1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,600 Particular thing let's read from God's word. 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:07,640 So we're going to turn to the book now, Genesis chapter 28, 3 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,880 and I want to read from verse 10 to the end of the chapter, 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,640 reading, of course, from the King James Bible. 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,080 And the words will come up on screen for those who are online. 6 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:21,520 And we welcome our online community. 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,640 And for those who are waiting patiently on a copy of the 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:38,280 Bible, we thank you for your contact and we'll get to you as 9 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,280 soon as possible. Genesis chapter 28 will read 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:50,680 from verse 10. Genesis chapter 28, verse 10. 11 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:58,680 And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran, 12 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,880 and he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all 13 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,800 night, because the sun was set. And he took off the stones of 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,200 that place and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that 15 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,320 place to sleep. And he dreamed. 16 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:22,720 And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it 17 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:27,240 reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God 18 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:34,000 ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above 19 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:40,960 it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the 20 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:45,160 God of Isaac. The land were on thy lies. 21 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:51,080 To thee will I give it, and to thy seed, and thy seed shall be 22 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,480 as the dust of the earth. They shall spread abroad to the 23 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,160 West, and to the east, and to the north and to the South. 24 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:05,640 And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the 25 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:11,600 earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and 26 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,920 will keep thee in all places where thou goest, and will bring 27 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:21,680 thee again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have 28 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,080 done that which I've spoken to the of. 29 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:27,640 And Jacob awake out of his sleep. 30 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:34,520 And he said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it 31 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,800 not. And he was afraid, and said, How 32 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:43,760 dreadful is this place. This is none other but the House 33 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,760 of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 34 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,640 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that 35 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:59,480 he'd put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and 36 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,960 poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that 37 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:11,360 place Bethel, but the name of that city was called Loz at the 38 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,800 1st. And Jacob vowed to vow, saying, 39 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:22,720 If God will be with me and will keep me in this way, that I go, 40 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,880 and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I 41 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:35,440 come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be 42 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:41,240 my God, and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be 43 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:46,120 God's house. And of all that thou shalt give 44 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,600 me, I will surely give the 10th unto thee. 45 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,040 Amen will know. God will stamp with His own 46 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,640 approval and blessing this reading of His own precious and 47 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:58,480 infallible Word. Amen. 48 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:06,240 My text tonight is taken from Genesis chapter 28 and the verse 49 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,600 17. It reads as follows. 50 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,440 And he was afraid and said, how dreadful is this place? 51 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,240 This is none other but the House of God. 52 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,279 And this is the gate of heaven. I've entitled this message 53 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,600 Gospel Lessons in the Gate of Heaven. 54 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:32,440 Genesis chapter 28, verse 10 opens with a very lonely 55 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,720 sentence. This is what it says. 56 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:41,400 And Jacob went out for Bathsheba and went towards Hara. 57 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,960 Now Jacob is not a spiritual hero, young people, he's a 58 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,360 fugitive on the run from his home. 59 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:55,080 Jacob remembers the younger brother of Esau, his twin. 60 00:04:55,600 --> 00:05:01,240 Jacob was the one who grasped his brother's heel at birth. 61 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:08,040 His name means supplanter. True to his name, he lived his 62 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,960 life by grasping for things. He bought Esau's birthright for 63 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,360 a mess of pottage or literally a bowl of Stew. 64 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,800 He also received his blind father to steal the blessing 65 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,520 meant for his brother Esau. His deception. 