WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.040 It's so good to see everyone this morning. 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:13.519 It is much more enjoyable to preach with people in the room than to preach to an empty room as we did last Sunday. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.519 And praise the Lord. 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:23.679 We are now thawed out in South Arkansas, but I don't have to tell you this, we're not completely dried out, are we? 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:30.480 We've got another monsoon storm brewing that's gonna be blowing into town in just a few hours. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:41.520 Um and as I was reflecting back on our uh week of snow, and the snow just kept coming and coming and coming and coming by the foot, right? 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:44.000 Which is so strange for South Arkansas. 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:49.359 I wonder if you, like me, were on the lookout for this guy right here. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:55.920 Um and I apologize, I know that photo is so grainy and difficult to see. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.039 So let's go to the next slide. 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:58.719 Here's a close-up of our friend. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:00:59.359 Yeah. 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:04.159 Um, did anybody happen to see that's Harry for all the young people in the room? 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.599 That's Harry from a movie called Harry and the Hendersons. 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:14.879 My childhood, maybe not your childhood, but it's a hilarious family-friendly movie, so you should watch it. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:15.519 All right. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:19.120 So, did anybody see Bigfoot when all the snow was falling? 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.760 Oh, we've got one who says, but maybe it was just your dog walking in the backyard. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.760 Uh a Bigfoot sighting here in South Arkansas. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:35.920 So once the snow melted and Bigfoot headed uh back north, uh, then the rains they began to fall. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:43.200 And uh every pond and river and creek was uh very soon just overflowing with water. 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:48.400 And um were you like me and are you on the lookout for this creature right here? 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:50.239 Yeah, uh no. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:51.359 Apologies again. 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:54.000 I know that is super grainy for all of you. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:55.040 Not a great photo. 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:59.680 So if we go to the next one, a close-up of our friend the Loch Ness monster. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:09.520 Um see the Loch Ness monster in the midst of the monsoon as you literally had lakes forming in your front yard. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:17.439 Since I was a kid, I I've been actually fascinated by stories about uh Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:24.080 Um Bigfoot and Nessie, they are um part of a set of creatures known as cryptids. 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:26.479 There's other cryptids that you can learn about. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:29.039 Uh, one of them, her name is Bessie. 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.280 Anybody know the story of Old Bessie? 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:32.400 Old Bessie. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:36.400 We're told that old Bessie, she lives in the depths of Lake Erie. 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:45.439 Another one of these cryptids is the megaconda, and the name says all you need to know, it's the stuff of your nightmares. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:53.680 It's a mega-sized anaconda that slithers through the jungles of South America. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:59.360 Um, and did you know that uh Arkansas actually has its own cryptid as well? 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:01.520 Uh the Falcon Monster. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.680 Does anybody know the story of the Falc Monster? 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:07.520 You've seen that movie, The Legend of Boggy Creek. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:16.960 Um, now, what each of those creatures has in common is this its existence in the world is up for debate. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:30.319 There's evidence, there's uh photographs, there are mysterious footprints, there's some eyewitness accounts, but the presence of those creatures can't be determined. 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:32.240 It cannot be decided. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:37.039 And this morning, what I want to do is I want to add a creature to that list. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.800 Well, it's not a creature, it's actually the creator. 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:42.560 Let's go to the next slide. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:46.240 I want to add God to that list. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:49.520 Think about it. 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:55.599 Since you were a child, you've been fascinated and intrigued about all these stories about God. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.599 Stories of God parting the waters of the Red Sea. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:08.879 Story of God and his great power closing the mouths of lions so that Daniel could survive a night in that lion's den. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:14.719 Stories of Jesus, the only Son of God, healing the sick and feeding the hungry. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:18.639 These stories of God, they intrigue you, they fascinate you. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:30.879 But if you're willing to be honest for just a moment, you remain unconvinced with regard to God's presence in the world. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:41.199 Yes, you remain unconvinced with regard to God's personal presence in your own life. 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:44.959 You don't doubt God's existence. 00:04:45.120 --> 00:05:05.839 You believe there is a God, you believe there is a God who reigns on high and created everything, but you're not so sure that God is present with you, always with you throughout the course of every single day. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.800 When David says, If I ascend to heaven, you are there. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.879 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:36.639 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:43.199 Do you see what David does with those words in Psalm 139? 