Holy FireSample

PART FIVE: Altars

○ Genesis 12:6-9 (NIV)

“Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.”

○ Romans 12:1 (NIV)

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”

○ Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess his name."

Right throughout the Old Testament people built altars for God.

The Hebrew word for ‘altar’ means the place of sacrifice. 

God had instructed them to build an altar, to build a place where they would stop their daily routines and focus on God Himself. These altars would be places to make offerings to demonstrate that they really trusted in Him and that He was more important than their possessions or anything else.

No matter the reason for the altar, the common thread was that it was an interaction between God and his people. They wanted to connect and interact with God. They wanted to remember what God had done for them.

We know that our relationship with God now is much different than during the Old Testament. We don’t have to sacrifice burnt offerings. Today, altars are where we sacrifice our hearts to God. They are the places where God meets us. Altars represent the occasion and place where we have had a personal encounter with God. 

It is our responsibility to build these places - an altar - to the Lord in our heart. And we need to maintain it and visit it frequently.

Ultimately, our altar is the cross of Christ. The danger is to neglect the altar and let sin go un-confessed, driving a wedge between us and God. When that happens, we find it difficult to hear God’s voice, and our love for him diminishes.

What do we take to the altar:

We take our sin, sorrow, faults, and failings to God at this altar and offer them as we would a burnt offering, letting God’s fire consume them.

We take our confidences, joys, and praise as peace offerings, to willingly share them with God, to thank Him, and to continually submit them to Him.

Jesus was always creating these kinds of places to be alone with God. You can see this if you read through the Gospel of Mark. It seems like almost every few verses in that book, you read something about Jesus taking the disciples and going away into a deserted place; Jesus going up to a mountain alone to pray; Jesus spending all night alone in prayer to God. Over and over. After ministry, after a big day, after a lot of excitement… off Jesus went to spend time alone with God.

Jesus needed time alone with God in a deserted place. We were made for that also - to commune with God.

Are you standing on a promise from God? Are you trying your best to follow him? Can we encourage you today - build an altar! Spend some time with God today. Make it a time of remembrance. Make it a place of exchange.

When we come to God, he exchanges our sacrifice of time, devotion, and heartfelt commitment for more of his presence. He will unfold so much beauty to you. Hope. Joy. Peace. Renewed vision.

Don’t just come once. Come again, and again, and again.

When a place is dedicated to Him, you can feel the difference there.