A Certainty

...and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 ESV

Benjamin Franklin, said, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” but let me add another certainty according to the Bible, and that is a source we can trust. Cast your mind back to your Sunday School days, and I am guessing one of the verses used a lot would be this one. Stories aimed at the younger mind would be told to emphasise the fact that we can’t hide from God and whatever sin we committed, that very sin would be our undoing. It was true then, and it stays true today.

We can bring it up to date, and right into our day and age. How about replacing the word ‘sin’ with your own failing? So the verse becomes, “..be sure your (???) will find you out.” All we have to do now is be truthful enough to add the sin that so easily trips us up (Hebrews 12:1) and prepare ourselves for the consequences.

The sins that trip us up aren’t always the big ones. With good living and good judgement we can usually avoid major sins, but what about the little foxes that ‘ruin everything’ (Solomon 2:15)? Pride that becomes an obsession? Opinion that turns into arrogance? Trust that becomes suspicion? A balanced lifestyle that changes into being a single sided, critical one? An all round knowledge that morphs into a know-it-all attitude? The list could go on, and you could add some of your own thoughts too.

The certainty of our sin finding us out, is surely followed by the certainty that others will see, and be affected by some of these little ‘foxes’ more than we know. But we can rise above this as we were taught all those years ago and deal with those ‘little sins’ before they grow into the off-putting big sins, by placing them on the altar and letting God deal with them, and in turn, with us. I fear there are more ‘little sins’ than we can ever know, and no one is exempt. That’s the certainty of the little sin catching every one of us out, and you can be sure it will!

Broken Altars

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 1 Kings 18:30

Every time the children of Israel strayed from God their altar would be neglected and fall into disrepair. And each time God became real to them again, and they walked in His steps, a prophet would step in and repair it. The altar was an important place of sacrifice, and a good barometer of the state of the people of God. Broken altar, broken people. Repaired altar, a restored people walking in step with His will.

We often apply the image of the altar to the state of our hearts as God’s people and that is a good way for any individual to know where they stand with the living God. A broken altar is a sign of an incomplete or wayward man or woman. When the altar of the heart is repaired and in good condition, our life will reflect the will of our Heavenly Father.

Every church has an altar area, usually where communion is served, or infants are baptised, weddings consecrated, or even funeral services are conducted. It is a holy and sanctified place where we feel God near to us in a sacred way as we make promises and vows before Him and the congregation. If the altar of the church is broken, or unused, it can be a sign of spiritual decay.

Not so many years ago, the altar in a church was also the sacred place where the repentant sinner would kneel to confess sin, and take Jesus as Lord and Saviour. For that to happen, there would have been a gospel message of salvation, and an invitation from the pastor or preacher. Many churches and evangelists did this, and used mightily in bringing many to salvation in Christ.

Is it too simplistic to make a connection between churches with an unused, broken altar, to a church of broken people needing spiritual repair? Could this also be the reason for low or no growth? Like Elijah, we may need to repair the altars that are broken, both in our hearts and in our churches. If not that, what? And if not now, when?

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Altar

In my earlier, and much younger life, our church and many others had an altar rail at the front of the church. It usually had a flat top surface to lay an open Bible, and was a good height to rest your head when in a kneeling position. Now that I am older, and still a member of the same church, it is still there as a piece of church furniture, but unused. Why on earth was it put there? Was it ever used? Did it do any good?

The altar had one prime purpose, and that was a focal point in the sanctuary where a person could publicly show that they wanted to meet with Jesus. You can pray anywhere, but the key word is ‘public’. It’s a bit like adult baptism. It’s not done in secret, but in public, just the way John the Baptist and Jesus did it in Bible times. When Nicodemus came to Jesus in secret, it didn’t go well. But all the other open and public meetings with Jesus had a good outcome. You can answer the question ‘why’ for yourself. And in a similar way, the church altar was a way of publicly showing that you were serious in doing business with God, and yes it was used oftentimes and instrumental in helping to change lives. Not the altar itself, but the public nature and openness of the seeker. As for it doing good? Ask Billy Graham who also used a public altar appeal at all of his crusades. I know many people who used an altar of prayer at a crusade or church, and not only were their own lives changed for the better, their friends and family were in no doubt about their intentions.

Now, the altar is largely unused and silent. It is the piece of wood that separates the congregation from the communion table and pulpit. We have become afraid of our own faith and have taken a step back from the public confession, to being a more progressive people who can pray anywhere, and our church witness is different as a result.

So, is it a good thing that our altars are unused? If we say yes, are we then saying that there was no need for them in the past, or that the people who used them were misguided? Careful how we go there, because my parents used the altar and found God there, and so did I. Could I have prayed the sinner’s prayer at home? Certainly, but would I have done that, and found the same release? On a personal basis, I don’t think so. Let me leave you with a thought: The open church altar focuses the mind in a way that your bedroom doesn’t, or am I totally out of order and just plain wrong? Your call!