Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Exodus 20. Exodus 20. You know, if we just considered a moment
ago, when man who rebelled against the God
of all mercy. And oh, how merciful is our God. The man rebelled against God. Something happened. You know
that. Man lost That communion, fellowship,
love that he formerly possessed with the Lord God Himself. Peace,
communion between the Lord God Himself and mankind was gone. Man, because of sin, was alienated
from God. Nothing. No fellowship. Isaiah
59, verse 2 says, But your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid His face from you. that he
will not hear. Almighty God, because of man's rebellion, now
listen, you consider a man, a woman, apart from being found in Christ. A man or woman alienated from Almighty God and
having no substitute. God has not looked upon that
man, that woman in Christ. I'm telling you, God Almighty
has said, I'm not going to hear you. I am not going to hear you. Man rebelled in the garden because
that's what he wanted to do. Everything that Almighty God
told him happened. And the day you eat, you're going
to die. For man, because of disobedience,
to have any hope of eternal life, Almighty God is going to have
to restore that fellowship. As Brother Scott used to tell
us, God's going to have to do something for Himself before
He's going to do anything or can do anything because of His
justice. People say, well, what do you
mean? God Almighty is not at the expense of His holiness and
justice, righteousness. He's not going to overlook sin. He's not. He's not. Man sinned against God. Fellowship
is broken. And Almighty God must do something. Or man has no hope. Man is hopelessly lost. Unless almighty God satisfies
his justice and wrath against sin and rebellion against him,
and establishes peace, man is lost. Man's lost. Man can say whatever he wants
to say, well, I desire to come to the Lord. I'm not going to
hear you. I want to make things right. You're lost! You're lost! Without Almighty God doing something. And I'm telling you, get man
out of the equation. Man's already done what man wants
to do. Man has rebelled against God. Sin must be punished. And the only way that Almighty
God can be just in punishing sin and justify a sinner, declare
that sinner holy, holy, accepted, is if Almighty God Deals with
sinners in a substitute. He's going to have to deal with
a sinner in one apart from that sinner. I'm telling you. I'm
telling you. How should God be just? And justify a sinner? I can tell you this. There's
going to have to be one that's going to have to answer. When we start thinking about
Almighty God providing a ransom, He is gracious unto him and saith,
deliver him from going down to the pit. I found a ransom. I found one that absolutely can
suffer the penalty of divine wrath against God. Wrath that has been established
because of man's rebellion. There's one that can satisfy
the broken law's judgment. The curse of the law. One that
can be made a curse for us and satisfy God. And God Almighty
deal with him in absolute holiness and justice and wrath. And that
substitute satisfy God and appease God by perfect obedience. Suffer being made sin, and absolutely be obedient. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. All of the divine attributes
that Almighty God demands for man's salvation and merit before
Him found only in one. The Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 172,
is the mercy of God promised. The Lord Jesus Christ, John 14,
6, is the truth of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, Jeremiah
23, 6, is our righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah
9-6, is our peace, the Prince of Peace. I need, I desire, I long for
an Almighty God who purposed it long before I ever knew anything
about it. I need to be at peace with God.
I need a rest. I need, I desire, I long to rest
in Him. I know this. The justice of God
demands satisfaction. We need a substitute. We need
a substitute. We need an altar. When we talk
about an altar, And we talk about a place where two things happen. Number one, an altar. It's where
a debt is paid. And it's where an offering of
thanksgiving and praise is offered unto God. That's an altar. That's
what an altar does. Whenever we see or read about
in the Scriptures an altar, That fact says that God Almighty
is merciful. Because God Almighty has provided
an altar. That Almighty God did not leave
us to ourselves. That there is an altar. That
Almighty God did not just leave men to perish. That there is
an altar declares set forth that Almighty God has purposed to
show mercy. Justice is going to be satisfied.
Justice is going to be set forth and rendered before God Almighty,
or God Almighty is not going to satisfy Himself in the salvation
of anybody. Justice must be satisfied. So when we hear of an altar,
an altar, that fact says God is going to have mercy on somebody,
and you know who He's going to have mercy on. Those that He's
chosen show mercy to. We, by the grace of God, Hebrews
13 says this, we have an altar. An altar is a place where a substitute,
where a sacrifice is offered. It's an altar. We have an altar
that the world knows nothing about. Christ is our altar. An altar is not something that's
a piece of board down to a loaded little article. Put it in the
paper. And I start off with people here,
they say, we're going to have an altar call. You know what
most people think? Well, I'm going to get out of
my pew and I'm going to walk down an aisle and I'm going to come and
kneel down on a piece of wood. That piece of wood is not an
altar. You don't find that in Scripture.
