1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Welcome to the Cross Power Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:06,800 You're listening to a service from our church in Campbell, TX. 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,480 We pray this message strengthens your faith and points you to the 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,840 cross. Now let's join the service. 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:18,240 Swayze was doing school earlier. Anybody retired to teach 3 year 6 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:24,320 olds, Ashley 4 year olds. Every day she was. 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,720 She got tired. I was she got tired and was 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,640 drawing a letter number there three and she just kept on 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:35,760 getting tireder and tireder and she finally she tells my wife, 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:41,600 she says I can't draw that three and she said why can't you draw 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,720 that to the three? She said I'm super little. 12 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:50,200 So I begin to tell her after that I said you can't ride your 13 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,560 big horse, you're super little. You got to ride your settle and 14 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,320 I started teasing her about super little. 15 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,480 I said you're super little. And here in a minute she turned 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,640 around. She said I was just teasing 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,800 sassy. She's I was kidding her. 18 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,080 I said, why was you kidding her? So you didn't have to ride a 19 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:09,440 three. She said, yeah, so super little. 20 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,680 Well, I remember those days trying to get out of school and 21 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:16,560 I guess I said all that to say this. 22 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:17,760 You know, sometimes we're that way. 23 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:22,480 We got sometimes we're that way, but I found out it's a it's a 24 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,280 whole lot easier. Just go ahead and make yourself 25 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:25,600 do it when you don't feel like it. 26 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,760 Hey, man, kind of what I'm going to preach about tonight a little 27 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:30,120 bit. I'm going to probably finish 28 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:31,680 this Sunday. No way I'm going to finish it 29 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,000 tonight. If you have your Bibles going to 30 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,480 be in Judges chapter 6. Talk about some things here that 31 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,920 that'll change your life. Some things that I've seen over 32 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,840 the years that work and don't work right. 33 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,040 Anybody ever found out that every time you approach the 34 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,680 Lord, every time you pray, every time you go to the altar? 35 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,800 I went to church for years. I've seen some of the same 36 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,880 people at the altar for years crying the same prayers for 37 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:00,760 years. Nothing wrong with it, but if 38 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,560 it's not working, I'd I like to try different angle. 39 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,920 I like to get God's take on it because if we serve an all 40 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,440 powerful God and we're stuck in the same situation, something's 41 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,280 not happening right. So I want to talk to you tonight 42 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,560 about this a little bit. And in Judges chapter 6, this 43 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,480 was before kings were were appointed. 44 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:25,360 It was Judges that was over Israel and we all know the story 45 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,520 at you know that I went on up in Samuel when the when Saul became 46 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,640 king, Saul was not the one that that God wanted king wanted to 47 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:38,040 be king. He had already told, he had 48 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:42,120 already told that to go find a king and he would show him who 49 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:43,760 it was. But nevertheless, the people 50 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:45,920 wanted the king, so they appointed the king, right. 51 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:51,040 But this was a judge that God would appoint over Israel. 52 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:55,320 And many know the story about chapter 6 here about Gideon and 53 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,840 what all he did. And you know, the Gideons still 54 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,840 do a great work. I've been motel rooms all over 55 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,440 the United States and Canada and you can usually open the drawer 56 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,320 and find the Bible from the Gideons. 57 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,960 And we're going to talk about Gideon tonight. 58 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,120 There's a lot to talk about here in this chapter, but let's let's 59 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,960 read a little bit in chapter 6. Let's stand and go to the Lord 60 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:16,320 and prayer. Father, we come before you 61 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,440 tonight and we thank you for this time. 62 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,040 We pray that you would show us your word and that I could 63 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,640 preach this message and share it the way you showed it unto me. 64 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:26,160 Father, that there's a proper altar that we have to build 65 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,840 before you that false altars and false gods do not work in the 66 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,720 Kingdom of God. And we thank you for your love 67 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,360 and your mercy and your grace. It's in his your Son's name we 68 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,640 pray. Hey man, I'm gonna read chapter 69 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,560 6 and verse one. It says the children of Israel 70 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:48,160 did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them 71 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:53,480 into the hand of Midian 7 years. Despite what Israel had seen 72 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:59,160 here and the the miracles that they had seen, they kept turning 73 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,200 back. There's 7 great apostasies in 74 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,520 this book about and seven sins that they did, but they it says 75 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:11,880 the hand of Midian prevailed against them and because the 76 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:15,480 Midianites and the children of Israel made them dens which are 77 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,000 in the mountains and the caves and strongholds. 78 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,280 So you have the people of God, the children of Israel that had 79 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:26,440 seen miracles that had been delivered, that Joshua had just 80 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,280 LED into a promised land to a place that God had promised 81 00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:35,280 them, but yet they kept falling back into their old ways. 82 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,920 See the people of God here. They, they were in the caves. 