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:52.720 He not only affirms the existence of God, he affirms the personal presence of God. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:06:04.399 He affirms the fact that God is personally present with each of his children, no matter the geography of their life, no matter the circumstance of their life. 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:14.639 But for you, the deciding factor when it comes to God's personal presence isn't the declaration of David. 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:20.399 It's all the mounting evidence to the contrary that you see in your life. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:34.480 I think one big piece of evidence that maybe tries to convince us that God isn't personally present with his children, it could just be the season of life that you're in. 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:42.480 Ecclesiastes chapter 3 famously tells us that for everything there is a season. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:51.360 And the season of your life in this moment may be a season of loss, a season of mourning, a season filled with weeping. 00:06:52.560 --> 00:07:00.560 And in those sorts of seasons, what happens is you feel overwhelmed, inadequate, and you often feel all alone. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:06.319 That can be the season of your house being filled with young children. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:16.399 You know they're close to you, but man, they just take up so much time, so much bandwidth, so much brain power, so much energy and emotion. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.560 Can God also be that close to me? 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:27.519 Yeah, I believe there is a God, but I can't sense him. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.759 And I'm not sure I believe that he is with me. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:38.240 Maybe another piece of evidence that weighs on your decision is suffering. 00:07:40.399 --> 00:08:08.639 You just look around the world, you look around your life, you read news headlines, you see the faces of people at Walmart, you see how people interact with one another out in public, you see people out on the streets, and maybe you just conclude that there is too much pain in the world for a good, good father to be in this place, to be with me, to be personally present. 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:22.480 And still another piece of evidence that maybe uh fights against this conclusion that God is personally present with his children is the sin that's in each of our lives, the sin of my life. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:31.519 Sin, what it does in the life of God's children is it erects a barrier between us, a relational barrier, a wall. 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:42.879 But also what it begins to do, if left unaddressed and unconfessed, what sin does is it convinces us that God wants nothing to do with me anymore. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:46.960 God is tired of putting up with me. 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.679 God has forgiven all that he can. 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.840 He can't look past this in my life anymore. 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.480 He's pushed me aside, and I am forgotten by him. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:05.759 By your estimation, you weigh all the evidence, you just don't think David's declaration adds up. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:12.559 You think David sounds a little Pollyanna in his statement about the personal presence of God. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:16.799 But just for a moment, consider the life of David himself. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:24.399 Consider the fact that David endured some very difficult seasons in his life. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:31.360 Possibly the most difficult season was the season when King Saul wanted to kill him. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:43.840 The season when day after day he was running through the wilderness, sleeping in caves, knowing that assassins were following him, wanting to take his life. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:51.679 Or consider the fact that David in his own life had had his fair share of suffering. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:10:01.279 At least two times in David's life, he experiences the unique pain of a parent who is mourning the loss of a child. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:13.600 And when it comes to sin, old David, he was well aware of the sin in his life, the affair with Bathsheba, the murder of Uriah. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:27.279 David knew difficult seasons, David knew suffering, David knew sin, yet he still affirms not just the existence of God, but the personal presence of God. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:34.799 David affirms this: that God is closer than you think. 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:43.279 Today we're continuing this current series, the series called Behold. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:56.559 The foundation of this series is again a single phrase out of another writing by King David, Psalm 27, verse 4, to behold the beauty of the Lord. 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:04.240 This is a series that's all about paying attention to God so that we can be transformed by God. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:16.399 A series that's about God through his beauty, taking our faith that is often mediocre and turning it into something that is miraculous. 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:29.919 And a critical part of this transformation is sensing, experiencing, living in the everyday reality of a nearness with God, a closeness with the presence of God. 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:41.919 One author puts it this way: he says that spiritual growth, in a sense, is simply increasing our capacity to experience the presence of God. 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:54.480 It's one of the reasons in week one I presented to us the behold challenge to take five minutes every day to behold the beauty of the Lord. 00:11:55.360 --> 00:12:08.960 All because for your faith to grow, for miraculous faith to be born, you must not only agree with the fact that God exists, you must experience the reality that God is closer than you think. 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:14.080 God must be a personal presence in your life. 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:22.080 And God can be closer than you think, even if the season you're in is this long cold winter. 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:34.320 God, he is closer than you think, even if when you look around your life and you look around your home and read headlines in the world, there is suffering all around. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:36.240 Oh, God is closer than you think. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.799 He is close to the brokenhearted. 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.960 And God, he is closer than you think. 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:48.559 Even if sin is present in your life. