Heart
Pastor Jon kicked off a new series on Sunday called "Altars," and started with discussing the altar of the heart. In the Old Testament, altars were central; they "memorialized theophany," or helped people encounter the divine, and were places where people offered sacrifices as atonement for sin. Now, we are no longer in a system where we have to offer sacrifices to enter into God's presence. Jesus was and is our sacrifice, once and for all. We can freely enter into communion with God. But this doesn't mean altars aren't important anymore. Altars are in our lives, but they've become altars of prayer, praise, and encounter. God wants to meet us at the altar of our heart and create it into a holy place.
Our heart is the center of our being. All of our deepest problems start in the heart, which can be wicked, divided, hardened, and unbelieving without Jesus. We also contend with an array of modern-day altars that include power, money, ambition, beauty, love, and approval. God doesn't condemn our urge for worship, but he calls us to seek things from himself and not from idols. When we come to God with repentance, we receive a new and whole heart. This is the call of our lives: to make our hearts an altar for God.
Here is a link to the slide deck from this sermon.
TEACHING TEXT
Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES (consider sending these out at the beginning of the week for your group to meditate on): Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 2:11-13; Hebrews 10:9-18; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Hebrews 13:15-16; 1 Samuel 16:7
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Connect (Icebreaker):
How did you spend your time off in January?
What are you hoping we grow toward as a group this season? What would you like to see at the end of the season?
Head (Revisit and review the content):
How do the altars in the Old Testament differ from modern-day altars? Note to leaders: The Old Testament altars were places that "memorialized theophany" (allowed for divine encounters), and provided places to offer sacrifices for sin/cleansing, and sacrifices of praise. Modern-day altars could include power, ambition, money, beauty, career, relationships, etc.
What are some examples in scripture where people built altars? What were they hoping to achieve? Note to leaders: Encourage group members to pull specific examples from scripture. Read aloud and discuss words that stand out from the examples.
Heart (Consider how the content affected you):
What does it mean to you that Jesus became our "once and for all" sacrifice? How does this change the way we approach God Note to leaders: Encourage storytelling, if possible. What are some specific examples of times when you've been able to approach God's throne boldly and directly?
Hands (Apply the content):
How can we offer the three sacrifices on the "heart altar": prayer, praise, and worship? What would these sacrifices practically look like in our lives this week? Which one is hardest for you? What do you feel like you gain or lose from these sacrifices?
Encounter (Facilitate ministry time):
On pieces of paper, have group members write down prayers, praises, or worship-filled scripture. Give them a few minutes to reflect and do this. Encourage them to think about why they worship God - what has he done for them? what has he brought them out of? what qualities in his character draw their hearts toward him? Place a makeshift "altar" (a bucket, box, etc.) somewhere in the room. Have group members place their "sacrifices" (pieces of paper) into the "altar." Encourage group members to reflect on how amazing it is that we don't have to sacrifice animals on altars to get to God anymore - the sacrifices we make now, represented by the pieces of paper, are what please God, and we're able to do it freely through Jesus!