THE ALTAR OF GOD

Topic: The Altar of God 

Bible text: Luke 5: 16, Hebrew 4: 16 NIV

Preacher: Femi S Olomola (A teacher and prophet of God)

Copyright© Femi .S. Olomola 2016 [All rights reserved!]

Publish by: Wefos Project Int'l Limited

Email: [email protected]

First Published [Summary Edition] 2016

ISBN: 978-978-953-658-0

Recap of last week sermon:

Last week, we talked about the topic (when the foundation are being destroyed) to study how foundation impacted on our relationship with Christ. This is a very important study for all believers and the world at large because foundation itself carries a form of power to exist as part of us, especially when its involve a covenant of blood and there is a no way a man can live in avoidance to this.

Preamble:

This week, we shall be considering the topic (The Altar of God) to study how this could affect our relationship with God. Making an altar for God and make it holy bring him close to your dwelling and hearing and this also hasten up the answer to your prayer. God cannot behold iniquities and he doesn't dwell in where there is uncleanness, these two justifications proves that God cannot lives anywhere but in an area with the atmosphere of holiness. Please sit back and enjoy this lovely sermon that will change your experience in God. May the lord bless you as you do.

Introduction:

An altar is a built up structure used to administer offerings or sacrifices to a deity or God. One important thing about an altar of God is that it is sacred and holy. We also know that our God is a holy God and he love to dwell where there is holiness (Isaiah 57: 15, 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18). The scripture above made it clear which states, what agreement is there between the temple of God and Idol? For we are the temple of the living God, as God had said, "I will live with them and walk among them, and i will be their God, and they will be my people"

The truth is that God want to dwell among his children, he always taste for it, in fact, fellowship with God, was the first primary purpose of creating man on earth but can God dwell where is unfit for him? the answer is capital NO. 

An altar of God is where you come to a table discussion with God himself through prayer, and where you offer to him your sacrifices and offerings which will be in form of praises and worship and this can be in the church, in your house, within your bedroom, or in any place where this can be done consecutively without undue disturbances. We shall be looking into all the requirements for making this acceptable and fit for God to dwell-in as we progress.

Take, for instance, the president of your country is coming to pay you visit in your house, what will be the first thing that you will do? of course, you will check the status or condition of your apartment if it is fit or unfit to receive him and i believe strongly in my heart, that even if its fit to receive him, you will still go ahead to do some adjustment or specially prepare a place within your house to welcome him. One thing that is so sure here is that, because the visitor is a president of your country, you will come before him with so much confident and believe in your heart that he can help you, since he is the president.

This is exactly how God want to be welcome in your house, just as the way you honour the president of your country narrated above. God seriously want you to give him honour in all that you do and come before him with so much confident and believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrew 11: 6, Hebrew 4: 16) and without this, your sonship will go nowhere. This is practically why God commanded us to love him first above all things with our soul, and body, and which stands as the greatest commandment out of all because love does so many powerful things (Matthew 22: 37). The altar of God is so important in a mans life because it enhances a good relationship with God and also sanctified the area of concern and it gives you a good personal experience with God. This can be done anywhere especially within your quiet personal closet which will be exclusively dedicated for that purpose. When you give God honour in your secrete places, he will honour you in the public, even before your enemy (Matthew 6: 6). Most people never had a good personal time or experience with God, though they goes to church, pray, engage in all church activities but their personal relationship with God is very low. Know it now, that there is no great man of God that will not have a periodic personal hour with God because that is the point at which God minister to you most and which must be done with focus within quiet hours and environment like early hour of the morning when everywhere is silence. This is the time you relate with God through meditating on his words, come to a personal table discussion with him and also present your petition with thanksgiving to him (Philippians 4: 6).

