we turn in the bible this morning to the book of genesis the first book of the bible and again if you're if you're visiting with us we're working through this book we come this morning to chapter 28 chapter 28 of genesis and we're reading together verses 10 through 22 jacob's well-known dream this is the word of the lord genesis 28 beginning at verse 10 jacob left beersheba and went toward haran and he came to a certain place and stayed there that night because the sun had set taking one of the stones of the place he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep and he dreamed and behold there was a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it and behold the Lord stood above it and said I am the Lord the God of Abraham your father the God of Isaac the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring 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. 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 promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it. 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. So early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar or an oil on the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel. But the name of the city was Luz at first. 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 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 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. May the Lord bless the hearing of his word. I would be curious this morning if I went around to the members of the congregation and asked them how much of you in the course of your life struggled with the problem of loneliness, feeling at times disconnected from people or disconnecting from people, struggling maybe even with the purpose of why you're here, what you're doing, and this incredible problem of emptiness and loneliness, I would think it's much greater than people are willing to confess. People do. They live in struggle. They live in real struggle with the reason of why they're here. And everyone generally in the world is on a quest to find meaning in their lives. They want to find meaning. They want to know why they exist. And so they're on a search. And it's a constant search. One popular author writes, why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness? The Bible has shown us this problem. The Bible has frequently shown us this problem, that as soon as Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, you remember boys and girls, and the flaming swords were put up in the cherubim guarding the garden, and the Lord sent them out from the presence of the Lord ever since then the whole human race has been on this quest it's been on this search to find life to find meaning and ultimately even though they don't always say this to find God and it's a sad story isn't it of all the books that tell you how to deal with this problem and all the ideas and all of the quests and everyone telling you to turn inward and to find the happiness that lies within you. I mean, this is just common, common lingo today, that ultimately the problem seems to get worse and worse, that man continues to seek and to seek and to seek and to not find. And he doesn't understand that what ultimately is happening is that it actually, the problem is growing worse. This is what the Bible describes for us this morning. The Bible calls this great problem alienation from God. Alienation. You remember Ephesians 4. They are darkened in their understanding. Alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. did you hear that alienation expressed in our common society is loneliness and emptiness and hopelessness and it's all a consequence says the lord of alienation due to a hardened heart and it's not that we're alienated from ourselves we don't even understand ourselves as we should It's that we are all, by nature, alienated from the life of God. Whatever we find in life that we're trying to fill that void with, it always disappoints. It never ultimately satisfies. It never satisfies the longing that all of you have to fix this problem. That's the path of humanity. That's the path of humanity after the fall. That's the path that we're born on. Alienation is something we're born with, and it hopelessly, you'll notice here, we'll look in the text this morning, this is the case for humanity as they are hopelessly groping around trying to find and seeking and not finding. Why do I raise all of this this morning? Why do I open up with that this morning? Well, that's this passage. That's Genesis chapter 28. It shows us what alienation from God looks like. And I believe the text this morning is a tragic, shows us how tragic and serious the problem is. How many people do you know who are empty, who are lonely, who are sad, and maybe right now you see them spiraling down and the choices that they're making and it's only further bringing them into the state of further isolation and emptiness and then comes all the depression and all the anxiety and all the woe that comes with that path. It's as C.S. Lewis once said, as soon as we are fully conscious, we discover loneliness. Genesis 28. Genesis 28 shows us this, and then it shows us how God answers it. It shows us the great problem that was from the beginning in Genesis shown to us and how God has answered this great problem for us. And I can't help but think of what the Lord Jesus said, that when he said, I have come to seek and to save that which is lost, I can't help but think that he had Genesis 28 on his mind. Maybe that's an assumption. It is an assumption. I don't know. But it sure would be the best place to go in the Old Testament to demonstrate it. What we have this morning is one of the most radical presentations of grace that we come across in the scriptures. The greatest rebel so far