, ran to him and immediately knew that it was a hopeless case. Some of the other soldiers helped Tiny put Bert on some empty sand bags and an old coat to make him as comfortable as possible. Before long Tiny was started by a voice that said, “Can you tell me the way to heaven?” Tiny turned and saw that it was Bert. Tiny said, “The way to heaven? Sorry chum, I don’t know. I’ll ask the other fellows.” Tiny started going to man after man in that trench asking, “Bert is dying. He wants to know how to get to heaven. Can you tell him?” Not one of the men in that trench could tell him how.
Tiny jumped out of that trench and ran to the next post, shouting, “There’s a chap in our company who has been hit; he’s dying and he wants to know the way to heaven. Can anyone tell him?” One man smiled, and said, “Yes.” He reached into his tunic-pocket, pulled out a New Testament; quickly turning over its pages he said, “Look here, that verse marked with pencil. Tell him that is the way.” Tiny quickly ran back to Bert and fell down beside him and said, “I’ve got it, Bert, old chum, here it is; the way to heaven: ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’” Peace came over Bert’s face as he kept gasping out “whosoever.” In a little while he was gone.1
There is nothing more important that knowing how to get to heaven when you die. There is not a greater question to ask and not a greater answer to give than how to get to heaven. In the story before us, we are told how to get to heaven. Jacob is on the run and on a dark night in a dry place he has a dream. How did Jacob interpret what he saw in his dream. Notice Genesis 28:17, “And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Jacob saw in his dream the gate of heaven. Jacob saw in his dream how one can get to heaven. This is a familiar story in the Bible, and in it we see a picture of salvation and how one can get in the gate of heaven. Let’s notice 3 things from the story. First, we see:
1. THE WAY OF SALVATION THAT WAS SEEN BY JACOB
Notice Genesis 28: 10-12, “And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Jacob is bone-weary tired. He took a stone that he used for a pillow, lay down and went to sleep. As Spurgeon said, he had the sky for a canopy, the ground for a bed, and a stone for a pillow. While he sleeping he had a dream.
God often used dreams in the Old Testament to speak to people. God no longer uses dreams, but uses his Word. I am weary today of those who claim God spoke to them in dreams.
I heard about one man who dreamed about eating marshmallows. In his dream he became possessed with eating marshmallows. He was eating marshmallows as fast as he could eat them. He was cramming them in his mouth. When he woke up his pillow was gone.
One young man was talking to his girlfriend. He said, “I dreamed last night that I proposed to you. I wonder what that means?” His girlfriend replied, “It means you have more sense when you are asleep than when you are awake.”
Well, the dream Jacob had was a ladder that set upon the earth and reached to heaven. On this ladder were angels that ascending and descending. Now what did this dream mean? First, think with me about:
A. A Separation That Is Pictured
The dream reminds us of two places: earth and heaven. The two are separated by a great distance. Each of us could walk outside and look up to heaven, but unless we have help there is no way we can get there. There is a great gulf between the two. There is a separation that exists.
We are reminded of this separation in Luke 16. The rich man was in hell and Lazarus was in heaven. Abraham said to the rich man, “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.”
We do not know the distance between earth and heaven, but I assure you, that man cannot design and build a craft that can take you there. There no plane, rocket, or spaceship that has the ability to take you there. Man may be able to go to the moon, but they can’t travel to heaven. The separation is too great and humanly impossible for man to span.
We will either live that eternity in heaven or hell. I don’t think there is much debate of where we want to live that eternity. But up there and out there is heaven. The great question is, how can we get from here to there. We are down here and God is up there. How do we get to Him and how can we live up there? In Jacob’s dream he saw earth and heaven and the great separation between the two.
We also see:
B. A Saviour That Is Pictured
In Jacob’s’ dream in saw a link between heaven and earth. He saw that this great gulf was spanned by a ladder that reached from earth to heaven. In his dream he saw a link between God and man, and man and God. In verse 12, we read, “behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.” What did this ladder mean? What did it speak of? Notice John 1:49-51, “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 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.”
In Jacob’s dream we see the angels were ascending and descending upon a ladder. But in John we see the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man. The ladder Jacob saw was none other than Jesus Christ Himself! Jesus is the link between heaven and earth. Jesus is the bridge between God and man. Jesus is the ladder to heaven. To put it simply, Jesus is the way you get to heaven and get in the gates of heaven. We read in 1 Timothy 2:25, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Here’s the problem. Many are climbing the ladder of religion, the ladder of rituals, the ladder of rules, the ladder of race, and the ladder of righteousness. But there is only one problem with those ladders. Nothing of them are long enough to reach heaven. (Cp. Rom.3:23) The only ladder long enough to reach from earth to heaven is Jesus.
J. Vernon McGee told the story of how when he was a kid, he the boys played a game where they would run the end of a pier in Santa Monica and see who could jump to Catalina Island. Now it is about 25 miles directly across from the Santa Monica pier to Catalina Island. McGee said, “Nobody made it. I saw some mighty good jumps, and some jumped further than others, but nobody ever made it.” He said everyone came short and only got wet.
Trying to get to heaven on your own means is like trying to jump from the Santa Monica pier to Catalina Island. You will never make it. But praise God, there is a bridge and that bridge is Jesus.
Secondly, think with me of:
2. THE WORD OF SALVATION THAT WAS SENT TO JACOB
Jacob not only had a vision but he heard a voice. We read in verses 13-15, “And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” God sent a saving word to Jacob. What did God say to Jacob?
