All on the Altar
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Tension
Tension
Series: Idols or Altars.
Week 1 - Defined an idol;
Anything that becomes a priority above Christ or we trust for a blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God.
Week 2 - How to turn from lies; enemy trying to lure/bait us.
We ask the question: are sacrifices still relevant today
Glenn Maxwell Innings
How do you respond to something like that?
What about Jesus wiping out our Sin? One Man, did it all.
Title: our response to the greatest sacrifice of all time.
*pray*
Where going? Story- 1st Kings = Elijah vs baal | How that relates to us today | go to NT and see what we are required to put on altar.
Where are we? [context] - Elijah - Prophet - Ahab - Evil King - Elijah came, predicted drought - Went 3.5 years - Elijah does some miracles - Lord tells him confront Ahab.
What Ahab been doing? Jezebel been dining with fake prophets - loving life - Here we pick it up.
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”
I love how bold Elijah is;
And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.
- So what is Elijah saying? - Ahab bought this on yourself | Isreal is society doesn’t want God.
Paul says OT is example + Instruction.
Right now, we seeing Chaos in society - What is happening? world wants a world without God | Removed from Schools | biblical definition of Marraige | Society
Elijah is also operating in this environment...
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Ahab agrees - Let’s throw down
Elijah comes;
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
limp (dance)
God on Sunday | Another idol on Monday.
How long?
Isreal was not serious about God | Not ready to commit | Ready for miracles, for blessings...
They where half devoted, expecting full miracles.
It says: Elijah was 1 man against 450 men.
The Miracle is not always where the Majority is looking
(Jesus against the odds)
God is looking for some people to stand up for God in a world of Idolatry.
Elijah says - despite that , I know who my God is;
Elijah says; Choose 2 bulls - you have which ever | lay it on wood | no fire | You call your god | I call my God | the God who answers is Yahweh - People are like - Yep - Elijah let’s them go first.
And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.
Isn’t this always the way? Crowds = Loud voices, dancing - no miracles.
Leaving Ed Sheeran Concert - Got very lost
Be very careful about affirmation from people - Especially if it’s about waivering.
“it’s ok…God didn’t really say...”
Love this part; Elijah mocks them - 450 of them.
And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
They get Mad + Louder + start cutting themselves + all day = nothing happened.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.
They wanted religion without sacrifice.
THey worshipped a baal - let them do anytihng without surrendering anything.
Only when you realise world can’t give you what Jesus can, are you ready to do the work - This is what we doing today.
Repairing the altar.
We should be tired of religion | Can’t change you/help you/ only thing = relationship.
This is why God sent Jesus.
What has any of this got to do with the NT?
Well - We are in a world of Chaos | A country that is dismissing God | Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice | Does God require anything from us? and if so, what?
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Sacrifice = Greek = Sacrifice.
“then” = “therefore” - Means something came before that was important.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Bodies of animals = outisde city gates - on the dump | not blood, but bodies.
Jesus - carried cross outside city gate - crucified in the dump where he was sacrificed.
Why? says it - Sanctify the people | set apart etc. ..
Therefore - Since that has happened - Let us go to him outside | in the trials, for the city that is to come.
We made Holy | To get into presence of Holy God, we need to be made Holy = Lost the Holiness of God because of Relevancy.
If we lose the holiness of God | Trickles down to what we believe about God and we begin to water Him Down
“It’s always gonna be this way”
“God doesn’t move like in the OT”
and then, we lost the fact that the truth leads to life…and we compromise...
“The bible needs to be more progressive”
“Does it really say to save yourself...”
Well, Jesus saw this happening;
For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Jesus gave everything so you might find life and life is found in the written word that leads us to the livign word
Have religion = without sacriifce.
However Sacrifice, is exactly what we are called to give...
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Let’s talk about this sacrafice for a second.
In the O T a sacrifice would atone for sin.
They sin, provide sacrifice | Sin always brings death.
And the sacrifice would provide;
Atonement - until sin again - then Atonement...
Then God sends Jesus
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
And so Christ becomes this Sacrifice - without us having to do anything - Stops…the Cycle... And what does it give us?
Well, it is atonement for our Sins and;
Mercy Seat | Rightousness | Adopted | New Birth | Spirit | Gift | Purpose | Truth | Hope = Forever.
So…what do we bring?
What it’s not - is Useless relgion - What it is (back to our passage)
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
“Share what you have” = Must be in community
What else?
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Soft / Tender / Open & offered to God - pleasing to Him.
So practically, what can we sacrifice today? 5 things.
Close and Inspo
Me and Mine - Morphing into You and Yours.
(Write on paper)
no me and mine…all you.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Do you believe he died for all?
2nd sacrifice;
2. Gifts and Time.
Spiritual and Aptitude.
3. Goods and Goals
4. Highs and Lows
5. Every Breath we have
What does it look like for you? to put your all on the altar…before him?
We take these things, and lay it on the altar.
Quickly back to elijah - what Happened?
repaired altar - covered in water, 3 times - had so much faith in His God and said;
Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”
When ever you looking to God to fulfill longing in your heart and waiting for the fire to consume you - do what Elijah could not do…Look…toward…the cross...
knowing that because what JESUS HAS ALREADY DON…you have...
Mercy Seat | Rightousness |...
So..the fire MUST fall _ Gates of Hell must NOT prevail...
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
May we, in a culture that doesn’t want God, be a people that burn deep for Him, and may we turn to Him to fulfill the longing of our hearts.
**prayer**