66 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:29,920 This betrayal fractured his family and now as a result, he's 67 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:34,960 running for his life. Esau, remember, intended to kill 68 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,200 him and therefore his mother sent him away from Beersheba 69 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,800 toward Haran. So picture a man in his 40s. 70 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:46,760 He's leaving the land of promise. 71 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:51,400 He has nothing in his hands, He has no assurance in his heart. 72 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,160 He is all alone. This man who grasps for things 73 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:59,560 now walks empty handed into the unknown. 74 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,680 For the first time in his life, he is all alone. 75 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,680 No mother to scheme for him, no father to bless him. 76 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:13,720 He has no brother to compete with and take from. 77 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:19,120 It's near dark, it's unsafe to travel on. 78 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,880 The sun is setting, so Jacob takes some stones for a pillow, 79 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:29,960 has the sky for his canopy and the ground for his bed, and he 80 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,960 goes to sleep. He has nothing. 81 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,400 He has no altar, no priest, no temple, no prayer is recorded 82 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,480 here. And yet why did Jacob slept? 83 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:45,160 God comes to him. God acts in free suffering, 84 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,520 grace. God gives Jacob a vision, and 85 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,160 the Scripture tells us clearly what the vision is. 86 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:54,600 Look at verse 12. And he dreamed. 87 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:59,280 And they hold the ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it 88 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,640 reached to heaven. And they hold the angels of God 89 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:08,120 ascending and descending on it. Jacob seized this ladder in his 90 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,560 dream. This ladder set on earth. 91 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:16,400 While its top is reaching into heaven, angels are ascending and 92 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,240 descending upon it. The movement is continuous. 93 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,840 Heaven is not closed, heaven's not distant. 94 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,080 Heaven is not inactive. God's realm is actively engaging 95 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,280 with the earth. See, this is not Jacob claiming 96 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,520 toward God. This is God coming to Jacob. 97 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,320 This is God opening heaven to Jacob. 98 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,960 At the top of the ladder stands the Lord himself, and it's the 99 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,680 Lord who speaks. And Jacob hears the same 100 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:53,040 covenant voice that speak to Abraham and Isaac. 101 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,480 Interesting enough, God doesn't rebuke Jacob. 102 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:03,880 He doesn't mention his deception or his schemes or his guilt at 103 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:08,360 this point. Instead, he affirms the promises 104 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:13,920 about the land, the promises about Jacob's descendants, and 105 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,160 the blessing that God is pledging upon Jacob. 106 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:23,280 See, this is sheer grace. Jacob has done nothing to merit 107 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,800 this and when Jacob awakens, he is undone. 108 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:33,600 He is overwhelmed. The fear of God is in his heart 109 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,360 and mind. This is what he said. 110 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,440 Look at verse 17 and he was afraid. 111 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:43,280 That means he was terrified and said, how dreadful is this 112 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,200 place? This is none other but the House 113 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,560 of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 114 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,160 Now, there's only one reference to the gate of heaven in all of 115 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,040 the Bible. And I want to try and bring for 116 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:02,560 the next 20 minutes, gospel lessons from the gate of heaven. 117 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:06,880 I want you to see three things. This would come to me, the 118 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:12,400 revelation that's so important. Now I want you to think of 119 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,400 Jacob. And he's sleeping. 120 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,080 Remember, he's got the sky for his canopy, the ground for his 121 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,520 bed, stones for his pillows. And while he sleeps, he has this 122 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,720 dream, it says in verse 12, And he dreamed and behold a ladder 123 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,960 set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and 124 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,480 behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 125 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,680 In Old Testament times, God often spoke via and through 126 00:09:38,680 --> 00:09:42,480 dreams. Notice in the dream here the two 127 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,920 places that's mentioned. If you look again at verse 12, 128 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:50,520 it mentions the earth and it mentions heaven. 129 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Two places, earth and heaven, and in between these two places 130 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,960 there's a vast difference. There's a great separation. 131 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,960 We only have to think of Genesis 1 and one, then the beginning. 