Family Altars and False Altars

We're going to talk about family. Continue here in our message. This morning, briefly Judges, chapter 6, Judges chapter 6, and we're speaking on the difference today. Family altars in false Alters. I am have enjoyed this series on altars and we're going to continue with it just a couple more weeks as first wanted to say thank you last week. You I was recognized our 20th anniversary and we appreciate all the kind wishes and cars and things. Thank you for church gives a couple days at a Airbnb this week to go pick up our son from college. And so we decided to take advantage of that. Thank you for that and then we can't wait to have our oldest back on Sunday. I thought is we were is dedicating little Savannah thought man, I remember this. Feels like yesterday we're dedicating Daniel and now we're going to pick him up in college. It goes fast. It just does. And I know that you parents know that also wanted to mention that in an in the near future. We are running our connections class right now and it's going well, I was able to teach in there this morning and but in the near future. We're going to be starting during our Sunday school. Our A discipleship class. We just we have quite a few people that are interested in our one-on-one discipleship, and it will keep it as a small class or only have certain slots available that I'll be teaching of that, going through our discipleship, what we will lie, why we believe it, a lot of Christians have sat and search their whole life and they really don't understand. They don't haven't really seen the verse. They don't know why, they believe what they believe. And this discipleship helps people. It just does it helps the people to go through it? It helps the people that lead it, it's just fantastic. It's worked well with Our church. So many of our people have enjoyed it and we encourage you, if you're interested and discipleship, even if not in the Sunday school class, but you say I'm interested, we have some couples right now that are ready and willing to disciple you once a week. It's a good time of fellowship and it really answers a whole lot of questions. So I hope that you'll let us know if you're interested in that, cuz we would be glad to facilitate that we've been talkin about altars. For the most part, they've all been positive in the Old Testament, especially, as we are kind of Bridging the Gap. What? Alters meant in the Bible? Today, I want to maybe talk just a few minutes about what can be the negative side of family altar. When we say, family altar, we just kind of automatically assume we're talking about something good, family altar can be something good. But for us to understand really what family altar means, I think it would be good for us to just stop this morning for about 15, 16 minutes. And let's analyze our family life. Let's analyze our home a little bit. Some of you like I don't want to do that. I just you know I have to do that 24/7. I don't want to do it at church but I'm going to stop and analyze some things this morning. I think you understand what I'm talkin about family altars in the Bible, a family. Altar is a place where you gather as a family to worship.

Kind of that simple. But worship what? do you know that we can set up altars in our family that worship God and Teach our children and our family, but you know, that we can also set up some family altars. To worship wrong things. You know, we can set up family things and just a system in our family lives that are teaching our kids to worship other things. We're teaching our children to put other things. In front of the Lord. Exodus chapter 20 is interesting because I have this these verses on the screen. The you don't need turn to it cuz you're in Judges chapter 6, but God comes to the children of Israel and he literally asked them each of them to set up their own family altars and 20:22 in. The Lord said unto Moses Dost, thou shalt saying to the children of Israel. He have seen that I have talked with you from Heaven. I've communicated with you, you shall not make me gods of silver, neither shall you make unto you gobs of gold? He says, don't offer me something worldly, and don't you worship something? Worldly, 24 and altar of Earth. Thou shalt not make unto me and Shout sacrifice their on thy burnt offerings, and I peace, offerings by sheep, and I noxon in all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee, and if that will make me an altar of stone down shalt not build it a perfume Stone forever. Lift up my tool up on it, that has polluted. It would just take a stone, make an altar, but don't choose will try to make it fancy because now you put man into the process. Everybody get it so far. Now, this is Old Testament or new testament, but there is an application. And I want you to understand it. He says, neither shalt thou go up by steps onto mine, alter that by nakedness, be not discovered there on what's the point here. He says, you ought to be wholly to you. It ought to be special to you just because you say, you built an altar, doesn't mean you built the right kind of alter.

Here's what I'm afraid is going on. Listen to me this morning, I'm afraid. If we're not careful, we have put up an altar to God on Sunday,

and we have established altars to false gods, the rest of the week.

We're teaching our kids to put other things in front of God, but on Sunday, we want to erect our altar.

