1. The Family That Formed Him

First of all, you think of the family that formed him. His father was Isaac, and Isaac loved God. But, really, Isaac was a very sensual man. He had a wrong set of values. The Bible says that Isaac’s favorite son was not Jacob, but Jacob’s twin brother, Esau. (Genesis 25:28) And then, here’s the reason he loved Esau more than he loved Jacob. He loved Esau because Esau was a hunter and would bring to him venison, and he loved that savory venison; he loved that meat that Esau would bring. Now that’s a big reason for putting one son above another son, isn’t it? And over and over again it talks about old Isaac and how he loved that venison.

And then you think about his mother. His mother’s name was Rebekah. And Rebekah’s a beautiful name, but Rebekah herself was a schemer; she was a scheming woman. She helped old Jacob to deceive his father, Isaac. And we won’t get into that, but just put it down that Jacob’s father was a sensual man. Jacob’s mother was a scheming woman. And Jacob’s brother was a self-sufficient, self-centered lout. His name was Esau. He didn’t care about the things of God at all. He was just a hairy-chested outdoorsman, and he was a man who was very selfish and, again, motivated by the things that are of the flesh. He was a sensual, self-centered brother. That’s the kind of a family that he was raised up in.

Maybe that’s something like your family. Maybe you say, “Pastor Rogers, I don’t come from very good stuff.” Well, neither did Jacob.

2. The Faults That Fettered Him

But you think not only of the family that formed him, but you think of the faults that fettered him. Here was a man, this man Jacob, who had a lot of internal problems. He was a schemer, a conniver, by nature. He was just crooked by nature. It was hard for him to do right. As I’ve told you, his name means “cheater” or “con artist,” and he lived up to it. By the way, he was a twin to his brother Esau. But if you had looked at the two and had to choose between them, which one would you have chosen? You probably would have chosen Esau rather than this man Jacob, even with Esau’s many, many faults.

And so here’s a man. Environment is against him. Heredity is against him. Age is against him. And he’s moving through life from one failure to another. Now the reason I’m giving you the background is this: I want you to use this background as the black velvet so you can see God’s grace in the life of Jacob, and hopefully you can see God’s grace in your life.

B. What Jacob Had Going for Him

1. God Loved Him

Now Jacob had one redeeming factor, and it’s the same one that you have, no matter what your background, no matter what your environment, no matter what your situation. What was the one redeeming factor that Jacob had? Are you ready for it? God loved him—God loved him. The Bible tells us clearly, in Romans chapter 9, verse 13, God says, “Jacob have I loved.” (Romans 9:13) He didn’t love him because of his faults; He loved him in spite of his faults. God didn’t have to change him in order to love him; God loved him so he could change him.

Now I want you to get this in your heart and in your mind today: even though you may see yourself as having so much against you, there is one thing that you have for you, and it is God. God loves you, and “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

2. He Had a Spiritual Hunger

Now, here’s something else that this man had for him. He had a spiritual hunger; he wanted to know God. I don’t have time to get into it, but he cheated his brother Esau out of the birthright, which was the spiritual blessing. Now Esau really didn’t care much for the spiritual blessing, but Jacob wanted it. Jacob, the con artist, got it the wrong way, but he still wanted it. He wanted God. Now, here’s the point. God loved Jacob. God did not love Jacob for what he was, but God loved Jacob for what He could make out of him. God saw in Jacob a hunger for Himself, a hunger for God.

May I ask you this question this morning? Do you have a hunger for God, or are you just satisfied like you are? Forget about your failures. Forget about your faults. Forget about your foibles. Forget about your family. Forget that, and put that aside. And let me ask you this question: Do you have a hunger for God today? If you do, hallelujah! If you do, I don’t care what your past is. Failure is not final, if you have that one thing, if you have a hunger for the God who loves you. Now Jacob did, and because of that, God could move in Jacob’s life.

And I want you to see three episodes in the life of Jacob that I’m going to try to put in your heart today. And I pray that God the Holy Spirit will help you to see not only Jacob, but to see yourself.

