Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries |
Nehemiah. Part 28. A tour of the walls of Jerusalem with Nehemiah, Part 2.
Friday, February 17, 2012
HEB 13:9-10, Do not be carried away by varied and strange doctrines; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
The altar for the
Church-age believer is his very own soul.
The altars in the O.T. were built for a place of worship.
GEN 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord.
GEN 12:7 Abram built an altar there to the Lord Who had appeared to him.
In GEN 22:9, the altar was also the place of personal sacrifice, Abraham built the altar and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar.
GEN 22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
EXO 17:15, Moses built an altar, and named it “The Lord Is My Banner”
JOS 8:30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel,
2SA 24:25 And David built there an altar to the Lord,
In the N.T., your altar is your very own soul structure or your edification complex.
In the O.T., there were also laws and regulations regarding the altars.
1. The altar was the place of sacrifice to the Lord,
EXO 20:24 “You shall make an altar of earth for me, and you shall sacrifice on it”
2. The altar had to be constructed according to the Word of God,
JOS 8:31 “As it is written in the book of the Law of Moses, build an altar.”
3. The altar was to be constructed precisely and accurately,
EZE 43:13“and these are the measurements of the altar by cubits”
MAT 5:23-24, “If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
MAT 23:19 “You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
It is the condition of the altar that sanctifies the offering and it is the condition of your soul that sanctifies your production and works.
1. The Sheep Gate,
the cross of Christ.
2. The Fish Gate,
the doctrine of evangelism.
3. The Old Gate,
the way of faith.
JER 6:16 Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient or old paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk {in it}.’
GEN 15:6 says Abraham believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
ROM 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
In many believer’s life, this gate is broken down because they are no longer resting upon the truth they once had.
Every OSN has its price and no one knows that better than the Kingdom of Darkness.
The truth is always old, and it is upon the old that everything new…must be built.
Man is rapidly throwing away what the church has stood for, more correctly man is settling on things and ideals that the Lord Jesus Christ does not stand for.
Martin Luther – “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking,
I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
2TI 2:15-17, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
ACT 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
LUK 9:23 And He was saying to {them} all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Humility is what allows the believer to go forward in the spiritual life but humility is lacking, wherever that sense of personal insufficiency is lacking.
Wherever that sense of dependence on the Lord and reliance on His strength, wherever that’s lacking, we’re not going to be advancing.
Valleys in Scripture represents times of trial.
The Parable of the Sower, when opposition comes because of the Word, some fall away.
There is a quick growth in the beginning but no depth.
There were things for men to do, things for women to do, things for people from all backgrounds, trades, professions, and walks of life.
The Valley Gate often needs to be repaired in a believer’s life because the average believer has a difficult time handling adversity as well as prosperity.