Polluted Altar

Mark Cowan

Exodus 20:25-26. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

THE ALTAR THE PLACE OF WORSHIP.
The place that we offer everything we are and have to God. We need to place all that we are and all that we have on the altar.
The place of, real worship. Real worship of the called ones is to put all that we are and have on the altar.
An altar means that we do not keep anything for ourselves.
An altar means that we realize that we are here on earth for God.
An altar means that our life is for God, that God is our life, and that the meaning of our life is God.
So we put everything on the altar. We are not here making a name for ourselves; we are putting everything on the altar for the sake of His name.
The altar is the place where all the offerings are offered. The essential meanings are judgment, redemption, and consecration.
When the Israelites offered anything to the Lord, it must be brought to the altar. Everything they offered had to be killed and burned upon the altar.

This signifies judgment. As a Christian, you may feel that you have offered yourself quite properly to the Lord, but His first demand is that you put everything on the altar. He must judge you by death and by burning.
This may seem a frightening prospect, but we must realize that all that is natural, of the flesh, about us must be judged.
All we are, all we have, and all we can do must be judged by the altar.
BUT WE HAVE POLLUTED THE ALTAR.
WE HAVE POLLUTED THE PLACE OF WORSHIP.
WE HAVE MADE THE PLACE OF WORSHIP AND SACRIFICE OUT OF OUR OWN IMAGINATION AND ACCORDING TO OUR OWN DESIGN.
IT HAS BEEN POLLUTED BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE MADE IT TO THEIR LIKING, TO FIT THEIR LIFESTYLE AND PLEASURES.

A POLLUTED ALTAR IS:
P- POPULAR.
Worship has become popular.
It has become a place where we come to feel good. There is no call for repentance or separation from a sinful lifestyle.
It has become a place where the music gets us into a pleasant mood. Many of the so-called worship songs or choruses say more about what we are doing than what God has done.
They sing songs like “Days of Elijah” without understanding what is being sung. They sway and dance without realizing that Elijah called for a separation between Almighty God and Baal.
They sing about Being a voice in the wilderness without recognizing that “making the way straight” is to call for repentance.
We have turned Worship into an art form. A place of entertainment where we listen to a few “chosen” sing songs that, if you were to shut down the electronics that control the instruments and microphones, would fall silent because few of the congregation are actually singing.
It makes us feel good and requires no offering of our whole selves to the obedience of God.
>>Isaiah 17:10-13. 10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 11 In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. 12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

O- ORDERED:
It is often called “an order of service”. Everything is timed out so that everything is all said and done within a certain time frame.
The Holy Spirit of God is casually mentioned in terms of “having His way” but it is expected that He work within man’s time frame.
There is no waiting upon God. God is told when He has to speak, move and work.
“All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give” is sung with the lips while the heart, being far from Him detests the hour or hour and half they have to endure. Their minds are on whatever activity is going to be indulged in following the “service”.
What is offered to God is “torn”, just whatever is available.
>>Malachi 1:13-14. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. 14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

L- LEAN:
There is no substance.
There is an increase of motivational speeches. Celebrity speakers. Cliche’s and Jokes.
There is little or no preaching of the Meat of the Word of God. The whole purpose of preaching seems to be to make people feel good and to send them out into the world without having offended any.
The times of prayer, if there are any, have been belittled to a few moments of asking God to “bless” the activities that have been planed by man, or in giving God a shopping list of “we wants”. There is no crying out to God. No anguish, no effectual and fervent prayer.
>>Jeremiah 7:9-11. 9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.
>>Joel 1:13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

L- LEAVENED:
The place of worship has become “lumped” together.
>>Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Worship is no longer influenced by The Presence Of God or The Word Of God but by what everyone else is doing.
>>Obadiah 1:7 All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
>>Luke 12:1In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

U- UNCLEAN:
>>Ezekiel 44:5-8. 5 And the Lord said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary. 6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, 7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. 8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
>>Romans 1:18-25. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
>>2 Corinthians 6:14-18. 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
>>Ephesians 4:17-24. 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

T- TREACHERY:
(betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature, violation of faith; treason.)

Jeremiah 2:12-13, 19. 12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.
>>1 Samuel 15:19-23. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

>>Hosea 4:6-9. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

E- ETERNALLY USELESS:

>>Matthew 15:7-9. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
>>Isaiah 29:13-15. 13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
>>Colossians 2:8, 18-23. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
>>Matthew 7:21-23. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

D- DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION:
>>Exodus 34:12-14. 12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
>>Deuteronomy 12:1-5. 1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
4 Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. 5 But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

Malachi 2:1-3. 1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.