Bring the altar close to you:

The altar of God is very beneficial to all believer because God is always present, no matter what, except it has been made unfit for him. Bringing it closer to you and observing all rules and regulations to make it suitable for God to dwell is one crucial aspect that sealed it gains and benefits. Another important fact is that the vessel using the altar must also be clean and holy or except if there had been a confession for a contrite heart which will always be accepted by God or if there is need for such. God is a spirit, not a man, and they that worship him must do it in spirit and in truth (John 4: 24). Though every good individual believer is a temple of God carrier because God will be fully dwelling and working through them (1 Corinthians 6: 19) but to them that God really love, like those that have seriously purge themselves and totally consecrate their body for Christ, he does not only dwell in them but usually come down to fellowship with them in their closet and this calls for the need to be aware of his presence even at your place of physical dwelling or resident and also to be conscious of the do's and don't to sustain his dwelling. 

The bible text (2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 NIV) said it all and which says, do not be yoked together with unbelievers, for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is their between Christ and Belia? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and Idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them and i will be their God and they will be my people, therefore, come out from them and be separated, says the lord. Touch no unclean thing and i will receive you. I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the lord almighty. 

Beloved, God critically want to dwell among his dearly love children as we have read in the scripture above but most time, we lack the required knowledge that will sustain his indwelling because God is a principle God and he doesn't dwell in anyhow places (Leveticus 15: 31). When you bring the altar of God closer to you and allow it to be part of you, then you will be a friend of God, even angel will come down to fellowship with you and when this is happening around you, then you will be rest assured that automatically, the spirit of God will take dominion in your residence or place of concern. There are many people that will not allow the spirit of God to take dominion within their place of residence thereby, allowing other gods or power to dominate because they have failed in appropriating God's knowledge to bring down his dominion. Let's look at some of the features and requirements that make it suitable for the altar of God to be effective: 

1. Spiritual and Physical Cleanliness:  Ephesian 4: 22-32, Romans 12: 2

This is one important thing that God love. The way some dirtiness irritate you as a human being, that is exactly how its irritate God. The altar of God must be a neat place sited within a clean environment and must be free from any unclean act that will defile it like sexual related intercourse, coarse or immoral talk, phonographic show and the likes. The cleansing also, apart from the physical must come from the inside, in the area of thought and mindset (Romans 12: 2).

2. Focus: Hebrew 12: 2

This is another aspect that is quite important when you come to the altar of God because there are many distractions in life, especially from love once or sweet things of life that could take up your mind and divert your attention. In other to aid your focus, some things like pictures, or images of Christ could be put in right position, hanged on the wall where it will be properly sited, to give some level of mental or psychological focus.

3. Location: 2 Corinthians 6: 14-8

The location where the altar of God will be sighted is very important and which must be within a conducive environment in a good and quiet secluded place. This can be done anywhere especially within your closet and which should be exclusively dedicated for that purpose. It could be an apartment within an apartment or just the inner corner of an apartment with table and chair and some image of God use as decoration to aid mental focus and where the apartment has no any form of special usage except for that purpose. The beauty of it is that it is dedicated for that purpose so there won't be any form of a coarse or immoral talk or phonographic show and movies.

4. Time: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-10, Hebrew 4: 16, 

There must be a specific time when you will regularly be using the altar to connect to God, preferably during the early morning hour like 1am to 6am daily, where everywhere is silent. This is the time you come before God with praise and worship with song that will inspire your spirit man to connect you to God because not all music will enable you in this regard, meditating on the word of God, submitting your petitions and requests which must be done with thanksgiving (Philippians 4: 6) and above all, always make sure you pray in tongue to deceive satan and his demons. The beauty of this is that as you continue in this exercise regularly, the angels of God will be coming down to fellowship with you, even before you are there sometime, they are already waiting for you or if you refuse to wake from sleep, they will be the one to wake you up. You must be very attentive, even to your inner mind because this period is when you will be getting most real message from God and which will b dropping in your heart in the form of inner thought. May the lord give you grace for proper digest of this in Jesus name.

Conclusion: 

A believer that will be living up to this standard will be a friend of God and will easily be hearing from God. So i will advice you to strive to be living this way and experience God in another level.