I. God Loved Jacob with a Transforming Love

Number one: God loved Jacob with a transforming love. And God loves you with a transforming love. Now we’re in Genesis chapter 28, verse 10: “And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.” Have you ever had a stone for a pillow? Jacob did. “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all the places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob [awakened] out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This, is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar,”—that is, “a stone of remembrance”—“and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (Genesis 28:10–22)

Now at this point, Jacob has been a religious man, but I don’t think he was a saved man. I think he was like a lot of folks here this morning. You’ve come to church because it’s the thing to do; and you know about God, but you don’t know God personally. Now he has left home, and he’s left home under bad circumstances. And he’s out there in the desert by himself. And he pictures a man away from God; he pictures a lost sinner. He’s separated by his deceitfulness. He’s sentenced with death, because his brother Esau is coming after him to kill him. He’s shrouded in darkness. He’s surrounded by desert. He’s got a stone for a pillow. He’s out there. I want you to see him out there. There’s the hoot of the jackal out in the wilderness. There are the clouds that are covering the moon. He hears the mournful owl, and he’s all alone, with a stone for a pillow, away from God, away from friends. He’s lonely. He’s hurt others. He’s hurt himself. He’s miserable. There he is, out there on the desert ground asleep, and he has a dream.

A. Jacob Has a Revelation of God

God now begins to reveal Himself to this man Jacob. And what is the dream that he has? He sees a ladder. In this dream, he sees a ladder that goes from earth all the way up into heaven. Now old Jacob has been reaching for the stars in his own flesh, and now he sees this ladder. It’s going from earth to heaven. And in this dream he sees angels. Angels are coming down the ladder, and angels are going up the ladder. When I was a kid, we used to go to camp, and we’d sing that song, “We’re Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.” Did you ever sing it? I never knew what it meant. “Each rung goes higher”—I never knew what it meant. But this is where it comes from. We are climbing Jacob’s ladder. Jacob saw a ladder.

Now, what does all of that picture? May I tell you with clearness, and affirmation, and no stutter, and no stammer, the ladder that Jacob saw was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, “Well, I don’t see how that’s a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Well, Jesus Himself did. Put in your margin this verse—John 1, verses 47 through 51. I’m going to read a portion of that passage to you: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47) Do you know what the word for “guile” is? Jacob: “Here’s an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob.” He said, “Here’s a man that’s not a con artist,” when he saw Nathanael. And then this is what He said to Nathanael, in verse 51: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51) And that was the term that Jesus used for Himself. The Lord says, “Nate, you don’t have any Jacob in you, and you’re going to see the angels ascending and descending upon me. You’re going to see heaven open.” He’s referring to this passage way back there in the Old Testament, and He says, “That pictures me.”

Folks, I’ve told you before, and I want to tell you again, the Bible is full of Jesus. Don’t just think that the Old Testament was about the Jews and the New Testament is about Jesus. Standing somewhere in the shadows, you’ll find Jesus all the time. And if you read the Bible and you don’t find Jesus, you’d better go back and reread it, because He is the hero of the Bible. And the message of the Bible is “Jesus saves.” And so here’s old Jacob, and he’s having a dream. Now, remember, he’s away from God. He’s miserable. He’s a failure. He’s lonely. He’s got a stone for a pillow.

By the way, let me tell you something. People say it’s hard to be a Christian. Where’d you ever get that? It’s not hard to be a Christian. That’s a lie out of hell. It’s not hard to be a Christian. It’s hard not to be a Christian. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me … my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29–30) The Bible says, “The way of [the transgressor] is hard”—“the way of [the transgressor] is hard.” (Proverbs 13:15) We get it just exactly backward. Here’s old Jake out there away from God. He’s miserable, got a stone for a pillow. But God comes to him, and God speaks to him.

1. The Reach of the Ladder

And I want you to see that ladder, and I want you to see the reach of it. Verse 12 tells us it goes all the way to heaven. (Genesis 28:12) Remember in Genesis—the early part of Genesis—men tried to build a tower whose top would reach to heaven? (Genesis 11:4) Remember that? Well, that represents man’s effort to reach heaven. He can’t do it. Every man-made ladder is going to break and fall, and the higher men climb on it, the further they fall. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) This ladder went all the way to heaven.

