Jacob dreamed of ladder leading into heaven with angels ascending and descending. This PowerPoint lesson focuses on the significance of Jacob's Dream. Free PowerPoint Download at www.BibleGuy.org

1. Rock Bottom (Jacob’s Dream)
Genesis 28:10-22

2. Jacob hit bottom
10 Meanwhile Jacob left
Beer Sheba and set out for
Haran.
• He had lived in the
comfort of a wealthy
family.
• He was the image of the
materialistic man. He
schemed for prosperity.
• He now has nothing and
is alone.

3. At Rock Bottom
God adjusts our dreams.
11 He reached a certain
place where he decided to
camp because the sun had
gone down. He took one
of the stones and placed it
near his head. Then he fell
asleep in that place 12 and
had a dream.
• His self made dreams
were: prosperity, a soft
pillow, servants, …
• In this state we may
think we can clime our
way to God.
• God comes to us when
we are at the bottom.

4. God reveals himself to the humble
He saw a stairway erected
on the earth with its top
reaching to the heavens.
The angels of God were
going up and coming
down it 13 and the LORD
stood at its top.
• We cannot climb our
way up to God.
• The angels are God’s
messengers to
mankind.

5. I’m their God – I’m Your God
He said, “I am the LORD, the
God of your grandfather
Abraham and the God of
your father Isaac. I will give
you and your descendants
the ground you are lying on.
• I am Yahweh – the God of
the promise.
• I am (not was) the God of
Abraham and Isaac.
• I am Your God.
• My promise to them is a
promise to you. This land
is your land.
• It’s not because of Jacob
righteous scheming, but
of God’s choosing.

6. The Blessings I promised them
I now promise to you
14 Your descendants will
be like the dust of the
earth, and you will spread
out to the west, east,
north, and south. All the
families of the earth will
pronounce blessings on
one another using your
name and that of your
descendants.
• I promise to multiply
your descendants so
they can’t be counted.
• I promise you and your
descendants that the
world will be blessed
through you.

7. God is with you NOW!
15 I am with you! I will
protect you wherever you
go and will bring you back
to this land. I will not
leave you until I have done
what I promised you!”
• I’m not just the God of
your future. I’m with
you right now.
– I’ll protect you wherever
you go
– I’ll bring you back to this
land.
– I won’t leave you.
– I’ll keep my promise.

8. God is in the Place
16 Then Jacob woke up
and thought, “Surely the
LORD is in this place, but I
did not realize it!” 17 He
was afraid and said,
“What an awesome place
this is! This is nothing else
than the house of God!
This is the gate of
heaven!”
• God is a local God.
• The place is the house
of God.
• The place is the
gateway to heaven.
• Jacob seems more
impressed by the place
than by God.

9. Jacob honors the location
18 Early in the morning
Jacob took the stone he
had placed near his head
and set it up as a sacred
stone. Then he poured oil
on top of it. 19 He called
that place Bethel,
although the former name
of the town was Luz.
• Jacob made a pillar with
the stone to serve as a
memorial for his
awesome experience.
• Bethel – House of God.

10. The event marks the beginning
of His Walk with God.
20 Then Jacob made a vow,
saying, “If God is with me and
protects me on this journey I
am taking and gives me food
to eat and clothing to wear, 21
and I return safely to my
father’s home, then the LORD
will become my God. 22 Then
this stone that I have set up as
a sacred stone will be the
house of God, and I will surely
give you back a tenth of
everything you give me.”
• His commitment to God is
conditional.
– If God protects him
– If God feeds him
– If God clothes him
– If he returns to his father’s
home.
• He would only commit to
God after God fulfills His
promises to him.
• He promises to give God ten
percent if God fulfills his
promises to him.

11. Lessons
• Having godly parents and grandparents
doesn’t make us godly.
• We cannot scheme our way into God’s
blessings.
• God often waits until we reach rock bottom
before He makes himself visible to us.
• God comes to us on his terms, not ours.

12. Lessons
• True spirituality is not our climbing our way to
God, but God opening the heavens and
making himself visible to us.
• An experience with God doesn’t provide
instant spirituality and maturity. It merely
begins the process.
• God is not restricted to a place, though He
may use a place to make His presence known.

13. Lessons
• God is patient with our spiritual immaturity.
• God fulfills his promises in spite of our lack of
commitment and spiritual immaturity.

14. Angels are Messengers to Jesus
John 1:51
He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth
– you will see heaven opened and the angels
of God ascending and descending on the Son
of Man.”

15. None could climb the
ladder to heaven but Jesus
John 3:13
No one has ascended into heaven except the
one who descended from heaven – the Son of
Man.