Sermon Cloud

INTRO: We need an Altar Call!

There are just two huge problems related to an altar of sacrifice today.  First, the early Christian church argued stridently that the Jewish sacrificial system was no longer required – why? Because Jesus Christ became the fulfillment for every Jewish reason for a sacrifice.  Jesus had sealed all covenant promises, paid for sin and guilt, and demonstrated God’s rule as redeemer and King.  The Jewish sacrificial system pointed to the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross so that worship for the Christian was not through an activity; but through a person who had brought true communion to the worshipper that was only dreamed of in the OT.

Secondly, the Protestant church went ballistic on the Roman Catholic Church when they propagated the dogma that the Mass was the re-sacrifice of Christ’s body for the purchase of additional merit for the atonement of sins.  This type of teaching fostered the Reformation.  I know some recent RCC apologists are trying to argue differently about what the Mass represents; but the Reformation and the Counter Reformation with the Council of Trent states that is what the Mass is.

In 1521 Martin Luther (Reformation peace be upon him) wrote a tract entitled, ‘On the Misuse of the Mass,’ where he insisted, that we are called to “eat and drink” only, NOT sacrifice.

So NO WHERE in a properly historic Protestant church are you going to find an Altar (as you have in a RCC); only a table where the sacrifice of Christ is remembered, not performed, and where we are called physically sense the reason for our communion with God while acknowledging the twin conviction to be in communion with others.

Now having said that, Reformation churches love the OT! So much of Israel’s worship and devotion and promises to remember were confirmed in front of an altar.  So when someone says, “We need an Altar Call!” Naturally it’s because there are so many significant, life changing worship events that happened at an altar.

Noah offered burnt offerings (Gen. 8:20 ff.). Abraham in Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:3; ). Abraham was tested by God to offer his son, Isaac, on an altar, though God provided a ram instead (Gen. 22). Isaac in Gen. 26:25). In the case of Jacob the particular altar is named (Gen. 33:20; 35:7; cf. also 31:54; 46:1. Moses was instructed to tell the people to make an altar for the tabernacle, and additionally an altar of incense in the Holy place. (Exod. 20:24 ff.).

Altars were also built by Joshua (Jos. 8:30 f.; cf. Deut. 27:5), Gideon (Jdg. 6:24 ff.) Even Job builds an altar.  Under the judges there was an altar at Shiloh (Jos. 8:1) and in Saul’ s reign, one at Nob.  .) David also builds an altar but his son Solomon will build the temple complex. (2 Sam. 24:18- 25)

All of this altar history to express how the most faithful of God worshipped and adored God through the means of an altar, and the offering of a sacrifice upon it!

Ezra 3:1 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. ² Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. ³ They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, burnt offerings morning and evening. ⁴ And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, ⁵ and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the LORD, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the LORD. ⁶ From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

1à Seventh month of arrival = Tishri.  Why wait for the seventh month? Traveling, Settling and preparing! 

4 months travel.  Folks needed to find their own towns and lay stake to ancestral lands…

The Seventh month of their return also coincided with the Jewish New Year, (NOTE: The Jewish year is marked by a Festival Year which begins in the month of Passover and keeps the festival calendar until the Feast of Booths – and an Ordinal year which happens in the month of Tishri – additional days are added after the Festival Calendar when needed) Rosh Hashana, which is followed by the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippor , and then the Feast of Booths (Sukhot) is celebrated this month.  But you need an altar for all these celebrations (Numbers 29 describes the sacrifices required in the seventh month)!  So we learn that early on, an altar will be a priority for these returning exiles.

à As one man à usually a call to war; but here it is a call to communion!  There is so much to say about this word since it demonstrates unity among believers and it is also the name of our church – but I’ll make just one observation here cuz’ we’ll cover it more next week – you will note that people in communion demonstrate it.  And what does communion mean?  Sharing, participation, contributing, fellowship.  These are all words the Christian church uses to define salvation based upon the gracious work of Christ!  These are words used to define spirit filled worship that is recognized as being both vertical between God and man, and horizontal between the members of the church.  After all, Jesus taught us to leave our gift at the altar if we know that we are not reconciled to our brother.  Proper worship in the vertical will have the corollary on the horizontal – meaning, people in communion with God, seek communion with their church family, and here they share, participate, contribute, and fellowship!

Whereas Israel could be united to go to war, which is valuable for success!  Here we see the former exiles united in starting a new life over again, starting with their calendar of celebrations (Yavweh loves his people to celebrate!), and uniting around the central item of ‘God directed’ worship – an altar of sacrifice.  THIS is the primary thrust of today’s message, but let’s cover some other details of this passage.

2 à First time Jeshua is named before Zerubbabel in any list.  Revealing that a religious priority is being established.  We need a governor, but we also need our priest to assert his position in society.  His family sees to it that a proper altar is built.

à Written in the law, which indicates that these returning exiles had some copies of Mosaic texts that were regarded as their scriptures.  They had a canon of scriptures teaching them to observe the things that Moses taught.

3 à the people’s fear seems to be of how their neighbors would react to their resuming of sacrificial worship again.  And that seems to make sense because as we will see, this type of worship is all consuming (pun intended).  It required priestly devotion, a proper orientation from the people, vast donations of livestock, and it went on morning and evening.  In today’s terms, we’d say, It left a huge carbon footprint!

4 à puts us on the 15^th day of the month, the beginning of the sacrifices for the Feast of Booths.  Now remember again; the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles, was one of the 3 pilgrim feasts for all males of Israel to congregate in Jerusalem.  There was Passover (Pesach) in April, there was the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) when Pentecost is celebrated in June, and the Feast of Booths in October.  The Feast of Booths was the celebration commemorating the Israelite’s wandering in the wilderness, and so they were required to build leafy shacks to reside in during a month that is sorta cold at night.  This was also the celebration where they would pour water on the steps of the temple.

