You Need To Own It! – Part 1

Responsibility. It's becoming as rare as chicken teeth these days! In our collapsing culture, very few seem to want to take personal ownership of anything. So it has become a matter of finding someone to blame for our lack of success, morality, or self-worth. 

Our ancestors, government, parents, etc., have all become scapegoats for why we aren't where or what we'd like to be. But this simply doesn't hold any weight regarding our relationship and service to God.

EACH ONE OF US MUST STEP UP AND OWN IT!

Own what? There are two areas you need to be concerned with. 

#1 - YOUR OWN ALTAR

#2 - YOUR OWN ADVERSARY

This article will deal with owning your own altar. In part two, we'll dig into your own adversary. 

1) YOUR OWN ALTAR

Let me point you to several Bible passages to illustrate this idea further.

Joshua 22:10-12 (KJV)

"10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to. 11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel. 12 And when the children of Israel heard [of it], the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them."

Joshua 22:21-24 (KJV)

"21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, 22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if [it be] in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) 23 That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require [it]; 24 And if we have not [rather] done it for fear of [this] thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?"

Take a serious look at this story. Israel has now come into their promised land. Two and a half of the family tribes had previously agreed upon a land deal with Moses if they helped the other tribes with their battles. The time had now come for them to go live in that place. But they did something unexpected when they crossed back over the Jordan River. They built a replica of the altar in Moses' Tabernacle. This little construction project seemed innocent, except God forbade them to offer sacrifices anywhere but in His designated place. The other tribes were so angry when they heard about this that they came prepared for war against families of their own nation! But why?

For forty years, they had wandered in the wilderness because of the rebellion and unbelief of their parents. They had witnessed God's anger against them. They refused to risk God's judgment again after receiving their inheritance. 

But the two-and-a-half tribes quickly extinguished the attack. They explained their reasoning behind building the altar. Since they were settling on the other side of the River Jordan, they were afraid that their descendants might not be allowed to come to the Tabernacle to worship with the other families. At some point, the tribes on the western side of the river might not consider them part of Israel. 

Their solution? Build a replica of the Brazen Altar from the Tabernacle. Not to burn sacrifices to God but as a reminder that they, too, are connected to The Lord by covenant. They would still travel to where the Tabernacle stood to worship, but they also needed an altar for themselves.

What's the lesson for us here? 

Each of us needs our own altar.

 We cannot trust in the devotion of someone else. It's terrific if you have godly influences in your life, but it's also not mandatory. No one can cultivate a relationship with the Lord for you. 

YOU HAVE TO OWN IT!

Consider the young man who wants to know if a particular young lady is equally interested in him. He might communicate through someone who knows both of them—sending inquiries back and forth until they feel comfortable making a direct connection. If there's a mutual interest, there comes a time when the middleman is no longer needed or wanted. The couple wants to cultivate a relationship with each other. Having a "third wheel" along on every date would be awkward.

Now apply this illustration to your spiritual life. You've had people who have pointed, instructed, and maybe even introduced you to Christ. But that middleman can only get you so far. They certainly can't get you to Heaven. You're going to have to own that relationship for yourself. You're going to have to build your own altar!

Having your own altar means personal intimacy with Jesus. It means deliberately moving your life closer to The Lord. It means not expecting or waiting on someone else to pray for you. Jesus knows you intimately and desires you to know Him in return. This desire was on the Apostle Paul's heart even near the end of his life.

Philippians 3:10 (KJV) "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (emphasis mine)

From the beginning of Scripture, man utilized altars as a connecting point to God. Before there was a Tabernacle or a Temple, there were altars. Every person who would seek The Lord would construct an altar. They took personal responsibility to own their own altar.

ABEL

Genesis 4:4 (KJV) 

"And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:"

If anyone in the history of the world had a right to blame someone else, it would be Abel. They could've still lived in the Garden of Eden if his parents had obeyed God's command. Instead, they were cursed to survive in a thorn-stricken wilderness because of sin. Abel could've blamed them and never pursued a relationship with The Lord. But he didn't. He took personal responsibility and decided to own it. He worshipped the Lord with the best that he had. 

NOAH

Genesis 8:20-21 (KJV) 

"20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done."

Another example of a prime opportunity to blame your circumstances would've been Noah and his family. Though spared from the worldwide flood, they were left completely alone and tasked with restoring the entire planet. Noah could've looked out across the landscape in utter despair. Rather, he built an altar and offered a sweet savor up to The Lord. Finding himself in the most unusual circumstance imaginable, he decided to own it.

ABRAHAM

Genesis 12:8 (KJV) 

"And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD."

Here we have another very unusual command of God. Leave your homeland and go somewhere. You won't know where until you get there; even then, you won't fully possess it. What does Abraham do? He obeys The Lord, and when he arrives at what appears to be the place, he builds an altar. God had commanded him to leave behind his father's house. He would no longer be following the traditions of others. God called Abraham to chart a new course, to change the course of history for his family and even eternity. He must've found this a complex request to agree to—no specifics or plots on a map. Just trust God. So Abraham owned it and built his own altar. 

JESUS IS THE ALTAR!

Notice how the writer of Hebrews draws our attention to Jesus and the altar.

Hebrews 13:8 (KJV) 

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

Hebrews 13:10 (KJV) 

"We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle."

Hebrews 13:12-13 (KJV) 

"12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."

Hebrews 13:15 (KJV) 

"By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name."

(Emphasis mine)

We have an altar provided for us in the person of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death and resurrection gave us a path back to God. When we pray, we pray in Jesus' name. We come to the throne of God by and through the Mediator named Jesus. 

It's time to own it! It's time to take personal responsibility for your spiritual life and growth. Just like the two-and-a-half tribes in Joshua chapter twenty-two, we must be deliberate about how we intend to serve The Lord. We cannot wait on someone else to be holy, available, or sensitive to the leading of The Holy Spirit. We must own it ourselves!