We are in the House of God

Wesley United Methodist Church We are in the house of God Genesis 28 July 18, 1999 When I mentioned the word dream, what does it make you think of? Do you remember the dream that you had this morning? Did it have any affect on you today? Or do you think of the word in terms of the goals and intentions that you have for you life? Or do you think of it in terms of the future, the things that will affect not only your life, but the life of all people. Dreams, make me think of all three. Which is why I am excited about the text in Genesis 28. It is the story of Jacob as a young man, and Jacob is a dreamer. And as he dreams, he thinks not only of himself, or his own life, but all of humankind. This is a very rich text, with alot of things in it for us to think about as we dream. Now, Jacob is not the most admirable of characters, even by his own accounts. He has gained his fortune in life by stealing it from his brother. He has made his brother promise to give him his birth right. as first born son he will inherit the bigger portion of his father's fortune. And now that his brother realizes this, Jacob is afraid that he will be killed and he runs. In the midst of his escape he must rest, and falls asleep and dreams of an openway between heaven and earth. When he wakes up he realizes that he has been in the presence of God and it changes his life. He went to bed feeling like a complete failure, he woke up with a assgnment from God, a vision for who he was supposed to be. Helen Keller was once asked what was worse than being born blind, she responded to have sight and no vision. Without a dream, a vision, something to strive for, it is very hard to go forward. Jesus speaks to us many times about the value of vision within the life of a christian. He tells us that the gospel is for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. I remember talking with a friend who is blind, who when she sings amazing grace, she responds I once was blind and now I still can't see, where most of us respond was blind but now I see. Of course the vision of which we speak is not what we see on earth, it is what god reveals to us in life. Dreams tend to start in the normal routine things of our life and where we are. There is a natural sequence to beginning a vision that will change your life. IT may be something that comes to us while we are sleeping, while we are complaining about the routineness of our life, while we are hoping for a better way. That is what you would call the "I thought it stage". Jacob was not really looking to have an encounter from God, he was running away from his past. He had not idea of where he was going, but he knew where he needed to leave. Next comes the I caught it stage, that is where we get excited about the dream and start to talk about it, then it goes to the I brought it stage, where we put an investment of time talent and effort into it. The I sought it stage allows the dream to possess the person until it finally becomes the I got it stage where the dream belongs to individual and they commit their life to it. When was the last time that you had a dream that totally possessed you and made yougive all of your life to making that dream come true. Well, let's talk about Jacob's dream and you might remember yours. Jcob dreamed of a ramp coming down from heaven so that the angels could come back and forth from heaven to deliver messages from God to the people. Yet it was not angels that spoke to jacob, it was God himself. God reminded Jacob of the pormise that he had given to his forfathers. God reminded Jacob that he had made a promise with Abrahan that he would bless him with land, a large family, and legacy that would last throughout history. He told JAcob that he would always have a homeland that belonged to him. Jacob had just stolen a birthright, and these were all of the things that go with it. Jacob was not a nice person, he deserved condemnation for what he had done, yet God was willing to give him grace . All of the world would be blessed from the blessing that God has just granted him. The promises that had been granted to Jacob's grandfathers were now granted to Jacob. God had a plan for his life. But his plan was important becuase it went much farther than his own family, it included the whole world. Now do you remember your dream? The dream, the new vision that changed the direction of your life? Do your remember the dream that gave you enough energy to go throught whatever trails and tribulations that you would hve to encounter. Some of us have actaully had those dreams that have been so vivid and real that we had to make then into reality. some of us have encountered a vision that we saw aws much bigger than our own lives and we had to become a part of it, some of us have been so inspired that we can articualte and live outr a specific purpose in life. All of us know Christ, therefore all of us are a part of jacob's dream ourselves. Ever dream worth pursuing in life begines with god. is about god and ends with god as the main character and driving force. GOd is not interested in speaking to us through hthe lives of others and through messengers. The promise that he made was personal. Thus he sent his only son t us, so that we could have live and have it abundatnly ly. The dream and vision that he gave to jab=cob he gave to each and every one of us. If God is willing and able to use JAcob's sin, he is willing and able to use our talents. As you into into the I thought it stage of God's dream, you will see that the talenst and insights that you already have are being put to use for the good of God. As you pray, read scripture, come the church, you will enter into the I caught it stage and see that God is naturallysuing you in your circustances. And as yo get excited about the wroks of God that you are able to do, the I brought it stage will become clearer. Once jacob heard from god, he had a change of heart and became a different person. The final step is to take action and to do what ever it is. The vision to see, the faith to believe, and the will to do will take you anywhere you want to go. Groucho marx once agreed to serve as a coach of a celevrity baseball team. When fellow comdeian Jack Benny was up for bat, Marx yelled out to him to make sure that he hit a home run. Jack Benny struck out. Marx got up and angrily walked off the field. mumbling that he refues to worh with people who woudn't follow directions. What directions has christ given to us, that we are not follwing? IT is a good thing thta he is not willing to walk out on us. But there seem to be many times that we will walk out on him. Those are the times that we refuse to dream. Or when we have dreams and we don't use them as a vision for take us forward into a new life. Or when we have been given the promises of God's blessings for all of the world and we dont pass it on to others so the they will know that they are blessed also. God has no granchildren. We all have to establish a relationship with God for ourselves and to be willing to live up to that relationship. That applies to even the youth of our congregation. God's point to jacob in his dream was even though he had spoken to jacob's relatives before, that had nothing to do with jacob. Jacob had to see God for himself. At the time of the dream, jacob was a travelor throught life. He had no sense of direction and he really didn't know what the future meant for him. Jacob was the thrid generation of this family. and the most important thing to him and his peers at the time was having fun and doing whatever he wanted to do. He had always heard the stories of the pormises of god to his family, but they didn't mean anything to him. Until one day, when all of the fun got out of hand and he had to escape. It wasn't until then that he realized that God had always been with him in his life, yet he was not always aware. The promises that he were given in a dream were given to himn all of his life, even before he was born. They just had no meaning to him and his life. His ability to dream was the time that he was able to take ownership of his own relationship with God. and the day that he did that was the day the he learned to take responsiblity for his life. and maybe that day has not come for some of you young people. But that day comes in the lives of us all. God comes to each and every one of us and tells us that she is real. Who of us has not had tosleep on a rock pillow at some time in our lives. As jacob arose from his rock, he called it bethel. The place where heaven and earth meet. It become a special place, a holy place, a place where he would bring his family and remember the time that he saw god for himself. It is probably no coincedence that jesus told the he would be a part of his rock here in earth. that rock become the church. This is the place where he see the presence of God. This is the ladder between heaven and earth. this is the place that God has promised to all of the earth. This is the place where our dreams come true. lizes