1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,720 Got my coffee, got my glasses. All right, I hope you're 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,000 surviving the storm. Well, we have a lot of snow 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,040 here. I I didn't have a regular capo, 4 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:11,400 so I went out to my car and just probably a foot of snow in the 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,760 car, I'll bet. So I'll be curious how much 6 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,680 we've gotten, but that if you're home and say you can see several 7 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,160 of you are seeing we're still on. 8 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:20,680 Just watch it again. Let's see here. 9 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,080 Just want to make sure that we're still happening. 10 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:27,760 We should. I think this is this. 11 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:28,680 It's going. Oh, yeah. 12 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:30,280 Look, we're live. It says it right up there. 13 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:32,560 Yeah. All right, there we are. 14 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:33,080 OK. All. 15 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,120 Right here we go, wherever you are, let's join our hearts 16 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:39,280 together. And open with prayer. 17 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:45,040 Sure, I'll pray. OK Lord, thank you so much. 18 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:50,960 That church is your people. So we're so grateful for the 19 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:56,000 building that we have that we get to gather in and fellowship 20 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,760 in. But God, we know that no matter 21 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,280 where we go, your Holy Spirit is with us. 22 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,760 And Lord, this morning we just thank you that the church is 23 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,120 gathering. Church is never cancelled. 24 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,400 Amen. Church is never cancelled. 25 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,200 God and Lord, we are so grateful to be part of your body. 26 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,960 So we just prayed this morning for everybody watching. 27 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,040 Lord, would you please meet us in our living rooms, in our 28 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,600 kitchens and our homes and our cars and see lifts if people are 29 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,760 watching. And God, let your presents be 30 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,680 with us this morning. Come and reveal your heart to us 31 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,760 this morning. Inspire us, encourage us, heal 32 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,480 us. Lord, lead us to repentance this 33 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,640 morning. God help us, God to encounter 34 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,600 you no matter where we are in our journeys. 35 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,400 We love you Lord. In Jesus name we pray and 36 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,880 everybody say Amen. Amen, guys. 37 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,360 So let's jump into our teaching for the storm. 38 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,640 I should probably leave you for this one because you know me. 39 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,200 I'm going to be jumping in where I don't even. 40 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,360 Jumping in, but it's and maybe you can respond to some people. 41 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,520 People are making comments I can't. 42 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:15,240 Because my phone is very cool. You can on my phone. 43 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,760 OK, here you go. Steve is on. 44 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,080 Just go to Facebook. All right. 45 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,600 Well, this morning compared a message that I'm excited to 46 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,880 bring to you and it's somewhat of a continuation and from last 47 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,600 week when we're taking a pause from our Holy Spirit series 48 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:43,160 because we want to jump back into that when we're all 49 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,640 together. OK, so this morning I'm gonna 50 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:48,680 talk about making the most of the moments that make us. 51 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:50,440 And this is kind of a continuation. 52 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,720 In the last week, I kind of shared some of these ideas. 53 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,320 When we found on it last week it was like 3 minute version 5 54 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,960 minute version and this week have added some additional 55 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,760 passages to build on study. But we, our churches, brought 56 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,920 our young people, our wildlife group down to Grand Rapids to 57 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:11,280 the res life for the One Heart Conference and was just a really 58 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,880 just a really profound deep time with our students, OK. 59 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,920 And I was grateful to be there with the team and Alex was 60 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:22,800 leading us there with the students. 61 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,480 So grateful for Alex and Taylor leadership just growing and 62 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:28,880 cycling our students. OK. 63 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,960 So as we can mention something that views, but again I'm an 64 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,080 uncapped in much greater depth. So this is Genesis chapter 28 65 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:42,560 versus 10:50 where it says Jacob left Beersheba and went towards 66 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,400 Heron and he and he came to a certain place and he stayed 67 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,760 there that night because the sun had set. 68 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,760 Taking one of these stones of the place, he put it under his 69 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,080 head and lay down in that place to sleep. 70 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,280 And this is Genesis 28. If you have your Bibles, you 71 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,920 could turn Genesis 28. We're going to kind of unpatch 72 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,760 several of the verses here. So this is Jacob. 73 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:05,280 He I've been to bear Steven interesting enough when I was in 74 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,720 Israel 15 years ago, so I can remember where this was. 75 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,040 And so Jacob let me ask this question first, who is Jacob? 