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:13:04.320 You see, today's sermon is for those of us in the room who are willing to admit that we struggle to grasp just how close God wants to be to his children. 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:10.240 That God wants to be personally present. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:16.080 He wants you to be aware of his personal presence on a daily basis. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:23.360 And it's my guess that that describes most, if not all, of us. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:30.559 We struggle to grasp just how close God desires to be. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:43.120 And whatever your impediment is this morning, whatever the evidence that is weighing on your mind that says argues against the fact that God is closer than you think, guess what? 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:45.679 He really is that close. 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:49.600 He is closer than you could imagine. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:57.440 And a biblical character who learned this firsthand is a man named Jacob. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:02.159 So if you have your Bibles, join me in Genesis chapter 28. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.679 And let's see just how close God truly is. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.919 Genesis 28, beginning with verse 10. 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:18.000 God's word says that Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:25.519 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night because the sun had set. 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:38.879 Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep, and he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:55.919 And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it, and behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your father, and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give to you and to your offspring. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:08.960 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you, and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:21.840 Behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:28.320 And then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely the Lord is in this place. 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:30.799 And I did not know it. 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:44.960 And he was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! There is none other than the this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:16:02.559 At the beginning of this story, Jacob leaves behind his childhood home of Beersheba, and he is now traveling towards what will be his new home, the land, the region of Haran. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:13.840 Jacob's childhood home, Beersheba, the name of that town literally translates as well of the oath. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:21.759 That name points us to a story told in Genesis chapter 21, where this location receives its name. 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:31.440 When Abraham, Father Abraham, the one with many sons, Abraham is in this land and he makes an oath with a man named Abimelech. 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:35.120 They make an oath there, Genesis chapter 21. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:44.879 Now, for the purposes of today's message, what is really important to pay attention to is the very next thing that happens in that story. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:55.200 After Abraham and Abimelech shake on it, after they agree to this oath, Abraham says this in chapter 21 of Genesis, verse 33. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:07.519 He says, Abraham planted a tamaris tree in Beersheba, and Abraham called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:10.799 So an oath is made. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:21.920 Abraham grabs his shovel, he digs a hole, he takes a tree, he plants it in the ground because he wants everybody to remember what happened at this place. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:29.440 I want everyone to remember what occurred in this moment, at this hour, and then Abraham calls on the name of the Lord. 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.920 That means he's calling God's presence to fall here. 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:36.160 To fall. 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:43.920 Let this tree be a reminder of God's presence coming into this world and at this hour and in this place. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:48.160 That's where Jacob grew up. 00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:58.559 He grew up in the place where the presence of God fell, where that tamaris tree was planted, and now he has to leave it behind. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:05.920 He has to go away from, in effect, the presence of God. 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:15.039 And that becomes even more clear when you consider the fact that he is going to the land of Haran. 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:22.400 And the word Haran literally translates something like parched. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:25.119 It's dry. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:50.640 Well, there is water where trees can grow, where the presence of God is, and he's heading towards a land that cannot support trees, where there are very few wells and where he may still affirm the existence of God, but it sure feels like he is what? 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:58.160 Not sure that God can be personally present with him in that land. 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:10.559 I think it's safe to say that in Genesis chapter 28 and verse 10, Jacob is entering into a new season of life. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:15.039 It's going to be a long wintry season. 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:21.039 It's going to last 20 years that he will live in Haran before he returns home to Beersheba. 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:27.839 But that's not the only piece of evidence at work in Jacob's mind. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.960 There's also suffering that's present. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:39.359 The suffering that comes when you have to say goodbye to your family and you don't know when you will see them again. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:46.160 No FaceTime, no text messages, no telephone calls. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:49.200 You're living in a foreign land. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:56.559 The suffering that comes in Jacob's mind, it's also because his very own brother wants to take his life. 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:58.640 His own brother is seeking revenge. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:02.960 He has a blood debt that he wants to take out on Jacob. 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:08.640 Because Jacob, as he travels, he's also confronted with his own sin. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.119 Yeah. 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:18.319 Jacob had deceived his father, betrayed his brother, stolen that birthright and blessing from Esau. 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.400 Think about those factors in Jacob's life. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:29.279 The evidence is just compounding upon each other. 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:32.720 God cannot be personally present for me. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:33.599 I'm leaving the land. 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:35.279 God cannot be personally present for me. 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:36.319 There's too much suffering. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.240 God cannot be personally present for me. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.759 I have sinned against my father and against my brother. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:53.759 But then somewhere between Bersheba and Haran, Jacob is confronted with this transformative reality that what? 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:57.200 God is closer than you think. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:03.839 So that journey between Beersheba and Haran, it's right at uh about 500 miles. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:11.200 So on foot, it's a journey that would take several weeks, if not a month, or even more. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:21.279 He would travel by foot over rugged terrain, and each day he would uh start with the sun as it rose in the sky and he would end as the sun set. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.640 He could not travel under the darkness of night, it would not be safe. 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:36.240 And it was his habit, then after those long days of travel, he would set camp up as dusk began to set in. 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:39.680 He would make a camp and make a bed, and he would what? 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:41.920 He would find a rock. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:44.079 That was his pillow. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:53.200 Not exactly a down pillow or whatever your pillow preference might be, a full body pillow for some of you. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:55.519 It was a hard rock. 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:57.200 You're like, how can he fall asleep? 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.839 Well, some of you fall asleep on really hard pews, too. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.240 So don't worry about it. 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:10.799 On this particular night, Jacob's sleeping and he's snoring. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:15.599 He's had a long day of travel and he's dreaming. 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:23.839 And behold, there is a ladder connecting heaven and earth. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:27.920 And behold, there are angels coming and going. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:32.880 And behold, the Lord stood above it. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:55.279 The repetition of behold, behold, behold, it's our invitation from the Holy Spirit to experience this story through the eyes of Jacob, to experience it through his season of life, through his suffering, through his sin, and to experience the reality that what? 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:59.920 God is closer than you think. 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:07.279 God is so close because there's a direct line of communication from heaven to earth. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:08.880 There is a ladder. 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:13.440 Praise God for the gift of prayer. 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:23.119 God is close because there are messengers and messages coming from heaven to earth and going back and forth. 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.119 And God is close because what? 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:36.960 Well, the ESB says that he is above it, that the Lord stood above it. 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:48.319 Now, when I read that phrase that the Lord stood above it, I think of God standing or sitting at the top of the ladder, right? 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:52.319 God has not left heaven. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:24:00.640 God may be talking to Jacob, but he is not close to Jacob. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:08.799 Well, if your Bible translation is stood above it, actually, what the translators are trying to communicate is this. 00:24:09.359 --> 00:24:13.359 They're not trying to communicate a spatial gap. 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:18.079 Like God is above Jacob in space. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:36.400 But there's an even better way I think you should translate that phrase, and you can simply translate it this way: The Lord stood beside him. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:49.680 Like not only did angels come and go, but God came and stood beside Jacob. 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:54.000 Just how close is God? 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:56.720 Just how close is God standing beside him? 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.680 How close should we imagine it to be? 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:05.519 It's close enough for Jacob to hear the voice of God. 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:09.599 God begins to speak to him, right? 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:13.440 When's the last time you heard the voice of God? 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:17.440 As if he were in the room with you. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:19.680 Sitting beside you. 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:24.000 Standing beside you, walking with you. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:28.799 Close enough for it to be a whisper in your ear? 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.279 Was he just close enough that he spoke at a room-level volume? 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:37.119 He wasn't using an outside voice, but an inside voice. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.480 And you could hear him. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.160 He was that close. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:50.400 When God speaks to Jacob, what he does is he uh reaffirms some promises to Jacob. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:54.559 Promises that were first spoken to Abraham. 00:25:56.079 --> 00:25:59.599 Jacob, those promises are for you too, my friend. 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:04.640 And then God, he reaffirms that his presence is not going anywhere. 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:15.599 I'm with you, Jacob, no matter whether you are living in Bersheba or you are camping in the wilderness or you are living in Haran or you're somewhere else in between. 