A New House

Oct. 29

Read: Genesis 28:10-22

Dreamer; Part 4

A New House

“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”- Jacob (v.17)

God is committed to making the earth his dwelling place… transforming it into a “new creation” and having the “new heavens and new earth” be His final dwelling stop amongst His people. (cf. Rom. 8:18-25, Rev. 21, John 3:16) God has consistently shown this to be true throughout the scriptures. He actively came into the midst of the Garden of Eden to meet with Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:8) He made manifest his presence “as one man to another” with Moses. (Exodus 33:11) He traveled with his people day and night in the wilderness as the Shekinah Glory. (Exodus 13:21,22) God was present with the Ark of the Covenant as it traveled as well as in the Holy of Holies within the Temple. (Exodus 25:10-22) God is faithfully making movement towards us and setting up his presence in this world. We see this truth again with Jacob at Bethel. Jacob declares, “this is none other than the house of God.” (v.17)

God has shown his willingness and desire to be near to and dwell amongst his people. He is our God and we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him (Jesus) who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) God is filling the earth with his presence in unique and powerful ways that go beyond the way he is present holding all things together. (cf. “Omnipresence” and Col. 1:16,17) He is doing this through those people he has called to himself. We are now the ones who have become the “house of God”.

For Jacob, the first step was understanding that God would even come to this place… to this earth at all. Jacob did not expect to find God present in the place he put down his head. Jacob was not thinking that he was sleeping at “God’s house” when he laid down that night. He woke up to a very different reality. He would never look at that rock or that place the same again. The presence of God utterly transforms the way we view a place! The very place of discomfort… that stone… became a “pillar to God” for Jacob. It become a place of significance and a reminder for Jacob of God’s nearness, presence, and provision for him. What was once a place of discomfort now represented the promises and comfort of the Lord. God was indeed “present there”.

We lose sight of this today. Most of us gloss over the idea that God would be actually present here among us in this world. Furthermore, we forget the truth that we ourselves are made to be “spiritual dwelling places”… the actually “temple” of God. God is making his home both among us and in us. WE are now the “temple”. We are now God’s “dwelling place”. We are the “pillars” that are anointed… the modern day “Bethels”! Look at what God’s word says about us as spiritual houses and vessels”

“…Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:18)

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22)

“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)

In the same way that Jacob anointed that stone and recognized God’s presence there at Bethel, we have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and God is recognizing his presence within us as his people. (cf. Acts 1:1-11, and 2) God is bringing his presence into all of the world by bringing US… his sons and daughters… into the places he leads us. God is present with us and has made us “sacred” and holy through the work of Christ in us.

Just think of what Jacob said when he woke up: “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!” (v.16,17) The question then becomes: Are we - as Christians - “asleep” and unaware of God’s presence within us? Do we simply not recognize it… not “know it”? Is it time for us to “wake up” and confess, “Lord, you have been here… present… in ‘this place’… in me… and I did not know it!”

I know it can be a little “scary” to realize just how near the Lord is to us… I mean Jacob was “afraid” when he figured it out. How do we respond when God reveals himself to us? Well Jacob “got up early” and worshipped the Lord. (v.18) He “poured out” his “oil” on the stone… and offered his resources up to the Lord. Jacob was able to boldly move forward on his journey, fueled by this experience with God. This is how we respond - boldly, with worship, moving forward, and declaring that our “stone pillows” have actually become places of worship and encouragement. May the lessons of Jacob and his “ladder dream” encourage us on our own journeys. God is meeting us when and where we least expect it. Our “stone pillows” and moments of discomfort are being transformed to powerful interactions with God himself. Jesus is our ladder, linking us to the Father and the heavenly realms above as they are breaking into our world below. God is making his home here among us - and one day his final dwelling place will be with us as his people in a new heavens and new earth! Amen to all of that! Love you guys… and I am excited to see where Jacob’s adventure brings us next.- Josh