76 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,920 Well, Jacob is is in again the book of Genesis. 77 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:21,200 He's the grandson of Abraham. Maybe you've heard about father 78 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,920 Abraham had many sons. Many sons had father Abraham and 79 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,960 maybe you sang this in church. Many sons have father Abraham 80 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:28,320 and I am one of them. So are you. 81 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,080 So let's just praise the Lord. So you have Abraham who begat 82 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,560 Isaac and then Isaac begat Jacob and Esau. 83 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,640 He had two sons. They were twins and Esau was 84 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:43,000 born first, but Jacob was named his name man like heel grabber 85 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,240 because when he was being born, he was wrestling with his twin 86 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,400 brother Esau to come out of the wounds first because the first 87 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,120 born has better benefits, if you will, especially in the ancient 88 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:57,240 world. So and he's deceitful. 89 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,600 He deceives numerous times. And this occasion of Genesis 28, 90 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:05,040 Jacob is running from his brother Esau, who he had and his 91 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:09,080 father, who he had deceived. And he's by himself. 92 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,960 And he comes to this place and he takes one of the stones of 93 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,640 that place and put under his head, and he's going to sleep 94 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,480 with it as a pillow. OK, So he has this stone big 95 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,520 enough to be a pillow, and he's sleeping with. 96 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,400 Now, what happens after that? We're talking again about making 97 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,160 the most of the moments that make us. 98 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:30,360 This is going to be a moment that defines and makes Jacob one 99 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,920 of the moments. The story continues in verse 12. 100 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,640 Genesis 28 Now in verse 12 says and he dreamed and behold, there 101 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,120 was a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to 102 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,880 heaven and behold, the angels of God were sending and descending 103 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:45,960 on it again. This is the stairway to heaven. 104 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,360 Let Zeppelin didn't come up with it. 105 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:54,280 This was in Genesis so, and behold, the Lord stood above it. 106 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,560 And he said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and 107 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,720 the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give to 108 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,080 you and to your offspring. God says, behold, here I am, I 109 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,360 am the Lord. And then he starts repeating a 110 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,160 promise that he had given to Jacob's grandfather about his 111 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,080 descendants being many. And he says, your offspring and 112 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,920 verse 14 shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall 113 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,800 spread abroad to the West, and to the east, and to the north 114 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,720 and to the South. And in you and your osprey sell 115 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,360 all the families of the earth. Be blessed. 116 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,400 And what does God mean by this? He's meaning that the Messiah, 117 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,720 Jesus, God himself is going to come as man to redeem us and 118 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:35,080 save us. And it's going to come through 119 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,840 the lineage of Jacob. The whole verse 15. 120 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:43,200 I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring 121 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,880 you back to this land, but I will not leave you until I've 122 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:48,560 done what I have promised to you. 123 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:54,600 OK, so Jacob has this beautiful profound moment of seeing the 124 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,320 stairway that goes into heaven with angels coming and going and 125 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:00,960 he hears God speak directly to him. 126 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:05,520 Story continues In verse 16 it says then Jacob awoke from his 127 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,760 sleep and said, watch this. He said surely the Lord is in 128 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:14,880 this place and I didn't know it. Surely the Lord is in this place 129 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,680 in verse 17 and he was afraid and he said how awesome is this 130 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,760 place? This is none other than the 131 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,880 House of God and this is the gate of heaven. 132 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,160 Now he is in awe at this moment where he's interacting with the 133 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,840 Spirit of God and watch this. In this occasion, he's saying 134 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,360 the Lord is in this place and how awesome is this place? 135 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:41,920 He's focused on the place, but that's OK. 136 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:43,560 That's the revelation that he's in now. 137 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,520 He's going to get greater revelation about who's awesome. 138 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,360 We'll see as the story continues. 139 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,320 But he says, surely God the Lord is here. 140 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,200 It's holy ground. Now, there were moments last 141 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,040 week when we were at the One Heart Conference and in your 142 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,440 life, there were probably had been many moments where you 143 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,920 looked around and went, wow, God is here, God is here. 144 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,040 And again, sometimes our friend might calls him God weeks, 145 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,600 right? And so there are moments, 146 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,480 whether it's a sunset or the birth of a child, or maybe there 147 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,080 was a season in your life where you were desperate to hear from 148 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,480 God and the Holy Spirit spoke to you, maybe maybe even audibly, 149 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,040 maybe to a friend, maybe just scripture. 