Solomon's Bronze Altar

He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.

2 Chronicles 4:1

As for the bronze altar that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

2 Kings 16:14

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

2 Chronicles 15:8

altar: a place made to bring gifts and sacrifices to God

9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:9–16

Access to God has always been through an altar. Not the altar of material, but the altar of the heart. The intention of the heart. Man cannot come to God on man's terms; it must always be according to God's demand.

The word altar is used in the Bible several times and has various meanings. Our purpose in this message is not to discuss the various meanings of the altars of the Bible, but to simply make a few applications of an altar.

I. WE HAVE AN ALTAR OF CONFESSION

A. The Altar Of Confession Always Deals With Conviction.

B. We need to go the Altar of Confession.

• 1. The conviction of the wickedness of our heart.

2. It can't be covered up.

• "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer 17:9)

a. Jesus told the Pharisees that their problem was their evil heart.

b. The thing that stands between God and our pleasing Him is the wickedness of our heart.

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders," (Mark 7:21)

1. Confessing our sins.

2. Forsaking our sins.

3. Making things right with God and fellow man.

4. The confession altar should be frequented by Christians.

• a. Confessing our sins is to see ourselves as God sees us, a sinner.

b. Confessing our sins is to acknowledge that we need forgiveness.

a. When we really get sick of our sin, then we will forsake it

b. Many of us have not gotten sick of our sins yet, therefore we continue on in sin.

II. WE HAVE AN ALTAR OF PRAYER

A. The Prayer Altar.

B. We need to be at this altar of prayer.

• 1. What would happen if we had this altar filled every service with folks praying for the power of God?

2. The forgiveness of God?

3. The burden of God?

1. Praying for salvation.

2. Praying for service.

• a. More likely than not I am saved today because of the prayers of others.

b. I know that my mother prayed for me.

c. Every Christian mother and father ought to pray for their children's salvation.

d. Prayers should be offered up on behalf of loved ones, co-workers, neighbors, and all those we know who are unsaved!

a. First for ourselves: Do we pray that God will use us to bring Him glory?

b. Then for our children and loved ones:

• Several years ago I knelt at this altar and prayed for my oldest son. God burdened my heart to pray for his Christian walk and testimony.

• God answers our prayers for our children!

• If we don't pray for our children, who will?

• We need to be praying that God will use them in His service.

III. WE HAVE AN ALTAR OF SACRIFICE

A. An altar is the place of sacrifice offered for man's sins.

B. The Altar Of Physical Sacrifice.

• 1. There can be no forgiveness of sin without an offering of sacrifice that has been designed by God Himself.

2. Man has not the freedom to decide what the sacrifice can be.

3. It must that that God has designed.

4. That day in John 1:29 when John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" he was speaking of the "altar of sacrifice".

• "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." (Heb 13:12)

1. God is not going to require us to offer our children to some cultic god.

2. He will not require us to do anything that is contrary to the Bible.

3. He does, however, expect us to be sacrificial with our time, our money, and our efforts.

4. We are talking about commitment.

• "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom 12:1)

IV. WE HAVE AN ALTAR OF PRAISE

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." (Heb 13:15-16)

A. Praise is God's Command to us.

B. Praise Him For His Provision.

C. Praise Him For His Salvation.

D. We ought to frequent the altar of praise!

• 1. We are often guilty of the sin of not praising the Lord.

2. God demands that we praise Him. cf Ps 150:1-6

3. We see here that there are thirteen times that we are commanded to praise the Lord, in these six verses.

4. If we do not obey scripture, we commit sin.

1. Surely it is a an act of pride for us to live on God's earth, breathe His air, drink His water, enjoy His comforts of life, and not praise Him.

2. We should be ashamed!

3. "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD." cf Ps. 150:6

4. God is so good!

1. To us personally.

2. To our loved ones.

3. For salvation itself!

"And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down." (1 Ki 18:30)

"And he (Manasseh) repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel." (2 Chr 33:16)

"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God." (Psa 43:4)