And say hey, let's worship God today. But every other day of the week, we're shipping, everything else. He says it's in a series on altars. Yeah. A man named Gideon. This is an interesting story, so just hold with me, quickly were going to go today. I want you to see this cracks me up, I want you to see the call of Gideon. Judges chapter 6 is where this all take place, but you got to get it all to understand what's going on here. And verse 11, it says, in there came an angel of the Lord and sat under an oak which was in Oprah. Yes, I came from the Bible that pertain unto joash, the app, is a right? And his son to Gideon, fresh tweet by the winepress to hide it from the midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, the Lord is with thee. Thou Mighty Man of Valor and Angel. The Lord just shows up and some believe that this might have been an epiphany, I don't know. A christophany. Some believe this was some believe that this was maybe one of the Arca. I don't know. I'm just there's a lot of debate, lot of things and I have my own opinion but the angel of the Lord shows up. And here's Gideon just a hard-working man and the angel toes up it says listen Mighty Man of Valor. God is calling you.

Not as the call of getting but secondly, I want you to notice the frustration of Gideon. Look at his response and verse 13. I love this and Gideon said of him. Oh my Lord. And Angel appears out of nowhere. God's called you owe my Lord. What is going on? What he says? Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us Why then is all this befallen us. And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of saying, did not the Lord. Bring us up from Egypt. But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the midianites and the Lord looked upon him and said going this time, I denounce shall save Israel from the hand of the midianites have not. I sent the other day, something you got to give it to get in. At least he was honest, Angel, the Lord shows up, it says, listen God's calling you. You're going to be a mighty man of Valor and Gideon said, oh God, call me. Oh, really if God is real. If God is for us, then why has all this happened to us? It rest yourself that in your life, know? God loves me so much. Then why did he allow this to happen? He says, wait a minute, he says, if God is so great, why did he Deliver us into the hands of the midianites? And boy got his patient, at least, at least getting his being honest. God said. Listen, you go. And I'm going to give you the power and I'm going to help you defeat the midianites instead of complaining. What you bout, what you don't like, why don't you get a hold of God and let God help you change it? So, third Gideon wasn't sold yet. So now we see the sign that getting requested. You got to hear this whole thing. So God comes to him to have called you getting. It says, oh my Lord, you haven't, you said, you call me. You, you're not helping me and Josh is this. I will be with you. We're going to defeat the midianite. I'm going to use you. You're going to be a mighty man, of Valor, but Gideon needed a sign. He needed to know, for sure, if you would at verse 16 and the Lord said unto him surely, I will be with thee and thou shalt Smite the midianites as one man, and he sending him. If now I have found Grace in eyesight then, show me a sign. Reptile take us with Gideon said, if this is the case, I need a sign. Weaver's 19. Gideon went in and made ready a kid. Obviously a young animal in unleavened cakes of an Eva flower and the fleshy put in a basket and he put the broth in a pot and brought it out and see him under the Oak and presented it The angel of God, sending him, take the Flesh and the 11 cakes, and lay them Upon This Rock and pour out the broth. And he did. So then the angel, the Lord put forth, the end of the staff, that was in his hand touched, the Flash and the 11 cakes and their rose up. Fire out of the Rock and consume the Flesh and the 11th then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. Wow. Gideon says, I need to sign. So he puts food down is just put that food on the Rock, put the food in the Rock. Angelfish the snap food, fire consumes all immediately. There's your sign. Play. Jeff Foxworthy was Shakespeare's your son.

Noticed. I love this. I forgot to give some assigned. Notice the family altar. That Gideon built 422. And when Gideon perceive that, he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon set allaso, Lord God for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face-to-face than Gideon, built an altar there unto the Lord, isn't that something? And he called it. Jehovah Shalom. Now you say preacher what in the world does? All this mean Jehovah. Shalom means God is my peace.

