⁣Jacob has tried accomplishing everything with his own schemes, tactics and plans
We reach an impasse in his story; Jacob enters God's School of Brokeness
All of God's mighty men and women must graduate from this school
Matthew 9:57-62
Following Jesus is not a walk in the park; following Jesus means denying oneself, grabbing a cross and following Him
Going through God's school of brokenness is a must
Before God does something great through you, He must first do something great in you
“It is doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply” - A.W. Tozer
Genesis 28:10
550 mile trip from Beersheba to Harran
More than a month's journey
Very dangerous to go alone
Genesis 28:11
It represents the state of Jacob's life
He stole the blessing but now he is sleeping on a rock as a pillow
Something happened to Jacob in the midst of his discomfort
Genesis 28:12-15
I find it interesting that it is not at his destination that God appears to him but it's on the journey
This is Jacob's first encounter with the Lord
Jacob has spent his entire life trying to make something happen with his own strength and cleverness
Jacob has been doing things his own way and now he is sleeping on a rock but God...
Have you ever found yourself in an uncomfortable season of life because of a decision you made but God showed up anyways?
In your hardest times you will get your greatest revelation
C.S. Lewis - God whispers to us in our pleasure but He shouts to us in our pain
Jacob is the 1st person in the Bible to see into heaven
That rock would have put a crick in his neck for sure
Out of his pain he sees something incredible
We learn something here about heaven and how God and his angels operate
Notice they are ascending and descending
God's Divine Council
Psalm 82:1
Psalm 89:5-7
Who is on the council?
We know angels are, cherubim are, many other creatures are including humans
Satan also has a role on God's divine council
Job 1:6-11
More here about satan than anywhere else
Satan means accuser
He accuses God's people day and night
Revelation 12:10
One day he will be hurled down but for now he accuses
The devil accuses the best of us; Jesus saves the worst of us
Jesus is a greater Savior than you are sinner
What does Satan accuse us of? Past, motivation and hearts
Today he has a lot of help from Christians
Gossip and slander about the past, motivation and heart of another believer
Quit assassinating the character of your brother and sister
Satan is not the halloween costume; he would like for you to think he is
He is the most beautiful angel God ever created
Beautiful but pride causes him to be evil
Satan has a personality; intellect and emotion
He has access to heaven
"Where have you been" - God
"Roaming around" - Satan
He doesn't roam without a purpose
1st Peter 5:8
The devil is not omnipresent like God
Not in Africa and America at the same time
But can go from Africa to America in a moment
There is a real devil, but there is also a real God
If God is for you it doesn't matter if the devil is after you
Our God is not a distant deity, but a faithful companion in the good and not so good
The angels work on behalf of the Lord to carry out the plans and promises of God
The Promise
Genesis 28:16-22
Notice that Jacob sees God when he rested
God was there but Jacob missed it until he rested
When Jacob stopped trying to make it happen then all of a sudden his world changed
Proverbs 19:21
God had a plan and a purpose for Jacob
Jacob did everything he could to mess it up
But the gifts and calling of God is irrevocable
When God makes a promise He will see it through
God even knows how to take our biggest mistakes and weave them into our story with and make our messes into a tremendous message about the goodness of God
I'll prove it to you
Romans 8:28-30
I don't have to ask God to be with me
I need God to help me see that He is with me
This promise goes back to Genesis 3:15 about the coming Seed of the Woman who will crush the head of the serpent
Through Abraham would come this seed, through Isaac and through Jacob
Jacob is on his way to harran to get a wife because he has to have a son because the Messiah has to come because God made a promise
When God makes a promise you can sleep on it
It takes faith to rest
Mark 4:35-31
Disciples are panicking, they are uncomfortable
They thought Jesus did not care
They thought one thing but Jesus knew something else which is why He was able to sleep in the storm
Jesus knew a promise had been made in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:15
He knew that His heel was to be bruised by the serpent but He would crush the head of the serpent
That promise is not fulfilled until Mark 16
Jesus knew he couldn't drown in Mark 4 because the promise wouldn't be fulfilled until Mark when He is resurrected
When you have a promise from God you can sleep on it
If the promise is not done that means God is not finished
My prayer for you is that the Lord would open your eyes
2nd Kings 6:15-17