The Salvation Altar Series

The Salvation Altar

Romans 10:12–13 ESV

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Introduction:

Good morning, everyone!

We’re now in week six of our “Rebuilding the Altar” series, and today we’re focusing on building “The Salvation Altar”.

As we’ve been saying, whoever controls the altar controls the outcome.

One day, everyone will bow before Jesus and give an account for their lives.

No one will escape that judgment, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

But right now, in this season of grace, God is inviting people to recognize Jesus’ authority and receive Him as Savior—before it’s too late.

David Wilkerson once said

“The greatest tragedy is not the sin of the world, but the silence of the church.”

~David Wilkerson

How many of you have someone in your life you’re desperate to see come to Christ—family, friends, coworkers, neighbors?

People who need to find a place of surrender?

This message is for them—and for you—because real love can’t ignore the spiritual danger they’re in.

We have an altar of salvation we must pray on ourselves.

We must also invite others to approach it.

Not telling them about Jesus isn’t love; it’s abandoning them to a path that leads to destruction!

In today’s culture, there’s a movement that disguises itself as “love” but preaches a false Christ.

It suggests that we should “just love” the lost and avoid saying anything that might offend.

Some even use “speak the truth in love” as a way to avoid hard truths.

But remember, Jesus is Love, and He spoke the truth with compassion—and, yes, His truth often offended.

It’s true, some Christians HAVE failed people by delivering harsh truths without compassion.

When people are hurt, it’s rarely because the message was hard; it’s because it wasn’t shared with the Spirit’s empathy and compassion.

Don't Be a 'Jerk for Jesus,' but Don't Be a 'Coward for Christ' Either!

We must be honest and loving, but we must be clear.

This idea of a “soft” Jesus isn’t biblical.

Churches that don’t preach “Repent and sin no more” are not churches at all!

Pastors who water down the Word to be less confrontational, are not pastors!

Yes, God loves us unconditionally, even if we reject Him.

He will still love us, even if that choice leads us to spend eternity separated from Him.

But love without repentance is an incomplete Gospel.

We must preach the full truth, not just love, because that’s the whole gospel!

We are patient and gentle with new believers, allowing them to grow—that’s discipleship.

But those who are lost need to hear the truth, and it’s our responsibility to share it in love.

I saw a quote this week from Shane Pruitt, it says…

“We want doctors to be honest with us when something is wrong physically.

We should want pastors who will do the same thing when things are wrong spiritually”

Imagine going to a doctor who finds something seriously wrong but says:

“I want you to know that I care about you and this hospital loves you.

Some of your life choices, may have invited some health conditions that are less than favorable.

We care about you and want what’s best, but no pressure.

It may be a good idea to consider... maybe… if you feel that you should… possibly not do some of things you were doing.”

There is not a single person on this planet with half a brain that would say… I want that Dr… We’d call that malpractice!

What we really want is a doctor who says:

“You’re not well… If you don’t make these changes, you will die.

It’s your choice, but my professional advice is to follow this treatment or prepare for the consequences.”

That’s the same honesty we need when it comes to sharing the gospel!

See… every single one of those “lost” people that these “timid and insecure Christians” are afraid to tell the Gospel to, go to doctors who do not shelter them from the truth.

They go hospitals and get bad news all the time… why are we sheltering the gospel from them that can save their souls?

The goal of every Christian and every church should be to welcome the lost into the Kingdom of God!

We must love people enough to tell them the truth.

Romans 10:1 NLT

1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

As we build The Salvation Altar, the first step is to develop a deep, heartfelt burden for those who don’t yet know Christ.