132 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:13,080 God created the heaven and the earth, and over there in the 133 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,400 book of Revel and Book of Hebrews, in Hebrews Chapter 11 134 00:10:17,560 --> 00:10:20,680 and in the verse 3, we read this through faith. 135 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:24,400 We understand that the world's were framed by the word of God 136 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,160 so that things which are seen were not made of things which do 137 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,320 appear. I don't know about you, but 138 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:37,040 sometimes I look up into the night sky and I see the moon and 139 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,440 I wonder how far away is the moon from the earth? 140 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:47,560 And I see certain stars in the sky and I often think of what's 141 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,360 beyond that. You see, the Bible talks about 142 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,680 the 3rd heaven, young people, and whenever we look up into the 143 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:58,160 sky, we're seeing really the aerial heavens. 144 00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:01,400 And if we were to get a big telescope, if Mark could set 145 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,680 something up for us, we could maybe look out unto beyond our 146 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:09,560 Galaxy, to another Galaxy called a Andromeda. 147 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:14,160 And beyond that there's many more galaxies. 148 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,360 You see, our solar system is vast. 149 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,240 It's so vast we can see the moon and the stars in a good night. 150 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:26,600 But there's loads of galaxies beyond that which we cannot see. 151 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,200 And even if we had a telescope, we wouldn't be able to see them 152 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:35,320 because there's such a vast difference between us on Earth 153 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,160 and what's really in the heavens. 154 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,480 And the reference here is not to the aerial heavens or to the 155 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:48,280 spatial heavens, but it's to the 3rd heaven, the place where God 156 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,520 dwells. So there's no way of reaching 157 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,200 it. There's no way of bridging this 158 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:58,960 vast difference over there in the Gospel of Luke, in Luke 159 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:04,760 chapter 26, whenever the rich man died and was buried, and 160 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:09,240 inhale, lift up his eyes, being in torment, this is what Abraham 161 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:14,040 said to him. And besides all this, between US 162 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,760 and you there's a great gulf fixed, so that they which would 163 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:22,360 pass from thence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that 164 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,000 would come from thence. You see, not only is there a 165 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,040 great distance between earth and heaven, but for those in the 166 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:34,440 eternal bliss in the 3rd heaven with God, and for those in a 167 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,360 place we'll call eternal burnings in hell, there's a 168 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:44,120 great gulf fixed that no man can pass from themes. 169 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,240 I wonder, have you thought is there a way to bridge the gap? 170 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,960 How do we get from earth to heaven? 171 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:01,680 That's a good question. How does heaven come to earth? 172 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,240 That's an equally good question. Well, look at the dream. 173 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:11,440 And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and 174 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,920 the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God 175 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:21,040 ascending and descending on it. You see, ask yourself, what does 176 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:26,080 this ladder represent? The ladder set up on earth whose 177 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,800 top reached into heaven? The direction of travel is 178 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,400 crucial. This is not man claiming to God, 179 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,760 this is God providing access to man. 180 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,560 The latter could be interpreted as a stairway. 181 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:48,200 And when we compare scripture with scripture and come to the 182 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:52,760 New Testament, there was a man by the name of Nathaniel, and 183 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,760 the Lord Jesus spoke to him. And this is what he says in John 184 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:04,400 chapter 1 and in the verse 49. Nathaniel answered and said unto 185 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,920 him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of 186 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,400 Israel. Jesus answered and said unto 187 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,640 him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee unto the fig tree, 188 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:18,360 Believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things 189 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,800 than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, 190 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,120 verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven 191 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:28,920 open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon 192 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,680 the Son of Man. You see, the Lord Jesus 193 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:38,400 explicitly identifies Himself as the fulfilment of Jacob's dream. 194 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,320 He is the latter. He is the stairway. 195 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,040 This is not poetic language, young people. 196 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:49,600 This is a direct interpretation of Genesis 28. 