83 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,760 They were supposed to be the strongest upon the face of the 84 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,720 earth, but yet they were reduced to living in caves and and 85 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,120 hiding out because of their fear, because their enemy had 86 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,040 grown so much bigger than they are. 87 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:53,680 Ever feel like that when you look around today? 88 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:58,040 And so it was in verse 3, when Israel had sown, that the 89 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,360 Midianites came, and the Amalekites and the children of 90 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,760 the East, and they even came up against them, and they encamped 91 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,800 against them, and they destroyed the increase of the earth. 92 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:13,600 And it says, Till you come unto Gaza, and left no substance for 93 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,440 Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor ass. 94 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,560 So the Israel was reduced here to starvation. 95 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,560 They were reduced to the wages of iniquity here. 96 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,520 And in verse 5 it says for they talking about the enemy came up 97 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,560 with their cattle in their tents, and they came as 98 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:33,320 grasshoppers for a multitude, for both they and their camels 99 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:35,560 were without numbers. So there was a lot of them, 100 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:37,960 right? And they entered into the land 101 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,240 to destroy it. See, the, the Lord had allowed 102 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,720 this to happen because of Israel's idolatry and the things 103 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,320 they were doing. And it's really no different 104 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,320 today under grace, I don't think. 105 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,960 I mean, a lot of people say, well, you know, it's God just 106 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,040 loves everybody and he, he prospers everybody. 107 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,360 And yet there's no trials. And yet we just preach all the 108 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,800 love of God. But yet God gets our, he gets 109 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,680 our attention through trials. He gets our attention through 110 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,640 throwing things our way. And that's what he was doing 111 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,720 here because he had just LED these these blessed people into 112 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,680 the land flowing with milk and honey, but yet they were going 113 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:14,720 back to their old ways over and over again. 114 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:16,400 And Israel was greatly impoverished. 115 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:20,080 Verse 6 because of the Midianites and the children of 116 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,200 Israel cried unto the Lord, They cried unto the Lord because they 117 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,640 had fallen and because they, they knew that they weren't 118 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,400 doing what was right. And in verse 7, it came to pass 119 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,320 when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of 120 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,120 the Midianites. And I just have a question and 121 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,920 I've always kind of had this question because I I've seen it 122 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:45,720 over and over in my life with people from the work site to the 123 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,960 rodeo world to now even in the church world is I have a 124 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,760 question and maybe y'all can chime in here and give me some 125 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,080 answers. But why is it that so many 126 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,840 believers that's I said believers, people that know 127 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:01,720 Jesus, people that that know that he died on a cross. 128 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:06,080 But why is it so many times that that as I preached Sunday, the 129 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,480 great falling away that we're seeing from the church world and 130 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,080 the ages, you know, of the of the middle a even the not middle 131 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:14,680 age, but even younger. I don't remember all the 132 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,760 statistics I give Sunday, but it's astronomical. 133 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:21,120 Those that are just dropping out of church that was raised in an 134 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,480 evangelical church, a Bible believing church, and they're 135 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,560 not returning in young adult to it. 136 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,920 But why is it that so many believers have to come of to a 137 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,400 place of utter defeat and humiliation? 138 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,720 You know, if I look around tonight, I, I could probably get 139 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,800 some testimonies about how we came to a place. 140 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,240 Some people did that, that they, they would just, they knew 141 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:43,920 better, but yet they were in that place. 142 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,400 But why do we have to come to that place before we cry out? 143 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,200 Because so many do. I know when I did rodeo schools 144 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,440 and Bible camps, I would try to teach kids that you don't have 145 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:59,200 to get on drugs and alcohol and you don't have to have a 146 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,760 pregnant girlfriend in high school and struggle through. 147 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,960 You don't have to do all those things if you'll just cry out to 148 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,720 God. Hey, man, He can take you around 149 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:09,640 so much. And that's kind of my life 150 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,400 testimony. God has taken me around so much 151 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,320 because when I didn't feel like it, I kept praising. 152 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,320 When I didn't feel like it, I kept worshipping because I know 153 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,400 so if I don't, I can become impoverished, Amen. 154 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:25,440 With sin was may be stricken of the things of the world, but if 155 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,480 we would just cry out to the Lord and I like this at all 156 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,960 times, Amen. No matter what's going on, just 157 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,520 keep crying out, crying out. But yet what happens? 158 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,520 And I'm preaching to you tonight about building an altar in your 159 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:40,760 life. There's there's all kinds of 160 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,159 altars today, you know, you and we to Google things. 