The Golden Altar and Prayer

Let's read from 1st Thessalonians chapter 5, please. 1st Thessalonians chapter 5. 1st Thessalonians 5 and let's read at verse 17. Pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Over to the book of Revelation chapter 8. Revelation chapter 8 and we'll read at verse 3. Revelation 8 verse 3. And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne and the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hand and the angel took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar and cast it into the earth and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake and then the seven angels prepared to sound the trumpets. Let's go back to the book of Exodus please chapter 30. Exodus chapter 30.

Exodus 30 we read at verse 1. And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon of chitim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof a cubit the breadth thereof four square shall it be and two cubits shall be the height thereof the horns thereof shall be of the same and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold the top thereof and the sides thereof round about and the horns thereof and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about and two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it by the two corners thereof. Now the question is doesn't doesn't amount to a hill of beans but were the rings in the diagonal corners two rings for the whole altar or were there two rings on each flat side? One at each corner so that would be a total of four rings and the other on the other items of furniture four rings are specified but here it's two rings so take your pick um I'm not going to draw anything from that.

So two golden rings shalt thou make under the crown of it by the two corners thereof upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it and they shall be four places for the staves to bear it with all and thou shalt make the staves of chitin wood and overlay them with gold and thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony before the mercy seat that is over the testimony where I will meet with thee and Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn incense upon it and when Aaron lighteth the the lamps at even he shall burn incense upon it a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations you shall offer no strange incense thereon nor burnt sacrifice nor meat offering neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon and Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in the year with the blood of the offering of atonements once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations it is most holy unto the Lord and God will bless to us the reading from his word and as they would say in Kansas City where we were this weekend at that point they would all course amen but I'm reminded I'm in Lancaster. Prayer is one of the easiest disciplines for the child of God it is also one of the hardest you see prayer is native to the new nature that we have that makes it easy but prayer is also foreign to the flesh and that makes it hard it is usually the first thing to go when a believer is sliding out of touch with God prayer but I want to encourage our hearts this morning because to God our prayers though they're feeble are like the sweet perfume of incense before him he appreciates it because in prayer God is glorified because we give him his rightful place and at the same time in prayer we are attempting to take our rightful place as those that are dependent upon him so that is really the essence of worship giving God his rightful place while we simultaneously we take our rightful place and we ascribe to him what is his due so prayer then in a sense is a mechanism for change in our hearts and change in our lives because as we engage in that discipline we are giving God his rightful place and we're taking our rightful place before God and that will change us that will bring change into our lives now as our brethren have been doing already this morning prayer is that which pleads for right in a wrong world and it is the longing of the heart of those that are redeemed the children of God it is a longing for righteousness to prevail and in revelation chapter 8 where we read we are given heaven's answer to that we read about the prayers of all the saints that are upon the golden altar which was before the throne and the angel offers incense with those prayers and then following there are judgments that come consecutively upon the earth and the earth dwellers that follows in the book of revelation so ultimately the longing for for righteousness is vindicated as heaven and earth are prepared for the manifestation of the king of kings and the lord of lords and earth is given its rightful place under him and he is given his rightful place over it you see so even now as we engage in prayer you see the similarity there we are harmonizing with the mind of heaven that right would rule and wrong would be put down now the golden altar imagery comes from exodus 30 where we read as well and you'll remember that there in the tabernacle well the book of hebrews takes up the tabernacle to teach us divine truth for this dispensation and we're told there in the book of hebrews that that tabernacle was an example of heavenly things the patterns of things in the heavens the shadow of good things to come and says paul and colossians but the substance is of christ the psalms reminds us that every wit of it the tabernacle showeth or uttereth his glory so when we are focusing our minds on the tabernacle christ is the theme of it and it is portraying the person of christ in his deity in his humanity in his atoning work uh at the cross in his resurrection in his ascension to glory in his present ministry and as our great high priest he represents his own and it it brings before us to the blessings that flow to us as a result as being linked with christ so he is the theme of the tabernacle now the appeal to our hearts of the golden altar of incense is this then that he ever liveth to make intercession for us so we want to camp out a little bit here this morning and take a look at some truths connected with the golden altar of incense now just to remind our hearts the golden altar was placed in the holy place in the sanctuary not in the court but in the in the sanctuary the atmosphere in the holy place is all that altogether different from the court in the court everything is plainly saying christ and him crucified but when we enter in through the door into the sanctuary everything here now is plainly saying christ and him glorify and that's where the golden altar of incense is located in the sanctuary now there are a number of things that we could consider as we come to the subject i want to notice first of all its substance formed from gold and from from wood first of all in gold its substance we'll think of its size we'll think of its shape and if there's time we might get to look at its situation at its service and i'm pretty sure we won't