197 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,160 This is Scripture interpreting Scripture. 198 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:58,040 So Genesis 28, verse 12, Jacob's dream is interpreted for us by 199 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:03,680 the Lord Jesus in John chapter 1, especially in the verse 51. 200 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,080 And what did Jacob see? He saw heaven open. 201 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,600 He saw the angels of God ascending and descending on the 202 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,560 Son of man. And the Lord Jesus is the Son of 203 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:13,600 man. He's the latter. 204 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,880 He's the stairway to God. It is Christ. 205 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,280 No one else can take us from earth to heaven. 206 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,360 No one else can come from heaven to this earth. 207 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,880 That's why the Lord Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the 208 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,920 life. No man comes unto the Father but 209 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,600 by me. That's why Paul and Peter 210 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,560 preached. Neither is our salvation in any 211 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,280 other, for there's no other name under heaven given among men 212 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,040 whereby we must perceive. This is simple, this is 213 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:43,680 fundamental, this is plain and basic. 214 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:48,480 Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and Christ 215 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,800 alone as revealed in the Bible alone to the glory of God alone. 216 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,840 Let me tell you a wee story. We all love a wee story. 217 00:15:55,520 --> 00:16:00,240 Way back in the Great War, 1914 to 1918 and one of the trenches 218 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,240 in the British Expeditionary Force, soldiers faced a 219 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,560 bombardment of German shells and at once trench there was a 220 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:15,280 soldier called Bert and Bert was well an average size of a 221 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:24,120 soldier and as the shells fell and exploded Bert, he was 222 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,160 gravely injured. There was another big soldier 223 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:31,600 there, he was called Tiny Jim. He was 6 foot 3 and he ran to 224 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,480 Bert, realised the case was hopeless. 225 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,760 Bert was not going to make it. He got some sandbags and put 226 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:39,280 them under Bert and got an old coat and wrapped it round him. 227 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:45,600 And Bert said this to Tiny Jim. Tiny Jim, can you tell me how to 228 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:49,560 get to heaven? Well, Tiny Jim says, well, Bert, 229 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,520 I don't know, son, but I'll go and find out. 230 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,720 And he asked the other man in his trench. 231 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:56,600 They're part of an English regiment. 232 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,520 They said Bert is dying. He, he asked me the way to 233 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:02,280 heaven. I don't know the answer. 234 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,480 Can anyone tell me so I can tell him? 235 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:10,599 Not one of his men, you Tiny Jim left his post, went to another 236 00:17:10,599 --> 00:17:14,839 trench, met some other soldiers, men from the 36th Ulster 237 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:19,800 Division, and he asked them, explaining that his platoon had 238 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,880 been hit with shells and one called Bert was dying and he 239 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:25,160 wanted to know that way of heaven. 240 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:29,000 Can any of you tell me? One of the soldiers smiled. 241 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,800 I know the answer. He was from Northern Ireland. 242 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:39,520 He pointed out a New Testament. He pencilled John 3 and 16, and 243 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:44,200 he says, go to Bert, Tiny Jim, and read this first to him and 244 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:46,560 Tiny Jim went. They read the verse over and 245 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:48,880 over again. John 3 and 16. 246 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:51,640 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 247 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,920 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 248 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:59,160 everlasting life. A peace come over Bert. 249 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,920 Bert's face began to smile and shine. 250 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,000 He kept repeating in a very faint voice, Whosoever, 251 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:15,680 whosoever, whosoever, whosoever until he died. 252 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:20,800 There's nothing more important in this life. 253 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,520 There's nothing more important than preparation for the world 254 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:26,840 to come. It's fatal. 255 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:32,640 Every individual, multitudes, do not know Jesus Christ, do not 256 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,720 know that they're sinners, do not know that they have souls, 257 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,800 that they need to be saved. And yet there's no greater need. 258 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:40,800 And yet there's no greater answer. 259 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,760 And it's not ritual. It's not becoming religious or 260 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,400 having riches or being respectable or following rules. 261 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:52,480 No, there's a principle here, the gate of heaven. 262 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:57,600 The gate is not heaven itself. A gate speaks of access. 