Worship Service 5-17-26 "Trusting God with What Comes Next" Pastor Chris Teien

Devotional

Day 1: Stone Pillow, Open Heaven

Jacob slept on desert ground with a rock for a pillow. Exhausted and alone, he dreamed of a stairway bridging heaven and earth. Angels ascended and descended. God stood above it, repeating promises first given to Abraham: land, descendants, global blessing. “I am with you,” He declared to this fleeing deceiver. The God of covenants met Jacob at his lowest point. [35:58]

God doesn’t wait for us to clean up before speaking. He interrupts our crises with His presence. Jacob’s desert became holy ground because God occupied it. The ladder wasn’t Jacob’s effort to reach heaven—it was heaven reaching down.

You face transitions that feel like barren ground. Dead-end jobs, empty nests, or sudden losses leave you disoriented. But God plants His promises in deserts. What if your uncertainty is the exact place He plans to meet you? When did you last recognize God’s presence in a “nowhere” season?

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!’”
(Genesis 28:16, NLT)

Prayer: Ask God to open your eyes to His presence in your current wilderness.
Challenge: Write down one uncertainty you’re carrying. Place it under your Bible tonight.

Day 2: Oil on the Memorial Stone

Jacob woke, took his stone pillow, and stood it upright. He poured oil over it, naming the spot Bethel—“House of God.” This liar marked the place where God’s voice rerouted his life. Jacob vowed to tithe if God kept His promises. The gesture was clumsy, transactional, but real. [42:37]

God honors raw faith, even when mixed with doubt. Jacob’s pillar wasn’t about the rock—it was about remembering. Every time he passed Bethel, he’d recall: “Here, God spoke.” Our markers—scriptures, journals, crosses—keep us anchored when storms come.

You’ve likely made vows in hard moments. Maybe you bargained with God during a hospital vigil or job loss. But Bethel reminds us: God initiates, we respond. What tangible reminder could you create today to recall God’s faithfulness?

“This memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
(Genesis 28:22, NLT)

Prayer: Thank God for a specific past provision. Ask Him to strengthen your trust.
Challenge: Text one person a Bible verse that encouraged you during a past trial.

Day 3: Limping Into Blessing

Jacob wrestled a stranger all night, refusing to let go even after his hip dislocated. At dawn, the man renamed him Israel—“one who struggles with God.” Jacob limped away, marked by an injury that proved he’d encountered holiness. His greatest blessing came through brokenness. [53:29]

God often wounds to heal. The limp kept Jacob dependent. No more scheming—just clinging. Your struggles—with doubt, loss, or calling—aren’t signs of failure. They’re arenas where God reshapes your identity.

What fight exhausts you? A strained marriage? Unanswered prayers? Like Jacob, hold on. God won’t crush you, but He’ll remake you. What if your current struggle is preparing you to receive a new name?

“Your name will no longer be Jacob. From now on, you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
(Genesis 32:28, NLT)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve resisted God’s shaping. Ask for strength to persist.
Challenge: Do a physical act (walk, kneel, stretch) while praying about your struggle.

Day 4: Sheep, Tricks, and Hidden Purpose

Jacob worked 14 years for Rachel while Laban cheated him. Yet God multiplied flocks in the chaos. Deceiver became deceived, yet God used even Laban’s greed to build Jacob’s wealth. Every harsh season trained him for leadership. [49:02]

God writes straight with crooked lines. Jacob’s story shows He blesses despite—and through—our messes. Your dead-end job, difficult relative, or delayed dream might be God’s workshop. He uses imperfect people and situations to craft His promises.

Where do you feel stuck? Maybe God is building patience, integrity, or compassion there. How might today’s frustration be part of a larger story you can’t yet see?

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.”
(Romans 8:28, NLT)

Prayer: Name one confusing circumstance. Ask God to reveal His purpose in it.
Challenge: List three skills you’ve gained through a past difficulty.

Day 5: Stairway to the Son

Jesus told Nathanael, “You will see heaven open and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” He reframed Jacob’s ladder as Himself—the only bridge between God and humanity. The ultimate Bethel moment happened at Calvary. [40:55]

Every divine promise finds its “yes” in Christ. Graduations, retirements, and moves unsettle us, but Jesus anchors all transitions. He’s the stairway we climb through prayer, the rock we anoint with tears, the wrestler who blesses our wounds.

You’ll face new phases, but His presence is the constant. Are you building your future on His finished work or your own plans?

“I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man.”
(John 1:51, NLT)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for being your bridge to God. Surrender your next step to Him.
Challenge: Share with one person how Christ has guided you through a past change.

Sermon Summary

God meets Jacob in the dark in-between and speaks first. Genesis 28 shows Jacob on the run, empty-handed, head on a rock, future unknown. The stairway rises in the dream, angels move up and down, and the Lord stands over it all. God names himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac and then hands Jacob a future he did not earn. Land, a worldwide blessing through his line, and a promise that sounds like a hand on the shoulder. I am with you. I will protect you. I will bring you back. I will not leave you until I finish what I promised.

The promise does not erase hardship. The text itself later walks Jacob through joy and loss. It does make the road bearable because God is on his team. Proverbs 3 calls for the posture that fits this kind of God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. Seek his will. He will make straight your path. The call is not to map out every step. The call is to be faithful to show up, to take the next right assignment, and to let God string those steps into a path.

Jesus names the stairway. He says heaven opens and the angels move on the Son of Man. Christ himself is the connection between earth and heaven, the living Bethel, the house of God in person. In light of that grace, Jacob’s response lands right. He wakes, he trembles, he marks the place, he worships, and he vows. If God protects and provides, then the Lord will be his God. He sets up a pillar, names it Bethel, and promises a tenth. Scripture later calls those promises serious business. Keep vows even when it hurts.

