Rebuilding the Altar: Starting Clean

Our first message this past week (over a week ago) on Rebuilding the Altar was about a fresh start. We know that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, all of our sins were wiped away for eternity. However, in addition to confessing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must also repent for our sins. We can't acknowledge Christ with our lips and then go on sinning with our bodies. In order for us to rebuild the altar of worship between us and God, we need to repent of our sins and come blameless to the altar.


I realize I'm often sorry that I did something wrong or that I sinned. I might even feel some guilt about something, but rarely am I "broken" over my sin. I can't remember the last time my sin caused me grief and anguish. It really should. All the time. Any sin, no matter how large or small by human standards, is always a sin against God which demands the punishment of death.



Why is it that I've become so insensitive to sin? I tried to think of the last time I could say "oh I sinned there". It took me a while, although I'm sure I'd sinned countless time before even arriving at church that morning. At what point did I become unconscious to my sin? I certainly don't go around killing people or worshiping idols, but I could certainly think of a few times recently when I've been very angry or put other desires before my love for God.



Our pastor asked us if we could easily point out the sin in others, but had a hard time identifying our own failures. He asked us to ponder how often we reacted to others sin with judgement instead of the mercy. These points were especially convicting for me.



Before the sermon, mid-way through the singing portion of worship, a man arrived late and sat with the people behind me. He wreaked of cigarette smoke and I immediately cringed inside. Being in church, I instantly felt guilty about my judgement and shallow concerns. What if a drug addict or a homeless man or a poor mother or anybody else I deemed outside of my 'ideal church-goer' model showed up? During the sermon, I was fairly convicted about my instant judgement on this man. I should be happy another person was coming to worship and to hear the message.