in the scriptures, the greatest schemer, his name meaning that, and the text is impressing upon us God's pursuit of a sinner and what it looks like and what the outcome is. And I want to explore that this morning, since I know there are note takers, in three ways. First, you could write down the prodigal's departure. And then you could write down the prodigal's rescue. And then you could write down the prodigal's return, sort of, sort of. Let's start with his departure. You remember what happened last time, if you were here and we looked at this fascinating section in chapter 27 and 28, all of the mess that was recorded, the consequences of each family member plotting against God were shown to us, and everyone was fighting against God on His will. It was really a study in humans fighting against the will of God and God's will prevailing. Isaac had tried to give the blessing to Esau. And when his plan failed, Jacob came in with deceit, remember, and stole the blessing from Esau. Isaac convulsed, shaking violently on his bed. Esau ends up weeping, mourning, enraged, remember, consoling or comforting himself that he's going to take Jacob out. That's the way he's going to deal with this. That's the way it's going to happen. I'll get it back by killing him. Well, hearing of this intent, mom hearing of this intent, she comes up with another plan. We're going to send you, Jacob, to my brother Laban in Haran for just a few days until Esau's anger cools and then you'll come back. Remember when Abraham, his servant, asked him when he was looking for a bride for Isaac. And the servant, who was a very godly servant, asked the question, you know, can I take him from the Canaanites? Abraham says, no way. Well, should I take Isaac back there? Remember what Abraham said? You shall not. This was a man commanding his family. And you really do see in the generations a sort of failing in the next generation already with Isaac. You really do see how there are generational problems here in the book of Genesis. And this was a serious generational defect, if you will. It was in their choices, in the sin, in not understanding, in growing more dull to the Lord, in growing more dull to His promises. And here you see that Isaac and Rebekah were willing to let Jacob go. It was all wrong. It was all wrong. Abraham would have never allowed it. So here we are in this mess. We haven't heard a word from Jacob the whole time. And now we pick up in verse 10, which describes this prodigal's departure. Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and he lay down in that place to sleep. What a scene. His name, his whole life had been deceitful and instead of loving his brother, instead of going to his brother, instead of seeking reconciliation with his brother, lo and behold, he runs. He runs. He runs away from and flees the consequences of his sin. So picture the scene for a minute. Verse 10 tells us that he left Beersheba and went to Haran. He's totally alone. He has no one to talk to. He's out in the middle of the desert in the howling wilderness, 500-mile journey. And if you've ever been in the middle of the wilderness or you know anything like this, there are no lights. It's completely dark. It's terrifying. There's danger. There's all sorts of things that could happen. The text is painting for you what I believe is a very disturbing scene, maybe different than initially how we read this. Why do I say that? Picture the scene. He has nothing to lay his head on. He has nothing. There's no blankets. He has no comfort. And so he grabs a stone, a big stone, and he puts it down. And he uses the stone that night for his pillow. What a mess of a life. What a mess of a life the life of Jacob is. and the first thing I think we should see here is how messy and how awful and to see how clearly what sin does to somebody's life he has absolutely nothing there is nothing to show for the promises there is no seed there is no inheritance there is no wife and worst of all he's doing the thing that Abraham said Isaac should never do he's leaving the land he's leaving the land of promise with none of any kind of fulfillment nothing to show for anything and the whole picture here shows us a life of sin that alienates us from god what a sad picture how many lonely how many empty i've seen in my ministry in the time that i've done this i've seen this a lot i have seen people wreck their lives. I have seen them throw away their families. I've seen them throw away their children. I have seen people run into sheer isolation, and the outcomes have been just tragic. They lived lives of deceit, and the consequence was they destroyed their lives in the process. their marriages, their relationships, everything that they left behind. And there they are all alone, complete aloneness. Living for yourself, you end on a path with just yourself. It's true, isn't it? That loneliness and the feeling of isolation when people are running from something because of the lifestyle that they've chosen, where's the last place they want to be? Church. The last place they want to be is with God's people. The last place they want to be is gathering with anyone else. The consequence of the choice, the consequence of the path of sin leads to isolation. That's how you know return, by the way, because a love for the people of God and the church is what comes. But the path is that of isolation. It's aloneness. And you know, when somebody's on that path and they're pursuing that path, it's like talking to a wall when you're trying to convince them of it. You sit them down and you say, listen, you're leading a life of deceit and you try to point it out that they're sinning and they'll pull the first John. I'm not sinning. Remember John says, if anyone says they're not sinning, they're