We find getting putting the Gideon put in this altar, but this altar wasn't just for him. It was for the generations after him. But we have a problem. So far so good. He builds this altar. And not only that, I want you to notice God comes to him. And God gives him another command. This, we're talking about, will be done today. I want you to see the family altar. That Gideon tore down. We see the family altar that Gideon put up, Don to my peace. And by the way, God is your piece. You're only going to find peace through God? The dawn comes to am looking for a 25 and it came to pass the same night. That the Lord said unto him take by father's young Bullock, even the second bullet of seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal that by father half and cut down the groove. That is buying You see Gideon's family already had a family altar. They were captive to the midianites did heard all the stories, how God had led them out of Egypt, but they were in captivity now and the people that had them captive, worship Baal. And so, now that had kind of Taken on a lot of the children of Israel were Baal worshippers. And Gideon's dad had a family altar. It was where the whole family worship, but it wasn't a good altar. It was an altar. To a false. God Baal. And is gone comes in The Gideons life and he calls. Get any says, get in, I want to do some great things in your life. When getting to get the sign and realize this is real, this is from God Gideon. Put up an altar to the real God. But God says get in, we can't go any further, thank you for putting up this altar. But we can't go any further till you tear down. That false altar.

So, what does Gideon do? This is his dad's alter. Super 26. God says and build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock in the order place. Take the second bullet can offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the Grove. The about shout cut down. Here's what he said, you go to your dad's alter down, your dad has it all for that, the whole family and you have worshipped at it's a false offers a false god and there was a growth there's trees that have grown up by that alter. I want you to tear down that offer and I want you to cut down every bit every tree out of that Grove. And then I want you to get the wood from those trees and you build another alter a correct alter and altar of Faith to God and you do that. So I'm not. So don't want you to get rid of that alter. I want you to get rid of every thing that has been grown and fed by that all.

Sin of the Bible says, Gideon was scared of this and he didn't do it during the day because he didn't know what was going to happen. So we did it at night. I look at you would have burst 30 the resistance that Gideon faced, let me share this with you. Then I'm going to make a couple comments will go. We're starting in the men of the city said into joash Gideon's. Dad bring out by son, that he may die, because he has cast doubt on the altar of Baal. And because he have cut down the Grove that was by. And joash said unto all that, stood against him, will you plead for bail? Will you save him? He that will plead for him. Let him be put to death while it is yet morning. If he did God, let him plead for himself.

Because one at cast down his altar, listen Gideon is already starting to reach his family, getting in tears down that alter the Bell. Now, the city is mad at him and they come and his dad stands up for his dad, is the one that had the alter the Bale. And his dad said, listen. Don't you come try to kill my son. Listen, if if bail is real let bail plea for himself. If he's a God, he'll take care of himself. Why do you have to come to fend it? Why do you come because you're mad? If bail is so powerful let him plead for himself.

And it shut them up.

I love this. think of the favor that Gideon receive from God verse 34, but the spirit of the Lord came Upon Gideon. And Gideon's life. It wasn't just about putting up Alters, it was about tearing some down.

We can't have offers Bill to the Lord on weekends. And altars built for the flesh. The rest of the week.

For the spirit of God to have freedom in our lives. We have to do both. We've got to put up the right office. And we've got to tear down the wrong ones. but here's what's interesting, anytime you try to get rid of an ulcer in your life, that is worshipping the wrong thing, you're always going to have resistance there might be a dad or a mom here today, that just decides, you know, And I'm not getting into specifics today. But today, you might think another, some things need to change in our family. In our family, we will add our boys to worship video games.

We set up an altar. That's all they do all week long. When do they ever read the Bible? When do we ever sit as a family read the Bible? But they sure play video games hour upon hour, upon hour upon hour. What are you teaching? Your kids to worship?

You like, oh my God, let me take some of these kids are ticked at me right now.

But look at me, please get this. Please get this. You start changing that. See how they feel about it. You're going to get resistance.

We have all turfs in our house. You have offers in your house that we set up and we teach kids that this is what's most important for sure. What's most important TVs? What's most important, this is what most important, having things is most important. Having entertainment is most important, God's house is set aside. The things of God are set aside. We don't ever read the Bible. Talk about the bible. Teach the Bible talk about God's but we show up Sunday and bless God. The church needs to do that for our family. Different. All I'm saying, is this listen to? We can take all the good things about Alters. We need to hear all the truth about Alters the spirit of God. Did not come upon Gideon. When he put up the right alter, the spirit of God Came Upon Gideon. When he tore down the wrong ones,

All I'm saying, is this. Do you think maybe just because we've just grown accustomed it so we can set up some systems in our family. That we literally have some family altars but they're not for the word of God.

