Build The Altar

This powerful message takes us deep into Genesis 12:7-8, where we discover that Abraham's journey wasn't just about moving to a new land—it was about building altars wherever God revealed Himself. The Hebrew word 'Mizbeach' teaches us that an altar is literally a place of sacrifice and slaughter, reminding us that transformation requires surrender. We're challenged to examine what we've substituted for genuine altar-building in our lives: Have we replaced sacred meeting places with platforms, stages, or personal brands? The sermon unpacks a profound truth—before our lives can be altered (A-L-T-E-R-E-D), we must first bring everything to the altar (A-L-T-A-R). This isn't about religious performance; it's about creating intentional space where heaven knows our name. Whether it's a prayer chair, a journal, quiet moments before checking our phones, or even time alone in our cars, we're called to carve out sacred spaces where we genuinely encounter God. The message confronts our tendency to want God to fix things for us without allowing Him to transform things in us. We learn that God reveals Himself to those who make space for Him, and that divine direction requires intentional devotion. Drawing from Noah's altar after the flood and Paul's teaching in Romans 12:1 about presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, we see that the altar represents both a meeting place and a place of movement—where we stop resisting and start releasing everything to God's control.