The big idea of this week's sermon from Genesis 28:10-22 is that the God of the Bible is the God who seeks out sinners who cannot help themselves. Against a modern conception of Christianity as moral therapeutic Deism, where God basically helps those who help themselves, this text demonstrates God's love for Jacob exactly when he's doing everything wrong. Jacob's vision of the gate of heaven opened is ultimately fulfilled through Jesus, the one in whom heaven and earth meet, and the one through whom God rescues us when we could not rescue ourselves.

Discussion Questions:
1) How have you seen God draw near to you in times where you were walking or straying away from him?
2) Have there been times in your life when God has met you with a severe mercy as a result of your sin? What did God do after the severe mercy?
3) What are the things or the people that you go to more than God in your life to help you in your struggles?
4) In Genesis, what is the significance of moving East? How does knowing this help us to better understand the narrative of Genesis 28?
5) How have the past six weeks about the ascension helped you to better appreciate its significance as part of the gospel?