Message Title: Repairing The Alter
Scriptures: 1Kings 18:20-21; 18:30-39; Matt.3:13-15.
There is one huge mistake that people make while praying or
waiting on the Lord for an answered prayer.
Is their heart. Their heart is not prepared to really ask of anything
therefore they don’t receive anything. Yes, I am very well aware that the Bible
says we need to have faith. This faith also causes us to ask properly and with
the right heart.
Nowhere in the Bible
does God bless without there being some type of repentance. Look at these
scripture’s with me.
1 Kings 18:20-21
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and
gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And
Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
Here we have a people that are dying due to a
drought in the land and they cannot decide if they are going to serve God or
not. Therefore Elijah says let’s build an altar and see who’s god can rain down
fire. The false prophets spend all day trying to do it without success.
Now it’s Elijah’s turn.
1 Kings 18:30-39
30 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. 31 And Elijah took twelve
stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the
word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your
name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the
name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar
large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put
the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and
pour it on the burnt sacrifice
and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So
the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am
Your servant, and that I have
done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people
may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts
back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water
that was in the trench. 39 Now
when all the people saw it,
they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
Notice the first thing Elijah does
is repair the “Broken Altar.” The altar represents our heart. The water,
represents the word of God. The pouring of the water three times is how many
days Jesus was in the tomb. The bull is a type of Christ. Now the fire is the
Holy Spirit.
Right after the altar is repaired the fire comes down.
In other words our hearts have been told through the word of God that we
need a savior we are unworthy and we receive everything through God’s grace. We
than say it is Jesus and him only that we receive this Grace and not anything
we have done or can do. Now God hears our prayers and we are able to receive
from Him.
We see this same thing in the story of Noah. Where God floods the Earth.
Noah builds an altar sacrifices to God and the Rainbow appears as a promise to
never destroy the Earth like that again.
When Jesus went to John, John did not want to baptize him at first until
Jesus says permit it to be so…
Matt 3:13-15
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by
him. 14 And John
tried to prevent Him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
Even Jesus showed prepare
your heart with the right sacrifice and receive from God.
In short as you go into
prayer start by making sure that your faith is in Jesus Christ and his finished
work on the cross. If, there is something in your heart that you know should
not be there give it to God and if you’re not sure. Do what David did and ask
God to give you a clean heart. As a matter of fact ask that anyway. Only he can
give us a clean heart to start with.
Be Blessed in the name of
Jesus.
Music Worship Leaders:
JW & Sharon Peck
Songs:
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