150 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:24,360 But it was so evident to you, surely the Lord is in this place 151 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:29,000 wherever you might have been. And so this is a big moment for 152 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,760 Jacob. It's a moment that makes him and 153 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,080 defines him. So Genesis 28 verse 18 and the 154 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,320 story continues. So early in the morning, Jacob 155 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:40,360 took the stone that he had put under his head and he set it up 156 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,120 for a pillar and he poured oil on the top of it. 157 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,040 He called the name of that place Bethel or Bethel, but the name 158 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,560 of the city was loose at the first OK, so watch this. 159 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,880 He's naming the in the city of Luz eventually will become known 160 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,040 as the city of Bethel Bethel. But in this occasion, he's just 161 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,920 saying that little place that's there in the city of Luz, he's 162 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,000 calling it, which means the Lord is here, OK? 163 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:06,040 This is the place where God dwells. 164 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,480 It's the House of God. And he called the name of the 165 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,880 place that book, OK. So eventually what is going to 166 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:16,320 happen if that place is going to become bigger than the city of 167 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,680 us, OK. By the time that the readers 168 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:20,560 would have been reading this after Moses would have written 169 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:23,360 it, by then the children of Israel would have known the city 170 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:24,760 to be be Bethel. That's it. 171 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,600 OK, now he has a pillar. And this this pillar is the rock 172 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:33,240 that he sleeps with his pillow. And what is this? 173 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,000 It's a it's called a matseva. In Hebrew, it means pillar. 174 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,320 And I have his notes. By the way, if you want to text 175 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,800 me or write me today, I'll send you my notes for this week. 176 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:46,160 OK, so this is a matseva and it's something stationed, a 177 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,680 column, a physical landmark. OK, so he takes this. 178 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:51,960 And so it's we got on my seats. Am I saying that? 179 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,120 Right? Matseva. 180 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:54,560 Matseva. That's how we would say it. 181 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,200 It is. It's become a metaphor for a 182 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,360 moment in our lives that we want to memorialize, like when God 183 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:06,000 showed up, OK, Because watch, Jacob is going to use that stone 184 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:11,320 to memorialize this event where he senses the presence of God 185 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:12,800 and hears the voice of God. OK. 186 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,760 So from a stone pillow, he makes a sacred memory stone to 187 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:21,040 remember that he encountered God there. 188 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,400 Now in our lobby at the church, you'll see that we have the 189 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,440 posters, the big white posters that are the three things that 190 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,160 we want to be about as a church. And the number one thing is we 191 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,960 want to get together as a church and we expect to encounter the 192 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,760 presence of God. Church should not be like going 193 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,640 to see a movie just, you know, punching a time clock. 194 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,720 Obligatory no When we go with get together, we should be 195 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,720 encountering the presence of God and that is our expectation 196 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,280 encounters lifelong with the Lord. 197 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,760 And when we encounter God, it's good that we have a monceva that 198 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,560 helps to memorialize, helps us to remember that moment where we 199 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:02,240 sensed and knew that God was there. 200 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:07,720 Yeah, so and so now a Monceva is has grown to be a 201 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:12,320 memorialization of a moment where we sensed and encountered 202 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,680 the presence of God. Now Jacob goes on with his life 203 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,120 and we're going to go jump to Genesis 35. 204 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,320 If you have your Bibles, if you want to go to Genesis 35 between 205 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,400 chapter 28 and 35, a lot happens in his life. 206 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:31,840 He goes to work for Manny Lehman and he buries twice made her 207 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:35,720 sisters Rachel and Leah. Rachel is the true love of his 208 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,520 life, but he's tripped by her father into marrying her. 209 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,160 He he marries her thinking that it's Rachel has to have been 210 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:47,480 work another seven years. So this, the deceitful Jacob has 211 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,240 met someone who's even more deceitful than he is. 212 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,720 Yeah. So the story picks up in Genesis 213 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,120 35. Now he's fleeing again because 214 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,360 God instruction to do so in verse 1. 