2. The Resources of the Ladder

And then, not only the reach of that ladder, but think of the resources of that ladder. The Bible says that the angels were coming down that ladder and the angels were going up that ladder. (Genesis 28:12) Jesus said, “The angels go up and down on me. They ascend and they come down on me.” (John 1:51) Now, what’s that talking about? Well, what are angels? Well, angels are God’s ministering spirits. The Bible, in Hebrews the first chapter, tells us that the angels are spirits that minister to us. (Hebrews 1:14) Angels minister to that man, and that man, and that man. And angels minister to me, and angels minister to you. And they bring the blessings of God, and they bring the protection, and they bring the love of God. But do you know how they come to us? Through Jesus. Do you know how do we go to God? Through Jesus. You see, Jesus is not only your way to God; Jesus is God’s way to you. Every blessing that you receive today comes down that ladder; it comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the blessings of God are in the Lord Jesus Christ. When you get Jesus, friend, you get a ladder that brings you to God and brings God to you. He is Jacob’s ladder. That’s what Jesus told Nathanael there in John (John 1:51), and that’s what I’m telling you today.

I’ve had the resources of heaven ministered to me so many times. When I started out as a young man, God called me to preach. I never thought about what I would give up. I never thought about what I would gain. Neither one was an issue. It was just simply God had called me. I hear preachers talk about fighting the call to preach. That’s unmitigated stupidity—stupidity. Who would ever fight the call of God? I’m infinitely honored that God gives me the privilege. And I’ll tell you what He said to me. He said to me, “Adrian, if you’ll follow me, if you’ll trust me, I will meet your need.” And, friend, he has.

I started out. Joyce and I got married. We went off on our honeymoon with fifty dollars. I mean, that’s all we had: fifty bucks. We had a wonderful honeymoon. It was fine. God took care of us. I went to school. I had a conviction she ought not to work, so she stayed at home while I was in school—four years of college and four years of seminary—well, three years of college, because we got married after our first year in college. I can remember there in college saying, “Lord, you’ve called me. You’ve got to supply.” And I did all kinds of things for jobs. One of the things I would do, I had a football scholarship, but I gave up the football scholarship because I wanted to pastor a little church. The little church couldn’t pay us but just a pittance. We had to work to do other things. I got a job working in the A & P, got a job stacking groceries and working in the meat market back there. I pawned myself off as a butcher. I didn’t know the difference between beef and pork, got back there in the meat market working. And then I worked in the cafeteria busing tables, carrying trays, and gathering the scraps off the table, so I could eat there in the cafeteria. We’d have to wait around for people to finish. And a man would be sitting there, and he hadn’t eaten his pudding yet, and I’d put my thumb in the pudding, and hold it up, and say, “Are you finished with this?” He’d say, “Yes,” and I’d put it on that thing and carry it off.

I came from the A & P one day. I had not had time to go to the school cafeteria to carry the dishes for my food, so I had to stop in a restaurant. I reached down in my pocket to see what kind of money I had to buy food with. I had twenty-three cents. I mean, that was it! That was it! Nothing else! I went in a restaurant, and I kept looking and looking. And I saw a cheese sandwich; it was twenty cents. I said, “I want a cheese sandwich.” They said, “Do you want anything to drink?” I said, “No ma’am, just water.” And she gave me that cheese sandwich. I reached in my pocket, and I looked: after I paid that, and I had two or three pennies. And, folks, that’s all I had—period. It was two or three pennies—that was it! But, folks, I want to tell you, that was enough—that was enough. I never ever went without. I came that close. I remember walking home, and I said, “Lord, that’s close. Hey, that’s getting down there to the very bottom.”

But I want to tell you, friend, I have learned what Jacob learned: that not only is Jesus my way to God, but God’s way to me. And He has said, “I will never leave … nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:6)—“and I’ll take care of you, and I’ll meet all of your need.” And He has from that day to this, and He’ll meet yours also.

B. Jacob Has a New Consciousness of God

And here was this man out there in the wilderness wandering around, and God gave him a revelation of Himself. And so he sees this ladder. Now he has a new consciousness of God. Look, if you will, in verse 16 of this chapter, and he says, “And Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.” (Genesis 28:16) You know, I think that’s one of the saddest things: for God to be somewhere and for you not to know it; the astronomer to look up at the stars and not know the One who hung them there; for the physicist to study the electrons and not worship the God who causes all things to consist; or for even a philosopher to study truth and not know the Lord Jesus, who is the truth; or for you to come in a place like this … And, folks, I want to tell you, whether you know it or not, God is here today—God is here today. Wouldn’t it be a sad thing for you to leave here and not to meet God? Jacob almost missed Him. “Surely the LORD [was] in this place;”—he said—“and I knew it not.”