161 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:46,880 I told you all that last week, but you Google, you Google an 162 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:48,600 altar. And I'm one of them said that 163 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,920 it's a table in a church that the bread and the wine set up 164 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:53,200 on. That's what Google thinks an 165 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,720 altar is. And I, you know, we do call 166 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,040 that, I guess in some churches, that's an altar. 167 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,680 I've been to some churches. They, they have the, they have 168 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:03,240 the place for the, the communion, but yet there's no 169 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,920 altars over here. But I want to, I want to read to 170 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:07,600 you a little more here. What happens? 171 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:12,200 But why is it that that's one can approach an altar and be 172 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,320 changed forever in a moment and in an instant? 173 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,120 I've seen it. Addictions fall, things in their 174 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:21,400 life begin to change and turn around. 175 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,600 But yet another approach is an altar and nothing happens only 176 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,920 to find them there again and again. 177 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:29,360 Come on, somebody preach with me. 178 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:33,960 And again, so that tells me there is a proper altar that we 179 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,760 can approach and we have to build the altar. 180 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,480 And that's what Gideon, that's what a lot of this story is 181 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,440 about here and I'm going to read some more. 182 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:45,080 In verse 8 it says the Lord sent a prophet under the children of 183 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,040 Israel, which said unto them, thus says the Lord God. 184 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,080 I'm in verse 8, I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you 185 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,800 forth out of the House of bondage, and I delivered you out 186 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,960 of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who 187 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:59,240 oppressed you. So they knew that God could do 188 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,480 it right. We know that God can do it. 189 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,880 And I drove them out from before you and gave you their land. 190 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,640 And I said unto you, I'm the Lord your God. 191 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,400 Fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you 192 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:15,520 shallow to will, but you have not obeyed my voice. 193 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,880 And there came an Angel to the Lord, and he said under the oak, 194 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:24,640 which was an Oprah, and it pertained to Joe Ash. 195 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,000 Somebody want to pronounce that word? 196 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:27,840 I got one wrong last week. I'm going to give somebody a 197 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:29,360 chance right here. Anybody want to try? 198 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:31,840 They got on to me last week. What did? 199 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:35,880 How do you say that? Say it for me. 200 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:41,280 We're going to call him Asburat. How's that and his son Gideon 201 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,440 and he threshed wheat by the Ryan press to hide from the 202 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,920 Midianites. So he was pressing why Gideon is 203 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,440 at the wine press. We know the story and in verse 204 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,400 12 the Angel of the Lord, you know, in fact, people have done 205 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,360 some scholars say that this could be a pre Incarnate of the 206 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,920 Lord Jesus Christ. But he appeared unto him and and 207 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,800 he said the Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor. 208 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,680 Think about that. He wasn't a mighty man of valor. 209 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,320 He was at the wine press and his relatives were in the caves. 210 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,680 They'd made strongholds and they were hiding in the caves. 211 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:19,560 But yet God comes to him at the lowest point and he says, look, 212 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:21,720 you're a mighty man of valor, Gideon. 213 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:27,160 And Gideon said it to him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, 214 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:29,480 why then is all this befallen us? 215 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,840 Why is this happening? Anybody ever had that question? 216 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,560 And where be all the miracles which our fathers told of, told 217 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:39,560 us of saying, did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt? 218 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:42,680 But now the Lord has forsaken us, and delivered us in the head 219 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:44,560 of the into the hand of the Midianites. 220 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:48,120 See, the truth was, God had not forsaken Israel, but Israel had 221 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,160 forsaken God. And the Lord looked upon him and 222 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,720 he said, Go on your might. I'm sure Gideon thought, man, I 223 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:57,880 don't have any might. I don't have any strength at 224 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,600 this point. But yet God still came to him. 225 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,800 So quit telling yourself at the state and the weak place that 226 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,760 you're at spiritually in your life that God can't come to you 227 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,200 and pick you up and use you. Why didn't God go down to the 228 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,880 Tabernacle that day? If Jesus come back, would he, 229 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,920 would he go to Joel Osteen's church or would he go to Robert 230 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:21,400 Jeffers church and say, come on, I want you to lead my people? 231 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,920 Would he? It would be different than 232 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,720 anything he had done in the Bible if he went to a big 233 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,280 high-powered church that we look at today. 234 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,560 It would it would be totally out of God's character from what he 235 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:35,040 did all through Scripture, wouldn't it? 236 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:36,840 It'd be totally out of his character. 237 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,320 He looked for someone that was at at a weak state. 