get to consider its smoke the actual incense that went up from this golden altar before the lord that's a beautiful study all in itself but its substance first of all let's take a look at that it was made of wood covered with gold now in the in the holy place there were three golden vessels or articles of furniture first of all there was the lamp stand it was all of gold and then there was the shoe bread table that was made of chitin wood covered with gold and then finally we have the golden altar of incense up front and center also made of wood and covered with gold so we read in verse 30 thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon of chitin wood shalt thou make it and now verse three and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold the top thereof and the sides thereof round about and the horns thereof so this golden altar was made of wood covered with gold now that's fans and contra distinction to the brazen altar in the court you remember it was made of wood as well but it was covered with brass or likely more likely copper pure copper but here it's different in the court that copper and wood was designed to withstand the fire speaking of christ in judgment withstanding the fires of judgment but now in the holy place we have an altar that's covered with gold and it's speaking to us of the incarnate christ in glory incarnate christ in glory the chitin wood came from the shita tree or the kasha tree a thorny little tree that grew to about 30 feet high so it wasn't the kind of tree that you would have got much bored feet from um and in fact the the the word itself indicates sticks of wood so the various various articles in the tabernacle that were made from chitin wood i would take it were a composite construction pieces of chitin wood maybe short pieces but somehow joined together to form the pieces of wood that were required in the tabernacle the uh the boards for instance were 10 cubits high cubit and a half wide and it is evident that that kind of lumber would not come from a shit an acacia tree that grew in that region at that time so likely a composite type of structure but wood grows in nature and the savior in his humanity you remember that he grew in wisdom and in stature and that's a that's a wonderful thing to to think about the one who is the all-wise god and yet in humanity he grew in wisdom as he grew in stature one thing about the chitin wood is this it was drought hardy it would grow in the wilderness with very little water and that again would remind us of our lord jesus christ who grew up before him as a tender plant as a root out of a dry ground and that chitin wood was also marked for its incorruptibility it was resistant to rot so you have the thought of the incorruptible perfect humanity of the lord jesus out of character with his surroundings he did no sin he knew no sin and in him there was no sin the perfect humanity of christ but covered with pure gold that suggests to us christ in his absolute deity in his intrinsic holiness and gold is linked with him even in the pictures that we have in the old testament you remember the the bride in songs chapter five she was appreciating her beloved his head is as the most fine gold the very finest of gold his hands as gold rings set with the barrel his feet like sockets of fine gold the same thing the finest of gold so from his head right down to his feet no diminishing in the quality of his character in the worth of his person and in the purity that is linked with the pure gold so the incarnate christ in glory he is still a man but he's glorifying in the heavenly sanctuary now why are the materials mentioned first why do we get the materials mentioned first in the description of the golden altar well there's a very practical or simple lesson we can pick up from that and that is this that these materials are speaking of his character as we've been noticing and so his character gives value to all that he is doing as our intercessor even now he is a man a pure man and pure humanity but he is gone and he is equally god so he is fitted to intercede for his own and that's what the writer to the hebrews would take up as he would encourage the the people to whom he's writing and to our hearts as he would say seeing then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens jesus the son of god touched with the feeling of our infirmity for he was in all points tempted like as we yet without sin let us therefore come boldly to a throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need so the high priestly ministry of the lord jesus is that which would link us with the golden altar it was the high priest that ministered there and burnt the incense before the lord morning and evening that's a lovely verse that verse 14 in chapter 4 of hebrews seeing then we have a great priest is the idea the great priest his priority who has passed through the heavens his victory over all principalities and powers and might and dominion his victory jesus that's his humanity that's the wood the son of god that's his deity who is touched with the feeling of our infirmity that's his sympathy for us even now he was in all points tempted like as we his similarity yet without sin his impeccability and then you and i are encouraged to come boldly therefore onto a throne of grace that's his accessibility and that accessibility is for us in prayer now in verse 2 we're given the dimensions let's think of the size of the altar a cubit shall be the length thereof and a cubit the breadth thereof four square shall it be and two cubits shall be the height thereof the horns thereof shall be of the same that is wood covered with gold so this this altar was square on the top as you look down upon it it was four square the same dimension each way one cubit and then in height it was two cubits no matter what direction you come to it the measurement is the same whether from the north side where the table of showbread was or from the east where the door was from the south where the lampstand was or from the west the direction of the veil and the holiest of all beyond that whatever direction you come to it there's the same availability it's a cubit in each direction i would remind us too of the the four square altar in the court and its availability the only thing there was it was five cubits four square so much larger but no matter what direction you come to it there was the provision of the sacrifice that would meet the need of the sinner and so it speaks to us of the infinite value of the sacrifice of christ on our behalf as sinners and no matter what direction you come universally the provision is for all but here the measurement is smaller and the whole measurements that are given suggest definite limits because the high priestly work of our lord jesus and intercession is only for the people of god that are in the good of his sacrifice for sin so there's a difference between the teaching of the altar in the court and the altar here in the sanctuary all who come by way of the brazen