215 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:03,880 So God said to Jacob, arise and go up to the foul and dwell 216 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,120 there. Make an altar there to the God 217 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,400 who appeared to you when you fled from your brother. 218 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,080 He saw. God instructs Jacob to go back 219 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:15,600 to this place where he encountered the presence of God 220 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,120 so greatly. And God is instructing this time 221 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:22,160 where before he just had one stone, and he said that one 222 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:28,680 stone up as a memorialization of God's encountering, encountering 223 00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:30,440 God. But now I've got to say go back 224 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:33,640 and instead this time build an altar and altar was going to be 225 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,200 a place of worship. So now you're going to go back. 226 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,520 You've experienced a lot of heartaches, a lot of times where 227 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,720 you didn't sense the presence of God. 228 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:44,040 Jacob and he felt very distant from God. 229 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,960 And sometimes if God's like, go back to that place where you 230 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,840 last encountered me in a great way. 231 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:54,040 So verse 3, then let us arise and go to Bethel. 232 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,440 This is Jacob speaking so that I may make there an altar to the 233 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:02,760 God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me 234 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,480 wherever I had gone. He's aware that God has been 235 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,240 with him. But this southern encounter was 236 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,360 even greater. So jumping to verse 6 and Jacob 237 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,280 came to Luz, that is Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan, 238 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,560 he and all the people who were with him, and there he built an 239 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:22,240 altar and he called the place al Bethel because their God had 240 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:25,280 revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 241 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,360 Now it used to be that he called it Bethel, which meant house 242 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:29,760 with God, the place where God dwells. 243 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:35,520 Now he's updated the name to El Bezel, which means the God of 244 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:38,560 the House of God. So where it used to be, he was 245 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:42,920 focused on the place, now he's become focused on the God of the 246 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,240 place, which is actually deeper understanding. 247 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,560 It's an even deeper encounter. Before again, he was in awe of 248 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,920 the place. Now he's in awe of the God of 249 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,280 the place. God often from these encounters 250 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,400 that we have with them, He will fill us with the sphere and then 251 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:00,560 he will refill us with the sphere. 252 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:05,560 And the ideas that our understanding, our theology, our 253 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:09,320 beliefs, our doctor, they should grow in level of truth. 254 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:14,080 He starts again in all the place, but now he grows to be in 255 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:19,120 all of the God of the place. So verse 9, God appeared to 256 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,120 Jacob again when he came to Padama Haram and he blessed him. 257 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:26,480 Now God is not just revealing himself in Bethel, but other 258 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:27,320 places. Watch this. 259 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,680 He goes to this other place in there. 260 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,920 Now he's learning that God was not just in that one place, but 261 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,360 even when he's in Haddad Aram, he senses that God is also 262 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,520 greatly blessing. He's encountering God now 263 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:44,800 wherever he goes. And it's in this occasion when 264 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:48,200 he's in Haram, Haram that he's encountering God again. 265 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,040 And at this place, God changes his name. 266 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,720 God updates his name, He updates his name from Jacob to Israel 267 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,960 becomes his name. This is a moment that makes him 268 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,160 chapter 35, verses 13 through 15. 269 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,560 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with 270 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,200 him, and Jacob set up a pillar in a place where he had spoken 271 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,600 with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering 272 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,760 on it and he poured oil on it. Watch what's happening here. 273 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:21,440 Jacob is getting a rhythm to his life earlier when he's a young 274 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:26,080 man, 20 years earlier, he encounters God, the stairway to 275 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:32,240 heaven, and there he builds his pillar, his memorial stone, if 276 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:33,800 you will. And then he goes back and builds 277 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:35,720 an altar. But now he goes on the new 278 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,200 places. And when he's there now he's 279 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:42,880 continuing to memorialize and intentionally set up tools, 280 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:46,760 these memory stones, to help him remember he is encountering God. 281 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,520 So this is a model for us, okay, when we have these encounters 282 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:57,560 with God, it's good to maybe maybe make a photo or maybe 283 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:03,320 highlight your Bible or, you know, maybe there's something 284 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,880 that you can take to just remember. 