ALTARS

Week 3 Devotional

DAY 1 — EVERY ALTAR WAS POINTING TO JESUS

READ: Hebrews 10:1–10

As we’ve walked through this series, we’ve seen altars everywhere in the story of Scripture. We began with the memorial stones in Joshua, remembering what God had done. Then we looked at Bethel, YHWH-Nissi, and YHWH-Shalom, discovering that the altar wasn’t simply about a place or an event; it was about remembering who God is. But as we come to the final week, we need to recognize that the biblical story was always moving toward something greater. The altars were never the destination. They were signs pointing forward to Jesus.

Hebrews tells us that the sacrifices of the Old Testament were a shadow of the good things that were coming. A shadow isn’t the reality itself; it is evidence that something real is standing in the light. Every sacrifice was preparing God’s people to understand the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God, while also creating anticipation for the sacrifice that would finally and completely deal with sin. The priests, the offerings, the blood, and the altar were all telling a story that would ultimately find its fulfillment in Christ.

This means that when we read the Old Testament, we aren’t simply looking at an ancient religious system that has nothing to do with us. We’re seeing God’s redemptive story unfold. The God who established the altar was preparing His people for the moment when He Himself would provide the sacrifice. Every altar was pointing to Jesus.

REFLECTION
Where have you been tempted to stop at the “sign” instead of following it to Jesus? Are there traditions, experiences, places, or even past encounters with God that have become more important to you than the God who gave them to you?

PRAYER
Jesus, open my eyes to see You throughout Scripture. Help me recognize that every promise, sacrifice, and altar was part of Your greater story of redemption. Don’t let me become attached to the sign and miss the Savior. Turn my eyes toward You again. Amen.

ACTION STEP
Spend a few minutes today thanking Jesus for being the fulfillment of God’s redemptive story. Ask Him to show you one area where you’ve been focused on the gift, the experience, or the memory instead of the Giver.

DAY 2 — JESUS IS THE SACRIFICE

READ: Isaiah 53:4–6; 1 Peter 2:24

One of the most important things we can understand about the cross is that Jesus didn’t simply die as an example of love. He died for us. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament taught God’s people that sin has consequences and that reconciliation comes through sacrifice. An innocent substitute could stand in the place of the guilty. But those sacrifices were never final. They pointed toward something greater.

Isaiah saw it centuries before Jesus came. He described a servant who would be wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and whose suffering would bring us peace. Peter later looked back at the cross and declared that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree. The cross is therefore not merely a tragic story about something that happened to Jesus. It is the story of what Jesus willingly did for us.

This is the great exchange at the heart of the gospel. Jesus takes what belongs to us, and through faith we receive what belongs to Him. Our sin meets His righteousness. Our guilt meets His forgiveness. Our shame meets His grace. Our rebellion meets His mercy. Our death meets His life. We could never have provided a sacrifice sufficient for our sin, so God provided the sacrifice Himself.

Jesus didn’t bring the sacrifice. Jesus became the sacrifice.

REFLECTION
Have you ever treated Christianity as though you need to earn God’s acceptance through your performance? What would change if you genuinely lived from the belief that Jesus has already done what you could never do?

PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for taking my place. Thank You that Your grace is greater than my sin and that I don’t have to earn what You have already provided. Teach me to live from Your grace rather than striving for Your approval. Let the cross humble me, free me, and transform me. Amen.

ACTION STEP
When you catch yourself trying to prove your worth today, stop and remind yourself: “Jesus has already done what I could never do.” Let that truth change how you approach God.

DAY 3 — IT IS FINISHED

READ: John 19:28–30; Hebrews 10:11–14

There are three words Jesus spoke from the cross that should radically change the way we live: “It is finished.” Jesus wasn’t saying that He had failed or that His life was coming to an unfortunate end. He was declaring that the work He had come to accomplish had reached completion. The sacrifice had been offered. The mission had been accomplished. The price had been paid.

Hebrews gives us a beautiful picture of this. The priests of the Old Testament continually stood and served because their work was never finally complete. Another sacrifice would be needed. Another offering would be brought. But Hebrews says that Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins for all time and then sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus sits because the work is finished.

Yet many of us live as though Jesus never said those words. We believe in the finished work of Christ but continue trying to finish it ourselves. We carry guilt that He already carried. We punish ourselves for sins He has already forgiven. We perform for approval that He has already given us in Christ. We live as though grace got us started, but our performance has to keep us accepted.