238 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,360 Why? Because when he was at a weak 239 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,960 state, he was willing to listen. You really you want me to go in 240 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:47,440 what street to have? I don't have any. 241 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,240 God says good, I can give you some. 242 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,320 That's what he does to us today if we listen. 243 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:54,920 But when we're in a weak state, we have to be listening. 244 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,520 And he said unto him, O my Lord, verse 15, where we shall I save 245 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,120 Israel? Behold, my family is poor, the 246 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:08,160 poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 247 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,200 This was at least see one of the reasons that the Lord chose 248 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:14,160 Gideon I believe because he could use him. 249 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,880 He could hear what was going on because meekness and lowliness 250 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,800 are necessity for Christ. We read this all through 251 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,840 scripture in Matthew 11 and 28. He says come to me, all who are 252 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,360 all, all who are laboring, all who are heavy laden, and I will 253 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,640 what give you rest. Take my yoke up on you because 254 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,480 my yoke is easy and my burdens are light. 255 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:37,840 So we read on. I'm going to read this and I'm 256 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,560 going to back up and, and teach on a little bit in verse 17. 257 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:46,880 And he said to him, he said unto him, if now I have found grace 258 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:52,160 in your side, then show me a sign that you talk with me. 259 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:58,160 Verse 18 Or yeah, verse 18 Depart not hence, I pray you, 260 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:02,480 until I come unto you, and I bring forth my present, and I 261 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:05,400 set it before you. And he said, I will tarry until 262 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,960 you come again. And Gideon went in, and he made 263 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:12,040 ready a kid, a young lamb here, and unlaven cakes, and an 264 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,080 Ephraim of flower. The flesh he put in a basket, 265 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:20,200 and he put the broth in the pot, and he brought it out unto him 266 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:24,080 under the oak, and presented it. And the Angel of God said unto 267 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,920 him, Take the flesh and unlaven cakes, and lay them up on this 268 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,640 rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 269 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,480 So what happened here? Gideon knew that he knew how God 270 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:37,480 operated. He knew that he had to bring a 271 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,240 sacrifice. He knew that he had to have the 272 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,040 proper kind of altar to approach God. 273 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,200 And the Angel of the Lord put forth the end of his staff that 274 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,120 was in his hand, and he touched the flesh and the unlavened 275 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:53,200 cakes, and then and then rose up fire out of the rock and 276 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,720 consumed the flesh and the unlavened cakes. 277 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,280 Then the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. 278 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,160 See, this was a type here of a judgment of God which which 279 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:07,720 would fall upon the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross when he 280 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,280 died. It was the same type of 281 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,200 sacrifice here. And see, faith in the toning 282 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,680 work of Christ in the cross is what we miss many times today. 283 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,520 And regrettably, it's missing in the church many times. 284 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,400 But I want to look at this altar here. 285 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:26,240 You see there the altar is actually there to do some things 286 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:30,600 for us, but we have to be willing to lay some things on 287 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,200 the altar. Does that make sense? 288 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,520 Many have the altar all wrong. It's not just a place to lay 289 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,440 what's wrong in your life. You know when you go to an altar 290 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,720 and you go wherever it is, it may be by the old tree, wherever 291 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,240 the place is, you get a hold of God and you pray can become like 292 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:50,200 this rock was to Gideon, and you OfferUp a sacrifice of what 293 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:53,240 pray? See, many come to the altar with 294 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,240 not even a sacrifice in mind, but only a receiving right. 295 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,880 It's to lay what's wrong with us down and lay our problem down 296 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:02,840 and pray that God fixes it right. 297 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,880 That's what they alter people think is for. 298 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,840 We have been taught I'll come to the altar and God's going to fix 299 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:10,920 everything. I'm not always found that to 300 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,280 work in my life. It can. 301 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,040 But when I come to the altar, with the right attitude, when I 302 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,880 come to the altar, Gideon, he could have left all this stuff 303 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,640 out and said, OK, God come to me, told me I'm a mighty man of 304 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:24,080 valor. I don't have to do anything 305 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:25,960 else. But he knew under the law, he 306 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:28,920 knew that he had to sacrifice these things and he had to build 307 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,800 an altar so many times. See, when we come to the altar, 308 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,680 we've got it all wrong. It's not just a place to lay 309 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,800 what's wrong in your life? Write that down before the Lord 310 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:40,920 and expect him to fix it. He can. 311 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:47,760 But you see, when the altar is a place that we come to change our 312 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:52,760 the characteristics and the things that are distinguishing 313 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,920 us, it can become a place that we change, right? 