285 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:11,000 And when you run across it again, it will be such that it 286 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,000 will aid you in your growth in the lore. 287 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:16,560 OK. So sometimes I'll hide old 288 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:21,480 photos or notes in some Bibles that I have and maybe I'll run 289 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:23,560 across that note. I remember there was a pastor 290 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,680 that used to work four years ago and he was was a note writer. 291 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,960 And I still have some of those notes that he wrote to me. 292 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,760 And I remember those worship times were really profound. 293 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:34,920 And some songs that I'd written, I wrote some. 294 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,360 Just a glimpse and in that occasion, I have this card with 295 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,040 the password through with that. And he wrote that he loved this 296 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:43,480 new song that we had done for the first time called just the 297 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:45,880 guns. Me remembering, wow, God was 298 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,720 there in that moment. So for me, it can be a note, it 299 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:53,000 can be a picture, it can be anything that again, that serves 300 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,600 like a memorial stone to help us remember, Wow, we encountered 301 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,440 God in that place. And now because of we're in awe 302 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,640 of the God of the place, the God of that moment. 303 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,920 So Jacob in verse 15, Jacob called the name of the place 304 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:09,680 where God has spoken with him, Bethel. 305 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,680 OK, so now he's in different places and he's continuing to 306 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:16,319 say God is here also. So and that's kind of a recap. 307 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:18,200 What happens to the writer of Genesis. 308 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,960 There's just kind of bookending and to say, OK, this is the 309 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,640 story of Bethel and God has spoken with him there. 310 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:29,640 Now, what are some Al Bethel moments in your life, some God 311 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,320 of the place moments have you had? 312 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,400 Have you ever set up something to help you remember? 313 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:38,200 If not, my encouragement to you is to think, where were some 314 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:43,120 moments where I heard from God in a profound way and to give 315 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:46,480 yourself a tool to remember those occasions. 316 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,280 I want to show you two more examples that are similar in 317 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:55,080 nature to the way that Jacob worships in this occasion. 318 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,920 There's a story in Joshua, and Joshua would be hundreds of 319 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,360 years after the story of Jacob. You'll remember Moses is the 320 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:04,640 great leader who leads the children of Israel out of 321 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:07,920 slavery in Egypt. Remember from maybe the movies 322 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,680 or cartoons, as you've seen, where the Red Sea opens and 323 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,280 Moses sends his people across. God miraculously leads them. 324 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,720 But you'll remember that the children of Israel end up 325 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,440 wandering in the desert or the wilderness for 40 years because 326 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,720 of their lack of faith and their disobedience to God's prompt 327 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:25,960 things and leadings. OK, it's long story. 328 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,080 So they wander, they're nomadic for 40 years and eventually 329 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,920 Moses dies and now Joshua becomes the leader and they're 330 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,960 going to enter into the promised land of the Canaan and on this 331 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,600 occasion watch what happens with their memorial stones. 332 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:44,960 This is Joshua chapter 4 and read verses one through 7. 333 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,600 When all the nation had finished passing over to Jordan, the Lord 334 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:53,520 said to Joshua, Take 12 men from the people from each tribe, a 335 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:59,400 man, and command them, saying, Take 12 Stones from here out of 336 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,480 the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests 337 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:06,680 feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you, and lay them 338 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,200 down in the place where you lodge tonight. 339 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,520 This is in the tradition of Jacob. 340 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,800 Then Joshua called the 12 men from the people of Israel whom 341 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,600 he had appointed a man from each tribe. 342 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,480 And Joshua said to them, Pass on before the ark of the Lord your 343 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,640 God in the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you as stone 344 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,280 upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the 345 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:34,760 people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you, when your 346 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:39,200 children ask in time to come, what do these stones mean to 347 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:41,840 you? Then you shall tell them that 348 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,680 the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the 349 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,560 covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, 350 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:49,640 the waters of the Jordan were cut off. 351 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:55,280 So these stones shall be to the people of Israel memorial 352 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,680 forever. I love this story. 353 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,360 So the Jordan River, I've been to the Jordan River. 