But we don’t have a temple here since it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; but an altar can still be built to express devotion and relationship (More on that in a moment).  I thought I would first give you a taste of the sacrificial menu for the feast of Booths found in Numbers 29, starting at verse…

¹² "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. ¹³ And you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish; ¹⁴ and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams, ¹⁵ and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs; ¹⁶ also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering. ¹⁷ "On the second day -- twelve bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, ¹⁸ with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; ¹⁹ also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings. ²⁰ "On the third day -- eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish, … ²³ "On the fourth day -- ten bulls, … ³⁵ "On the eighth day -- you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work, ³⁶ but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish, ³⁷ and the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities; ³⁸ also one male goat for a sin offering; besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering. ³⁹ "These you shall offer to the LORD at your appointed feasts, in addition to your vow offerings and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your grain offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings." ⁴⁰ So Moses told the people of Israel everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.  (That’s a lot of bulls!  70 all together!)

So this is just one observance, in a month that had three major celebrations.  This is very costly worship, and it makes me hungry (for steak for lunch…)

So here in Ezra 3, we see this classic recapitulation of the Exodus story.  The Jews have again left captivity and they are going to mark the faithfulness of God by worshipping Him in the wilderness. 

As we remember the results of Jesus' life and ministry, in our conversion and regeneration, we relate to the OT allusions of being led out of sin and misery through an exodus of a spiritual kind.  And the work of Jesus as a sacrifice for us prompts us to recall some important aspects of OT sacrifice.

First: The whole sacrificial system (of which we read just a portion from Numbers 29) reminds us of the great cost to achieve forgiveness and restoration of communion with an utterly holy God. 

As Paul says, ‘we are not our own for we have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20 and 7:23).’  The principle of costliness is clearly evidenced in the covenant of redemption.  Even King David says, 1 Chronicles 21: I will not …offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

Christ, who was in himself sinless, perfect, priceless: became sin for us, was cursed for us (Gal. 3:13)!  Was rejected and despised – INSTEAD of us! Christ pays the ransom price for our sin.  Christ covers our debts.  He bore the wrath of God in our place.  Only his precious blood, more costly than silver and gold, can atone!
 
Secondly, we are also reminded in these sacrifices that God will not turn a blind eye to sin or pretend that sin has no consequences.  These returning exiles observed in the seventh month, on the 10^th day, THE DAY OF ATOMENMENT.  It is on this day that a future High Priest would make his once-a-year trek into the Holy of Holies to anoint the Ark of the Covenant with blood.  It was on this day that corporate sins were to be regarded as offensive to God with the requirement to repent and seek covering from God’s wrath.

But by providing a sacrifice, God is able to maintain his integrity, upholding his justice and his mercy.  Our Day of Atonement occurs when we confess that the Son has absorbed the wrath of God intended for us as Christ becomes the sacrifice for those who know they need salvation from the consequences of their sins – which is the wrath of God.  God himself provides the lamb who will take on our punishment, and we put our faith in his substitution and mediation to apply his precious blood to cover our sins; but even more powerfully, to wash them away from our body and soul, so that God will never act upon them in us because He acted upon them in Christ – we are therefore, no longer under condemnation, and have peace with God!

Finally, The Old Testament sacrificial system was initiated to prepare the people of God to understand the significance of the Son's sacrifice. 

My main problem today is that I could go on and on about the many aspects of what Christ has accomplished for us in his sacrifice: Imputation, propitiation, expiation, reconciliation, substitution, mediation, and justification - - there is much to remember when we “Do this in remembrance of him!”

But Ezra 3 clearly captures the priority of Jewish worship, which speaks to the atoning and costly nature of the sacrificial system – all fulfilled in Jesus, all for those who believe! As we conclude let’s consider our priorities in what we do each week when we gather.

I want to quote John Calvin (Happy Birthday be upon him) who said, 'We have in the sacraments another aid to our faith related to the preaching of the gospel.' The observance of the sacraments is needed, not because God's word is lacking in any way, but because the sacraments also instruct us and establish us in the faith that makes the person of Jesus Christ the center of worship! 

Imagine Jeshua the priest of Ezra gathering all the exiles to Jerusalem to announce that he was going to do a seven part sermon series on, ‘How to Regain Your National Heritage!’  Hey, that might be encouraging and all; but if their priest didn’t offer a sacrifice, they would have concluded that Jeshua had either missed his calling, or was up to something subversive.

This is why when we gather, we not only read the word, pray the word, sing the word, recite the word, and preach the word – we also grasp the Gospel clearly announced and portrayed in the sacraments each week!  It’s a focus of our worship to remind us of our true identity, sinners whom God regards as saints!  And to keep subversive types like me on track; forbid it Lord, if I should not announce the gospel each week!  So we preach to the table, we preach to the font, for there is where God in Christ, meets his Bride and reminds them of their engagement!  Reminds them of their future glory!

Yes, we want to build a church here, we want to provide a ‘rewarding worship experiences;’ but if we don’t proclaim the gospel and confirm the truths of it in the sacraments, we could very well forget our true identity and subvert our true need for a savior.

Ezra was concerned about re-capturing an earthly inheritance that Israel had lost; we are concerned about reminding ourselves of our true and spiritual inheritance that has been purchased for us; And since Christ has left us with word, water, bread, and wine to remember our spiritual inheritance, may we worship Him for these great gifts that help us to focus on the person and work of Christ.