When I was looking at this passage, it reminded me of a passage over there in Romans chapter 10, verses 8 through 13. And it reminds of what Jacob said when he said, “Surely the LORD [was] in this place; and I knew it not.” (Genesis 28:16) Here’s what Paul is saying in the book of Romans about salvation. He says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8–13)

You say, “Why does that passage remind you of what happened to Jacob?” Well, Jacob said, “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.” (Genesis 28:16) God was so near to him, but he didn’t know it. And I thought there may be somebody I’m preaching to today who’ll be in the same situation Jacob was. Here we are describing Jacob’s ladder, which is the Lord Jesus, the ladder where we go to God and God comes to us. But you may not know it. You may be oblivious to it. And yet you may be so close to it. Listen to what Paul said in the book of Romans. He said, “The word is [near you], even in [your] mouth, and in [your] heart.” (Romans 10:8) Now, folks, you can’t get more near than to be in your mouth and in your heart.

How close is God to you today? Well, God is closer to you today than the person sitting next to you. How close is God to you today? God is closer to you today than the clothes you wear. How close is God to you today? He’s in your mouth. “Oh,” you say, “don’t be silly, Adrian.” I’m not being silly. He’s in your mouth, and He’s in your heart. You say, “Does that mean I’m saved?” Not necessarily. You say, “Well now, wait a minute. How did God get in my mouth, and how did God get in my heart?” I put Him there. You say, “Adrian, you put Him there?” Yeah, I put Him there. You say, “Well, Adrian, how did you put God in my mouth and in my heart?” “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” (Romans 10:8) I just put Him there when I preached Him to you. I’m putting Him there right now. I’m putting Jesus Christ in your mouth, and I’m putting Jesus Christ in your heart.

You say, “Now, wait a minute. That sounds so silly.” Well, just stay with me. “The word is [near you], even in [your] mouth, and in [your] heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” (Romans 10:8) Now, once it’s there in your mouth and in your heart, what do you do with it? Are you ready for this? You believe with your heart, and you confess with your mouth, and you’re saved, see? “That if thou shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead”—“that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) See how close you are to being saved? I mean, the Word—the Word—is now in your heart; the Word is in your mouth. Please, today, believe with your heart and confess with your mouth. “Surely the LORD is in this place.” (Genesis 28:16) The Lord is so near to you. Let Him be so dear to you. Open your heart and receive Him. And so here Jacob has this new consciousness with God.

C. Jacob Has a New Communion with God

And then he has a new communion with God. Look, if you will, here in this wonderful passage of Scripture, and he says in verse 16, “And Jacob [awakened] out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” And that’s where you’re standing right now: at the gate of heaven. “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar,”—that is, a place of worship—“and poured oil upon the top of it.” (Genesis 28:16–18)

Now this stone also represents the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the rock. The oil represents the anointing that is on the Lord Jesus Christ. Every Old Testament altar is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And old Jake took that pillow of pain and made it a pillar of praise. And notice God is now with him. Look, if you will, in verse 19: “And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz.” (Genesis 28:19) You know what Luz means? It means “separation.” That’s what it used to be: a place of separation. And now he calls this place Bethel. Beth means “house” or “gate,” and el means “God,” and it is the “gate” or the “house” of God. Now he is come to the place, the very house, the very gate of God. He has a Bethel, a place where he met the Lord.

Do you have a Bethel? I mean, do you have a place where you moved from separation to fellowship with God, that Luz has become Bethel? I have one. I was a teenage boy in West Palm Beach, Florida—football player, dumb, ignorant. If I’d have taken a course in ignorance, I’d have flunked it. That’s how dumb I was. I didn’t know anything about the Bible, or God, or anything. My family was quasi-religious, but some dear folks came and invited my people to a revival meeting. I can see those folks coming up the driveway. I was out there in the yard doing yard work with my daddy. They stood there and visited with my dad. I saw my dad nod his head a couple of times—just neighbors come to talk to my daddy about Jesus and ask him to come to revival meeting. He said, “We’re going to that church.” We went down there. I was sitting there, and my dad sitting next to me—first time I ever remember sitting in church with my dad. The invitation was given, Phil, and my dad stepped out and went down the aisle. I couldn’t believe it: “Dad’s going forward?” I didn’t think he was anti-God, for God, or anything else. I had no idea that it was even an issue. And my dad went forward—like a dagger in my heart.

