Keep Me Running…From The Sins I Can’t Erase, once you compromise your soul…your lost in the desert.
We face times in our life when we are discouraged and despairing because our future seems so uncertain. Life may be falling apart as a result of our own wrong decisions (like Jacob in our Scripture) or things could have gone a rye through no fault of our own – just the result of living in a fallen world. Either way we a down and out.
Doubt, Discouragement and Uncertainty can affect aspects of or lives. Uncertain about our Ability. Uncertain about material needs being met in personal relationships, or our, physical health even ourmental stability. So we retreat. Pull back. Afraid of what will happen next.
Doubt, Discouragement and Uncertainty they rob us – steal from us – who we once were. The thing is:that when this happens to us we are in a sense – mourning – for we have lost something. Remember a time when you were so sure, so sure about things, so sure about your faith, but now its gone, or at least some is missing?
This morning we are going to focus on being down and out when it is a result of our own poor decisions. Fact is something may have happened in your life and by all counts, you may deserve what is happening to you or you may think you deserve it. But you know – God has good news for you. In our times of despair, worry, uncertainty and loss god is there to lift us up - And it doesn’t matter whether we deserve it or not, even if by all counts we have blown it, sinned, were wrong, foolish, disobedient - whatever you can think of. God will be there – to lift you up.
As we continue to look at the Story of Abraham’s family, we find Jacob running from his sins. For years he planed and conspired to get everything in life.And he did it. He accomplished his goal.And lost it all at the same time
We saw a couple of weeks ago that using ungodly means for gain results in spiritual failure. This is what Jacob has done. He has cheated his brother out of his birthright. Conspired to fool his father. Stole his brothers blessing. He has completely destroyed his family. He will never again see his mother – who he loves so. His father is furious, and cannot trust him again. His brother is sworn to revenge and is waiting to kill him. He has compromised his soul…and now he is lost in the desert.
He had it all – right in his hands. He was on top of the world – it could only get better.
Ever felt that way? God, everything was fine. I was doing great. I worked hard for it.Now it is all lost. Poof. Why would you let this happen to me?
Sure that is what Jacob is thinking as he runs from home. His life has fallen apart. He had created a life for himself – that he was comfortable with but it wasn’t the life God wanted for him. God doesn’t want deception, lies, grabbing for power. God wants what is good, healthy, true. Ever consider that? Perhaps I wasn’t leading the life God wanted me to lead. Perhaps he has something better in mind.
Jacob is running from his sins – that he can’t erase. Maybe if he runs far enough – they won’t follow. Keep Me Running….From the Shadow Of My Life....When you hit rock bottom – build. But your past always follows you does’t it? Everything we do follows us through life – and into death. People who think everything that they have done in this life disappears when they die, are in for a shock. You’re the same person you are now – only standing before God and it is going to follow Jacob.
See Jacob is really running from his sins. What he does we do too. We may not physically run but we pull back from relationships, responsibilities, from prayer and hope. It’s true isn’t it?
He traveled about 70 miles of 450 to Haran in three days – he’s moving, running from the shadow of his life - His brother might be following, out to take his life.
Verse 11 – he reaches a certain place, it is dark. He had no clue where he was. Jacob is in a no man’s land between his old life – and who knows what. Between his sin and paying for it. He is not sure what is next, but boy he is exhausted.
Been there. Not sure why things are going the way they are. It’s neither here nor there, I can’t move forward in life, I just have to wait –
The rhetoric degree. I got an undergrad bachelors is in rhetoric. A very interesting subject, but not to employers. in interview after interview I sometimes did very well – but not hired. Finally, called in to a guy who told me “I would love to hire you, but what in the blankity blank is a rhetoric degree. I can’t hire you my boss would kill me."
Jacob ha hit rock bottom – literally. And he takes a rock to put under his head (verse 11). How bad is that? Actually he is not using it as a pillow. The Hebrew sense is – he places rocks around his head for protection, perhaps against the wind. Either way – as described he is out in the middle of now where. Chicken Alaska is big city living next to this place. It is a very desolate place – basically rocks and dirt, and more rocks and dirt and a little more dirt.
So he hits rock bottom and what do you do when you hit rock bottom?
Build a foundation for the rest of your life. Keep Me Running….Keep Me Hiding from My Past. Liar cheater, deceiver, manipulator….just what God is looking for! We could describe Jacob in shorthand – as a jerk. This guy deserves what he has in life – nothing. But that is not how God sees it. For Jacob – or for you and me. He want the best for us –
In Jacob’s case he has to remove everything that is distracting him, which is pretty much his whole life. Now God has him in a place – not where God can speak to him, but where Jacob can now hear and receive.
It doesn’t matter to God that he is a liar, a cheater, a deceiver and a manipulator. He is just what God is looking for…Good news for all of us!
As he falls asleep he must be thinking: What on earth have I done?
I Am Always Restless In My Dreams. When you are at rock bottom – look up meet God. I’m sure Jacob’s sleep wasn’t the deepest, burdened by so much.But now he is empty of distractions. He looks and God is there in his dream. Very biblical, we see God speaking to people over and over in dreams.
His dream (verse 12). Stairway – some translations = ladder. Correct Hebrew, stairway or ramp. Angels ascending and descending with God above. This is very significant symbolism. First, we see access to God. An uninterrupted fellowship with God. Second, angels act on our behalf, they present our needs before God and then descend with promises of divine protection. Today we might use the image of a cell phone, always able to get to God, God is always there.
For us, in the time of the church, Jesus is this stairway. Our direct access to God.
And then God promises blessing for him. Wait. Isn’t this the guy who ruined his family? Lost everything through selfish greed isn’t he just iving up to his name – grabber? Why should he get anything good? He shouldn’t (verses 14-15).
Descendents like the dust of the earth
All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you
I will watch over you
I will bring you back
Why would God promise so much to someone so worthless? That’s what God loves to do. Isn’t that too cool. God loves to bring good to those whose life has gone bad, finding those who are lost, restoring what can never be restored - yes you have hope in your life.
When we see people blessed who we don’t think deserve it, especially people who have hurt us, we get angry. Put out. We talked about this last week – we want revenge – not blessing. That’s how Esau felt. But you know, God is in the business of healing, reconciliation, forgiveness. Perhaps if we were in the same business, we might se it how God sees it….
So Jacob has hit rock bottom – turns around, and there is ….God.
I Once Thought I Could Fly – I Don’t Remember Why.
Don’t let sin steal who God made you to be. Jacob’s sin was just about to steal who God intended him to be. God never intended for him to act as he did. Now God has a chance again…..Now all this just blows him away. He has two levels of response: Shock & Awe.
Shock.
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
He is shocked that God was there – how fantastic. Woo hoo!
Celebration! It’s my birthday, uh huh, it’s my birthday, God is so real!
Awe.
17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
Awe – he was always there…….even in my sin, even when Iwas a jerk and THAT my friends - is frightening.
So he calls it Bethel. El – generic for God. Beth – house.
Sounds better than Luz any day.
Why is Jacob so shocked – he’s a rotten guy? He made the same mistake we make, he thought God was looking for good people, when God is looking for an open heart. What? God doesn’t need good people? Nope. He needs people who have an open heart, because if they have an open heart, he can change them, direct them, bless them, use them. God will search and search and search for an open heart. Whosoever it is. Whatsoever they have done, especially if they don’t deserve it. That’s God
Why would he want good people – if they don’t pay attention to him anyway?
Next Week: Jacob mistakes circumstances and open doors for God’s will, and dang it, we can do the same thing.
