Bethel: My God (2 Of 4) Series

Intro Statement

“At Bethel — the House of God — borrowed religion won’t do. You must know Him as your God.”

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Introduction – From Gilgal to Bethel

Last time we stood at Gilgal, the place of rolling stones, where God rolled away the reproach of Egypt, where Elisha burned his plow, and where we learned you can’t carry the mantle if you’re still carrying the clutter.

But the journey doesn’t stop at Gilgal. God isn’t finished yet. The next stop is a place called Bethel.

If Gilgal is about rolling away the past, Bethel is about embracing God personally. It’s about moving from a second-hand faith to a first-hand encounter.

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1. Encounter – The Lord Is in This Place

Jacob wasn’t looking for God. He was running for his life. He had deceived his father, cheated his brother, and fled into the wilderness. But there, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but a stone for a pillow, God met him.

That’s grace. God doesn’t wait for you to be perfect before He shows up. He meets you in your wilderness. He meets you in your running. He meets you when you least expect Him.

At Bethel — the House of God — Jacob had a personal encounter with the living Lord. He saw heaven open. He saw angels ascending and descending. He heard God’s voice speak promises over his life.

That’s what Bethel means: God’s presence where you didn’t expect it. Jacob said, “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.”

Psalm 139:7–10 reminds us: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? … even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

Friend, Bethel is when you realize God is closer than you thought. Not just the God of Abraham. Not just the God of Isaac. He is the God who comes near to you.

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2. Intimacy – The Lord Shall Be My God

At Bethel, Jacob moved from religion to relationship. He poured oil on the stone and made a vow: “If God will be with me and keep me, then the Lord shall be my God.” (Genesis 28:21)

This is the turning point where Jacob stopped saying, “the God of my fathers,” and began saying, “the Lord is my God.”

That’s intimacy. That’s personal ownership of faith.

Some of us have been living on borrowed religion. We know the hymns. We know the verses. We sit in church, but deep down we’ve never said, “The Lord is my God.”

At Bethel — the House of God — the Lord says: “I don’t just want to be your family’s God. I don’t just want to be your church’s God. I want to be yours.”

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” That’s the invitation of Bethel — intimacy with God Himself.

You can’t live off grandma’s prayers. You can’t be saved by your pastor’s sermons. You can’t ride on second-hand faith. You must know Him as your God.

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3. Identity – God’s Family, God’s Covenant

At Bethel, Jacob’s identity shifted. God repeated the covenant promise. The blessing of Abraham and Isaac was now his.

Jacob the deceiver was becoming Jacob the heir. The fugitive was becoming the covenant man.

That’s what happens in the House of God. Your identity changes. You are no longer who your past says you are. You are no longer who your failures say you are. You are who God says you are.

Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

At Bethel, Jacob found his place in God’s household. And in Christ, you do too.

Ephesians 2:19–22 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

At Bethel, you discover your true identity — a child of God, part of His house, standing on His promises.

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Gospel Connection – Jesus the Ladder, the True Bethel

Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Centuries later, Jesus told Nathanael: “You will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)

Jacob saw a ladder. Jesus said, “I AM the ladder.”

Bethel means House of God. And the true House of God is not a building — it’s a Person. Jesus Christ is the dwelling place of God with man. He is the bridge between heaven and earth. He is the gate of heaven.

At Bethel, Jacob glimpsed it in a dream. In Jesus, we live it in reality.

John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”