That's just made up. An altar. An altar is where Almighty
God is going to satisfy Himself. That's what God's doing. That's
an altar. That place where Almighty God
has been pleased to put away the debt owed to him by those
that have rebelled against him. We need an altar. Almighty God has provided. Exodus chapter 20, verse 24. And this altar that we're going
to look at, This was provided. This was given. God gave instruction
on this altar. And this is what He said. Now,
when He gave this instruction right here, He had not given
Moses the direction on the building of the brazen altar. The altar
of incense where God Almighty would take Him. He said, you
build that altar out of sheddum wood and you cover that with
gold. This was before He gave the instruction
at the very foot of the hill where God Almighty gave the Ten
Commandments. God Almighty that told and gave
to Moses with the finger of God written in stone. This is my
law. Those laws of ten commandments. And at the foot of that mountain,
God gave an altar. God Almighty provided the pincher
that sets forth the substitute. The one that was going to make
good on what God demanded. And He set forth and He said,
this is the way. that I'm going to be approached.
This is the way that you will approach me. His altar. Verse 24, Exodus 20, an altar
of earth. I think just reading that right
there, I think about the humanity of Christ. An altar of earth. This is how you're going to approach
me. An altar of earth thou shalt
make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon by burnt offerings and
peace offerings. You know, even before I go any
farther, I think about, just to remind you, the burnt offering
was an offering, it was a sweet savor offering. It was only for
God. Man could not partake of any
of that. That burnt offering was a sweet
savor offering that set forth the glorious obedience of Christ. His obedience. When they offered
that burnt offering, that savor of obedience, that savor of Christ,
That sweet savor that had to be offered. Almighty God demands
obedience. Obedience. I'm telling you, I
said before, how holy does a man or a woman have to be to get
into heaven? How holy? You're going to have
to be. You will be. as holy as God,
or you won't be there. You will not be there. Boy, all
of a sudden, how quickly does that Scripture come back? How
should man be just with God? I need an altar. I need one that is obedient. I need one that is dedicated
to Almighty God. You will offer. that burnt offering
thereon, and thy peace offering, thy sheep, thine oxen." This
was the peace offering. When that priest offered that
peace offering, that priest could take part of that offering, and
he could eat part of that offering that was offered unto God. And
that peace offering set forth. that communion, peace, was established
before Almighty God. You offer the offering that sets
forth the obedience of my Son. That offering that is a sweet
savor to me. And you offer the peace offering.
That peace offering that's set forth that there's been some
reconciliation. You take it and you make that
altar with earth. And the scripture says in the
latter part of verse 24, here's where you can build it. Almighty
God would move them. You know, the pillar of a cloud,
the pillar of fire at night, the pillar of a cloud at day.
And they moved wherever God stopped them. Wherever God Almighty,
Scripture says, in all places where I record my name, I will
come unto thee and I will bless thee. In the place that I'm pleased
to raise up my name, in the place that I'm pleased to mark, to
mention, to remember the name of my blessed Son, Almighty God raises up local
assemblies. God raises up local assemblies. Wherever God raises up a local
assembly, that's where God is pleased to record His name. And
I'm telling you, people don't raise up local assemblies by
their own choice. I never cease to be amazed. I
told you how I look at, here's a group of people. And I don't
know how many places we would travel and drive through town
after town after town. And as far as we know, I don't
know. I don't know. But there's no
obvious. There's no obvious place that
we know of. And the Lord may have a people
there. But where God is pleased to raise up an assembly, There
is a group of people. I'm thinking, this is a large
group of people in one place where God has been pleased to
raise up His name. Why did He do it here? I've said
before, where's Katy, West Virginia? This place is just two green
signs. One on that side and one on this
side. There's nothing here except The mercy of Almighty God, and
that's everything. Everything. You will take and
you will make an altar of earth. One that sets forth the blessed
humanity of my Son. He who gave Himself, made flesh,
associated Himself with His people. You'll offer that burnt offering,
that sweet, savor offering unto me. Verse 25, If thou wilt make me
an altar of stone, O, setting forth the glorious strength of
our God, the Rock, the One upon whom this church is built. You make an altar of stone, Thou
shalt not build it. You shall not construct it. You shall not manipulate it. You shall not build it with hewn
stone. For if thou lift up thy tool
upon it, thou hast polluted it." Wherever Almighty God was pleased
