THREE MANDATORY ALTARS

1. Introduction

a) 16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV)

b) 19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)

2. What is an altar?

a) It is a place of worship and making sacrifices. It establishes a spiritual highway from earth to heaven and opens the way for the traffic of angels.

b) Now, let's look at the 3 altars in the Tabernacle a believer should build for his or her life:

i) The brazen altar (burnt offering altar).

ii) The laver of bronze (basin for washing).

iii) The altar of incense.

3. The brazen altar (burnt offering)

a) 1“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. (Exodus 27:1-8 NIV)

b) 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22 NIV)

c) The sacrificed lamb took away the sin of man; and each lamb, without spot or blemish, was a sign of The Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world!

d) Everyday, we need to ask God to forgive our sins at the brazen altar.

4. The laver of bronze (basin for washing)

a) 17Then the Lord said to Moses, 18“Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 19Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, 21they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.” (Exodus 30:17-21 NIV)

b) 8They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. (Exodus 38:8 NIV)

c) It is a mirror-like, reflecting surface. Unless we wash, our fellowship with God dies!

d) Why do we need to daily allow God's word to wash (cleanse) us?

i) It is because of our old sinful nature (carnal selves) that needs to die daily to the cross so that we could be sanctified.

ii) 19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NIV)

e) 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. (John 13:6-11 NIV)

f) Before transformation (change) could  take place in our lives, there must be sanctification in our lives after salvation. In other words, after getting saved (salvation), God will take us through a process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit (i.e. take the world out of us and replace us with his kingdom values). In this way, we will be transformed to Christ's image. God will turn our ashes into glory, our deserts into gardens, and our weaknesses into strength.

5. The altar of incense

a) 1“Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high—its horns of one piece with it. 3Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 4Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 5Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you. 7“Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. 9Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.” (Exodus 30:1-10 NIV)

b) It is symbolical of the place of prayer in the life of a believer.

i) 2May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. (Psalms 141:2 NIV)

ii) 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Zechariah), standing at the right side of the altar of incense. (Luke 1: 10-11 NIV)

iii) 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. (Revelation 5:8 NIV)

iv) 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:4-5 NIV)

6. Prayer focus

a) Pray that we start to build three must altars that are vital us as a believer in Christ.