altar are welcome to the golden altar of incense and all who are saved are fitted to be worshipers before god and likely it's one of the first things that we do when we are saved is to lift our hearts and thanksgiving to god and there goes up incense as it were from the golden altar before god and thanksgiving because we have come by way of the brazen altar so these are lovely pictures given to us in the word of god of things even that we enjoy today unfortunately not all come by way of the brazen altar and there isn't christendom there are many not even saved but would aspire to worshiping god but they haven't been to the brazen altar and that is of course a problem even an assembly fellowship assembly fellowship quote unquote is of no value if the soul isn't saved we must come by way of the brazen altar to the golden altar of incense first three and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold the top thereof and the sides are off round about and the horns thereof shall make also a crown of gold round about and two golden rings and then the staves of chateam would overlay them with gold so let's think of this first of all the top the top of the altar was a pure gold that is the part of the altar that was facing upwards all right so there's there's the there is an appeal that is upwards speaking to us of the appeal of the holy deity of the incarnate christ godward elevating our intercessions before god now notice two cubits high two cubits you think of where that puts you in relation to the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat you remember that the ark was a cubit and a half high so one and a half cubits high and there's the mercy seat but two cubits high will bring you up i take it between the two cherubim where's that that's exactly where the shekinah glory dwelled so when we think of the golden altar of incense as linked with our prayers it's reminding us that christ has elevated our intercessions to a plain on equal level with the shekinah glory of god why that's quite a thing isn't it and when we pray our prayers are entering right into the very presence of god where god dwells not because of any good in us but because of the appeal of the incarnate christ in the presence of god and all that he is there for us representing us as his people and the sides of pure gold that would speak to us of the appeal of his holy deity again of the incarnate christ before the throne right before the throne this time then what will we say about the the horns four horns again made of wood and again covered with gold now a horn in the bible is the symbol of power the horn of an animal is the is the focus of its power of its strength so horns speak of power and there were four horns linked with the brazen altar you remember that in the court and that speaks of the the power of the death of christ for all but when we come to the golden altar now again we have to keep that thought of power that thought of authority but now linked with intercession so it's the power and authority of his intercession on the half of his own it's the living christ in glory who is able to keep me before the face of god he's able to do that he's got the power he's got the authority to do that and in spite of all that is against us the flesh the world even the devil we remember this that he is able to keep us from falling he is able the four horns four is the universal number would remind us of the scope of intercessionary prayer whatever direction we come to god the prevailing power of christ will give prevailing power to prayer as we pray for all men the universal number for all men for kings for all that are in authority that we might make might live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and in honest and honesty so there's much to pray pray for isn't there there is and as paul would write to the thessalonians where we began our reading first chap first thessalonians chapter five the first letter likely that he wrote so it's good for all the church age pray without ceasing and everything give thanks there it is that's the course for believers for the whole of the dispensation you and i should be constantly living our lives in the atmosphere of prayer now we can't pray when we're sleeping you pray going to sleep and pray when you wake up but we can commit ourselves to god for the for for those hours in which we are sleeping so we're living still in the atmosphere of prayer pray without ceasing it has an appeal before the very face of god and has access into his immediate presence now i better sit down notice this around very quickly and then we'll quit now shall make onto it a crown of gold round about crown of gold round about theologically we would remember the crown the brow that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now there's a link but then in a very practical way that crown of gold that was around the top of the altar you know it would it would keep the incense in place and the fire the coals in place so that there was no danger of the cloud of incense that would arise before god there was no danger of the perfume uh no longer ascending before god so it was for security it kept everything in place and practically reminds our hearts that the fragrance of christ is perpetual in the presence of god and it is through him that we approach unto god and to all our prayers and praises christ adds his sweet perfume and so there is that which is perpetually before god let me just mention revelation 8 for a moment before i sit down there was given onto the angel much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the lord have you ever prayed prayed and wondered why god doesn't seem to answer even though we may be praying as far as we know according to his will yet there doesn't seem to be an answer i think that has been the experience of saints all down through the centuries of time there have been times when the longings of the hearts of believers longing for what is right in a wrong world seems to go unanswered revelation 8 is heaven's answer those prayers are not forgotten the prayers of all saints you notice that and they're offered on the golden altar of incense before god with much incense and they go up as a memorial before god and heaven's answer is this the seven angels take those trumpets and they sound the trumpets and there will be seven vials that will be poured out upon the earth dwellers until ultimately the tribulation period will come to a climax of heaven's payback upon planet earth and the christ rejecters then the heavens are open to behold the white horse and him that sits upon it the king of kings the lord of lords faithful and true the word of god as he is given his rightful place so the ministry of prayer is that which harmonizes with the very purposes of god regarding christ regarding this world regarding the rule of god so praying is not in vain it never is so we take again the word of god and trust it'll be an encouragement to our hearts this morning the exhortation is pray without ceasing