Revival in the Family – Part 4 | Sun 16 Oct | 2022 Year of Abundant Harvest

We thank God for this beautiful day and we welcome you all in Jesus’ name!

Today we will be continuing study from our ongoing series, “Revival in the Family“.  We will continue the Part 4 of “Establishing the altar at home!“

Our God is a promise keeping God and He even moves for He is same yesterday, today and forevermore!

As we already have been studying about two kinds of people who have:

If we see the life of Abraham, wherever he went, he built an altar. Abraham had everything many would like to possess in the world. However, he left everything and started a journey where God called him.

Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

There are different kinds of altars that Abraham built. However, this was the first altar he built. The meaning of the name of the place “Schechem” where Abraham built his altar literally means “Shoulder”. That is because of its location. And where he built the altar, on both sides of this shoulder, i.e. the land, there were enemies. Nevertheless, Abraham totally depended on God. And when we depend on God, He blesses us.

If we depend on God, we get opportunity to build an intimate relation with God and when we have intimate relationship with God, He takes us to places and blesses our generations.

There is something we can learn from the life of Abraham. We can build an altar just like how Abraham did.

When we know someone is totally different from knowing someone in person.

From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

Not just he built an altar, but called upon the name of the Lord. He is aware that this is the house of God. Bethel literally means “The House of God”. And this was the place for his family to dwell.

He not only minded the ceremonial part of religion, the offering of sacrifice; but he made conscience of seeking his God, and calling on his name; that spiritual sacrifice with which God is well pleased. He preached concerning the name of the Lord; he taught his family and neighbours the knowledge of the true God, and his faith towards God. The way of family worship is a good old way, no new thing, but the ancient usage of the saints. Abram was rich, and had a numerous family, was now unsettled, and in the midst of enemies; yet, wherever he pitched his tent, he built an altar: wherever we go, let us not fail to take our religion along with us.

In Bethel, Abraham built his home.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

When you are blessed by God, do not forget to call upon the name of the Lord!

Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Those are best prepared for the visits of Divine grace, whose spirits are calm, and not ruffled with passion. God will abundantly make up in spiritual peace, what we lose for preserving neighbourly peace. When our relations are separated from us, yet God is not. Observe also the promises with which God now comforted and enriched Abram. Of two things he assures him; a good land, and a numerous issue to enjoy it. The prospects seen by faith are more rich and beautiful than those we see around us. God bade him walk through the land, not to think of fixing in it, but expect to be always unsettled, and walking through it to a better Canaan. He built an altar, in token of his thankfulness to God. When God meets us with gracious promises, he expects that we should attend him with humble praises. In outward difficulties, it is very profitable for the true believer to mediate on the glorious inheritance which the Lord has for him at the last.

If God tells you to rise up, it doesn’t matter if you are in a rocky place. Gold will raise you and take you above the rocky places.

Enemy may say that you are a foolish person and do not sit in the rocky places; do not listen to him. Remember, God is also the creator of these rocks. When God says “Rise Up!” this is when you make your move.

There are great examples, prodigal son returning to his father, Jacob cheated his brother but he realised by returning to his brother and then there was reconciliation. The outcome was beautiful.

This is called the walk of faith. When we build an altar, call upon the Lord and He wilk surprise in a most beautiful way we could not have imagined.

In Genesis, Adam and Eve’s son Abel built an altar. Who taught him? Obviously, his parents. We see here, impact of father who raises his children in a way acceptable to God and which is a right way. God has kept the fathers as the leader for their children.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

It was not God’s intention that Isaac should actually be sacrificed, yet nobler blood than that of animals, in due time, was to be shed for sin, even the blood of the only begotten Son of God. But in the mean while God would not in any case have human sacrifices used. Another sacrifice is provided. Reference must be had to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. Christ was sacrificed in our stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge. And observe, that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterwards built upon this same mount Moriah; and Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was near. A new name was given to that place, for the encouragement of all believers, to the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God, and obey him. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide; probably alluding to what Abraham had said, God will provide himself a lamb. The Lord will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may give them seasonable help.

Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. God, by his providence, calls us to part with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with cheerful submission to His holy will.

So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

This was not only the altar of sacrifice, but it was also an altar of God’s provision.

Are you building an altar at your home? People of God, we do not need to even think twice. We want our God to take us from the barren places to fruitful lands.

Parents, do not deprive your children from the love of God. Let them learn how to build an altar and how to please God.

Build an altar in your family today and bow down to father. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

If you are a man and woman of God and of faith, there has to be an altar and this is where you will build your tents. The altar is a mark of our faith that we believe in God and believe in sacrifices and this is the place where you all, wholeheartedly, surrender to Him.

Thank you all for joining us today. We look forward to see you all next Sunday. God bless!