The cross confronts that way of living. You cannot add to finished work. The invitation is not to finish what Jesus started but to surrender to what Jesus has already accomplished. This doesn’t mean obedience no longer matters. It means our obedience flows from grace rather than trying to purchase grace. We don’t obey so that God will love us. We obey because He already does.

REFLECTION
Where are you still trying to earn something from God that He has already given you through Jesus? Is there guilt, shame, fear, or performance that you need to surrender to the finished work of Christ?

PRAYER
Jesus, forgive me for the times I’ve tried to earn what You freely gave me. Help me trust Your finished work. Teach me to stop striving and start abiding, to stop performing and start receiving, and to live in the freedom of knowing that You are enough. Amen.

ACTION STEP
Write down one thing you’ve been carrying that you need to surrender to Jesus. Pray over it and physically open your hands as a reminder that you are releasing it to Him.

DAY 4 — THE WAY IS OPEN

READ: Matthew 27:50–51; Hebrews 10:19–22

When Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. That detail can be easy to overlook, but it carries enormous theological weight. The veil represented the separation between the holiness of God and sinful humanity. Access to the Holy of Holies was restricted because God’s presence was holy and sin was serious.

But when Jesus dies, the veil tears.

And notice the direction: from top to bottom. God is the one who tears it. Humanity doesn’t break through the barrier by becoming good enough. Religion doesn’t find a way around it. Our morality doesn’t remove it. God Himself opens the way through the death of His Son.

Hebrews says that because of Jesus, we can now draw near to God with confidence. Think about what that means. The God who once seemed distant can now be approached. The guilty can come near. The broken can come near. The ashamed can come near. The person who has nothing to offer except faith can come near.

This takes us all the way back to Bethel. Jacob woke up in the wilderness and realized that God was there even though he hadn’t recognized it. But in Jesus, God doesn’t simply meet us in a particular place. God comes to us. The presence of God is no longer something we have to find our way toward through our own effort. In Christ, God has made the way.

REFLECTION
Do you approach God with confidence, or do you still feel like you have to earn the right to be in His presence? What would it look like for you to simply come to Him today because Jesus has already made the way?

PRAYER
Father, thank You for opening the way into Your presence through Jesus. I don’t want to live at a distance from You when You have invited me to draw near. Remove the shame, fear, and striving that keep me from You. Teach me to abide in Your presence with confidence and humility. Amen.

ACTION STEP
Set aside ten quiet minutes today with no agenda other than being with God. Don’t try to accomplish anything. Don’t try to impress Him. Simply come into His presence and receive His love.

DAY 5 — THE CROSS IS NOT THE END

READ: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Matthew 28:5–6

The cross is the ultimate altar, but the cross is not the end of the story. Jesus died, but three days later the tomb was empty. This is essential to our faith because Christianity is not simply built around remembering a man who died two thousand years ago. We worship a Savior who died and rose again.

The cross tells us that Jesus conquered sin through His sacrifice. The resurrection tells us that death could not hold Him. The cross demonstrates the depth of God’s love and the seriousness of sin. The empty tomb demonstrates the power of God and the certainty of our hope. What looked like defeat on Friday became victory on Sunday.

This is why the things we have talked about throughout ALTARS ultimately lead us to hope. When we remember the wilderness, we remember Bethel and know that God is with us. When we remember the battle, we remember YHWH-Nissi and know that God is our victory. When we remember the fear, we remember YHWH-Shalom and know that God is our peace. And when we remember the cross, we remember that Jesus has accomplished what we could never accomplish for ourselves. When we look at the empty tomb, we remember that our story doesn’t end in death.

Maybe you’ve been living like your worst moment is the end of your story. Maybe you’ve allowed something that happened to you to become the defining altar of your life. But the resurrection reminds us that God specializes in bringing life out of places that look dead. The cross reminds us that God can redeem our brokenness, and the resurrection reminds us that death never gets the final word when Jesus is involved.

REFLECTION
What part of your life feels finished, dead, or beyond redemption? What would it look like to surrender that place to the God of resurrection?

PRAYER
Jesus, thank You that the cross was not the end. Thank You that the tomb is empty and that resurrection is our hope. Help me trust You with the places in my life that feel dead or finished. Teach me to believe that You are still at work even when I cannot see what You are doing. Amen.

ACTION STEP
Name one area of your life where you need resurrection hope. Write it down and pray, “Jesus, I trust You with this.” Then thank Him in advance for the work He is doing, even before you can see the outcome.