The journey keeps shaping the man. Laban tricks the trickster. Seasons pile up. God uses every season for his purpose, and the hard ones do some of the best work. Then the night wrestle comes. Jacob clings till daybreak, gets touched in the hip, and refuses to let go without a blessing. The new name arrives. Israel. He has struggled with God and men and prevailed. He walks away limping, marked by grace, dependent, and blessed. That is the kind of dependence God teaches. Not swagger. Not self-salvation. A held-out grip that refuses to let go of the Lord. The right response to that Lord is faith in Christ, open confession, and a life that keeps trusting God with what comes next.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s presence steadies uncertain seasons God does not promise an easy road, but he does promise himself. His nearness reframes fear without removing honest difficulty. Security comes from the Speaker of the promise, not the predictability of the plan. Hold to the voice that says, I am with you. [31:41]
2. Christ stands as the true stairway The ladder in Jacob’s dream points forward to Jesus, who joins heaven and earth in himself. Connection with God is not a technique but a Person who comes near and stays. Prayer, Scripture, and worship are alive because Christ stands in the middle. Walk the way by staying with him. [40:55]
3. Faith answers with worship and vows Jacob marks the place, pours oil, names Bethel, and pledges a tenth. Worship names God’s action in a concrete way, and vows harness desire into durable obedience. Promises to God are not bargaining chips but formed commitments that shape a life across seasons. Keep them, even when it costs. [44:09]
4. Wrestling matures trust and dependence The night struggle exposes Jacob’s old strength and gives him a limp that lasts. Blessing is received, not engineered, and often arrives through weakness that keeps a soul leaning. The new name signals a new way to live, clinging more than controlling. Dependence becomes the mark of grace. [52:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[16:04] - Prayer requests and giving
[25:25] - Intercession for Aiden
[28:34] - Trusting God with what comes next
[35:16] - Jacob on the run
[35:58] - Stairway dream and promise
[37:37] - Trust in the Lord, Proverbs 3
[39:36] - Be faithful to show up
[40:55] - Jesus the true stairway
[42:03] - Bethel and Jacob’s response
[44:09] - Vows, tithing, and keeping promises
[46:24] - God uses every season
[49:53] - Wrestling with God, new name
[55:31] - Invitation to trust Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 28:10-17 (ESV)
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Observation Questions

What specific promises did God make to Jacob in Genesis 28:13-15, and what do they reveal about His character?
How did Jacob physically respond to his dream (Genesis 28:18-19), and what does this action symbolize?
The sermon mentioned that Jacob’s vow (“If God will… then the Lord will be my God”) was a “serious business” commitment. What does Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 say about vows? [44:09]
In the story of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24-30), what physical mark did he carry afterward, and why is this detail significant?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to reveal Himself to Jacob after he had lost everything and was alone? How does this contrast with cultural expectations of divine favor?
The sermon described Jesus as the “true stairway” connecting heaven and earth. How does John 1:51 deepen our understanding of Christ’s role in Jacob’s story? [40:55]
Jacob’s vow included giving a tenth of everything to God. How might this act of tithing reflect trust rather than bargaining, even in uncertain seasons?
Jacob’s limp after wrestling God became a lifelong reminder of dependence. Why might God allow visible “weaknesses” to shape our faith?

Application Questions

When have you experienced God’s presence in a season of uncertainty or loss? What practical step could you take this week to actively remember His nearness? [31:41]
The sermon emphasized “taking the next right assignment” instead of mapping out every step. What is one specific, small act of obedience God is asking of you right now? How can you prioritize it? [39:36]
Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark God’s faithfulness. What tangible reminder (e.g., journaling, a symbolic object) could you create to commemorate God’s work in your life?
The sermon warned against “self-salvation” and called for “clinging more than controlling.” Where are you tempted to rely on your own strength instead of God’s promises? How can you practice surrender today? [52:12]
Jacob’s vow required follow-through even when costly. Is there a commitment you’ve made to God (e.g., giving, serving, repentance) that needs renewed dedication? What makes this hard, and how will you pursue faithfulness?
Wrestling with God left Jacob both blessed and broken. How has a past struggle or disappointment deepened your dependence on Christ? How can you share this story to encourage others?

Sermon Clips

32s

“So God marked him, and he had a limp that wreck that made it recognizable that something had happened. But we need to trust God. We need to trust God in the future for education, for new jobs, for marriage, for parenting, and illness, and retirement, and financial struggles, and unexpected change, and we need to move forward and to trust. But the most important thing that we need to do is we need to know Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.”

25s

“And just all the things that he went through, he had a lot of guilt and difficulty. But, this was a a spiritual thing to wrestle with God, but it gets even better than that. It gets even better than that. It's not just a wrestling match. It is a life transformation event. Verse 26, then a man said, let let me go forth. Let me go, for the dawn is breaking. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

40s

“To trust. You don't know. Nobody knows what comes next, but to trust that God is going to get us through, to trust that God is gonna provide, that God will give us whatever new skills we need for the future, and to help us to hang on to the traditions that should never change, to know that the word of God has endured for thousands of years, and it will continue on. And while our technology and our styles and our transportation and our opportunities and restrictions all change, the word of God is still living and active and valuable.”

39s

“So when you don't have anything, guess that's what you do, is you just find a place in the dirt to lay down and sleep. Didn't have people. He didn't have resources. He didn't have good camping equipment. He didn't have an RV. He didn't have even a car to sleep in. He's got nothing, wondering what the future could hold and if his brother was behind him, ready to kill him. But the text says after he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven, and he saw the angels of god going up and down the stairway.”

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Rockwell Church | Virginia, MN This sermon · AI assistant

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