a liar. I'm not sinning. And what is the inevitable next phrase when you confront it? Leave me alone. They even asked for it. Now, when I referenced Esau last week, I said, have you ever met somebody when sin has found you out, when your sin has found you out and it's exposed and they're forced to deal with it? You meet certain kinds of people when this happens and they know it's bad And you'll even get a kind of tearful response. And they'll say, you know, I know what I'm doing is wrong. I want to get out of this. I want to change. And then we looked at the new path two weeks later is worse than the last path. They're right back on it. They're doing the same stuff. And from our perspective, you have some kind of compassion on people like that. You have a bleeding heart for people like that. It's up and down in dealing with people like that. But you would love to do whatever you could to get them off the path of their sin. Sin has destroyed their life. Sin has wrecked them. They keep going back to the isolation. They keep going back to the misery. I have met so many in my time like this. And, you know, they're down at the rescue missions because they're stuck in it. And you say, you guys want out? And everyone has, we want out. but they can't. Their story is repeated over and over and over. These kind of people, the compassion is easier. Why? Because there's emotion. Because there's response. Jacob. Jacob's at rock bottom here. You know how I want to preach this this morning. I want to preach this, that Jacob's all alone in the howling wilderness, and there's beasts that could come and tear him up. He's wrecked his life, and I've heard it preached this way. He's wrecked his life, and he must have been so scared out there. He must have realized how alone he is. He must have realized how empty his life is. I would love to preach it that way, because we all love a story where, you know, somebody's sorry, sorry, they mess up. We all know we're sinners. And it makes for a better story when there's some kind of remorse, isn't it? We can have compassion on those who are sorry. Text says nothing. Jacob would downright tick me off as a pastor. He's the kind of guy raised in the church, given everything, and he has no conscience, no spiritual life. He can steal without a care in the world. He can take everything that belongs to his brother, doesn't bother him. He has no conscience in what he does. His attitude, it stinks. You'd love to get some kind of emotion out of this guy, but he's arrogant. His posture is a Slouch, hates being in church, really doesn't want to be here. Too cool for that. Complete, hard heart with no remorse. He's a master manipulator. This guy can work mom and dad, all the while he shows no love for him. Oh, man. Can you feel who Jacob is? He's the kind of guy that makes us the most angry, the kind of personality. Remember the prodigal? When the young prodigal was running, you see it, Jesus captures it. Father, give me the share of the property that's coming to me. Older brother's standing there. You've got to be kidding me. Dad, you better not do that. And Dad does it. And he runs. He's gone. Next day. Running off, living, doing whatever he wants, down in Vegas, parting it up. No conscience squanders it all in reckless living, it says. Why do I build this up? If somebody, if we met somebody who did what Jacob did, who was sorry, we would struggle with, you know. How's God going to handle that? Naturally, I would want to handle somebody like this as take them behind the barn and beat some sense into them. But how is the Lord going to handle it? Will the Lord even answer somebody like this? What does the Lord do with somebody like this? This is the question. What does the Lord do with somebody like this? Would the Lord turn his face away from a thug like this? You'd kind of expect it. This is wicked behavior. What if Jacob doesn't call? Remember in the psalm, I said, I want you to think about Jacob this morning. The psalmist is crying out for help. What if he doesn't call? How many of you have maybe sons or daughters who they're not calling out on the Lord at all and they are hard as a rock in the heart? What does the Lord do with someone like that? With no asking, with no repenting, going the wrong way, with a dead, seared conscience, what does God do? This is making us a little bit nervous because can we say that? The text invites you to realize where God has brought him. Bethel. Why does that matter? Because you see, even before we're told what God says, he's already led them to a place of blessing. Where was Bethel? Bethel was the place that Abraham went before he left the land and the very place he went when he returned to the land. Remember? When he went down to Egypt and he told his lies and he had that big mess down in Egypt, Bethel bracketed. Abraham had stood right here years ago. Jacob has no knowledge of it. Dead. He doesn't care about granddaddy Abraham. He kind of provoked. Was the very stone that he's sleeping on the one that Abraham used to build the altar? What happened? Look at verse 12. And he dreamed. And behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it. Can you imagine this? That night he dreamed. A giant ladder was set up on the earth. And when you looked up, all you would see is these angels coming up and down on the ladder. And then Jacob sees at the very top, and notice it's all capitals. Notice, the text wants you to know, this is the name. This is the Lord standing at the top of what was this massive stoned staircase that bridge heaven and earth. Think of what you have here. He didn't ask for any of this. And without seeking, without expecting, God drops a staircase ladder to him. I'm hoping now in Genesis, you're beginning to comprehend what is the