I said, “Adrian, you need that. You need God.” I went down there, and I can remember Northwood Baptist Church. They sat me down there on the front row. I wish they had given me more instruction. They didn’t give me very much, but, boy, they were glad I came, because I’d been giving them a lot of trouble. And I mean, people, I don’t want to brag on the past. And I’ve never smoked dope. I’ve never drunk liquor. I’ve never done those things. I thank God I went to the marriage altar a virgin. I thank God for all of that. I was just a street fighter, mean, foul-mouthed, school-skipping, parent-disobeying—that’s the kind of kid I was. My dad went forward. I went forward. I gave all I knew of me to all I knew of Jesus. I’ve learned about both since that time. I’ve done far more repenting after I’ve gotten saved than I did before I got saved. But I got saved. I gave my heart to Jesus there.

The years have come and gone. One day I was in West Palm Beach, Florida. That church had been sold. A precious black congregation bought that church. The old auditorium was now being used as sort of a Sunday School classroom. But I went in and asked if I could go in there. They said yes. No one was with me. I went there to the place, and I tried to figure out how the building used to be, and I said, “Well, this would be the spot right here; that’s where the pulpit used to be; this is the spot right there where I sat when I gave my heart to Jesus,” and by myself just had a worship service, praising the Lord, thanking God that He saved a teenager. And that place of separation became the house of God for me.

I wonder if you have a Bethel. I wonder if you have a place. I wonder if Jesus is real to you. Jacob got away from God after that, and I got away from God. I didn’t have the assurance that I ought to have. That’s another story. I didn’t get far away from Him, but I just didn’t have that assurance. I got that assurance later on. But I really believe I was saved right there as a teenage boy in that church. I gave my heart to Jesus.

Conclusion

Now, folks, you’re not going to believe this—or you probably will believe it—but I want you to have profound admiration for me this morning, because this is only one-third of my sermon, and I’m quitting. Right now I want to talk about the love that our Lord had for Jacob—and the first point was that He had a transforming love; the second point, a tough love; the third point, a tenacious love. I only got the first one: a transforming love. And you just didn’t listen very fast today. But I want to tell you something: this is all God wants me to say this morning—that’s all. I’ll give you the rest some other time. But I want to tell you, failure is not final—failure is not final. God is a God of love, and God loved Jacob, not for what Jacob was, but for what God could make out of him. God loved me, not for what I was, but for what He could make out of me. And He loves you today.

Now, here’s the redeeming factor, and I hope you’ll not forget it. Listen very carefully. Listen now. God saw in Jacob something He never saw in Esau. Do you know what it was? He saw a hunger for Himself; He saw a hunger for God.

When I was a little boy—I mean, a real little kid; I mean five and six—I can tell you this much: I had a hunger for God. I didn’t know how to be saved, but I had a hunger for God. And I believe that’s the thing that God saw, and that’s what God used. And God said, “That boy’s such a failure, but he’s got a hunger for me. And I love him, and I’m going to reveal myself to him.”

Do you have a hunger for God? I’m here today to tell you that God loves you, and I’m here to tell you there’s a ladder that goes from earth to heaven. His name is Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: [and] no man [comes] unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

B. Jacob Has a New Consciousness of God

And here was this man out there in the wilderness wandering around, and God gave him a revelation of Himself. And so he sees this ladder. Now he has a new consciousness of God. Look, if you will, in verse 16 of this chapter, and he says, “And Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.” (Genesis 28:16) You know, I think that’s one of the saddest things: for God to be somewhere and for you not to know it; the astronomer to look up at the stars and not know the One who hung them there; for the physicist to study the electrons and not worship the God who causes all things to consist; or for even a philosopher to study truth and not know the Lord Jesus, who is the truth; or for you to come in a place like this … And, folks, I want to tell you, whether you know it or not, God is here today—God is here today. Wouldn’t it be a sad thing for you to leave here and not to meet God? Jacob almost missed Him. “Surely the LORD [was] in this place;”—he said—“and I knew it not.