263 00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:00,960 It's the point of entry between the two realms. 264 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:05,120 And Jacob realises that this place, this ground that he is 265 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:11,000 on, has become a meeting place between heaven and earth and God 266 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,840 has broken into Jacob's world. God and grace has taken the 267 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,400 initiative to come to him. The gate of heaven is not a 268 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,400 place. The gate of heaven is a person. 269 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:26,560 It's the Lord Jesus, not the church, good as it is, not the 270 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:30,920 ministers of the gospel, not the building, not human morality, 271 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:35,800 not ritual and ceremony. The gate is Jesus Christ 272 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,560 himself. Notice what Jacob said in the 273 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,800 text. This is the gate of heaven. 274 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,920 Jacob doesn't say this is one of the gates to heaven. 275 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:46,880 It's not what the religious world tells us. 276 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,240 It's not what the false cults tell us. 277 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:55,600 One gate, one point of access. The Bible says First Timothy 278 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,440 2:00 and 5:00. For there's one God and one 279 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,120 mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. 280 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:06,760 You see, remember, sin created a a barrier separation between 281 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:11,480 heaven and earth, and only a saviour who's both fully God and 282 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:17,520 fully man can bridge that gap. False cults and false religions 283 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,960 tells us that there's multiple gates, that there's multiple 284 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,760 saviours, that there is multiple ways to God. 285 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,480 But I want to tell you tonight that's contrary to this book. 286 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:32,200 This book says Jesus saith I am the way, the truth, the life. 287 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,960 No man comes unto the Father but by me. 288 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:40,360 The latter is singular. The stairway is singular, Christ 289 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:47,240 is singular, grace is singular. 1 gate keeps salvation from 290 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,920 becoming anything to do with human achievement. 291 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:55,400 It ensures that salvation remains a divine gift. 292 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,920 There's a revelation that's important, a revelation of two 293 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:06,320 places and one way to get from earth to heaven, That is Christ. 294 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,640 The latter notice. Secondly, there's a recording 295 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:15,440 that's so instructive. If you look back, it says verse 296 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,520 13. And behold, the Lord God stood 297 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:23,920 above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and 298 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:28,240 the God of Isaac. Now notice this carefully. 299 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,600 You see, sometimes you read in the Bible, I am the Lord God of 300 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,400 Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 301 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:39,760 But there's no mention of Jacob here. 302 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:42,920 At least I don't see it. It's not in verse 13. 303 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,120 Jacob's name is not recorded. Why? 304 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:49,240 But it's recorded in other places. 305 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:54,080 Why is it not recorded here? Because at this point, Jacob's 306 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:56,920 not saved. At this point, Jacob doesn't 307 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,760 know God. At this point, Jacob's not in 308 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,320 the right relationship with God. Jacob's 40 years of age and he's 309 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,720 not saved. Jacob's an old schemer. 310 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,480 Jacob's a deceiver. He has no thought, fear, or love 311 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:11,760 for God. Jacob's not seeking God. 312 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,640 That's why God in sovereign grace takes the initiative and 313 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,440 speaks to him. And God reveals himself to him. 314 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:25,000 And Jacob understands this because what does Jacob tell us? 315 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,720 He tells us here. And Jacob awaked out of his 316 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,720 sleep. And what did he say? 317 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:39,960 Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. 318 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,640 Why? Because he didn't know the Lord. 319 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,200 He was not in a covenant relationship with the Lord. 320 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:54,240 Yet Jacob's not praying to God to meet with him, and yet the 321 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,960 Lord comes and speaks to him, and Jacob hears the voice of the 322 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:03,120 Lord, and what does he hear? I am the Lord God of Abraham, 323 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:06,560 thy father, and the God of Isaac. 324 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,000 As I've told you, Jacob was about 40 years old. 325 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,880 Did you know that he'd heard the voice of the Lord God before 326 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:21,480 over there in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 26 and 327 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,520 in the verse 24? And the Lord appeared unto him 328 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,480 the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father. 