We live in a place where there is never enough. . . money, toys, gadgets, popularity and recently, toilet paper.  Everything we want in life comes with a sacrifice. What will you sacrifice to get it? The ever-diminishing kingdom of the world charges more and more for less and less.

Hebrews 13:10 (NLT) We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat.

Jesus flipped the idea of an altar on its head!  The altar that should have taken His life only freed Him from death. Now, the New Testament altar is one of freedom, rest, hope, and most of all LIFE! Anything placed on this altar is released from bondage and returned with exponential dividends.

Altars Are About The High Cost Of Living!

They Have Always Been About Living Free From the Past. Old Testament altars resolved the past so the future could come into focus. Abraham built an altar when he left home to follow God and arrived in the Canaan land. He built another altar near Bethel (house of God).  These altars were about letting something go to God. They capture the act of repentance in a metaphor; the sacrifice was released so that the future could be pursued.

Genesis 35:1 (NLT) Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”

They Have Always Been About Living Free From Bondage.  Israel Consumed the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12:46).  This wasn’t just a ritual, it was a meal. But it was a meal that more than sustained. It broke the backs of their oppressors. It fueled the exodus. 100’s of thousands of Hebrews loaded their stuff and marched out of Egypt with the spoils of war.  They never fired a weapon, threw a spear, or attacked anyone. They ate from an altar, from a sacrifice and walked out in freedom.

Leviticus 7:31-33 (NLT) 31 Then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. 32 Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift. 

They Have Always Been About Living in General.  Old Testament priests lived from the sacrifices made upon the altar.  God intended His chosen priests to live from the sacrifices. The sacrifices sustained and blessed the priesthood. Because God chose them and set them apart to serve the Lord.

And, All These Altars are about Jesus!  Jesus blew everyone’s mind when He claimed to BE all of the altars and images. Jesus was the Passover lamb ( 1 Cor 5:7-8).  He was the manna (John 6:35). Jesus’ death saves us and His life sustains and empowers us. Even though this is wonderful, there is a rub.

John 6:33-35 (NLT) The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Jesus Wasn’t Enough for Them.  They began to pine for the “free” food in Egypt. They forgot what it cost them. They forgot that the “free” food of Egypt did not give them life,  it merely prolonged their death. It was the softcover, wrapping their chains.

Numbers 11:6 (NLT) But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” Numbers 21:5 (NLT) … “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

It wasn’t manna they were sick of, they were sick of Jesus.  Do we get sick of God’s answer, feeling it is somehow old or insufficient?  Could this be the key to our lack, our constant desire for more? Thank God there is an altar that sustains us.  It has only ONE DEATH, and now means LIFE FOREVER.

1 John 2:15 (NLT) Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

Sacrifices That Make Your Future! (Hebrews 13:8-16 NLT) 

Our Sacrifice Of Strength.  We can’t earn grace.  It is a free gift. This isn’t about what I can do. It’s about what Christ has done. This isn’t about my plans, efforts, or ingenuity. It’s about Christ’s supply.  If finally giving up on saving yourself will save your soul, what else needs to be given up (sacrificed) for a breakthrough?

Hebrews 13:9 (NLT) …Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules …

Our Sacrifice of Pride.  Jesus is the only answer.  The one accused, stripped, beaten, and crucified, is our Lord.  The condemned criminal is our Lord, Savior, and Commander. He is our only hope. 

Hebrews 13:13 (NLT) So let us go out to him, … and bear the disgrace he bore.

Your Sacrifice of Praise To God.  We often ask God for forgiveness, blessing, miracles, healing, etc., but we seldom praise Him for what He HAS given. Praise Him for forgiveness. Praise Him for a relationship. More praising. Less grumbling and complaining.  They are poisonous vipers to your soul, but you need only look to Jesus.

Hebrews 13:15 (NLT) let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God

Your Sacrifice of Good Toward Others.  What is it costing us to bless others? Does God want you to go without in order to bless others? God is looking for people to bless who He knows will bless others. What if the things we sacrifice are the only things we truly receive?

Hebrews 13:15 do good and to share with those in need.

Jesus is God’s Only Answer.  And it is an incredible answer.  It is a wondrous, infinite, bottomless, miraculous answer. Jesus is wonderful, and He is yours. He is your altar that gives real life.