Sermon Tone Analysis

We Have An Alter

Many of the offerings that were made at the tabernacle were given to the priest to eat.

In this way they signified that they were partakers of the sacrifice and they received the purification and atonement that the offering supplied.

This was also pictured in the passover.

One of the arguments against the early Christians was that they had no alter to make offerings for sin.

This was the primary purpose of the tabernacle and later the temple.

It was a place to offer sacrifices, it was an alter and the sacrifices were they’re method of worship.

So how could these Christians worship?

how could they offer sacrifices for sins if they have no alter.

But Paul answers this argument in this statement “we do have an alter and in fact those priest who serve in the temple, they have right to eat of the sacrifice from this alter.

The alter that we have is Jesus Christ himself because He is the fulfilment of the alter as He is the of the table of shew bread, the alter of incense, the mercy seat, and the tabernacle itself all of it represents Christ and points to Christ.

The horns of the alter in the tabernacle offered a place of safety and refuge for all who lay hold of them Just as Jesus Christ is our refuge and safety.

And although this Christian alter is made available to all people for all time there is and exclusion given here.

Those who serve in the tabernacle are excluded from this alter.

They have placed there trust in something else other than Christ for their righteousness and so are unable to partake of the alter of Christ.

What does this mean for us?

No one can come to Christ if they are relying on any other thing for their salvation.

Until you realise that you are a wretched sinner with no other hope then you cannot come to Christ.

We must be stripped of any notion of our own righteousness, we must fall destitute before Him.

Jesus said...

Those who are righteousness are not permitted to partake of the alter of Christ.

Their are many who are too righteous to ever receive Christ.

God resist the proud but he gives grace to the humble.

We must come to the end of ourselves.

The Bible says that there is none righteous no not one.

Until we are willing to accept the truth that we are sinners without hope, condemned and deserving of hell then we cannot partake of the alter of Christ.

Some believe that they can have Christ and something else.

They have put their faith in other gods and have other alters.

Ive been in houses where there is a cross or a picture of Christ and sitting beside it is some picture of a Hindu god all sitting it front of an alter with incense.

But the alter of Christ will not be shared.

You cannot trust in Christ and something else you must come to the alter with no other hope and put you trust in Christ and Christ alone.

You must have only Christ of none of Christ.

Not only do Christians have an alter we also have a sacrifice

We Have A Sacrifice

First the Old Testament type.

The description that is given here is of the offering that was made one a new on the day of atonement.

There was 2 goats and one bullock.

The bullock was for the atonement of the high priest or Aaron and his family the goats were for the atonement of the whole congregation of Israel.

There were 2 goats because one was for a burnt offering and the other was to be the scape goat.

The high priest would first offer the bullock for his own sins and then the the goat would be offered for the sins of the people.

The priest would put his hands on the head of the scape goat and confess the sins of the people and there by transfer the sins of the people to the goat which would be turned lose in the wilderness.

After the blood was sprinkled from the bullock and the goat the the offering was made the remains of the animals would be taken outside the came and would be burned

So the connection that the apostle makes here is that Christ is our sacrifice he is represented in each animal.

the bullock which was a sin offering for the high priest and his family, the goat which was a sin offering for the people and the scape goat.

God laid onto Jesus the sins of us all.

God laid my sin and your sin onto Jesus.

That sin which condemned us to eternity in hell.

That sin for which we had no remedy and no hope.

Just as the high priest confessed the sins of the people and transferred those sins onto the scape goat, God transferred our sins onto Christ and just as the goat and the bullock were sacrificed and the blood was sprinkled on the alter so Christ suffered and died on the cross shedding his own blood for us so that we could have his righteousness transferred onto us.

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors so that we could be numbered with the righteous.

So yes we certainly have a sacrifice.

Not yearly, but once and for all, it is finished.

So this leaves the question, if our sacrifice has been made once and for all what do we do now.

the whole purpose of the service of the tabernacle was to continually make sacrifices.

So do we have a service and how do we worship?

We Have A Service

Let us go forth therefore.

Our service is to forsake all and follow Him.

He became our sacrifice in His death and now we must become a sacrifice to Him in our life.

To go out of the camp it to let go of this world and all worldly affections.

Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed.

The modern 1st world Christian can scarcely be distinguished from the world.

We love the things of this world well love to be accepted by the people of this world we dare not offend this world or give them reason to think that we are any different from them.

Peter, when Christ was on trial before the Sanhedrin, warmed himself by the fire with the temple guards.

He stood with the enemies of Christ and blended in with them.

He enjoyed the comforts of their fire and when asked “weren’t you one of His followers?”

He said “no you must be mistaken I do not know Him.”

Many of us are standing at the fire this morning warming ourselves and comforting ourselves with the enemies of Christ.

And perhaps if someone were to ask you if you were a follower of Christ you would not deny Him and you would answer “yes” but what if answering yes meant you would lose all your worldly comforts?

What if answering “yes” meant that you would have to suffer with Christ?

We must let go of this world and all the worldly things we love.

That doesn’t mean we must isolate ourselves and live like the Amish.

This is a heart matter a transformation of your mind.

Jesus told us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven

Paul said

Next our sacrifice it to offer praise to God

A sacrifice is something that cost us something and he says offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.

It is easy to praise God when we are blessed by God and we know it.

It’s easy to praise God when we are with God’s people.

But it can be a sacrifice to praise God when we are afflicted, and it can be a sacrifice when we praise him among non believers.

If we praise Him continually then we must praise Him for the afflictions and we must praise Him among the lost giving thanks to his name.

That is to do good and be in communion with one another or in fellowship with one another.

It also has the meaning of looking after one another’s needs.

so as well as going forth outside the camp and bearing the reproach of Christ we are to offer the sacrifice of praise continually and commune with one another and look after one another and fellowship together no forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

We have and alter and we have a sacrifice for sins and we have a reasonable service.

Have you been to the alter of Christ?

have you partaken of the sacrifice?

if so have you go forth our of the camp to bear the reproach of Christ?

Are you serving Him through continually praise and communion with His people?

If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your sin this morning and you would like hope?

Would you come to the alter of Christ this morning?

Today is the day of salvation.

Don’t wait.

Don’t say I’ll wait until another day, there may not be another day.