The Cross: God’s Altar and Our Foundation

May 31, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Altar Before the Temple

The rebuilding began with an altar, not a sanctuary. Sin required atonement before worship could flourish. Ancient Israelites prioritized sacrifice over structure, recognizing holiness starts with cleansing. This pattern echoes through Scripture: Abram built altars before cities, Ezra’s people restored worship before walls. Their urgency reveals a timeless truth—God’s presence dwells only where sin is covered. The cross now stands as our eternal altar, final and sufficient. [00:36]

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses… God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
(Colossians 2:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you subtly tried to “build your faith” without first resting in Christ’s finished work? How might embracing the cross as your altar free you from lingering shame?

Day 2: The Completed Foundation

No partial laying of stones, no staggered construction. The temple’s full foundation had to be set before walls could rise. Builders measured, aligned, and rejoiced when it was done—not because the work was easy, but because it was irrevocable. So Christ’s death and resurrection form the unshakable base of faith. Every promise, every hope rests here. To build on anything else guarantees collapse. [11:36]

"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
(1 Corinthians 3:10–11, ESV)

Reflection: What areas of your life still rely on “supplemental foundations”—achievements, relationships, or self-reliance—instead of resting wholly on Christ?

Day 3: The Weight-Bearing Gospel

A house’s foundation determines how much it can carry. Cracks form when loads exceed its design. Yet the gospel—Christ’s finished work—bears infinite weight. Financial stress, broken relationships, and exhaustion find their limit here. His resurrection guarantees that what crushes us cannot crush Him. The cross holds not just our past sins but our present burdens. [13:25]

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
(Matthew 11:28–29, ESV)

Reflection: What specific burden have you been straining to carry alone? How would surrendering it to Christ’s sufficiency reshape your daily rhythms?

Day 4: Gospel-Shaped Lives

A foundation’s layout dictates a building’s shape. Likewise, the gospel molds how believers forgive, work, and love. Peter and John’s boldness baffled religious leaders because resurrection hope reshaped their priorities. When Christ’s victory defines us, our choices confuse the world—generosity defies greed, humility upends pride, grace disrupts vengeance. [20:35]

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
(Acts 4:13, ESV)

Reflection: Would those closest to you describe your decisions as “astonishing” or comfortably predictable? What one habit could better reflect your identity in Christ?

Day 5: Counted Among the People

Ezra’s exiles kept meticulous records—names mattered. To be numbered among God’s people meant embracing both altar and foundation. Today, inclusion requires faith in Christ’s sacrifice and commitment to His body. Giving, serving, and gathering aren’t obligations but responses to grace. The church isn’t a club; it’s a temple rising on Christ’s finished work. [22:42]

"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
(Hebrews 13:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: Is your involvement in Christian community intentional or incidental? How might prioritizing sacrificial giving or service deepen your connection to Christ’s body?

Bible Study Guide

Bible ReadingEzra 3:1-6 (ESV): "When the seventh month came... they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord..."
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (ESV): "According to the grace of God given to me... no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
- Hebrews 13:10-14 (ESV): "We have an altar... let us go to him outside the camp..."

Observation Questions

In Ezra 3, what was built first before the temple’s foundation, and why was this order significant? [00:15]
According to 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, what is the only foundation for God’s temple, and how does this connect to Ezra’s account of laying the temple’s foundation? [11:36]
Hebrews 13:10-14 calls believers to “go to [Jesus] outside the camp.” What Old Testament practice does this reference, and how does Jesus fulfill it? [03:59]

Interpretation Questions

Why does the sermon emphasize that atonement must come before architecture (altar before temple)? How does this pattern point to Christ’s work? [00:54]
The sermon states, “The gospel bears the weight of our faith so we don’t have to.” How does 1 Corinthians 3:10-16 explain this idea, and what does it mean practically for believers? [13:25]
Hebrews 13:10-14 says believers have an “altar” in Christ. How does this redefine worship and sacrifice for Christians compared to Old Testament practices? [04:30]