314 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,320 Because we have to as an individual, we have to bring 315 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,440 things before the Lord. But the altar, it will or should 316 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,640 be like Gideon. It should be done in a proper 317 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,119 way that God can recognize it because it's a sacrificial 318 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,839 offer. God can change everything at the 319 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:15,680 altar, He can alter our problems, but more than just an 320 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:18,800 alter the problem, you know, I found if the problem is just 321 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,680 fixed and if that's my goal in life is just to fix that problem 322 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,839 that I walked down there for, I found that pretty soon it 323 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:30,320 returns. Hello, it's OK, we've all done 324 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:34,440 it. But more than just alter the 325 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:39,000 problem, as I said that we'll just return again if I don't 326 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,160 sacrifice that which is causing the problem. 327 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,480 Hello. And most of the time we think 328 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,720 it's somebody else, but we have to look at our self. 329 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,760 See, the altar should alter you. Gideon built the proper kind of 330 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:53,400 altar. I'm going to give you some 331 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,920 proper kind of altars tonight and some things that an altar in 332 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:01,360 your life should have. An altar is a place of laying 333 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:06,160 down what we have. We fail, don't we? 334 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,360 Many go altar never never really want to lay anything down, just 335 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:13,720 want to receive something. But when I go to the altar, it 336 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:19,520 should be a place of laying down something in my life and picking 337 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,880 up what God has for me. I like to call it the proper 338 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,240 kind of altar is accepting the call. 339 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:28,640 See, that's what Gideon had to do. 340 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,560 God came to him. He called him. 341 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,960 He said even though you hide out in caves, your relatives, even 342 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,480 though you're scared and hiding down in the threshing floor on 343 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,920 the wine press, I can still use you, Gideon. 344 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,280 But he accepted the call. See, the many times we go to the 345 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,640 altar, maybe we hear something from God, but we don't accept 346 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,280 the call. We have to build an altar of 347 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,120 acceptance in our life. I may be hiding in a cave. 348 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,840 I may be scared. I may have heard the call. 349 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:56,880 I begin to think of people that heard the call. 350 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,240 Lazarus was dead, but what did he hear? 351 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,440 Lazarus come forth. He heard the call right. 352 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,160 Many times in our life, our dreams, our hopes, things may be 353 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,920 dead in our life, but if we build the proper kind of all 354 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,600 altar and we accept the call. So the the first thing we have 355 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,720 to do is build an altar of acceptance in our life. 356 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,360 Accept the call that God has placed on you. 357 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:23,720 You know, many people, they don't want the call that God's 358 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,440 placed on them. I never wanted to be a preacher. 359 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,440 I never wanted to be a pastor. I like going around and giving a 360 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:31,440 testimony. But I heard the call, Amen. 361 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,800 And I had to accept it. And there was not going to be 362 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,480 any other call that God changed in my life until I accepted that 363 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,960 one. What are we not accepting? 364 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,400 We have to accept what God has put on us because if we don't, 365 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,440 we go around trying to change something and it could be God's 366 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,080 very plan and purpose for our life, right? 367 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,800 So we have to accept at the altar. 368 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,120 The second thing, to build the proper kind of altar, you will 369 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,320 have to sacrifice just as Gideon did. 370 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,560 It's no longer a lamb. It's no longer a goat or a bull. 371 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,440 I've, I've laid a lot of things on the altar over the years. 372 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,680 How about you? Some things that, you know, 373 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:09,400 people say, well, I don't have to get rid of that. 374 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,320 It ain't really sin if God said get rid of it. 375 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,080 You do. Hey, man, because it'll keep you 376 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,200 from your destiny. Laid a lot of things on the 377 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,160 altar. But you know, I, I begin to 378 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,160 think about this today, the hardest thing that that I've 379 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,840 ever had to put on the altar. Think about what's the hardest 380 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:26,160 thing. You know, I hear people all the 381 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:28,960 time they, they get to talking about their former live boy. 382 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,600 I had to lay alcohol on the altar. 383 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,320 I had to lay this on the I had to lay that. 384 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,880 You know, I wish God would have called me to lay one thing on 385 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:38,480 the altar. It would have been a lot easier. 386 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,360 Maybe two things. How many has God called you? 387 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:44,320 Come on y'all, help me tonight. How many things has God called 388 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:45,840 you to lay on? Now you know what He really 389 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,960 calls each and every one of us? The hardest thing that we ever 390 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,200 have to put on the altar. And still for me, the hardest 391 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:56,120 thing is to lay down my life. That's what he's called us to 392 00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:57,960 do. And when you lay down your life, 393 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,480 you don't, you have to look at all that other stuff. 394 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,320 You just lay down your life, like the apostle Paul said, and 395 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,480 crucify the flesh daily. And you lay it all on the altar, 396 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,200 right? Because he knows anyway. 397 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,640 But we like to separate it. You know, I want to lay this 398 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:13,440 over here and I want to come up here for this day. 399 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,920 I want, I'm telling you how to approach an altar, right? 