Analyzing the Altar

(Exodus 20:24)

I. Judy Anderson grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Zaire. As a little girl, she went to a day-long rally celebrating the 100th anniversary of Christian missionaries coming to that part of Zaire.

After a full day of long speeches and music, an old man came before the crowd and insisted that he be allowed to speak. He said he soon would die, and that he had some important information. If he did not speak, that information would go with him to the grave.

He explained that when Christian missionaries came a hundred years before, his people thought the missionaries were strange and their message unusual. The tribal leaders decided to test the missionaries by slowly poisoning them to death. Over a period of months and years, missionary children died one by one. Then the old man said, “It was as we watched how they died that we decided we wanted to live as Christians.”

That story had gone untold for 100 years. Those who died painful, strange deaths never knew why they were dying or what the impact of their lives and deaths would be. They stayed because they trusted Jesus Christ.

A. In the same way that those missionaries to China trusted Jesus with their lives and the lives of their children, our church is at a point where we must trust the Lord with a certain aspect of our worship.

1. Our worship experience is wonderful. I believe we have genuine fellowship, genuine unity, and most importantly, I believe we genuinely love Jesus Christ and worship Him in spirit and truth.

2. There is one aspect of our worship, however, that has hindered us: the altar call.

a. Whenever an invitation is extended at this church, a wall goes up. I always sense the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I also sense the uncomfortable feeling among the members of this church.

b. If we’re going to move to the next level of spiritual maturity, love, and sanctification, both individually and corporately, then we need to address this issue.

3. There are certain things for which I can’t be held responsible.

a. If God tells you to go to the altar, and you don’t, then I won’t be judged for that. I’m only charged as a messenger.

b. But because I love you, my heart is still burdened when you quench the Spirit of God.

B. I think one reason we’ve suffered in this area is because of blatant disobedience to God during the invitation.

1. But I think another reason we have become stagnant during our times of invitation is because of ignorance about what the altar symbolizes.

2. Some of you simply don’t understand the significance of the altar.

C. Ask yourself why it is that you don’t come to the altar very often. Then consider changing that pattern of behavior and start coming to the altar on a regular basis, as the Holy Spirit leads you. (Repeat title. Pray.)



II. The altar is a place of worship. “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me.”

A. The purpose of the altar was to make a place totally set aside for the Lord.

1. The altar is all about Him. It’s a place to go in which your mind, heart, and total being are completely focused upon God.

2. Today, in the age of the New Testament, the altar isn’t made of earth. Ours is made of wood and lush and carpet. It is intended to be a place of devotion, prayer, and, ultimately, worship.

B. The altar is a place for us – as God’s children – to seek our Father’s face.

1. My preacher buddy, Derik Baldwin, is one of the greatest fathers I know. When he had his little son, Aiden, he and his wife, Stephanie, made me the godfather.

2. On Sundays after church, we’d all go out to eat and then go back to my apartment. Usually, we’d all fall asleep at some point and take naps.


3. As Aiden got older, I’d notice that he would begin crawling onto my stomach and chest and just look at me while I was sleeping.

a. For some reason, Aiden was fascinated at just looking at me and being with me. He didn’t expect anything in return.

b. Pretty soon, he’d decide he wanted to crawl back to his toys and he would get back on the floor.

c. Just like Aiden would come to my resting place and spend time with me, the altar is place where we can go and climb into the arms of Almighty God.

C. God commanded the Israelites to build an altar in verse 24.

1. What was God’s primary purpose in having it built?

2. God said, “make [it] unto me.”

D. The altar is a place of worship.



III. The altar is also a place of death. “and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, they sheep, and thine oxen”

A. The Hebrew word for “altar” is mizbeach [miz-bay-akh], which comes from the word zabach [zaw-bakh], meaning “to slaughter an animal.”

1. An altar is a slaughter place. We approach God as sinners, and something must die. The Old Testament altar was a place where animals died; the New Testament altar is a place where WE die.

2. Hebrews 9:22 – “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

3. An altar, as a place of death, is not a pretty sight.

a. The altar is not a place of dignity!

b. It is a place of blood, fire, smoke, and burning flesh – a place filled with the stench of death.

c. You would never be attracted to the altar, except for a deep, spiritual desire to please God.

B. The altar represents more than just a particular location in a church building. It is a place of personal sacrifice. It is a place of death.
C. Death is not simply a command; it is a holy calling. We are called to die.

1. Paul said, in 1 Cor. 15:30, “I die daily.”

2. Paul also said, in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being comformable unto His death.”

3. The Bible tells us that we’re called to die. And that’s what sanctification really is. We’re set apart for God’s Kingdom as we slowly but continually die to the flesh.

4. And death is ultimately a process of suffering.

D. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. once diagnosed the process of suffering like this: “We do not want suffering; we want success. We identify not with those who are low and hurt but with those who are high and healthy. We don’t like lepers and losers very well; we prefer climbers and comers. For Christians, the temptation to be conformed to this world is desperately sweet and strong. Yet, says the apostle Paul, we are children of God if we suffer with Christ.”

E. We are called to suffer the death of our flesh at the altar of God. The altar is a place of worship, and it is also a place of death.



IV. Lastly, the altar is a place of blessing. “in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.”

A. In explaining the simple truths of the altar, God stays true to His eternal personality – He never changes (Hebrews 13:8)! True to form, as He always does, God saves the best for last!

B. Two times in this last part of verse 24, God says, “I will.”

1. God guarantees something. He promises something. He gives His certain Word!

2. There are two truths we discover at this point in Scripture.

C. At the altar, we restore our fellowship with God. “I will come unto thee”

1. God promises His presence at His altar.

2. That in itself ought to be enough to compel you down the aisle.

3. Sin severs our fellowship with God, but the altar is a place of reconciliation.

D. At the altar, we receive the favor of God. “and I will bless thee”

V. In March 1995, The New England Pipe Cleaning Company was digging beneath the streets of Revere, MA, in order to clean a clogged 10-inch sewer line.

In addition to the usual junk normally found in a clogged sewer line, the 3-man team also found 61 rings, vintage coins, eyeglasses, silverware, and gold – all of which they were allowed to keep.

And whether we’re talking about digging through sewage pipes, or digging through the nasty recesses of our spiritual lives, if you’re willing to come to the altar and put up with the mess of examining your heart, God promises to reward you with true eternal treasure.