354 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:04,480 I can envision that the God led his children after their four 355 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,360 years and one was to cross over the Jordan River, but he stopped 356 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:11,800 the river from flowing upstream. And when he did, they were able 357 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:14,400 to crossover it with all of their belongings in the Ark of 358 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,480 the Covenant. And So what they do is they 359 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,440 memorialize this event with stones, one for every tribe 360 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,000 where Jacob had twelve sons. Twelve sons. 361 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:32,200 And so there are 12 tribes. And after this miracle been 362 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,000 frosting over, he says, take these stones and make them for 363 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,440 memorial. But watch this. 364 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,880 This is so beautiful to me is that on this occasion, it's not 365 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:44,120 just so that they will remember, it's so that they're children 366 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,520 will remember that they experienced a miracle. 367 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,760 And to this day, you and I still have the story to remember God 368 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:53,280 miraculously moving. But in the ancient world, they 369 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,680 would have seen the stones that would have helped them to 370 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,120 remember. They made the most of that 371 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:03,200 miraculous moment in their life. This was a moment that made the 372 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,040 children of Israel when they entered into the promised land. 373 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:08,360 And so they don't want to just remember themselves. 374 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,240 The goal is that their children and their children's children 375 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,440 will remember again, I'll just read it to you. 376 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,120 They said, then you shall tell them of verse 6. 377 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,200 When your children ask in time to come, what do these stones 378 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,480 mean to you? Then you shall tell them that 379 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,560 the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the art of the 380 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,360 covenant of the Lord. Now there's one other case. 381 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:30,160 I want to show you that this is the tradition. 382 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:32,840 This is, you'll see it. There's many of our Scripture, 383 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:34,400 but I'm showing you there's a couple of them. 384 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,280 This is the story of Samuel and Samuel also set up set up some 385 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,760 stones that helped him and the people of God remember the 386 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,640 encounter, this miracle that they'll have. 387 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,680 This isn't first Samuel. So if you go forward to your 388 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,360 Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 389 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:56,320 Joshua, Judges, roots and that first Samuel, the youth, first 390 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,200 Samuel, first Samuel Chapter 7, you'll remember that Samuel is 391 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,760 the great prophet. If you just saw the David movie, 392 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,600 the animated David movie, the Samuel Christmas, in that story, 393 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:10,160 he's the prophet before the 1st king of Israel, who was Saul, 394 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:11,760 the second king of Israel is David. 395 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:16,880 OK, so so he's a spiritual leader and he is also 396 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,640 encouraging and serving as counsel to Saul and to Saul 397 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,320 becomes arrogant and misses out on God's best. 398 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,960 But watch this story in Chapter 7 as Samuel was offering up the 399 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,280 burnt offering. This is first single seven and 400 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,600 I'm reading in verse 10, as Samuel was offering up the burnt 401 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,280 offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. 402 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,720 But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against 403 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,720 the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were 404 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:48,720 defeated before Israel. This is a miraculous encounter 405 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,760 with God in verse 11. And the men of Israel went out 406 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,040 from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them as 407 00:22:55,040 --> 00:23:00,080 far as below that car. And then verse 12, then Samuel 408 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:05,120 took a stone and he set it up between this spot and Stan and 409 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:11,120 he called it it's name Ebenezer. For he said till now the Lord 410 00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,080 has helped us. Ebenezer that's what it means. 411 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,400 The Lord is helping us. The Lord has been faithful. 412 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,520 So what does he do? He sets up a stone again, just 413 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:24,800 like Jacob, he sets up a stone to remember this event that God 414 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,440 miraculously moves. They set up and cause the names 415 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,560 of stone Ebenezer. And I'm reminded that reminded 416 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,200 there's a really wonderful old song. 417 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,720 It's an old hymn and I love this song. 418 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,080 It's been I haven't even practiced it. 419 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:44,560 I thought I was just singing about the Public Music. 420 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,840 And this song written by it's called Come now Found. 421 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:54,600 And it's it was written by Robert Robinson in 1758, right 422 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,240 Come thou found in the second verse it says come thou found. 