Tag Archives: journeys

The Gate of Heaven

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Genesis 28:17—July 19, 2020-  Zoom 16 Dr. David R. Denny

Introduction:  Today we will shadow Jacob as he sets off on a long journey of thousands of miles.  He is heading back to his roots, back to the Paddanaram, the Euphrates Valley area where Abraham grew up ,and where his relatives still lived.  It is an arduous trip that begins, up the seacoast of Palestine.  But what makes this excursion so unique is that Jacob, early in the journey, will stop at the very gate of heaven (Bethel).

            In our sermon today we will learn a simple but valuable truth—God is always near us.  He is not ‘off somewhere’ unknown to us.  He doesn’t not live far away as is depicted in ancient Egyptian pictures.  He is close by always, ready to listen to our cries, ready to come to our aid when we are weary, ready to guide uswhen we have lost our way.  That is the lesson today.  So let’s hurry and catch up with Jacob who has just set out to find a wife in Abraham’s village faraway.  (a simple outline—get a pencil at write it down as we go—And I will ost tht entire sermon on Blaktiepress.com.

1.  The Journey—Gen 28:10 tells us this:  “Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.”  And just like that, an adventure of thousands of miles began.  Beersheba is south of Jerusalem.  Jacob begins there and follows the coastline north wondering if God is watching him, wondering if God cares.  

            *Your life journey began at a point in time, somewhere in the distant past.  Close your eyes for a minute.  Can you see the events of your past parading by in  your memory?  We’ve all been traveling like Jacob.  As we walk along our unique pathway in life, each step is unknown.  We walk by faith.  No one knows what today will bring.  None of us know how tomorrow will end.  Such was the case with Jacob.  He merely, as the Bible says in our text, “departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.”  

2.  The Dream—After several days of travelling, Jacob stops at a “certain place” (v. 11) to rest for the night.  It is about 81 miles from Beersheba south of Jerusalem to Beitin, or as the Bible calls it, Bethel.  He had walked until the sun set.    That little detail tells us so much about the earnestness of Jacob.  He wasn’t wasting any time on this mission to find a bride.  He walked until the sun set.  

*There aren’t any lights where I live at night so when the sun sets you have to get home quick or the boogie man will get you.  When it’s pitch black, it’s time to get in the house.  And Jacob stopped after sunset, started a fire, propped up a rock pillow, and finally lay down to rest.  *Isn’t it a wonderful feeling after a long day around the house to just lay down and let the night sweep over you?  So it was for Jacob.  As he slept, he had a dream.  Dreams are windows to our soul.  They sometimes tell us about our lives, about our worries, about our aspirations.  When was the last time you had a dramatic dream?  –Jacob lay down upon his rock pillow, sighed deeply, and dreamed.  He saw a ladder reaching to Heaven and the angels of God were traveling up and down.  And he heard a voice from God speaking to him (Gen 28:13-15). 

3.  The Promise—As the dream unfolded, and the angels came and went, God makes several promises to Jacob–“I am with you and will keep you wherever you go… And I promise to get you back home safely with your bride” (Gen. 28:15).  

            God didn’t have to do that.  He didn’t have to make promises.  But it is the nature of God to help us on our journeys, and so He is generous with his promises.  And you can rest assured that these promises made to Jacob are valid for you as well:

            #1–I am with you.  #2. I will keep you wherever you go.  #3 I will get you safely home.  If you have some time after you get off Zoom, write these promises down and carry them with you today wherever you go:  REPEAT PROMISES—

4.  The Amazement—Now this brings us to the reaction of Jacob to this entire scene of the ladder and the angels and the voice of God and those marvelous promises.  Jacob sits up in the dark and his heart rings with amazement. 

  “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”(Gen. 28:16).  

Are you amazed by God anymore?  Are you amazed how God walks with you each day? Or have you become so used to your church traditions that you don’t really sense God’s presence anymore?  I want you to feel like Jacob did.  I want you to see the ladder touching your life.  I want you to want to jump and shout at what God is doing in your life today. 

            That last phrase is so powerful—“And I did not know it.”  Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”  When Jacob stopped that night after the sun set, and found a rock for his pillow, and laid down to rest for the night, he didn’t know that God was there.  He didn’t know it.  But God was there all along.  

            And that brings me back to our main lesson for this sermon—God is always near us.  And so He is, whether we acknowledge Him or not—He is near us.  Whether we pray or not—He is near us.  Whether we call upon Him  or not—He is near us.  

            Jacob sat up like a bolt in the middle of the night and said, with amazement, “I didn’t even know God was here!”  (Take some time to find God today.  Speak to Him.  He is close by.  Just call upon Him and listen for His voice).