400 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,080 But many times we don't put ourself on the altar. 401 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:22,640 That's the hardest thing that you'll ever do is to lay 402 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,840 yourself down every day to lay down my life. 403 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,440 But if you want to build the kind of altar that works, if you 404 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,800 want to see the altar build you, you got to do it right. 405 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,120 You got to accept things at the altar. 406 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:37,880 You got to sacrifice things at the altar. 407 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,920 And the third thing we have to do many times and we we can read 408 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:48,280 the rest of this is there has to be a tearing down, man, We need 409 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,000 a tearing down today of the things that we've been thought 410 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,640 taught through religion and through church denominations. 411 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,880 We can't, we can't even approach an alter many people because 412 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,960 they they've been taught so much stuff that's that's not even in 413 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,800 the word of God, or maybe it's twisted in the word of God. 414 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,760 There has to be a tearing down. Some things got to go, and you 415 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,760 must rebuild the altars that the enemy is built in your life. 416 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,440 Because see, Satan is really good at building altars that 417 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,840 don't work in our life and making us blame it on God, 418 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,880 right? And it's not God's fault at all. 419 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,600 It's us. It's built the improper altar 420 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:24,680 because we haven't accepted the call of God. 421 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,440 We haven't sacrificed anything at the altar. 422 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,320 We just asked for blessings and things from God at the altar, 423 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,200 but we have to accept, we have to sacrifice and then we have to 424 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,760 tear down. Let's read a little more of 425 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,280 this. In verse 22 it says, then Gideon 426 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:43,960 perceived that it was an Angel of the Lord in verse 22. 427 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,760 And he said, Oh, oh Lord, God, for because I have seen an Angel 428 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,520 of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, 429 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,120 Peace be unto you, fear not, you shall not die. 430 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:59,520 Then Gideon built an altar unto the Lord, and he called it 431 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:02,000 Jehovah. Shalom, which is Lord, is peace. 432 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,520 And to this day it is there. Now in verse 25 it says, it came 433 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:11,120 to pass the same night that the Lord said unto him, He said, 434 00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,640 take your father's young bullet, see his father worship the God 435 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,960 about. He had a whole different altar 436 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,960 than Gideon had just built. He was worshiped worshiping a 437 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,600 Pagan God, his family, even the second Bullock of seven years 438 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:29,040 old and throw down the altar of bow that your father has and cut 439 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:34,760 down the Grove bite in verse 26 and build an altar unto the Lord 440 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,040 your God upon the top of this rock. 441 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,400 So see immediately when when Gideon had accepted the call of 442 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:46,960 God, he had sacrificed what he knew God required at the altars 443 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,960 is making sense. Then he had to tear down the 444 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,000 other altars that wasn't working in his life. 445 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,360 They even his family was worshipping at the old altar 446 00:23:55,360 --> 00:23:59,240 that he had been taught that to worship at the God about, he had 447 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,160 to go tear it down. Amen. 448 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:04,240 And I'm telling if you want to see God move at the place that 449 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,600 you're trying to alter your problems, you're going to have 450 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,480 to tear down some things. He tore down the altar. 451 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:11,840 You can go home and read the rest of this. 452 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:13,480 There's no way I can cover it all tonight. 453 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,640 And he built another one in the order and the and the place. 454 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,280 And he took the second bullet in verse 26 and offered a burnt 455 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,200 sacrifice with the wood in the Grove, which you shall cut down. 456 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,320 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord 457 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:31,240 said unto him. So it was because he feared his 458 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,400 father's household in the middle of the city, that he could not 459 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,640 do it by day. So he did it at night. 460 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,880 And then the men of the city arose early in the morning. 461 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:43,560 Behold, the altar of Bow was cut down, and the Grove was cut 462 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:44,720 down. That was bite. 463 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,560 And the second bullet was offered up on the altar. 464 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,280 And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? 465 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,320 And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon, the 466 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,440 son of Joash has done this thing. 467 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,280 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out your son, 468 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,760 that he may die, because he has cut down the altar of Bow, 469 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,760 because he is cut down the Grove by which it was set. 470 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,120 And Joash said unto all who stood against him, Will you 471 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:12,120 plead for Bow? Will you save him? 472 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,760 He will plead for him. Let him be put to death while he 473 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:18,800 is yet, while it is yet mourning. 474 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,640 If he be God, let him plead for himself, because one has cast 475 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,920 down his altar. Therefore, on that day he called 476 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:36,000 him, they called Gideon Jera Bible and it said it isn't idol 477 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,440 anything. It's what this meant. 