Application Questions

Guilt and shame are said to “end at Calvary.” What past sin or regret do you still struggle to release, and how might trusting Christ’s finished work free you from it? [06:07]
When have you tried to “shoulder burdens alone” (e.g., worry, shame, or self-reliance) instead of resting in Christ’s completed foundation? What would it look like to bring those burdens to Him this week? [15:36]
The gospel shapes “witness, worship, and relationships.” Which of these areas feels most disconnected from the gospel in your life? What small step could you take to align it with Christ’s example? [18:02]
The sermon urges believers to “be counted among God’s people” in a local church. If you’re not formally connected to a church, what hesitations hold you back? If you are, how can you deepen your commitment to serving and giving intentionally? [21:53]
How would your daily priorities or decisions change if you truly believed “the resurrection guarantees present trials are not the last word”? [15:58]

Sermon Summary

Ezra puts the altar first. Morning and evening, day after day, the offerings rise before any walls go up, teaching that atonement comes before architecture. Abram did the same. The text insists that sin must be dealt with before God’s house can be raised. That pattern, Ezra shows, pushes forward to Christ, because Old Testament history bears witness to him. Jesus says he came not to abolish but to fulfill, and the cross, a wooden structure, becomes the place where God cancels the record of debt and nails it there. Hebrews says, we have an altar, and Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people with his own blood. So the cross of Christ is the altar upon which he offered himself in the place of sinners. Believers are called to know this to the core, so that guilt and shame end at Calvary. Past sins become sober regret, not a chain that keeps them from serving.

Ezra then turns to the foundation. The entire foundation is laid before any building starts, and there is rejoicing mixed with tears for what was lost. Paul completes that picture. No one can lay a foundation other than Jesus Christ, and those in him are God’s temple. The gospel’s foundation is complete. The death and resurrection of Jesus bear the whole weight of the Christian life and determine its shape. When the weight of the world presses in, the gospel says, come to Jesus, the gentle and lowly one, and find rest. Trouble remains, but because he is risen, one day everything will not only be okay, it will be glorious. That hope does not erase hard things, but it steadies souls under them.

Because foundations also set shape, the gospel must form witness, worship, and the way believers treat one another. Acts shows that pattern. A lame man is raised in Jesus’ name, the apostles preach the death and resurrection, and the rulers recognize they had been with Jesus. A life shaped by the gospel looks like that. So the call lands plainly. Be counted among God’s people by faith in Christ. Be counted among a local church. Give intentionally, according to ability. Know that the cross is the altar and that Jesus has already laid the full foundation. Then build on him with obedience, because he alone bears the weight and sets the shape of the house God is building.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross is our true altar The Old Testament altar system runs straight to Calvary. Jesus does not abolish sacrifice; he fulfills it once for all as the substitute whose blood truly atones. Believers do not return to altars of stone, because the wooden cross has settled the debt. Shame and fear die there, and praise and generosity rise from there. [05:05]
2. Christ laid the only foundation Ezra’s completed foundation anticipates the finished work of Jesus. Paul insists there is no other foundation than Christ, so Christian labor must be built on him or it will not stand the fire. Confidence grows not from effort but from where that effort rests. Building begins only after the foundation is fully in place. [11:36]
3. The gospel bears faith’s full weight When the burdens pile up, the flesh tries to shoulder them alone. Jesus calls the weary to himself and carries what they cannot, promising rest that reaches the soul. The resurrection guarantees that present trials are not the last word. Hope does not remove trouble, but it does remove despair. [15:36]
4. The gospel determines faith’s shape Foundations set a building’s form; the gospel sets the contours of Christian life. Worship, witness, and relationships take their cues from the death and resurrection of Jesus. A life formed this way becomes legibly Christlike, recognizable even to skeptics as having been with Jesus. [18:02]
5. Be counted among God’s people Grace gathers a people, and faith in Christ names them as God’s children. Membership in a local body makes that belonging concrete and accountable. Intentional giving reflects a heart set on God’s house, not leftovers. Obedience flows from trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord. [21:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - Altar before temple in Ezra
[01:34] - Old Testament history points to Christ
[01:59] - Why sacrifices ended: Jesus
[02:47] - Fulfillment not abolition
[03:35] - Cross as sin-bearing altar
[04:30] - Sacrifices of praise and sharing
[06:07] - Guilt and shame end at Calvary
[07:26] - Entire foundation laid first
[09:54] - One foundation fulfilled in Christ
[11:36] - God’s temple built on Jesus
[12:22] - Gospel as completed foundation
[15:18] - Rest for the weary in Christ
[18:02] - Gospel shapes worship and witness
[21:53] - Be counted among God’s people