329 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,320 Fear not, for I am with thee and will bless thee, and multiply 330 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:35,320 thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 331 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,960 He's now hearing it again. And even though we heard the 332 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:45,360 voice of God before, it meant nothing to him until that night. 333 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:52,400 This night God came and spoke. And in this particular night, 334 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,920 even though he'd heard the same words before, he realised the 335 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,120 Lord God was in this place. He realised that God was 336 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:04,120 speaking and ministering to him. And what was God saying to him 337 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,720 when he spoke? I'm the God of Abraham thy 338 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:13,360 father, and of the God of Isaac. He's really saying to Jacob, you 339 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:16,360 need to be in a right relationship with me, Jacob, and 340 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:18,920 you need to be in a right relationship with me tonight. 341 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:23,080 Doesn't the Bible say, behold, now is the accepted time, now is 342 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:27,640 the day of salvation. Proverbs 27 And one says, boast 343 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,360 not thyself of tomorrow, for no man knoweth what a day may bring 344 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:33,560 forth. And in Romans 10/17 we hear 345 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,200 those lovely words. Faith cometh by hearing and 346 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:41,640 hearing by the word of God. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ in 347 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,400 the fullness of his person and work, and he's presented to 348 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,720 sinners as a gift to be received. 349 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,200 Remember what we read over there in John's Gospel in John chapter 350 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,280 one it says He came unto his own, and his own received him 351 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:59,280 not, but as many as received him to them give me power to become 352 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,960 the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which 353 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:08,000 were born not of blood, not hereditary, nor of the will of 354 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,800 the flesh, not of your own will or the will of man, nor of the 355 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:17,560 will of man, but of God, not Pope or priest or preacher, but 356 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:23,840 of God. Let me ask you tonight, have you 357 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:28,200 received Jesus Christ as He, your Lord and Saviour? 358 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:30,920 Are you in a covenant relationship with Him? 359 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,680 Can the Lord say I am the high God? 360 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,880 I remember on one occasion not so long ago, I held out a £20 361 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:45,520 gift in a meeting. There was about 150 to 180 362 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,000 people there and I I said I want someone to come up and take this 363 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,760 gift. Nobody moved, nobody came 364 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,200 forward. They must have all believed it 365 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,680 was a joke. They must have all believed it 366 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,640 was a trick. They must have believed it was 367 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:02,600 fake money. I held it up. 368 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:07,000 I even said John White, it's here and nobody moved. 369 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,520 See, they didn't believe it. And because they didn't believe 370 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:16,400 it, they didn't receive it. Jacob believed what God said. 371 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,720 I'm the God of Abraham, I'm the God of Isaac. 372 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:24,960 But Jacob, I'm not yet your God. And yet that very night was the 373 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:30,680 night that Jacob was saved. Jacob received him by faith and 374 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,000 I believe the promise here of blessing that's spoken about the 375 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,880 land is literal and real. The promise about the seed and 376 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:42,000 descendants is messianic In in verse 14, he said in thy seed 377 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,280 shall be as the dust of the earth, and I shall spread abroad 378 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,640 to the West and to the east and to the north and to the South 379 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,760 and the knee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth 380 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,840 be blessed. And of course that links in to 381 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,520 Genesis or Galatians chapter 3, verse 8, and the Scripture for 382 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,040 saying that God would justify the heathen through faith 383 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,640 preached before the gospel on the Abraham, saying in thee 384 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,760 shall all nations be blessed. And God not only promised a 385 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,440 literal real land and promised a seed in descendants that were 386 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,320 more numerous than the sand of the sea and the stars in the 387 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,840 sky, but it was a promise about God's presence, God's 388 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:22,360 protection, God's provision, God's purpose for Jacob. 