INTO:
Today we're kicking off a brand-new series that's going to challenge your spiritual comfort zone and reignite your relationship with God. We're talking about being SET APART in a world that wants you to fit in!
Have you ever felt like your relationship with God has become more routine than relationship? More obligation than devotion? More about checking boxes than changing lives? If we're being honest—and I need us to be real today—most of us have been there at some point.
I want to read a scripture that's been wrecking me lately. Isaiah 29:13 says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
Y'all, that hits different when you realize God might be talking about us. Not just ancient Israel, not just the world, but those of us who fill church buildings every Sunday while our hearts stay empty.
Today we're diving deep into what happens when our worship becomes work, when our altar—that sacred place of encounter with God—becomes broken. And I believe with everything in me that God is about to restore what's been damaged.
SECTION 1: RECOGNIZING THE CRACKS
Let me ask you something: When was the last time you were completely undone in God's presence? Not just emotional because the worship team hit that song you love, but truly undone—where you encountered God so powerfully that you couldn't stay the same?
For many of us, it's been a minute. And here's why that matters: The altar is meant to be the heart of our worship, the place where heaven touches earth. In Scripture, the altar wasn't just a religious structure; it was the place of sacrifice, surrender, and divine encounter.
I've got to be honest with you. There have been seasons in my ministry where I was preaching powerful sermons, leading people to Jesus, seeing lives changed—but my own altar was broken. I was doing the work of ministry while my personal worship was crumbling.
I remember standing on this platform a few years ago, delivering what everyone said was a "fire sermon," but inside I felt spiritually empty. I was operating on yesterday's anointing, yesterday's encounter, yesterday's fire. I had somehow exchanged intimacy for activity.
The broken altar often goes unnoticed because it doesn't always affect what people see on the outside. You can still sing the songs, say the right words, raise your hands at the right time. You can post your Bible on Instagram with a fire emoji caption. But God sees the heart.
Signs of a broken altar show up in subtle ways:
- When prayer feels like a task instead of a conversation
- When worship becomes about the song instead of the Savior
- When reading the Bible feels like homework instead of hearing from your Heavenly Father
- When serving God feels more like duty than delight
Romans 12:1 tells us, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
Here's the thing about living sacrifices—they have a tendency to crawl off the altar. Our flesh doesn't want to stay surrendered. And before we know it, what started as passionate devotion becomes professional religion.
SECTION 2: THE DRIFT IS GRADUAL BUT THE DAMAGE IS SUBSTANTIAL
Nobody wakes up one morning and says, "Today, I think I'll neglect my relationship with God! Today's the day I'll let my altar fall into disrepair!" That's not how it works.
The drift happens slowly, almost imperceptibly. A skipped prayer here. A rushed quiet time there. Worship that becomes more about the experience than the encounter. Ministry that becomes more about the platform than the presence.
It's like the small cracks that form in a foundation. At first, they're barely noticeable. But over time, those tiny fissures grow, spread, and eventually threaten the entire structure.
I read something powerful in Barry Tallis's book "Set Apart" where he describes a vision of a broken altar. The character in the book stands in a temple, once magnificent but now in ruins. The altar that had been the center of worship was smashed into pieces, the rubble scattered across the floor.
And the voice in the vision asks this haunting question: "Who will rise and rebuild what has been broken?"
Church, I believe God is asking us the same question today.
The danger of spiritual drift is that it's subtle enough to deny but substantial enough to destroy. And the consequences are devastating:
1. We lose our spiritual authority
2. Our worship becomes empty ritual
3. Our witness to the world becomes ineffective
4. Our hearts grow cold and distant
Jesus had something to say about this in Revelation 2:4-5. He told the church at Ephesus: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
The Ephesian church was doing all the right things. They were working hard, persevering, not tolerating wickedness. From the outside, they looked like the model church! But Jesus saw what others couldn't—they had left their first love. Their altar was broken.
And His warning wasn't just a gentle reminder. He said, "If you do not repent, I will remove your lampstand." In other words, "Your light will go out. Your impact will end. Your purpose will be compromised."
That's how serious a broken altar is to God.
SECTION 3: REBUILDING WHAT'S BROKEN
But here's the good news—God is in the restoration business! He doesn't just want to patch the cracks; He wants to completely rebuild your altar!