Sermon Clips

33s

#OTFulfilledInChrist

“So I've got a question. Over and over again in the scriptures in the Old Testament, we see burnt offerings as what atones for the sins of God's people. Why don't we do that today? Why don't we do burnt offerings today as a church? Why is there not an altar either in here or outside to deal with our sin? Jesus. Jesus. The answer is Jesus. That's a good answer. Amen. Particularly, the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.”

45s

#BelieveInChrist

“Folks, what do we do in response to that? I want you to know beyond any doubt. Know this from the core of who you are, that the cross of Christ is the altar upon which he offered himself for our sins. Have no doubt that the cross of Christ is the altar upon which our sin was dealt with. We need to believe in Jesus to be saved. Believe in him who died the death that we deserve so that you can be forgiven of your sins and receive the free gift of eternal life.”

34s

#GospelOvercomesTrouble

“And the the great news of the gospel means that that no matter how hard life gets, one day it'll be okay. And that changes our perspective on things. The gospel doesn't make hard things disappear, folks. The good news of Jesus Christ doesn't mean that automatically our marriages are gonna be healthy, that everybody's gonna be healthy, that everything's gonna be fine and dandy and wife is rainbows and unicorns. That's not what the gospel promises. That's not that's not biblical. The gospel says is, in this world, you will have trouble, but fear not for I have overcome the world.”

39s

#JesusIsTheFoundation

“And we can know beyond any doubt. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that one day for the believer, it will be not just okay. It'll be glorious. It'll be glorious. The gospel and only the gospel is the foundation of our Christian faith. Not the church, not pastors and elders, not the deacons. Believers don't get are are are not the bedrock. They don't bear the full weight of our faith. Only Jesus does.”

34s

#TempleBuiltOnChrist

“We see in chapter three, the altar of the God of Israel built before the temple and the great principle that offerings to deal with sin always come before the building of the house. So what do we do? We know that the cross of Christ is the altar upon which we are being built, that we are free from our sins because of the work that Jesus did on the cross, paying with his life what we owe for our sins. He took our place and he's building us into this temple, this new dwelling place of God even as we speak.”

28s

#ForgivenNotShamed

“And what happens is when we know that, those sins that we commit, they're no longer shameful. They're nothing to be ashamed of. They're they're nothing that should make us feel guilty or inadequate. When we understand and know that Jesus paid the penalty in full for our sins, then those past actions become regret, but not shame. We talk about those things in a different light. They don't hold us back from serving. They don't hold us back from being who God has redeemed us to be.”

32s

#GospelBearsTheWeight

“Now what happens if you're building a house and you set walls outside of the foundation? They're gonna sink into the ground. They're gonna fall down. They're gonna rot. They're not gonna function well. Now keep that illustration in mind when considering that the death and the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. The gospel is the foundation of our faith. That means that the gospel bears the weight of our faith. It bears the weight.”

31s

#NoMoreShameInChrist

“And believers, we need to be reminded of that as well. Because all too often believers, I I I don't know that we know this to the core of our being. And and I say that because all too often believers will hold on to shame and guilt of their sins. Folks, there should be no such thing for the believer. We need to believe that the cross of Christ is completely sufficient for the forgiveness of our sins.”

Ask a question about this sermon

FBC Richlands This sermon · AI assistant

Why are burnt offerings not practiced by Christians today

How does the cross function as the altar

How should the gospel shape our church and lives

The Cross: God’s Altar and Our Foundation

Devotional

Day 1: The Altar Before the Temple

Day 2: The Completed Foundation

Day 3: The Weight-Bearing Gospel

Day 4: Gospel-Shaped Lives

Day 5: Counted Among the People

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Sermon Clips

The Cross: God’s Altar and Our Foundation

Share