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:17.440 I am with you. 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:19.359 I'm not going anywhere. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.079 I am closer than you think. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:31.039 This story, when we talk about it, we often talk about it as the story of Jacob's ladder. 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:34.799 And there's even a song that some of us know. 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:39.200 And the lyric of that song says something like this. 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:41.920 It says, We are climbing Jacob's ladder. 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:45.279 We are climbing Jacob's ladder like rung by rung. 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:50.079 That lyric gets the story all wrong, doesn't it? 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:56.720 This isn't a story about Jacob climbing a ladder. 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:59.839 It's not a story about us climbing a ladder. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:05.119 It's a story about God coming down the ladder. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:12.240 It's a story about God getting close with his children. 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:21.200 As much as we imagine I want to be with God, God wants to be with his kids more than his kids will ever want to be with him. 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:24.319 He desires that closeness with them. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.759 So he comes down the ladder. 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:39.039 You see, this is not a story of human effort or achievement that describes what's required of you and I to reach God. 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:47.759 This is a story about God's grace and mercy, his pursuit of people as he comes close to us. 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:55.440 And this story, in a very poignant way, what it does is it prepares us for the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:27:55.519 --> 00:28:03.680 It prepares us to understand why Jesus came, how Jesus came, and what Jesus did in this world. 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:10.160 You know, the New Testament tells us the story of many men, and one of those men is a man named Joseph. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:14.960 And like Jacob, Joseph, he has in a very important dream. 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:21.759 And in that dream, Joseph is told that his fiance, her name is Mary, you know the story. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:29.119 Mary is with child, and the name of that child within Mary, his name will be Jesus. 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:32.880 And he will save his people from their sins. 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:35.759 That is God, what? 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:38.000 Coming down the ladder. 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:42.000 Coming for his children. 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:52.400 And what Jesus is able to do through the incarnation is the only Son of God, the eternal word who spoke creation to existence. 00:28:52.559 --> 00:29:05.680 When he steps into this world, we realize just the amount of the links that God is willing to go to be with his children and just how close he truly wants to be. 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:30.079 And listen, for those 33 years, Jesus couldn't ignore the suffering of the world. 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:35.039 We're told how Jesus mourns the loss of a friend who dies. 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:40.079 Jesus saw people who were ravaged by disease. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:42.480 And he himself. 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:51.920 He is unfairly arrested and tried and convicted and then sentenced to death as a criminal. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:30:00.880 And when Jesus hangs from the cross the only Son of God, the weight of the world's sin is placed on his shoulders. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:06.960 Jesus, what he does, he endures the seasons of life in this world. 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:09.680 He endures the suffering of this world. 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:27.440 He bears our sin on the cross to open the door for us, so that the latter is still coming from heaven to earth, so that we too might know that God is closer than you think. 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:36.480 But that begs the question: where can you and I experience the presence of God? 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:38.720 Where can we draw close? 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:43.920 Where can God draw close to us in this world? 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:50.079 Notice what occurs near the end of Genesis 28, the scripture I read. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:58.079 Jacob names this rest stop, this place, somewhere between Bersheba and Haran. 00:30:58.880 --> 00:31:06.559 If you want to imagine it, imagine uh you're traveling by foot from here to Literac. 00:31:06.799 --> 00:31:09.680 Not as far as 500 miles, it's a lot of pavement. 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:14.960 Uh you can make it a little quicker, but you probably aren't going to make it in a single day, so you're going to have to camp out. 00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:18.400 And so you need a no-name place, kind of like Jacob. 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:25.680 And so it would be like you're going to pull off and camp out on one of those unmarked logging roads on the side of 167 North. 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:33.119 Like Fordyce is marked and Hampton's marked and Callion's marked, Sheridan's marked. 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:39.680 All those places are marked on a map, and Jacob stays at a place that isn't marked on a map. 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:43.359 He's not staying at some holy place. 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:46.240 He's in a no-name place. 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:56.319 So maybe in our world, what Jacob reminds us of is God is closer than you think when you're sitting at the stoplight. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:05.680 God is closer than you think when you're standing in the checkout line, when you're standing in your kitchen, sitting in the classroom, or sitting in your cubicle. 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:22.160 You see, for a child of God, every location in every day is an opportunity for you to encounter the closeness of God's presence. 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:28.160 Here's some ways to kind of organize your day to think about it then. 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:34.640 It's easy to say God is closer than you think, but how can I begin to cultivate that in my life? 00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:39.119 And maybe first just begin your day with intentionality. 