I love the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Israel had abandoned God. They were worshipping Baal. Their altars to the true God were torn down. But Elijah didn't just complain about the spiritual state of the nation. He didn't just post a sad face emoji about how far things had fallen.
The Bible says in 1 Kings 18:30, "Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come near to me.' So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down."
Before the fire could fall, before the miracle could happen, before the nation could turn back to God—the altar had to be rebuilt.
The same is true for us. If we want to experience the fire of God's presence, if we want to see His power manifested in our lives, if we want revival to sweep through our churches and communities—it starts with rebuilding the altar.
How do we do that?
First, it starts with honesty. We have to acknowledge the broken altar. We have to admit where we've drifted, where we've substituted activity for intimacy, where our hearts have grown cold.
Second, it requires materials. We need to get back to the spiritual disciplines that connect us to God—prayer, Scripture, worship, silence, solitude—but with a new heart. Not as religious obligations but as relational opportunities.
Third, it demands sacrifice. We have to lay down our pride, our comfort, our control, our excuses. Romans 12:1 calls us to be "living sacrifices." That means daily surrender, moment-by-moment submission to His will.
Fourth, it invites fire. Once the altar is rebuilt, we ask God to ignite authentic worship again. We create space for His presence. We position ourselves for an encounter.
Listen, church—rebuilding the altar isn't about earning God's love. It's about experiencing God's presence. It's not about working your way back to Him. It's about creating space for Him to work in you.
SECTION 4: PRACTICAL RESTORATION STEPS
So, what does this look like practically? How do we move from conviction to change? From inspiration to implementation?
Here are five practical steps to rebuilding your altar:
1. **Create a physical altar space in your home**. Designate a specific chair, corner, or room as your place of meeting with God. This isn't about religious superstition; it's about intentional space. When you go to that place, your heart and mind begin to associate it with God's presence.
2. **Schedule unhurried time**. Quality matters more than quantity. Better to have 15 focused, undistracted minutes with God than an hour of distracted duty. Put it on your calendar. Protect it like you would an important meeting—because it is one!
3. **Begin with surrender, not requests**. So often our prayers jump straight to our needs, our wants, our problems. But what if we started with surrender? "God, here I am. All of me. Not just my words, but my heart. Not just my problems, but my plans."
4. **Journal your journey**. Write down what God is speaking to you. Track His faithfulness. Document your growth. There's something powerful about putting pen to paper that helps us process what God is doing.
5. **Find accountability**. Connect with others who are rebuilding their altars. Share your struggles and victories. Pray for each other. Encourage one another.
Let me tell you about Jessica in our church. She realized her altar was broken when she found herself going through religious motions but feeling spiritually empty. She started implementing these five steps. It wasn't easy at first. Some days she didn't feel anything. But she persisted.
Three months in, she experienced a breakthrough. Not because she earned it, but because she positioned herself for it. The passion returned. The presence became real again. The prayers became conversations instead of monologues.
She told me, "Pastor, I didn't realize how much I had been missing until I found it again."
CALL TO ACTION
I want everyone to close their eyes right now. No one looking around. This is between you and God.
I want to ask you a simple question: Is your altar broken? Has your worship become work? Has your devotion become duty? Has the fire grown cold?
If that's you, would you raise your hand right where you are? No shame, just honesty.
[Pause]
Thank you for your honesty. Now, I want to pray for you, but I also want to challenge you. Tonight, I want you to create a sacred space in your home—a personal altar. It might be a chair, a corner of your room, wherever. But make it a place where you meet with God, not to ask for things, but to give Him your heart.
For the next 21 days, I'm challenging you to spend time at that altar every day. Not rushing, not performing, just being present with your Creator. Who's in? Let me see your hands!
[Wait for response]
Look at those hands! That's not emotion; that's decision. That's not hype; that's hunger.
Let's pray together:
"Father, we come to You with honest hearts. We've recognized the broken altars in our lives. We've seen where worship has become work, where passion has been replaced with performance. Today, we choose to rebuild. Not because we're worthy, but because You're worthy. Not to earn Your love, but to experience Your presence. Show us how to create space for You. Teach us to surrender daily. Ignite a fresh fire within us. Let our rebuilt altars become places of transformation, not just information. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Church, as we close today, remember this: The state of your altar determines the state of your worship. And the state of your worship determines the state of your walk with God.
