Introduction: Read Exodus27

These seem to be unpromising subjects for a message in 2015! How I would much prefer to be dealing with a parable of Jesus or some wise words of Paul. So, I must depend upon God's Spirit for a few helpful insights based on the contents of Exodus 27.

(A) The altar.

There are three details to note about the altar:

(1) Its position. The position of the altar was:

(a) Prominent. The altar stood alone in the middle of the courtyard. It dominated the space in front of the Tabernacle.

In the same way the crucifixion of Jesus occupies the most prominent place in Christianity. There are many hymns that celebrate this fact. I love the chorus to Isaac Watt's grand hymn, 'Alas and did my Saviour bleed':

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

I thrill nearly as much to the words of John Bowring:

In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

(b) Accessible. Every Israelite could enter the courtyard, stand before the altar and witness the sacrificial burnings. It was entirely appropriate that anyone who brought an offering to atone for sin should witness the sacrifice in which they had a vested interest.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed in a public place. He was nailed to a cross outside the city wall on a hill called, 'Calvary'. He was accessible to a dying thief crucified beside him - a wicked man who received forgiveness of sin and a promise of Paradise. Jesus remains accessible to ALL who approach him for forgiveness and new life.

(c) Strategic. The altar stood midway between the public entrance to the courtyard and God's Dwelling - the Tabernacle. There was no approach to God except via the altar.

The situation has not changed! There is only one way to be reconciled to God and that is through faith in the sacrificial work Christ accomplished on the cross.

There's a way back to God from the dark paths of sin;
There's a door that is open and you may go in:
At Calvary's cross is where you begin,
When you come as a sinner to Jesus.

(2) Its construction. The description given of the altar's construction could be clearer. Any interpretation must bear in mind that the altar needed to serve its purpose.

It was a large trough seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high. The sides and bottom of the trough were made of bronze coated planks of acacia wood. The use of wood was to keep the weight down for when it was transported. The altar had horns at the four corners. It seems a bronze grating was placed on a ledge halfway up inside the altar. Rings were set into the grating so short poles could be inserted to lift the grating out. Fire burned on the top of the grating and ash and debris would collect in the space below. The grating had to be removed frequently to clear out the ashes from the bottom of the altar. This arrangement also meant that the bronze covered wood was spared the fiercest of the heat. Rings were also set in the outside of the altar through which long bronze covered poles could be slipped to carry it from place to place. Finally, various implements for maintaining the altar were provided - all of which were made of bronze.

There are two points to note:

(a) The materials used to construct the altar, as distinct from the Tabernacle, were relatively humble. This teaches us that it is not the altar that is important but the sacrifice laid upon it. The altar does not atone for sin but the sacrificial animal.

Much is made of the cross as distinct from the crucifixion. Crosses adorn churches, figure prominently on memorials and are worn as pendants. But it is not the cross of wood that atones for man's sin but the one who suffered upon it - the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Bread and wine are better symbols of his sacrifice than a cross.

(b) The altar was designed to serve its purpose efficiently. It was a highly effective incinerator. It was both easy to maintain and move.

Proclaiming the gospel by word and deed remains the most productive way to make new Christians. As Paul wrote: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Rom1v16.

(3) Its purpose.

(a) Whenever any sort of animal sacrifice was made the blood of the animal was sprinkled on the walls of the altar and the fat burned. This was an acknowledgement that all life, as represented by the blood, was a gift from God and that all the good things in life, as represented by the fat, were provided by God.

Each day we should remember to thank God for the gift of life and count our many blessings - naming them one by one!

(b) Three sorts of sacrifice were made to atone for sin. The Burnt Offering was one such. In this instance the sacrificial animal was cut up and burned by fire on top of the altar. The animal was offered to God as a token payment for sins committed. Its efficacy depended upon grace, God's willingness to accept what was offered and pardon the sinner.

This transaction is at the heart of the Christian gospel. At Calvary, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to atone for mankind's sin. God accepts by grace the sacrifice Jesus made and by so doing sets the believer free from the consequences of his sin. Churches in which this great truth is underplayed are doing the greatest disservice to sinners.

(c) Fellowship offerings were made to celebrate God's blessing - the birth of a child, recovery from illness, a good harvest and the like. They provided an opportunity of having fellowship with God, his servants the priests and with friends and family. Once again the blood and fat of the sacrificial animal were offered to God. After the animal was cut up the right thigh and breast were given to the priests. The rest of the animal was taken, cooked and eaten by family and friends. It seems from 1Sam2v12to15 that the meat was usually boiled. This must have taken place in the vicinity of the courtyard.

It is good to meet together with fellow Christians to celebrate - a wedding, a wedding anniversary, a special birthday or a significant day in the Christian calendar. On such occasions it is great to eat together, to fraternise - but above all, to give God thanks. At our elder, Edward, and his wife, Dorothy's, diamond wedding anniversary it was wonderful to sing:

How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!
His love is as great as His power
And knows neither measure nor end!

'Tis Jesus the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise him for all that is past;
We'll trust Him for all that's to come.

