Sermons - 2008 Week 01 - Jan Wk 1
Repairing the Altar of the LORD
1 Kings 18:30
Why do people go to church?
Some go for peace of mind, for spiritual well being, for a subjective feeling of wellness and seeking a payoff from religion. This is certainly not what the Lord wants us to do. The Lord wants us to come to Him in purity of heart, not as a weekend God-seeker with a weekday idol-indulger. Yes, all too often, we leave God behind on a Sunday and indulge in our own living idealisms during the rest of the week.
Do we indulge in materialistic pursuits, in time consuming computer games, in sports in the guise of exercise?
These are the idols of today which we indulge in, and not giving our whole heart to God.
If you give priority to God on a Sunday, do you also give priority to God during the weekday? Do you spend time with Him in quiet contemplation, seeking answers from Him?
The Altar in 1Kings is a place of thanksgiving and praise. It is a place of confession. It is a place of brokenness, over sin. It is a place of sacrifice. It is also a place of “death’. Yes, death to self. One has to deny oneself to carry the cross. It is also a place for communion. It is a place where we call upon the Lord in a corporate manner.
The Altar has been polluted, it has been misused and abused.
In what sense has it been misused?
It was used to sacrifice to other gods. In a similar manner, we have idols in our lives that we are unable to let go and our appearance at the altar is half hearted. In essence, our heart is the altar to the Lord. But, it is not there.
The Altar has been abused when people regard the church lightly and not regarding it rightly. All too often, the church is viewed as a place to get married with all its pomp and circumstance, a place to be entertained as if it were a social club. That is abusing the church.
The Altar has been neglected. Yes, as time goes on, if we neglect the altar, it will start to deteriorate and break down. Similarly, if we neglect the things of the Lord, slowly and surely, our hearts will also deteriorate. It will put on layers and layers of dust. Dust of neglect, thickened so much that the things of the Lord cannot even penetrate.
Do our hearts neglect and grow cold with time? Do we find comfort in familiarity and wish to keep things status quo instead of seeking God for directions in our lives?
Elijah recognized the condition of the Altar and he “repaired” it.
Surely it was not in a state of disrepair?
After all, it had been used to worship Baal. Still, Elijah had to “repair” it. It was the heart of the people that needed repairing.
Do we need this repair?
Mr and Mrs ET Chua
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