389 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:25,400 Look at verse 15. And behold, I am with thee is 390 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,960 not tremendous, and I will keep thee in old places where thy 391 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,880 ghost and I will bring thee again into this land. 392 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,840 For I will not leave thee until I've done that which I've spoken 393 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:40,200 to thee of as a story told of a woman that tried to get her 394 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,640 husband out to the House of God, tried to get your families out 395 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,640 this year into the House of God. It was a Sabbath evening. 396 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,080 She wanted them to come and hear the gospel. 397 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,120 The preacher was the late Reverend Sam Workman. 398 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,880 The place was Abbot's Cross. Reverend Sam Workman told this 399 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,440 story many times. Now the name of the man was 400 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,880 called Ivan Thompson. Nobody would know him here, at 401 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,200 least I don't think so. And he Sunday evening he was 402 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,120 watching a film or watching a football match and this is what 403 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:06,360 he did. He didn't want to go to the 404 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:08,240 meeting and not going with my wife. 405 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:09,400 I couldn't be bothered with that. 406 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,720 Listening to that Hellfire preacher, definitely not. 407 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:17,960 So he changed the clocks and he put the clocks forward to let 408 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:21,280 the wife be deceived that it wasn't the right time to go to 409 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:24,240 the meeting. But anyway, the wife still 410 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:27,240 wanted to go and she says no, no, we'll just go on even though 411 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:31,000 we're late. So whenever they arrived, the, 412 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,440 the folks had already gathered into the church and one of the 413 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,080 deacons came over to the car and was trying to get them into the 414 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,480 car park because the car park was almost full. 415 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:43,800 And the the Deacon said, oh, the, the church has started just 416 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,760 for a few minutes. They're singing the first hymn 417 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:49,760 and Reverend Workman will go to the first prayer, but come on in 418 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,600 anyway. And Ivan Thompson told the man 419 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:55,440 they would only come in if you promise me a seat in the back. 420 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,440 That's not a problem. Come on in. 421 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,120 So he went in and he, he looked, he knew very greatly there's not 422 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,520 a seat at the back because they fell from the back to the front. 423 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,600 And he looked around, no seats. So he marched Avon Thompson and 424 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,080 the wife right up to the front seat that was empty. 425 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,720 Avon Thompson had to sit and listen to the preaching of the 426 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,560 gospel. And at the end of the meeting, 427 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:19,720 the Reverend Workman said this. Come just as ye are. 428 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,800 And Avon Thompson shouted out, What did you just say, preacher? 429 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:32,280 Reverend Workman repeated it. Come just as ye are, come just 430 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,000 as you are. Is that real? 431 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:41,600 Is that all you have to do? That night Ivan Thompson was 432 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,960 converted. And Ivan Thompson, like old 433 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:49,200 Jacob that night, discovered that Jesus Christ is the only 434 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:53,320 gate to heaven. And no matter what the false 435 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:58,600 cults say, and no matter what false religion teaches, it's not 436 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:03,280 rules of a church, it's not a righteous life, it's not church 437 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,400 rituals. It's a personal relationship 438 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,000 based on faith with Jesus Christ. 439 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:13,080 And this was the night that Jacob came to Christ, the night 440 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:16,560 of his conversion, a Sinner awoken out of his sleep by a 441 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:20,160 dream, a dream about earth and heaven and a ladder. 442 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:22,480 And he discovered who the ladder was. 443 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,440 His identity. There's none other than Christ. 444 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:28,920 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. 445 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,000 Do you believe this tonight? If you believe this, have you 446 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:35,160 received it? If I held up £20 here, would you 447 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,200 come up and take it because you believe it's real? 448 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,320 God's word is infallible. God's word is inerrant. 449 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,160 God's Word is clear and plain. God's Word is impregnable. 450 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:48,560 God's Word is authoritative. See, the Lord is here tonight in 451 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,360 the midst of the twos or threes. You can't see him, but he's 452 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,320 speaking. Can you hear Him speaking? 453 00:30:54,080 --> 00:31:01,200 He's asking you, telling you I'm the Lord God of heaven and 454 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:05,080 earth. Are you mine and am I yours? 455 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:07,880 Notice one final thing as we finish. 456 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,640 There's a realisation that's so illustrative. 