478 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,800 Let Bao plead against him because he has thrown down his 479 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,960 altar. You know many times when you do 480 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,400 these things, when you accept the call of God, when you 481 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:50,640 sacrifice and then you begin to tear down, they begin to call 482 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,800 you things, right? Holy roller, preacher, man, 483 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,640 whatever it is they call you today. 484 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,200 But it didn't affect Giddy and he knew that God had called him 485 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,840 to do something. See, there's some things that's 486 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,520 got to go. There's some things that we got 487 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,720 to rebuild when we're doing a proper altar. 488 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:13,280 The fourth thing for a proper altar, it will have a fast and a 489 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,360 prayer. Matthew 1714 through 21, Jesus 490 00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:20,320 spoke of his disciples when they when they couldn't accomplish 491 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,480 something, he said this kind of power. 492 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,120 When they couldn't cast out the demon, What Jesus say, he said 493 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:30,280 this kind of power only goes out except by prayer and fasting. 494 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:36,880 Joshua one and eight, it says, giving up for God, meditating on 495 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,720 His word day and night, due according to what is written 496 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,800 therein. For then thou shalt make thy way 497 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:47,720 prosperous, and then thou shalt have good, good success. 498 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:52,720 So see, a proper altar will also have after you accepted the call 499 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,440 of God, after you sacrifice that which God has asked of us, 500 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:57,800 right? Which is what? 501 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,640 Ourself, we got it messed up. We think it's the habit. 502 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:04,280 Just sacrifice yourself and habits take care of their self, 503 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:07,280 right? So when we sacrifice that, then 504 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,480 we tear down the old altars and the old way of thinking in our 505 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:15,520 life. We have to fast and pray #5 a 506 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,160 proper altar. We'll have a question. 507 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,120 I like that, don't you? It's impossible to come to an 508 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:28,920 altar and sacrifice yourself and sacrifice the things in your 509 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:32,440 life and accept the call of God. It's impossible to do that not 510 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,760 have a question. I heard these priests say, well, 511 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,520 don't question God. I do many times. 512 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:39,600 I didn't say that question is wisdom. 513 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,120 I question his direction of where I'm the going. 514 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,680 Why? How do you want me to the Gideon 515 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,160 question When we read all the great people of the Bible, 516 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,080 Gideon had a question, Lord, how can I do this? 517 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,160 I'm the least among all the people. 518 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,080 The disciples help me had a question. 519 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:02,560 Jesus had a question when he was going to the cross. 520 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,120 But you see, without a question, you get no answer, right? 521 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,400 So the proper kind of altar will have a question, you will have 522 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,680 some questions, and then God doesn't expect our questions to 523 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:14,960 go unanswered. Amen. 524 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,200 But when we sacrifice and we do the right things and build the 525 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:21,000 proper kind of altar, he answers right. 526 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,960 Ask Elijah. He called fire down from heaven 527 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:26,720 at the same cap a deal. I could have preached on that 528 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:28,720 tonight. He he was tearing down the 529 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,880 altars of who bow The sixth thing. 530 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:39,400 A proper altar will give you signs, wonders and miracles. 531 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,000 Let's back up and look at this because we don't see a lot of 532 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,680 this at the altar anymore today. It seems that many people come 533 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,800 to an altar only to be untouched in their life, only to have the 534 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:54,440 same things going on in their life over and over again. 535 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,160 But when we build the say it with me, so I know y'all are 536 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:02,800 here tonight, the proper kind of altar will have a sacrifice. 537 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:04,880 I'm accepting. I'm sorry. 538 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:11,360 It will have a sacrifice and it will have a tearing down. 539 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:19,160 It will have a fast and a prayer and it will have a question, and 540 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,840 it will give you signs, wonders and miracles, just as it did 541 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:31,000 Gideon, Elijah, Joseph, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, the list 542 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,960 goes on and on. It will heal the sick. 543 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:37,040 It will and can raise the dead. Amen. 544 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:41,680 Spiritually, it can't open blinded eyes, it can calm your 545 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,560 troubled sea when we have the proper kind of altar in our 546 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:46,480 life. But when an altar is not 547 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:50,240 properly built, many times there's no change in the 548 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:54,200 situation and nothing happens. I've seen this, have y'all? 549 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,480 Have you ever seen it? But yet people don't approach 550 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:01,040 the altar and build the proper kind of altar. 551 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,240 It's then that we must tear down Proverbs 15 and eight. 552 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,080 It says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination. 553 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:11,160 That's powerful. The sacrifice of the wicked is 554 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:15,240 an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his 555 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,000 delight. See, that's that's what happens. 556 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,760 People come and they're still, they're still wickedness in them 557 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:22,920 because they never laid their self on the altar, right? 