423 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:05,840 This is the first verse. Very blessing to my heart to 424 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:18,640 sing thy strings of mercy never ceasing. 425 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,800 And here's where the songwriter gets Ebenezer in the eyes of the 426 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:41,240 song. Maybe for the sun never knew 427 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,480 what it meant. The Ebenezer is a stone that 428 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:48,760 Samuel set up to remember when God defeated the Philistines out 429 00:24:48,760 --> 00:25:05,360 there to have, it says. And I woke by thy good place 430 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:16,040 safely to go on my bed. Jesus saw me where a stranger 431 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:19,920 punching from the fold of clouds. 432 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:35,000 So just thinking of I raised my Ebenezer. 433 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:39,520 In other words, the songwriter 1758 is saying find your 434 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:44,040 memorial stone, your Ebenezer like Samuel would have had and 435 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:48,800 use it to remember the goodness. The encounters of God have 436 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,520 encounters with God that you have like long. 437 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,760 So some application. I encourage you to go and think 438 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,920 what happens the moment in your life that made you where God 439 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:02,560 showed up and maybe you haven't thought of it in a long time. 440 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,400 Maybe it was a youth camp event or maybe it was a when you gave 441 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,000 your life to Christ. Maybe, maybe it's a miracle with 442 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,680 with your house or your job or your children. 443 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,960 Whatever it is, go back and cherish those moments where God 444 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:16,400 showed up. There's some in my life the 445 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,840 summer before my my senior year, the summer after my senior of 446 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:25,080 high school, I went to a youth camp near Waco, TX and it was 447 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:29,160 just a very profound time in my life that event. 448 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:33,040 And then I our I went to a wonderful college, wonderful 449 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:34,880 school called Christ for the Nation's Institute. 450 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,560 And years later our daughter went there and I would go back 451 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:40,840 to CF and I through the years and sang on recordings that they 452 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,600 did. And then our daughter had been 453 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,680 several years since I've been there and we were there because 454 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:46,800 our daughter was going to go to school. 455 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:51,920 This was 10 years ago almost. And I just remember coming out 456 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,960 of that campus and just, it just always overcome the memories of 457 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:59,760 God me and count in the presence of God when I was a student 458 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,160 there. And it just reminded me, Oh 459 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,520 yeah. And I thought, you know, I need 460 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,960 to remember better those moments where God showed up in my life 461 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:11,160 in profound ways. And I will encourage you to 462 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,520 think of those. And then I will encourage you to 463 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:18,520 find a way to remember those events often, set up some type 464 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:21,560 of tool to assist you and remember when God was there. 465 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,680 And a profound way. We saw it in Jacob's life. 466 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,360 We saw it with Joshua when they crossed the dirt river. 467 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,080 And then we saw it in Samuel saying his life when they had 468 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,640 defeated the Philistines because of the power and presence of 469 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,920 God. Let me pray for us, kind of you. 470 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,520 Thank you for this hour that we've been able to be together. 471 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:46,240 And whether we're watching now or sometime in the near future, 472 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:48,880 thank you for your presence in our lives. 473 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:53,400 And help us to remember and to memorialize and to set up 474 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:57,800 memorial stones that aid us in continuing to be grateful for 475 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:02,000 your faithfulness and for your presence in our lives. 476 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,360 We pray this in Jesus name and everyone said Amen. 477 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:07,880 Let me just say blessing over you. 478 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,160 Thanks for being here and now. May the Lord bless you and keep 479 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:13,840 you and may he make his face to shine upon you. 480 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:17,080 And may the joy of the Lord that is unspeakable and full of the 481 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,640 Lord, may the bound to you. And may the peace of God that 482 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:23,760 passes all understanding, may it surprise you in the midst of all 483 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:25,280 of the challenges that life brings. 484 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:27,600 And then we have mercies of the Lord. 485 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:30,320 In other words, the forgiveness of God that's new every morning 486 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,160 may be especially new to you now and your mornings to come. 487 00:28:34,360 --> 00:28:37,000 And now may the Lord Jesus Christ guard your heart and your 488 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,160 mind. You are salt and you are light. 489 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,200 Go now and be salt and light into the world like Blizzard 490 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,360 wise like go like tomorrow or where the roads are there, and 491 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,800 be blessed in your salt and you are light. 492 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:50,240 We'll look forward to seeing you next Sunday. 493 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:51,000 But.