457 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,200 See, Jacob's life was changed. There's a great changed in here 458 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,360 life. His salvation I believe was 459 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,200 validated. The Rascal became redeemed. 460 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,840 Notice what he did. It says that Jacob rose up early 461 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,960 in the morning and took the stone that he'd put for his 462 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,000 pillows and set it up for a pillar. 463 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,600 So the stone that was pillows became a pillar. 464 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:35,920 And he poured oil upon the top of it. 465 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,760 And what did he name that place? And he called the name of that 466 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,000 place Bethel. What does that mean? 467 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:45,360 It literally means the House of God. 468 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,160 Beth has to do with house. L has to do with God. 469 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,600 Beth L means the House of God. It's a picture word in the 470 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,440 Hebrew. But the name of that place was 471 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,560 called loves. At the first, the word loves 472 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:02,400 means separation. And the night before, Jacob was 473 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:05,720 in this place of separation. He was cut off from God. 474 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:10,440 He was not saved. And yet now his name is changed. 475 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,520 Now his nature has changed. There's a story told about Queen 476 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:22,120 Victoria, who went out to a place that made rags into some 477 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,280 sort of hankies and paper cloth. And she's seen the bunch of rags 478 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,200 that were lying and filthy and dirty. 479 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,160 And then she saw the clean ones. And after a few days she got 480 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,360 this parcel sent from this particular place. 481 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,840 And these rags had been made white using some sort of 482 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,760 chemical process. And she was really amazed. 483 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,240 The blood can make you cleaner. The blood can make you whiter. 484 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:51,120 The blood of Jesus Christ, the Bible says, cleanseth us from 485 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,920 all sin. And if you trust Christ as Lord 486 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,040 and Saviour, get a full, free and forever pardon. 487 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,440 You have peace with God, you're adopted into God's family. 488 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,600 And a great change takes place because if any man be in Christ, 489 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:05,440 he's a new preacher. Old things have passed away and 490 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:08,400 all things have become you. Not only a great change here, 491 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,280 that's illustrated a great commitment. 492 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:15,320 Look at verse 20 as we finish and Jacob vowed A vow saying if 493 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,200 God will be with me, see, remember, he's just a new baby 494 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:22,320 in Christ. He's a wee bit of doubt creeping 495 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,800 in there. If God will be with me and will 496 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:29,040 keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat 497 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,040 and raiment to put on so that I come again to my father's house 498 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:36,280 in peace, then shall the Lord be my God. 499 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,000 Here's the response of Jacob's faith. 500 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:44,680 It was not to earn God's favour, but it was to respond to the 501 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,000 favour. The faith was real. 502 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,160 Oh yes, it might mean a bit immature. 503 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,040 Jacob thought he was alone that night. 504 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,480 But heaven opened. Heaven came to where he was. 505 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,440 He was fleeing judgement. He was a fugitive. 506 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:07,280 And yet he found mercy because he found and discovered the true 507 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:12,719 gate of heaven. He found Jesus Christ, the place 508 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:19,360 where God and men must meet. The realisation that's 509 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:25,600 illustrative. He was changed and he made this 510 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:29,120 commitment. The vision that he saw, the 511 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:34,760 voice that he heard, and the vow that he made was all made in 512 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:40,120 this place that he called the House of God, the gate of 513 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:44,120 heaven. I asked you tonight, do you know 514 00:34:44,159 --> 00:34:46,159 Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour? 515 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,520 Do you know that He's the only ladder to heaven? 516 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:54,120 And is your faith and trust in Him that you can testify to a 517 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,480 change in your life, and that you too have made this 518 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:03,440 commitment? You vie A vie, and your vie will 519 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:07,040 be that you're going to live for the honour and glory of Jesus 520 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,720 Christ, not to earn God's favour, but as a response to it 521 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,960 out of love. This is what I'll do for you, 522 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:17,360 Lord. Is that true of you this 523 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:17,720 evening?