The Altar God Sees

TEXT: 2 Samuel 24: 3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?

10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

• 1 of 3 Things: (vs.11)
  • seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land?
  • flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee?
  • or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land?

14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

Introduction

• The O.T. altar was a place of death, aroma's and sacrifice. It was the appointed location where the exchanges God's Law required for His favor would be made.
• Living in N.T. times, that altar has been exchanged for
• "JACOB have I LOVED , and ESAU have I hated"
• When we come before God, we do business with Him on HIS TERMS.
• Those elements needed to make the altar READY are to be prepared

Embrace God's Design

Exodus 20:24,25 — An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

• There are No Style Points Given for Worship
• The altar was never suppose to be pretty
• Our worship is simple and sincere, that the attention may be on Christ
• PRICE COST, PURCHASED THE THRESHING FLOOR

Sanctify the Gift

• God is Concerned with the Heart and Substance of Our Offering
• Make CONSECRATION An Action of FIRST Resort
• Earnestly distinguish your gift from your sin. HOW? What does that look like? The Holy Ghost knows and will speak to a healthy conscience.

Matthew 5:23 — Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

• If you can come near to the Holy Presence of God and feel nothing, that ought to be a read flag of WARNING -- cry out to God.

Isaiah 6:5 — Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

• "The Gospel does not excite church people anymore." THE LINE BETWEEN OUR SIN AND OUR GIFT IS SO BLURRED we cannot tell the difference. DISTINGUISH YOURSELF FROM YOUR SIN -- CONFESS AND REPENT.

• Name it, call it out, CONDEMN IT

A Ready Mind (Driven or drawn to the altar?)

• ENOUGH HIS ENOUGH. The Angel stands at the threshing floor.

• How many more do we have to Lose? These 70,000 people were God's heritage and David's responsibility.

• The most common enemy to the Holy Ghost, is your carnal mind.

• Many people glimpse into the Holiness of God without much expectation. May be to feel something, may be to see thing, be entertained. DON'T THINK SO LITTLE OF OUR GREAT GOD.

• Ready for What?

  • The favor of God that comes with WALKING PERFECTLY IN HIS WILL.
  • Gifts of Grace: Peace, Joy, Assurance, etc.
  • Increased anointing on our lives

A Willing Offering

• The Ashes under our Rusty Altars are telling of willingness of our offerings to God.
• The fire will contine to burn so long as there remains a sacrifice upon the altar.
• Commit to a new PATTERN OF LIFE and not a temporary change.