There are three things to note about the courtyard. It was:

(1) Enclosed. The courtyard was not huge - measuring 50 yards by 25 yards. This space was enclosed by sheets of linen 15 feet long and 7 and a half feet high which were held erect by poles. Silver hooks were fitted to the poles by which to attach the ends of the sheets which must have had holes sewn into them for this purpose. The poles were fitted into bronze bases and held up with guy ropes and tent pegs.

When I served as the sports organiser at a large camp for boys and girls the toilet areas were screened off in much the same way as the courtyard.

The screening of the courtyard made it a special place and it kept people from being distracted by what was going on outside.

When I was a teacher, on hot summer's days my pupils would plead to have their lesson outside. I never agreed to this! There were just too many distractions outside! It was bad enough teaching in a classroom with large windows providing enticing, distant views.

I don't think people ever listen quite so well to open air services as they do to those inside a building. The fewer distractions when we are worshipping God the better.

(2) Sheltered. The screening acted as a large windbreak especially when wind came from northerly or southerly directions.

There is something to be said for a calm, peaceful and tranquil environment for prayer and meditation. Daniel used to draw aside for prayer to an upstairs room with a window opened toward Jerusalem. Jesus prayed at night among the olives of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Many people find a sense of peace in an old church or graveyard or garden. Such places are conducive to peaceful meditation and prayer.

(3) Public. The courtyard was a public space open to all.

In the past Regent's Park in London used to be open only to residents in the expensive houses surrounding it. Then it was opened up to the public for a couple of days a week. Today that wonderful open space is accessible to everyone. One of the great advantages of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust is that all its nature reserves are freely open to the public. This was not always the case. In the past conservation areas were only open to permit holders. This remains the policy of English Nature who keep birdwatchers at bay by the liberal use of barbed wire.

One of the glories of the old Anglican churches in the past was that they were always open to the public. Some still are but sadly others are locked as a precaution against theft and vandalism.

There are some Christians who adopt an open door policy. They open their homes to all and sundry. Many a lost soul has found refuge and a welcome in a home like this.

Jesus adopts an open door policy. He said, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." John6v37. "For my Father's will is that everone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." v40. What wonderful verses these are. In Britain today you can attend a funeral service in a Christian church and never hear these words. The impression left by the officiating clergyman is that if you live a good life God will welcome you to heaven with open arms. Eternal life is a gift of the Son to all who believe in him. We are saved by grace and through faith.

(C) The lamp oil.

There are three lessons we can learn from the closing verses of Exodus 27. It teaches the importance of:

(1) Free will giving. The people's gift of olive oil kept the lamps burning in the Tabernacle to which they were not even allowed admittance. Olive oil was an expensive item only obtained in the semi-desert through trading. The Israelites could trade cloth for olive oil.

There is a sense in which many modern Christians emulate the Israelites. They support missionary enterprise in parts of the world they are never going to visit. In the early days of the Grace Baptist Mission men and women were sent with the gospel light to India - a place without God's truth and in spiritual darkness. These missionaries were only able to keep the light burning in so far as many at home supported them with their giving.

(2) Quality. The NIV describes the oil specified for the Tabernacle as clear oil of pressed olives. This is a poor translation. A better version would be: pure oil of beaten olives. The fruits were beaten lighly with rods to produce the very finest oil.

It is very important to give God of our best. It is easiest to do this if others are aware of our gift. This is true of a sermon, public prayer, cake, flower arrangement, solo and so on. We may be giving to God but we are giving to others as well and it is on the latter that we depend for appreciation.

When I pray in public I do not set out to impress others. I actually concentrate so much that I often end up facing in the wrong direction! I have also been very surprised when people have told me how much they have appreciated one of my prayers. So why is it that my public prayers are so much more eloquent, fervent and thankful than my private prayers? Too frequently, my private prayers are poor, mean offerings.

We should be like those stone masons who produced carvings in hidden, inaccessible corners of our great cathedrals of just the same quality as the carvings located for all to see. The masons carved for the glory of God and knew he could see in places hidden from everyone else.

(3) Maintenance. Aaron and his sons were instructed to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening until morning. They would not keep burning without being repeatedly filled and the wicks constantly trimmed.

Nothing stops the same without maintenance. Last week I paid £602 to keep my car on the road. It needed a new starter motor, cam belt and water pump. I would only have to leave my garden a couple of years before it turned into a wilderness. I have a wall light that needs seeing to because it has become detached from the wall. Many areas that appear natural, like lowland heath, ancient fen or hay meadows, need managing to retain their character.

The same is true for local churches which change and decline without maintenance. If the oil is not replenished and the wicks are not changed at the appropriate time the local lamps will go out. Indeed thousands of local lamps have gone out in Britain. One of the reasons for this is that young converts have not remained loyal to their home churches and so eventually no one is left to fill the lamps or trim the wicks. My own small fellowship is a case in point. Between 20 and 30 years ago several younger people were converted but none of them worship with us now. All that are left are a handful of old Christians barely able to maintain the work.

I realise that changes in society have played a part in the decline of rural churches - but there is nothing more inimical to light than darkness. The point about the light is that it always defeats the darkness. However, the light needs feeding and maintaining.