Stairway to Heaven

  • Matt Marino
  • Jan 10, 2010
  • Series: Genesis
  • Passage: Genesis 28:10-22

 1-10-10

Stairway to Heaven

GENESIS 28:10 - 22

 

PRAYER – John 3:13

 

INTRODUCTION

 

As the story shifts from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, the gospel comes into sharper focus in surprising ways. When the ugliness of the sinner increases, the beauty of the gospel blossoms. Or, as Paul said it, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” [Rom. 5:20]. As we will see in later chapters, Jacob becomes a picture of God’s people, Israel. But before he can do that, he’s got to get saved! 

 

GOD’S SALVATION

OUR RESPONSE

 

The Big Idea is that Jesus is Jacob’s ladder, and He is the only way for you as well. 

 

Remember that nothing Jacob does in response contributes to God’s salvation! The Christian life is a response to grace! 

 

DOCTRINE

 

GOD’S SALVATION

God Seeks Jacob, Not the Other Way Around

Jacob represents man and Israel.

[1 Chr. 16:13] “O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!”

 

Wandering in the dust from which he came.

Resting his head on the same substance as his heart—stone. 

 

[Ps. 135:4] “For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.”

[Is. 43:1] “But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

 

Jacob is sent in a good way by his parents.

True, his journey was conducive (fitting) to grace...

But nature and nurture are impotent without grace!

 

God speaks from and to his signs…

Remember, angels are messengers of God.

God stands atop this ladder.

The sinner lies sleeping below. 

Two ideas: there is a covenant (through/to Jacob) to be mediated (Jacob can’t). The two figures (God and man) are bridged (the wooden stairs).

 

[1 Tim. 2:5] “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

 

God Comes Down (Descending)

The fact that God’s word is coming down is proof of his good will to us!

As with Abraham and Isaac God creates this new life by speaking.

[Ps. 119:25] “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”

 

The Bible tells us that He descends all the way down so that the wood (cross) strikes the rock (Christ). 

 

[Num. 20:11-12] “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 

 

He descends and ascends so that He could pour out to us all his blessing.

 

[Eph. 4:7-10] “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

 

God Takes Up (Ascending) 

Jacob was so much “on the run” that, if left to himself, he could do nothing but run himself into the desert ground!

 

[Ps. 49:7-9] “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.”

 

[Jer. 31:11] “For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

 

I will bless you with everything and I will be with you in the meantime!

 

[Jn. 3:13] “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”

 

***Jesus is Jacob’s ladder, and He is the only way for you as well. 

 

OUR RESPONSE

We Wake Up and Confess

[Jn. 11:11] “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

 

Spiritual awakening looks like regretful surprise that you wasted your life thus far.

[Eph. 2:1-6, TURN] Here we see all of the explanation of everything Jacob experienced. He was dead; God made him alive. He was down here living for fleeting pleasures; God came down and began to raise up his affections to eternity.

 

Spiritual awakening looks for the awesome presence of God.

 

Note that no one had received so sudden revelation with so little preparation, since Adam himself (at least that is revealed). This demonstrates that God invades this universe in his own good time—against natural means. 

 

“This is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven.”

GEORGE WHITEFIELD, following a revival Sermon to 15,000 in Boston Commons, 1740

 

We Build and Consecrate

He set up a monument then he “made it holy.”

[Ex. 3:5] “Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

 

The sacred claims all of the secular—like the Midas touch!

Everything the Christian touches is kingdom territory.

 

Bethel means “the house of God.”

The Word would become flesh there: Bethlehem 

Jesus (and then his body) is the new house of God.

[Jn. 2:19-21] “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”

 

“Kill me, and I will become the global meeting place of God.”

JOHN PIPER, (paraphrase of John 2:19) 50 Reasons 

 

Though Jacob may not have known it then, his encounter would begin the biblical teaching on true worship. Nearly 2,000 years later, at his well:

 

[Jn. 4:23-24] “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 

We Recognize these Two Main Points (I mean I & II of this Sermon)

Note that Jacob sees the initiative of God as the cause of all of his response.

[2 Pet. 1:3] “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

 

If anyone responds that this is part of a vow, I would only add that Jacob is a spiritual baby and it is appropriate that he use conditional language. The fact remains that…

 

God’s coming down makes Jacob’s rock!

God’s 100% makes Jacob’s 10%!

 

Incidentally, Jacob still does not fully trust God, as we will see later.

So we can only use his response as a model insofar as he confesses the goodness of God.

 

APPLICATION

 

To the Skeptic – Reason is NOT building a ladder of facts up to ultimate truth. Truth must come down: and that takes grace. What does Jesus being Jacob’s ladder have to do with thinking? Simple—when the Word became flesh, he came “full of grace and truth” [Jn. 1:14]. Paul said that “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” [Rom. 1:19]. So the Bible teaches that we could never know anything about God unless came down to show us. And what the skeptic needs to understand is that we could never know anything about anything unless God came down to show us {The infinite regress of “blindfolded” people around the elephant}. No one will ascend into the heavens by his reason but He who descended with revelation.

 

To the Saint – The Christian life is NOT building a ladder of conditional promises to God. “Lord if only you will let me know how this is going to turn out…then I’ll surrender all to you.” Well, in the grand scheme, if you’re saved, you do know how it’s going to turn out! You have God himself! We should offer up all we have to God for that alone! 

 

To the Sinner – I know we’ve made it cliché. But don’t let shallow culture define your terms for you or take them away. Jesus pictures himself as a WAY (Jn. 14:6). And that way is hard as nails and paved with perfect blood. The salvation He offers is perfect because He is perfect!

 

[Jn. 14:6] “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

Those three things that Jesus is really sum up our three points of application. To the one who seeks truth, Jesus comes down to get you (will you give up your intellectual pride?); to the believer who seeks new life to believe and hate their sin and love their brothers, Jesus pours out his Spirit to the weak (Will you give up your religious pride and admit your weak?); to the sinner who is way up past his head in filth and a guilty conscience, Jesus paid the way completely to all who would believe (Will you give up your pride and repent and trust in him right now?).