to allow His name to be in a place. If they came and there was a
rocky place and there was a lot of stone, a lot of dirt, a lot
of stone, you can take those stones and you will build an
altar and you will not do anything to alter the way that those stones
come out of the ground. You pile them up and don't you
take an instrument, this has got a little sharp edge on it,
I think I'll just take this fence off right here. I'll just knock
that edge off right there. You put that tool, that instrument,
you try to take it and construct it in such a way that you think
you're making it better. You think you're helping out
God. You think that you're going to
do something to make this just a little bit more eye appealing. You polluted it. You polluted
it. You put your hand on those stones,
and those stones are polluted. Man thinks that he's going to
add something. He thinks that he's going to
make this just a little less offensive. I'm telling you, I
am not trying to be offensive. I'm not trying to be. The gospel
is offensive to the carnal heart. I want to be truthful. But I'm
telling you, I am not, by the grace of God, I'm not, by God's
grace, I'm not going to eliminate, take out, not preach. People
say, you know, Marvin, if you just tone it down a little bit. Come on, man. Let me tell you
something. There's one before whom I'm going
to stand. There's one that I must give
account to. And oh, may I do it with joy,
not with sorrow. I must. I must. Woe is unto me
if I don't preach the gospel. Set forth the glory of God. Don't
you put your hand on that altar. Don't you deviate from what I
have provided, whether it's earth or whether it's rocks. Don't
you try to make it look. any different than the way it
is. Thus saith the Lord. Neither, verse 26, shalt thou
go up thy steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered
thereon. Almighty God had set forth You are not going to build anything
that you think, by your construction, has caused you to be able to
elevate yourself unto the Lord. Back in Genesis, a group of people
in a town called Babylon, they said this, whose top may reach unto heaven.
And let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the
face of the whole earth." If there were steps put on that
altar, whereby men, and those steps would have had to have
been built by men. They're going to build them a set of steps.
And while they're doing it, all the while they're doing it, here's
what they're saying. I am doing that which I need
to do to elevate myself, to bring myself to God. Let me tell you
something. Almighty God condescended. Almighty God made Himself. Philippians 2. If you want to
turn there, I'll read this in closing. Philippians 2, verses
5 to 8. Philippians 2 verse 5, Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. You think this
way. Elevate yourself back to God,
and you're going to be able to do that. I know by my study,
I'm elevating myself. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal of God, but made Himself. of no
reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as
a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. No man is going to elevate himself. Almighty God will bring His people
to Himself in Christ, who humbled Himself. You build a set of steps. The Scripture sets forth. Back
in Exodus 20, it says, you will not build those steps. Neither
shalt thou go up unto mine altar that thy nakedness... What nakedness? You think he's just talking about
a physical nakedness there? No. You build a set of steps
and think you're going to exalt yourself unto God? And all you're
doing is showing your spiritual nakedness. You have no robe of
righteousness. You're uncovered. You're unclean. Don't you dare. You consider
the condescending grace of the Lamb of God, who eternally was
in communion and fellowship with the Father, humbling Himself
into the hands of those that hated Him by nature, and laying
down His life, giving His back to the smiters. That's what the
Scripture says. Being made sin, suffering the
shame of the cross, satisfying justice and reconciling his people
back to God. Therein, in that altar, justice
and peace satisfied. Lord, we need an altar. Lord, You provided an altar. You think of the mercy of God
that we even know what an altar is. An altar. Boy, tell us of your
altar. You'll build that altar out of
earth, out of stones, and don't you put your hand on it. That altar is mine. That's what
he said. Don't you put a set of steps
on my altar. I am satisfying and He has satisfied
Himself. Almighty God has provided Himself
a Lamb. And when men speak of their will
and their ability and their works, He said, you've polluted. You've
polluted. You've polluted. God's altar
is not polluted. God's altar is Christ. in His humanity. That very humanity
in which He resides right now in heaven. Almighty God is satisfied
with Him. And His people in Him. God's people. I mean, God is
satisfied with them too. Lord, thank You. Thank You for
the altar. Thank You for the altar of our
blessed Savior. He who is the altar, He's the
sacrifice. He's the priest. He is our all
and in all. For our good and our eternal
salvation, Lord, unto You. Not unto us. Not unto us, O Lord,
unto You. Be all honor and glory and praise,
salvations of the Lord. Thanks be unto Him, for Christ's
sake.