Sermon note (3rd svc)
- Pastor Steven Furtick
Genesis 28:10-19
Jacob’s Vow at Bethel
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall 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 have spoken to 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!”
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Whatever I go through, God is above it!
What He wanna do through me. Put somebody on our mind that God can do through me
Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.
The pillar and the promise
There are a few things you can talk about before getting married.
How many kids do u want to have?
How long are we going to be married as human before introducing kids?
How many pillows are you going to be on your bed that u cannot sleep on?
Jacob was sleeping on something he is not supposed to sleep on. He slept on a stone at the age of 77.
Jacob was the most “unblessedable” person and yet God kept blessing him
Jacob took his brother birthright
Sometimes we give up what we love most for what we want now.
We keep on wearing costume and think we want to be somebody else.
God knows me totally and loves me completely. God loves all of me.
I don’t have to accomplish something for God to love me.
Jacob was running for something. He stole the blessing and tried to be someone he was not.
Genesis 28:11
So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
He is not there but he is not here. He is somewhere in the middle.
There is always a gap between where i am and where i want to be and who i am and who i want to be.
There is a gap between where i am and where i used to be. What about looking over the shoulder and see He has already done something for me?
Look back over my life and see the faithfulness of God.
He is not there yet and yet God showed up.
Sometimes God will stop your progress so that He could reveal your progress to you, that He cannot reveal otherwise.
Some of you are in a season and in a place you are uncomfortable
Jacob saw the angels of Lord
This staircase go from earth to heaven.
God is waiting for something to release on earth. He is waiting for us to rejoice.
Rejoice at the bottom and God can release something on the top.
Don’t wait for God to fix something.
God is already working on your situation.
God is already working on something you are worried about.
All His promises are yes and amen!
He named it Bethel.
U don’t have to accept the label life put on you.
Rachel named her son what she was going through – Son of my sorrow
But he was renamed as son of my right hands. Benjamin
I may be in the place of disappointment
Some of the disappointment in your life could be a disguise.
Some of the people whom God removed from your life could be the ones stopping you from destiny.
Jacob woke up.
God already in this place. He is here now.
The great I Am is present in this situation.
God is working in your behalf right now.
He is working in this season, in this situation.
This is the gate. God is working through this situation.
Jacob was pointing at the rock. A hard, uncomfortable, common thing. Jacob pointed at the rock and said this is the house of God. Bethel.
The place is special. What makes it special and glorious is God is here!
There are things and hard places in life, God is not changing the situation, but stage a revelation of who He is.
Paul prayed God “take it away”, he was given a thorn. He let us insert our own situation.
It is not about the vessel, it is about the oil.
Leaning in and depend on God.
torment – (reverse torment is mentor)
Some of the things i want God to take away are the very tools God is using to teach me.
His grace is greater than my sin.
God is not taking away, He is using it.
God let us go through something and stumble in the darkness, so that we can recognise Him. In our weakness, He is strong.
This is the gate!
Greater grace!
God showed up in the middle of no where in a place called failure, weakness, sorrow, and Jacob saw the angels. He called this place the house of God.
Jesus did with Peter. He anointed a rock, something common. There is oil on your head.
Some of you are in emotional stage right now.
Sleep on it. After all what good is the promise of God if you are not going to lay your head on it.
Jacob could sleep on the rock because he saw God was already working it out.
Sometimes you give up because you are tired of fighting.
Why would u refuse yourself in God’s whisper?
He whisper because He is close
Mark 4:35
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
(Matt. 8:23–27; Luke 8:22–25)
On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
Mark 4:36-39
Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
All storms are not storm we can see physically. It is silence storm. They could be smiling on the outside but battle inside.
It was a furious storm.
Jesus said lets go to the other side, it means they cannot die in the storm.
We cannot die in the storm because we got assignment at the other side. He does not stop He would not have set it, if He would not see you through.
He called you and justify you.
God did not see u into the storm to fail you.
He said to the waves Be Still. He has something to do at the other side.
What do u do with the promises of God? U sleep on it.
God is the God of Abraham, the God of your weaknesses and your strength. The God of your struggle and celebration.
What i have for you at the other side is greater than what you have now.
God is with me at this moment.