5.  The Dedication—And so our story closes with Jacob drifting off back to sleep amazed at his new discovery.  And as the ladder faded away into the bosom of the night, Jacob dedicated himself anew to his service to God.  He built an altar, poured oil upon it, and promised to serve and honor God for the rest of his life.

Conclusion:

Will you do the same?  Let today be your “ladder” day. Be amazed at God’s presence in your life. Dedicate yourself anew to the Savior today. 

Finding God in the Night Watches

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Finding God in the Night Watches—Psalm 63:6-8—Dr. Denny—March 24, 2019

Introduction:  I would like to start this morning by asking a reasonable but difficult question:  Where is God?  Can you point the way?  Do you know?  Is there even an answer to this question?  Our Psalmist, King David, might have the answer.  In one of his most exquisite psalms, David tells us one of his favorite places where he always finds God—in the night watches (Ps 63:6). 

    *Several years ago a photographer named Pete McBride became worried about the health of the Grand Canyon. The canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world with rocks dating back 2 billion years and human artifacts going back 12,000 years.  With Teddy Roosevelt’s proclamation over congress’s disapproval, he declared it a national park 100 years ago.
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McBride decided to walk the 750-mile canyon taking photographs to spur interest in protecting the park. His first attempt nearly killed him.  He had to quit after 6 days and nearly died. But he tried again with a friend and writer, Kevin Fedarko.  There is no trail.  80% of the canyon is like a wilderness.  His main concern was just how to find water and stay alive.

Read his comments on the silence of the night…

Textual commentary:  David too finds god in the night watches. How many time, I wonder, did David pull his bed out to the verandah of his palace and drift off to sleep while gazing at the stars?  It was here beneath the river of stars that David put aside his worries and fears and let his mind play among the stars.  It was in the night watches that he found God.    You too can emulate David and drift off to sleep in the arms of God.

Here is David’s easy outline for finding God in this modern chaotic world in which we all live:

First, as he drifts off to sleep, he remembers and meditates on God (Isa 63:6).  Such a simple but profound solution for the frayed nerves of our time. And yet is it really that easy?  Look at the distractions that will keep us from this routine:     the sports game that has you on edge—especially if your team just lost.  Or the late night party with your rowdy friends that had you drinking and getting wild. Or the review of your bills and worry over the car payment you can’t make. Or the fight you just had with your husband or wife. Or the worrisome pain you feel in your leg or chest. Etc.  —–Let us all rise to the challenge David presents to us.  Let us find time to meditate and remember the wonders of our relationship with the Lord as we drift off to sleep.

 Second, David sings for joy.  Now I know that most of us can’t sing worth a lick, but that is not the issue.

Joke—Miranda likes to sing, and whenever she begins, her husband heads outside.   Hurt and a little dejected, she asked him, “Don’t you like my singing?”   “Of course, Dear,” he replied. “I just want to make sure the neighbors know I’m not beating you.”

Creating spiritual melodies in our hearts clears away the haze that often hides the face of God.  When we sing, He listens.

**The old church hymn book—Read the introductory text—“Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

Here is David’s suggestion:  When you retire at night, clear your mind from all worries and concerns and sing a hymn to yourself.  Just hum a song you heard at church or one that your grandmother used to sing.  Sing to the Lord and in the singing, you will find Him!

Third, cling to the Lord(Ps 63:8. ”My soul clings to You).”  David’s final method for finding God in the night watches requires you to do something personal, something physical.  You must reach out and touch God.

Such a powerful act requires preparation.  This is why David begins with the act of meditation and remembrance.  Then he moves to quiet singing and then when his heart is fully prepared he reaches out to touch the Lord.  His soul clings to the Lord.

*One of the most emotional scenes in the Bible occurs in John 20.  Jesus is gone.  The crucifixion is now over and the tomb is empty.  The disciples are hiding in fear wondering how they will continue.  And in the midst of this overwhelming turbulence of heart, Mary Magdalene revisited the empty tomb.  At least she can get as close to the Savior as the tomb.  And so she stands there in meditation remembering (as David urges us to do each night).  Perhaps, I’m not sure, perhaps a gentle song rose within her broken heart, a song maybe Jesus used to sing.

But then she heard a voice break the reverie.  “Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?” said the unknown man.  She thought it was the gardener.  “Oh sir if you have taken the body of my Lord please tell me where you laid him and I will go to him and take him away.”

But then the stranger utters one word—one word that shook her to the core—He said, “Mary!” And that was all it took.  For the intonation, the quality of the voice, the accent that had become so familiar to her was enough.  She knew it was Jesus.  She said back “Rabboni.” And then she clung to him.

Conclusion:  David tells us three ways to find God in the night watches;  Remember and meditate on your bed as you drift off to sleep.   Then sing a lullaby, some spiritual song that will make the Savior smile.  And then reach out and cling to him.