We've taught our children. How to worship things, how to worship culture, out of worship.

And I'm just here to say this, listen we can build with good altars all we want to but as long as they're still. Alter there, as long as they're still that group of trees around there, that's still in our life. God's not going to have freedom in our life. Imagine what God can do with the church. We decide. You know, it we're going to tear down the wrong Alters. What? What is a, what is a bale? Bale was a false. God, how many, you know, there's all kind of false gods in our culture. We could teach our kids that your physical body is your God, but we give all the time for physical exercise and all the time. We're going to go work out. We're going to go do this, but churches, way on the back burner, what are you teaching? What are we teaching through teaching? We have an altar to worship this and all through the worship that and alter to give our time here and offer to give all of our money to this and all of our effort to this and all of our attention to this. But then we show up Sunday is The Hangover going to be today. Is it almost done? I want to get to lunch. I don't want to have to sit here and wait in line. Captain Tom's is going to get busy.

You'll know I'm telling the truth. Can we all listen? I'm not, I'm not against anybody. I'm guilty, you're guilty. We're all guilty, but it's the truth. No, we don't have stone altar, sitting at our house, we're worshiping to a false god, but we have false gods everywhere in our life. And all I'm saying is this on a Sunday morning and I gave us was all nice. Feeling listen, this, this is about family, this is about Savannah. This is about our children, this is about the Next Generation. What kind of altars are we going to have for a future Generations? If all the altars were setting up are the false gods?

That mean we can enjoy life and enjoy things. Y'all know, I'm not that kind of person. I mean, I enjoy like, I'm telling you, I'm a person that enjoys life and all those things, but here I am here to tell you God said Gideon, You going to have to get rid of that false. God you're going to get rid of that, false Altar and do you have to cut down all those trees surrounding it. Here's what happened. Gideon obeyed. The spirit of the Lord Came Upon Gideon. In the midianites who they had been in captivity to, for all these years, God, miraculously gave Victory through Gideon, they defeated the midianites and Gideon, didn't even have to raise a finger to do it. That's what the spirit of it. Look at me. I can't help but it feels like you're being a little bit hard today. No I'm not being hard. If you've been around church about some preachers can preach hard how many you know I'm a friendly preacher. I'm a nice preacher but I will tell you this listen to me that's why so many times you come and you want to sit in the office and things are going very bad in your family. The kids are running here, kids are doing these kids have no use for church. Kids, have they don't want to be in God's that they don't want anything to do with whatever they don't want this. They don't want that and it in. And here's what I'm saying, dear friend, many times. It's because of the offers we set up right in our family.

And it's good for all of us to take inventory of our family and not, hey, do I have a good family altar set up and I hope that you do, and I hope that you do read God's word together is fam. And I hope that you do come to church and be faithful. You're the ones that are here. We're not getting on you. I'm simply saying this, but if we're not careful, we can think. Because we do this on Sundays that our job is done. That's not listen to this before we go. Just hear me out. For some lessons, when you are number one, is this Gideon story. Reminds us that we must always be on the lookout for Idols in our lives. This reminds me that if I'm not careful, something could become my idol. Brother, Nick sings the song about this very thing.

Even doing things for God can become an idol.

Number to Gideon. Story teaches us that we must be willing to tear down these eyes. Not just find them, not just noticed them, not just look for them, but get rid of them when they show up. Do you know good things in your life can become an idol? They can take the presence of God. Notice number 3, Gideon, story reminds us that we must eliminate all strongholds from the false idols. What did he say? Tear down that Ultra, but it all the Grove that surrounded it If you don't what's going to happen, I'm going to look over there and see that little bear and spot where that altar was all these trees surrounding it. And I'm going to remember all the good times we had sacrificed, think, at that out. No, no, no, no, no, get rid of all of it, get it out. Notice for flea Gideon Story, shows us that Victory only comes when false Idols are eliminated. In pure worship. Is it corporated?

See what I'm afraid of. Sometimes we think gone. I'm here on Sunday. I'm worshipping. You why aren't you pleased?

Why don't you please and God's probably thinking? Will because I get one day of your good altar in your flesh gets 6 days of the wrong office.