558 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:26,280 They have unrepented sin because they just want this problem 559 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,360 fixed without getting rid of this in their life that they 560 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:29,920 know God's calling to get rid of. 561 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:33,320 So therefore the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination. 562 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,840 Or we can go around say, well, God hears everybody's prayer. 563 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,960 We'll hold that, go out in that crazy and do all those things 564 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:41,640 and tell me how many prayers get answered. 565 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,400 Samuel 15 and 22, it says obedience. 566 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,400 I like this. I'll never forget the day I read 567 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:52,160 this years ago. Samuel 15 and 22, it says that 568 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,480 obedience, You read through the whole testament of how all that 569 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,880 God had required under the law. There was a lot of sacrificing 570 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:01,680 that went on just like it getting in there. 571 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,280 Don't have time to talk about all of it and what all it 572 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,840 required was a big deal. But Samuel says here that 573 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,360 obedience, just obeying God is better than a sacrifice. 574 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,960 Wow. He places a lot on obedience 575 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,160 right there. But we place very little on it, 576 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,520 right, Christians today we just throw it on grace. 577 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:22,320 So I don't have to obey because of grace. 578 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,240 Well, you know, the children of Israel had just been LED from in 579 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,640 from slavery to a desert where generations died and then 580 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,960 stepped into a land that was flowing with milk and honey. 581 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,880 So they went from one place to a great place, back to a 582 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:40,080 impoverishment and hiding in a cave. 583 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:41,880 Why? Why did they do all that 584 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,800 obedience? Because they was thinking the 585 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,240 sacrifice was better. No, obedience is always better. 586 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:50,800 And you know, the thing about obedience is, you know, pay. 587 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,040 I heard someone say, well, I still know I need to obey. 588 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:56,480 God told me they obey. All right, we have to obey 589 00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:59,320 because obedience is always right. 590 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:02,960 It's just like forgiveness. Obedience to God is always 591 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:08,240 right. Isaiah 111 through 13, God 592 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,680 declares he He is full of burnt offerings and does not delight 593 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,640 in them when accompanied by sin. Wow. 594 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:22,040 So a proper altar. The sixth thing, and I like 595 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:27,440 this, it will have an answer. It will have an answer. 596 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:30,640 Moses stretched out his arms and what happened? 597 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:36,600 The Red Sea parted. David prayed and did what? 598 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:41,600 Slayed a giant. Jesus prayed and it sent him to 599 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,680 a cross. But oh, how it brought victory. 600 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,240 Never thought about that. Jesus prayed. 601 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:49,960 Let this cup pass for me. But nevertheless, I'm going to 602 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,120 obey you. Nevertheless. 603 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,360 It's not about my will, Father, but it's about your will. 604 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,560 Jesus prayed and sent him to the cross. 605 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:04,800 So to recap a proper altar we'll have what an accepting accepting 606 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:09,440 the call of Christ. It will have a sacrifice of our 607 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:12,480 self require us to lay some things down. 608 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,920 But this makes you makes me look at altar different. 609 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,840 I wonder how people look at an altar. 610 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,480 I wonder how they look at it. You know, when you when the 611 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:26,240 heat's on at the end of the service and I've had people come 612 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:28,920 here and say I've never, I've never been to a church that I, 613 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,240 that I felt at the end of that church that that I could go up 614 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:33,840 there and something could happen to me. 615 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:35,200 I've never been in it, never been. 616 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,480 I'm not really. I grew up in that stuff, man. 617 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,280 I always know you. You might want to stay away from 618 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:42,400 up here if you don't want to change and some conviction to 619 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,920 fall upon you, you know, but but some people has has never 620 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:47,200 experienced that. Why? 621 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,320 Because they've never even approached an altar. 622 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,920 It's a sad thing, but a proper altar will have an accepting. 623 00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:57,600 It will have a sacrifice as we stand our feet tonight. 624 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,840 It will have a tearing down or a laying down. 625 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,240 It will have a prayer and a fast. 626 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,360 Well, I've got questions. That's OK. 627 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:14,239 The proper altar, I believe has some questions, but most of all, 628 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:16,880 it will have an answer. Thank God. 629 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,719 Maybe this will change the way we pray. 630 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:23,480 Maybe this will change the way we approach the altars in our 631 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:28,960 life many times, but you know, it just, it gets old sometimes 632 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:32,199 seeing people approach the altar the wrong way and not A and and 633 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,440 and not letting God accomplish what He can accomplish in our 634 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:38,960 life. But as your heads are bowed, I 635 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,520 challenge you just lay yourself on the altar every day. 636 00:34:43,679 --> 00:34:46,199 Thanks for listening to the Cross Power Church podcast. 637 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:50,199 May you know that true hope, peace, and salvation can only be 638 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:53,560 found in Jesus. If you're near Campbell, TX, we 639 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:55,719 would love for you to join us in person. 640 00:34:56,159 --> 00:34:59,280 You can find service times at crosspowerchurch.com.