First, notice that it was a word about the:
A. Need Of Salvation
Notice carefully in verse 13 that God said “I am the LORD God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac.” God did not say, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” God was saying, “Your grandfather Abraham had a relationship with Me, and your father Isaac had a relationship with Me. Now Jacob, you need to have a relationship with Me.” Jacob knew about God for he had heard about God all his life. But he had never met God like his grandfather and father. He needed to meet God himself. God had revealed Himself to his ancestors, now He is revealing Himself to Jacob.
I remind you that salvation is an individual need and an individual experience. You can have a grandfather and a father that were the finest Christians one could ever meet. But you can’t go to heaven on what your grandfather and father had. You must experience salvation yourself. It is a personal experience. Jacob had been born in a Christian home and been around Christian things all his life. But being born in a Christian home no more makes you a Christian than being born in a garage makes you a car.
Queen Victoria was once crossing the English Channel in the royal yacht, when her kindly eye spied a tiny bird following the yacht with fluttering wings, attracted by the brightness of the silken standard that floated in the dazzling sunshine at the masthead. The queen turned to the princess and pointed to it. It was weak and weary, and darted down to the waves, trying to find a resting place, but it was a feeble creature of the woods and fields. With a faint cry it rose from the waves, soared up to the masthead, and tried to rest upon the dazzling flag which had drawn it from the land—away from safety, shelter and home.
The heart of the queen was full of pity, and she commanded her sailors to save the weary bird. They sprang to do her bidding and used every art and device to capture the little thing in vain. All their efforts to rescue the bird only terrified it more. At last it fell upon the deck at the feet of the queen—dead! Her Majesty stooped and picked it up and held it tenderly in her hand. Victoria, queen and empress, had willed to spare the life of the bird, but even she was not able.2
There are those who love you who would willingly save you if they could; they are willing but they are not able. They can only pray for you and point you to Jesus. Salvation is a personal matter and a personal need.
Furthermore, we see a word about the:
B. Nature Of Salvation
God reaffirmed the promise that He had made to his grandfather and father. The promise Jacob received involved:
The promises that God made to Jacob are the same promises that God makes to you and me. When we become His we have the promise of His prosperity, presence, and protection. It is no wonder the writer of Hebrews called our salvation a “So great Salvation.” In our salvation we find all that we need. It is a salvation that is free but also full.
Notice Genesis 28:16, “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” Jacob did not personally know God, even though he had heard of God and been around spiritually things all his life. But God sent him a saving word and now he has met and knows the Lord himself.
It is important to keep in mind that Jacob was not saved because he had a dream. He was not saved because he saw the angels. He was saved because he heard God’s Word. (Cp. Rom.10:17). Because he heard and believed, all that God promised became his to enjoy and experience.
Notice Genesis 28:17, “And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” The word “dreadful” does not speak of something to fear or flee. The word speaks of that which is to “be revered.” The ideal is of reverence. It was indeed a place to be revered. He could now enter the House of God and enter the gate of heaven. He had met God and was now a saved man.
Thirdly, notice with me:
3. THE WORK OF SALVATION THAT WAS SHOWN IN JACOB
Something happens in a persons life when they are saved. It’s like having the measles, it pops out on you. When the night was over and the morning came, you see in Jacob the result of salvation in a persons life.
First, we see there was a:
A. Changing Of His Life
Notice Genesis 28:18-19, “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.” He turned his pillow into a pillar. He poured oil (anointed) on that pillar and changed the name of the place. The place where he had spent the night was called Luz which mean “separation.” But he changed it to Bethel, which means ‘the house of God.”
Why did he change the name of the place? He had been changed! He was no longer separated from God, but now had been brought into the house of God.
Queen Victoria once visited a large paper mill. She was shown, among other places, the “rag room” where tons of offensively filthy rags were stored. “How can these dirty rags be made white and pure?” she asked. “I have a chemical process by which I can remove all the grime and uncleanness from those rags, and make them immaculately white,” answered the superintendent. Some time later, the Queen found on her writing desk some of the most beautiful writing paper she had ever seen. Accompanying the paper was a note which read: “Will Her Majesty be pleased to accept a specimen of my paper with the assurance that every sheet was manufactured out of the dirty rags which she saw?”
Jesus can take the dirty and filthy and make them white as snow. He can take the vile and make them virtuous. He can take the blasphemer and make them a blessing. Salvation brings a brand new life.
Furthermore, we see that was a:
B. Commitment To His Lord
Notice Genesis 28:20-21, “And Jacob vowed 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 raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God.” Jacob’s life was not only changed but his Lord was crowned. Jacob made a commitment of his life to the Lord he had met. Jacob made a vow to God that he would live for Him and serve Him.
Jacob not only declared his commitment but demonstrated his commitment. Notice Genesis 28:22, “And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” No sooner did Jacob get saved when he started tithing. (That sure removes any doubts from my mind that he got saved.) He declared his commitment and demonstrated his commitment.
Salvation, real, genuine salvation will put a desire in a persons heart to live for God and serve Him. In fact, I doubt a person has really been saved that does not have a desire to live for God after they make a profession. The work of salvation was shown in his life. The evidence was there. He had met God and things would never be the same.
I heard about a man in London who was looking for a nightclub that was called “The Gates of Hell.” He stopped a police officer and said, “Excuse me sir, could you direct me to the Gates of Hell?” The officer was familiar with the night club which was just a few blocks up the street. It was only a block from a church called Calvary Church. The police officer said, “Sir, walk up this street until you come to Calvary and after you go past Calvary you will come to the Gates of Hell."3
There are two gates that you can go through when this life is over. The Gates of Heaven or the Gates of Hell. Its your choice. If you go past Calvary, you will find the gates of Hell.
1. “Whither Bound” by Bible Truth Publishers 2. “Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations” by Paul Lee Tan 3. From a sermon by James Merritt, “Up A Ladder Without A Tree.” |