Chuck Smith emphasizes the significance of recognizing God's presence in our lives, using Jacob's dream as a pivotal example. He explains how God often communicates through dreams when our minds are too cluttered to hear Him otherwise. Smith highlights the importance of being aware of God's omnipresence, even in mundane or barren circumstances, and addresses the barriers that prevent us from experiencing this awareness, such as intellectual limitations and spiritual dullness. He encourages listeners to open their hearts and minds to feel God's presence, assuring them that He is always with us, regardless of our situation.

"THE PRESENCE OF GOD" Intro: A hard trip, a guilty conscious, an uncomfortable bed, these are ingredients that make for dreams. I. THE DREAM. A. God many times spoke through dreams. 1. Pharaoh. 2. Nebuchanezzar. 3. Joseph. B. Why does he use a dream? 1. Sometimes we keep our waking hours so jammed with our own thoughts, can't get through. 2. We seldom take time for meditation where we open our minds to listen to Him. C. A ladder set on the earth, top reaching into heaven. 1. Angels ascending and descending. 2. Top of ladder stood the Lord. 3. Promises made to Jacob. a. God was to give him this land. b. God was going to multiply his seed. c. The Messiah would come from his seed. d. God would give him back safely. e. God would be with him. II. THE WALKING CONSCIOUSNESS "SURELY THE LORD IS IN THIS PLACE, AND I KNEW IT NOT." A. He became conscious of the presence of God. 1. Is, not was. 2. Knew it rot, I now know it. B. Nothing about the place to suggest the presence of God. 1. Very barren landscape - No lofty mountains, no great canyons, no beautiful water falls, no forests, little vegetation. Sometimes these things remind us of God. C. God is omnipresent - why do we not realize His presence sometimes? 1. Mental limitations. a. We seek to reduce God to the level of our intellect. 1. "Who by searching can find out God?" 2. The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him yet I seek to contain Him fully. b. We cannot fully understand God. 1. "Why did God do that?" 2. "I can't believe in a. God that would send His Son to die." 2. Spiritual dullness (out of tune.. a. What creates spiritual dullness? 1. Sin-conniving, cheating, deceit. b. Jacob was spiritually dull. 1. His problem was not of unbelief. 2. He had great faith in the promises and purposes of God. 3. He just thought that God couldn't do it without his help. 4. He sought to hurry the purposes of God by his own wit and cunning. D. God's presence is in this place this morning. 1. Do you know it? 2. Can you feel it? 3. If not perhaps your problem is intellectual limitations you've never taken the leap of faith toward God. 4. Perhaps you have spiritual dullness. 1. Satan has mastered you with some sin. 2. He has lied to you because of your weakness and told you God doesn't love you. 5. You can know the presence of God this day. Not only in this place, but in your car as you are riding home, on your home when you arrive and everywhere you go for God is with us and in Him "we live and move.