All of us. Need to look. Make sure is my life. Clean is my life, right? We're going to Bow our heads and all those being baptised, they're going to start prepping for that. I'm excited about this baptismal service. It's awkward in here, but that's done a good job to make things look good. And I appreciate their work. Let's pray and then they're going to let us know, I think probably, let's get a song together if you don't mind. Maybe brother Jimmy. If you got a congregational or Jake, Jake if you got one.

Who's singing them in there, ready? Will do that. I'm going to ask you to Bow your heads and close your eyes. I know what you're thinking, pretty sure this was an awkward Sunday morning service. Yeah, it was all I can do is just tell you the truth. Notice I didn't do it. Try to guilt you out of anything. All I'm saying is this all of us are prone in our life to setting up idols?

We got to watch out for it. We've got to look out for it. Listen, I love to play golf. I just don't get to play Harley at all. But there ain't nothing wrong with golf but I can I tell you something? Golf could become an idle if I let it ride while my time to go to that other own fishing boat fishing becoming Idol. Do you know, spending can become an idol. It's just this feeling we get from buying things. and before long, we are worshiping that feeling a person can become an idol. Teenagers, I want you to understand that a boyfriend or a girlfriend if you're not careful. That's why you got to be at a young age. So careful because you can so easily make them an idol in your life that you depend on him. That's all you think about. That's all you want. That's all you desire. I'm just simply saying from adolescence to adulthood, it doesn't matter. All of us 3:50. Not careful that we can set up Idols. Sometimes Pride can be our idle, how we look at what we've accomplished, that becomes our idle. Dear friend, that can happen all over the place, and God said, listen, get in it.

There is a family altar set up and it's wrong. And you got a tear it down.

For any family altar to be strong. We've got to make sure that the wrong ones are gone.

Lord, I love you today. I think in each of us in our hearts. Can we just for this morning? Just can we be honest? Can we just realize that? You know what? It's true. It's true. I'm not preaching against anybody or anything. But Lord, if we're not careful.

We can lead our family without even realizing it to worship so many things.

And spend, so little time teaching. To worship you.

God, I pray, you help us to look at our lives. Look at the system of things.

What are our children obsessed with?

What are they controlled by?

Where are their desires rooted?

God, I pray. You help us.

When we need this. And all the wonderful things on altars, I was dreading this one. Because Lord, there's some things I need to tear down in my life 2.

Lord fear can be an idol in my life, you know, it and I know it. Fear of what people think. What people might say? But that spear ended up controlling me becomes an idol.

God, we all have our weaknesses. Satan knows so many of them. God, I pray, you help me. To desire to keep our heart clean, our life clean. To keep our family altars. What they need to be. Please Lord, sure do love you. Our heads around, their eyes are closed and before we go on to baptism tonight. With your head, down your eyes closed, I would ask you different. Do you know for sure that you're on your way to heaven? Salvation is not tied to a membership of a certain church or even a certain religion. Salvation is simply first, you admitting and understanding that you cannot save yourself. Understanding that we were born in sin that we're on our way to hell. We can't save ourselves. Secondly, it's a matter of believing that Jesus did that. The Bible says that he came But he died on the cross for us that he loves us that he rose again. Already purchased our Redemption. So it's a matter of admitting and believing the third. It's a matter. I'm simply putting your trust. By faith in the Jesus Christ. Bible says, true service, shall call upon the name of the Lord. It means to ask Jesus, would you save me? Jesus. Would you forgive me? Would you save me putting your faith in what he's done? Not and what we've done, because we just can't save ourselves, right? Where you said, you can trust Jesus as your savior, you can call upon the name of the Lord, right, where you sit, you can say Jesus. I admit I'm a sinner. I believe you died for me and I am asking you today to say, Lord, I love you and I thank you for all that. You've done. Lord, thank you for a church that can take the truth. That can handle it not be offended by it. Lord, I don't know people's lives here. Last thing I could do is preach personal against anybody. I got my own problems, I got my own things, I got to take care of, I got my own issues that I'm struggling with. We're all humans, We're All Flesh. But your word is still your word. The Lord. I pray, you'd help us to understand how idles slip to our lives. We love you. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.