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:41.759 Recognize that every day is a gift from God. 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:47.519 Every day, every moment, every location is an opportunity to encounter His presence. 00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:57.119 Just pray to God, simply, God, on this day, this day you gave me, show me that you're with me. 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:01.359 Let me sense that you are beside me. 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:09.200 Maybe number two would be this to stop complaining and start praising. 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:14.240 Listen, that's not to say that there aren't things in life that deserve a complaint or two. 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:21.680 I spent 25 minutes with Suddenlink on the phone this week complaining to them about my internet service. 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:25.920 Probably not the only one in the room who's done that recently. 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:31.039 But really, what I'm talking about at this moment is kind of a mindset and an attitude. 00:33:31.119 --> 00:33:35.119 It's not individual complaints we level against one thing or another. 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:46.559 It's a mindset that focuses on everything that is not functioning correctly in the world and sees all the flaws in everything. 00:33:47.920 --> 00:34:00.319 And there's a place for that, but there's also a moment when we have to realize that sometimes an attitude of complaint, what it does is it blinds us to all the small gifts and graces in life. 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:10.719 That as much as things are kind of messed up and broken and annoying and frustrating, God's given us some pretty good things. 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:16.639 Family and friends and food and transportation. 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:18.880 Like just life is a blessing. 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:21.599 There are small gifts and graces in the course of life. 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:27.840 And all of those things are a reminder of God beside us. 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:34.000 And number three, maybe would just be this to turn the simple into the sacred. 00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:41.119 Listen, all of us have mindless moments that we experience throughout the course of the day. 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:57.199 Boring tasks that we have to complete at work, routines that you could complete with your eyes closed, unloading the dishwasher, folding the laundry, putting away the laundry, maybe even grocery shopping for a few of the highly skilled grocery shoppers in the room. 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:00.800 Others of us, it takes our complete focus and attention. 00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:02.960 So we walk down the aisles. 00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:10.320 But instead of getting it done, just invite God into that place. 00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:13.760 Invite God into that place. 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:15.760 And then just imagine this. 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.320 And I did not know it. 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:42.880 Surely the Lord's in my laundry room and I hadn't seen him ever before. 00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:47.840 Surely the Lord's in my kitchen and I was oblivious to it. 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:55.199 Surely the Lord is in this cubicle and I've been sitting beside him this entire time and I didn't notice. 00:35:56.239 --> 00:36:06.400 Surely the Lord's in my bedroom, the Lord's in my garden, or on my playground, or on my tranver you are, surely the Lord is here. 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:24.800 And when you discover that God is in these places, then you begin to truly understand what it means to say that God is closer than you think. 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:30.239 Let's turn our hearts to God in prayer now. 00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:34.800 And first, let's focus on evidence. 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:38.719 We've talked about this already a little bit this morning. 00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:48.320 And what's the evidence in your life that has left you doubting God's personal presence? 00:36:50.639 --> 00:36:53.360 I want you to name that evidence to God. 00:36:54.079 --> 00:37:02.800 And even just tell God why that piece of evidence makes it so difficult for you to see His presence with you. 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:38.639 Or maybe even regret. 00:37:42.239 --> 00:37:50.159 And know this that God is always present and active in the lives of His children, whether or not you see Him. 00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:16.239 What are some everyday places where you desire to experience the presence of God? 00:38:19.440 --> 00:38:21.760 Be as specific as possible. 00:38:23.440 --> 00:38:27.440 And then dedicate that place to the Lord. 00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:40.239 Could be that your living room is that house of God. 00:38:40.880 --> 00:38:43.440 Your office is the house of God. 00:38:47.199 --> 00:38:48.320 Your garden. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:50.719 Your car. 00:38:57.599 --> 00:39:11.440 And as you dedicate those places to experiencing the presence of God, just remember that seeing how close God is is a learned behavior. 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:14.239 It's something we have to cultivate in our life. 00:39:15.679 --> 00:39:26.719 It's going to take day-by-day intentionality, a willingness to see small, simple gifts and graces as his presence with us. 00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:32.000 Almighty God. 00:39:45.840 --> 00:39:47.519 It's inspiring. 00:39:50.239 --> 00:39:59.039 Because I realize, I begin to see just how close you are to each of your children. 00:40:03.280 --> 00:40:05.280 God, would you open my eyes? 00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:15.119 Open our eyes to see that you are beside us in places we weren't expecting. 00:40:17.119 --> 00:40:23.440 In moments when we thought we were all alone, that you are with us. 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:35.119 Rouse us, God, awaken us from going through the motions and making it to realize just how close you are. 00:40:36.079 --> 00:40:39.599 And what a God, what a great gift to know. 00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:43.519 And humbling to see that you come to us. 00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:47.760 You come down the ladder to us. 00:40:47.920 --> 00:40:56.239 You send Jesus into this world so we can experience that closeness on a daily basis. 00:40:59.119 --> 00:41:01.840 Forgive us, God, for living with blinders. 00:41:02.559 --> 00:41:03.519 Let us see. 00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:04.960 Let us see you. 00:41:06.480 --> 00:41:08.639 In Christ's name we pray. 00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:09.840 Amen.