height, width, depth of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge. It's so beyond us. Our puny minds, we have to be trained in it the whole course of our lives because we're constantly walking away from it. Do you know what it is? With absolutely no deserving at all anything that we've done, God sovereignly chooses to love us. To make a way to us. We're not making, I'll talk about making a way to Him. He makes a way to us that we might be returned to Him. out of total grace he drops a gate to him now remember this isn't the only kind of scene that we have something like this but it was reversed remember back in genesis 10 and 11 what was the whole quest of man after the fall when they were booted out of the garden of eden you have a whole scene of the tower of babel and remember what they said remember remember the very words that came out of their mouths, come, let us build a city and a tower whose top will reach up to God, will reach up to the heavens. So that, remember what they said, lest we are scattered over the face of the whole earth. We don't want to be alone. We know we need to get back. We know something's wrong. Sad picture, isn't it? Everyone today, all your great Hollywood stars are on the next kick, aren't they? They're all trying to get back. They're all trying to get to God and they all have a million different ways to try to get there. And God, from the beginning, put up the sword and said, there's no way. You can't do it. You don't understand my holiness. If sinners were exiled from the presence of God and they've been in this groping and wandering state, how are they able to find God? How can they reach Him? Who will mediate? How do we get there? What will bridge heaven and earth? Can we build it? Can we get there? Islam. Let me read for you a few quotes. It's remarkable in studying these religions what they say. If any one of you performs his absolutions for prayer in a thorough manner. And then says, I bear witness that there is no God, but Allah alone without partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and messenger. Then eight gates of heaven will be open for him to enter through any gate he pleases. Hear the devil in that? Any gate, if you perform your absolutions. Mormon, in order for those who have died to enter the gates of heaven, they must first be baptized. There was a cult called Heaven's Gate, remember? You entered by suicide. Listen to a Buddhist. It's the love and devotion you put into it, The more intense, the best results you will get from the technique. You might know powerful meditation techniques such as kundalini yoga, which can lead you to the gates of heaven. But without devotion, it won't open. You see? Everyone's trying to find it. Everyone wants the gate. Hasn't this been the driving truth of Genesis, this whole study that all of our bridges lead to nowhere they lead to isolation they lead to more darkness they lead to more emptiness genesis has told us you can't fix it you're in that bad of a mess you are at the complete disposal of his grace now what do we have here here is somebody here's what he's not even searching for the gate he doesn't care and god drops one to him and jacob looks up and he sees the lord and for the first time in his life the lord introduces himself what a great moment the holy name is used verse 13 notice it and behold the lord stood above and said, 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 your offspring. 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. 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've done what I've promised you. That's not saying he'll ever leave him. I'm going to do all of this. Verse 15 is just remarkable. I am with you. I will keep you. I promise to preserve you wherever you go. Jacob, I'm never, ever walking away from you. And I'm going to bring you back. And I will never in the course of your life leave you nor forsake you. Don't ask me to leave you alone. I'm not. You can begin to understand why John, when he talks about the love of God and the love of the Father, when he says, behold, what manner, from another country, from another country, Behold, from what country, manner of love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called sons of God. What does all this mean this morning? Well, Jacob looks up and he sees angels descending and ascending on what appears to be a giant ladder. What is that? I believe we can have some certainty as to what that is because Jesus told us what that is. It's not complex. At the beginning of John's gospel, one day there was a man named Nathanael. Remember his question, how could there be any good that comes out of Nazareth? Jesus sees him, and a direct play upon Jacob says, Behold, an Israelite, remember God's changing Jacob's name to Israel, an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Jacob meant deceit. What did Nathanael say? How do you know me? how do you know me? Christ says, I saw you. Before he had even had this conversation, the Lord saw him. Remember Zacchaeus? I'll come back to Zacchaeus. Nathanael says, makes a great confession that Christ is the Son of God. And then Jesus says this, Jesus just took Jacob's dream and said, that ladder is me. That ladder that the angels were on coming to be ministering spirits to you is me, says Jesus. I'm the bridge. I'm the gate. I'm the way. Not gates. No gates. There's no plurality of gates. There's one gate. It's me. I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one enters except by me. That's it. And Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, a bad one. Jesus was passing through Jericho, remember? Jesus came to that place and Zacchaeus had gone up in the tree, boys and girls, and everyone, the multitudes are all around. And can you picture this? He walks right up under the tree and what did he say? Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house. The whole message of Scripture is that the Lord has dropped to you a ladder. The Lord has dropped to you the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And before you ever asked, before you ever saw it, while you were dead in trespasses and sins, when your heart was as hard as Jacob, he came and he said to you today, and he says to you today, because of the love with which I have loved you, and because of my sovereign good pleasure, I have decided to forgive your sins and I have decided to give you everlasting life and I have come down from heaven. I ascended, I descended and then ascended that you might be brought back and I'm not leaving you alone the whole way. It's a remarkable thing. You could try to run. He's not going to leave you alone. now you understand how opposed and grace is to our natural mind. You process that. How do you process that? God pursues rebels like this and like us who are absolutely helpless ever to choose Him or ever find Him. Here's the question. When you begin to comprehend the height, depth, width of the love of Christ as Paul talks about that Paul prayed that you would understand and that the pastor prays that you would understand. When you begin, what is the response? Look at verse 20. Then Jacob made a vow and 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 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God 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 tent to you. What? Come on. You've got to be kidding me. If God will give me clothes and food, I'll come back? That's not what the promise that God just said. That's not what God just said. God just said, I'm giving you life. I'm giving you all the Abrahamic blessings. I'm giving it all to you. I'm going to bless you. Your seed will be multiplied to the ends of the earth. If he gives me some food and he brings me back, he'll be my God. Pathetic. You see why I said the prodigal returned sort of? As angry as that makes me, it's a start. You see why we need patience with people, don't you? The one thing, though, I am going to press on you is that when this grace begins to really get into your hearts and minds and you begin to taste it, there's one thing that does, a fruit that does immediately start to come to fruition. A love to worship. Surely the Lord was in this place and I didn't know. How many people come to church today really not thinking that the Lord's in this place? How many people are here this morning and really don't believe that the Lord is in this place. How awesome is this place? This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. Well, you can't say this building is. It needs a little work. What's he talking about? Early in the morning, Jacob took a stone that he had put under his head and he set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Liz at first. The whole New Testament would look at this and say where Jesus Christ is proclaimed to you, that's the gate. That's the gate. And your love and your understanding, when you really begin to see what's going on and the Lord has dropped the gate to you, when you really begin to understand and comprehend this message, this is what you love to do. This fills you. This is what you are eager to do. You come out of weeks and you're eager to come back and receive. The way you know salvation has come to you is with a holy gathering, your love for that. And the joy that animates and drives your life and excitement that begins to fill you. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. who heals all your diseases, who forgives all your sins, who crowns you with steadfast love and kindness, who renews your strength like the eagles. The more grace grips us, the more a drive to worship God fills us. The more grace grips us, the more a drive to worship God fills us. There's a lot of work yet to do in Jacob. It's just a start. But next time he's in the wilderness, he's not so casual. He's scared to death. His brother's coming at him. And then a man takes him down in the middle of the night. Changes him. But it's a start here. And the Lord assures all those today who are his children and who believe in the son. He's with you. And he'll never leave you nor forsake you. What does that make you say? I hope it's not. Well, if God will fix this, then. Boy, God has answered your loneliness. God has answered your pain. God has given you His Son. And the evidence of your understanding of that, this place is going to be full. A stairway has been dropped to you today in the hearing of Christ. How beautiful is that gate? That's what Paul said in Romans 10. This is why we have the gate. Let us enter through Him. Jesus is the only way. Are there any today who have not entered? Enter. I am the door, says Jesus. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. Amen. How wonderful is this place, O Lord. how awesome you were with us. And we confess that when we entered these doors today and we came to worship you, we didn't realize it. And we ask that you would take away the dullness of our hearts and that you would work in all of us a love to worship you whenever it's called and that we would fix our eyes upon Christ realizing the wonderful pursuit of our lives that You sought, that You pursued, that You won the victory. And today we bow in grateful praise for the person and the work of Jesus Christ who is the gate, who is the way, and who has supplied our every need that we might enjoy reconciliation, not loneliness, but that our joy is complete. We are fulfilled. We sing to you and praise you today, loving the Lord our God for the wonderful grace that we've known. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.