Dust On The Altars

 

2 Chron. 29:15-16: And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandments of the king, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the Brook Kidron.

The temple of the Lord, or house of God was considered a Holy place. It was a dwelling of God, a building erected and set apart for the worship of the true God. It was a holy place where the priests would minister and offer sacrifices of bullocks, rams, lambs, and goats as sin offerings on the altar of the Lord. And they would make reconciliation with their blood to make atonement for Israel.

Mat. 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.

John 8:2-6 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him, But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

Somewhere along the line the people of Israel lost their regard and care of the temple of God. They became reckless, complacent and cared not for the things of God. The temple was now being used as a meeting place to buy, sell.

Since the temple was supposed to be clean, I wonder how Jesus felt when he found dust or dirt on the ground to write in? I wonder what he wrote? Perhaps he wrote WASH ME, or THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IS DIRTY, or perhaps he wrote, PURIFY YOUR HEARTS YE SINNERS.

I would like to talk to you about the spiritual temple.

1 Cor. 6:19 What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

 

If this is supposed to be the temple of God and we are not our own, then how should we be taking care of this temple? If God dwells in the midst of praise, which comes from this temple, how should we offer it? If this is where God resides how should we welcome him in this home. Has the floor of our hearts been swept? Did we dump out the trash? Are the windows of our eyes clean?

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We must come forth boldly, become a living sacrifice, NOT A DEAD ONE, holy, pure, blameless, spotless, without wrinkle. We must be transformed daily, die out to this old nature. Renew our minds. We fight spiritual battles. David said in

Psalms 51:16-17 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

He also said in Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Eccles. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

Psalm 15:1-3 Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.

That is all I hear at my job. Slandering, spreading of rumors and so on. Church! There is a place called hell, and every individual will have a choice to either go to heaven or be thrown into the lake of fire.

Mat.7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: (narrow, restricted, tight) for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

It is a sad thing that the majority of people are not going to make it. There are 2 billion Muslims, over a billion Chinese, almost a billion from India. There is a place of torments coming to every individual that disobeys and turns his back on God. I don’t know how long God is going to tarry with this generation. Many don’t even care because they are caught up in the cares of this world. How do people get to a place where God can’t deal with their hearts anymore? Many Christians today have lost their Holy Ghost fire that they once had.

To keep a poisonous snake from biting you, you have to kill its head. You must cut it off or else it will strike you. If you straddle the fence, then you are only grabbing the snake by the tail or the body. Hear me church. A baby snake may look cute when they are small and the small sins may not look so obvious either. We may pet the head of a baby snake and think it can’t hurt us. One day that baby snake will become mature and it will be too late. Just like the sin we think we can handle.

Prov. 6:27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Prov. 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

We are all expandable and if we don’t let God have his way in our lives, he will find someone else.

Heb. 9:27 And as it is appointed unto menonce to die, but after this the judgment.

There was a certain rich man clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at the gate full of sores. He desired to be fed from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. And over a period of time they both died. And Lazarus was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom and the rich man in hell he lifted his eyes being in torments. And he saw Abraham and Lazarus from afar off. And the rich man cried and said, father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. Luke 16:19-31

Mat.12:36-37 But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

 

The lake of fire with brimstone (sulfur) was prepared for the devil and his angels. There will be a day when the dead, small, and great will stand before God during the white throne judgment and the sea will give up the dead which were in it and death and hell shall deliver up the dead and the books will be opened and another book which is the book of life. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire where they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Eternity is like, if this whole world was a solid steal ball and a little sparrow would fly to the moon and back and try to rub the huge steel ball away and then fly back to the moon.

These people yielded to temptation: Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and it cost them their lives. Lot chose all the plain of Jordan where Sodom and Gomorrah was. It cost him his wife and the lands were destroyed. Esau came from the field and was faint and sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of pottage. After the destruction of Jericho, the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing. Achan the son of Carmi stole a goodly Baylonish garment, 200 hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold 50 shekels and because of this, he and all his family and all that he had were stoned and burned. King Solomon loved many strange women. He took the daughter of Pharoah, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. Because of this they turned away his heart after other Gods and his heart was not perfect with the Lord as was the heart of David his father.

2 Pet.2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darknessto be reserved unto judgement and spared not the old world but saved Noah.

It is certain that God will execute judgement. Many things could keep us from being faithful to God.

Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Wherever your treasure is, that’s where your heart is.

Heb. 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.

There is no time to waist. Pride will always go before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

 

ALTAR CALL

Sin is running rampant in our society. Gay marriages are being approved in some countries, and in other places they are taking down the Ten Commandments from the courthouses. Prayers are prohibited in schools. I challenge each of you to pour your hearts out to God. Fall upon your faces in prayer. Ask God to search you and try you, to look inside of you. We don’t have much time left on this earth and the sickle is ready to be put to the harvest for it is already ripe. God shall gather all of his people that belong to him. As a thief in the night he shall come. Let us observe the seasons and the times around us. How long has it been since you felt his warm embrace. God is here today in a mighty way. He is ready to heal, ready to mend, and ready to carry your load. Every person that calls upon him, he will not turn away. We still have a chance. There is one more opportunity, one more beckoning, and one more spot at the altar of grace and mercy. If today you will rend your hearts and not your garments.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.

Ephe. 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.