WHAT'S ON YOUR ALTAR?

Transcription

1 WHAT'S ON YOUR ALTAR? SOWING THE WORD OF GOD FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016 So I said: 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 my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand A LIVE COAL which he had taken with the tongs FROM THE ALTAR. AND HE TOUCHED MY MOUTH WITH IT, and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged. Isaiah 6:5-7 WE HAVE AN ALTAR FROM WHICH THOSE WHO SERVE THE TABERNACLE HAVE NO RIGHT TO EAT. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Yehoshua (Jesus) also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, OUTSIDE THE CAMP, bearing His reproach. For here WE HAVE NO CONTINUING CITY, BUT WE SEEK THE ONE TO COME. Therefore by Him let us continually offer THE SACRIFICE of praise TO GOD, that is, THE FRUIT OF OUR LIPS, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:

2 Accept, I pray, THE FREEWILL OFFERINGS OF MY MOUTH, O Lord, And teach me Your judgments. Psalms 119:108 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, HE KNELT DOWN ON HIS KNEES THREE TIMES THAT DAY, AND PRAYED AND GAVE THANKS BEFORE HIS GOD, as was his custom since early days. Daniel 6:10 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me ABOUT THE TIME OF THE EVENING OFFERING. Daniel 9:20-21 O Israel, return to the Lord your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For WE WILL OFFER THE SACRIFICES OF OUR LIPS." Hosea 14:1-2 But Peter said, Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean. Acts 10:14 2

3 But Daniel purposed in his heart that HE WOULD NOT DEFILE HIMSELF WITH THE PORTION OF THE KING S DELICACIES, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs THAT HE MIGHT NOT DEFILE HIMSELF. Daniel 1:8 A son honors his father, And a servant his master. IF THEN I AM THE FATHER, WHERE IS MY HONOR? AND IF I AM A MASTER, WHERE IS MY REVERENCE? SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, In what way have we despised Your name? YOU OFFER DEFILED FOOD ON MY ALTAR, BUT SAY, IN WHAT WAY HAVE WE DEFILED YOU? BY SAYING, THE TABLE OF THE LORD IS CONTEMPTIBLE. Malachi 1:6-7 Our mouths are the altar of YHVH. Isaiah's lips were unclean until they were touched by a coal from the altar, directly indicating the connection of the altar to our mouths. Spiritually our mouths can speak forth death or life. A man s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:20-21 The tongue is like a fire, just like the fire of the altar. 3

4 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. James 3:5-10 To offer both blessings and cursing from our mouths is hypocrisy, and what we speak forth with our mouth is what we offer in sacrifice to YHVH. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalms 19:14 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2 In the same respect, the physical altar would be defiled if 4

5 an animal were sacrificed upon it that YHVH declared to be unclean, like the swine slaughtered on the altar of YHVH in the Book of the Maccabees. YHVH tells us what food is clean and unclean in Leviticus 11, and we can also see how YHVH regards eating swine, an unclean beast, even in the end days in Scripture. For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many. Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together, says the Lord. Isaiah 66:15-17 If we believe our mouth is God's altar, why would we continually offer the things He finds displeasing? We must dedicate the altars of our mouths to YHVH alone. We must not let that which kills or that which defiles pass through our lips. Now this is the point where many will claim that Messiah declared all foods clean, and this is false. He was speaking against the man made tradition of eating with unwashed hands. We must remember, Messiah did not come to abolish the Law of our Father (Deut 18:18-20, Matt 5:17). What we offer to YHVH is of the utmost importance even to this very day. 5

6 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED? AND IF YOU DO NOT DO WELL, SIN LIES AT THE DOOR. AND ITS DESIRE IS FOR YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD RULE OVER IT. Genesis 4:3-7 What's on your altar? 6