An Unshakeable Altar
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
An Unshakeable Altar
Hebrews 13:10-16 | Dr. Richard Price | Schrader Lane Church of Christ
Live Where Jesus Provides
The altar was never about wood or stone. It always pointed to one truth: God provides the way back to Himself. Christ offered Himself once, and sat down - the work is finished.
Live Where Jesus Leads
Jesus suffered outside the city gate, bearing shame that wasn't His. Wherever He leads, even outside your comfort zone, His grace has already gone ahead of you.
Live Where Jesus Is Praised
Praise isn't tied to your circumstances - it's rooted in what Christ has done. Doing good and sharing with those in need are sacrifices that please God.
"The altar was never about wood, bronze, or stone. It was always about one truth: God provides the way back to Himself."
4 Ways to Live at the Unshakable Altar
- Name your false altars - career, success, approval - and hand them back to Christ.
- Follow Jesus outside your comfort zone; His grace is already there.
- Offer a continual sacrifice of praise, regardless of your season.
- Do good and share with someone in need this week.
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
An Unshakeable Altar: Why You Already Have Everything You Need
Barry's Bureau | Inspired by Dr. Richard Price's sermon at Schrader Lane Church of Christ
Dr. Richard Price teaches from Hebrews 13:10-16 that believers already possess everything they need through Christ - an altar that can never be shaken. Discover why your hope was never meant to rest on a career, a season, or anything else this world can move.
You Can't Build On Ground That Keeps Moving
Have you ever built your life on something that felt rock solid, only to watch it shift beneath your feet? A career you thought was secure. A relationship you were sure would last. A five-year plan you were certain God had signed off on. Then the season changed, the ground moved, and you were left wondering what you could actually stand on. If that's you this week, Dr. Richard Price has good news from Schrader Lane Church of Christ: there is one foundation in your life that can never be shaken.
Dr. Price built his message, "An Unshakeable Altar," from Hebrews 13:10-16, where the Hebrew writer makes a strange, confident claim: "We have an altar." Not, "we need to build one." Not, "we're still looking." We already have it. In the Old Testament, the altar was the place where sinful people could approach a holy God, because God Himself provided the sacrifice. Dr. Price's central truth for the congregation this week was simple: because of what Christ has already done, that altar can never be moved, shaken, or taken away.
Live Where Jesus Provides
Dr. Price began by walking through why God gave Israel an altar in the first place. It was a place of sacrifice, reminding God's people that forgiveness was never cheap. It was a place of atonement, declaring that a holy God had graciously made a way for sinful people to approach Him. It was a place of worship, where offerings acknowledged that everything already belonged to God. And it was a place of covenant and memorial, marking the moments when God proved Himself faithful across generations.
Every one of those functions, Dr. Price explained, pointed forward. Every sacrifice pointed beyond itself. Every lamb looked forward. Every offering whispered, "Someone greater is coming." Hebrews doesn't tell believers to build another altar - it declares that Christ has already fulfilled everything the altar ever anticipated. The blood of bulls and goats could never permanently remove sin, but Christ offered Himself once, and then He sat down. The work was finished. That's why Dr. Price called this altar "unshakable" - the foundation was never our performance. It was always God's initiative.
Dr. Price didn't stop there. He named a temptation many of us live with: turning a career, a degree, a reputation, or a bank account into an altar of our own. None of those things, however God-given, can carry the weight of your soul. Only Christ can forgive. Only Christ can hold what you cannot hold yourself. You can honor God through your profession without ever letting your profession become your god.
Live Where Jesus Leads - Even Outside the Camp
From there, Dr. Price moved to Hebrews 13:13-14: "Let us go out to Him outside the camp and bear the disgrace He bore." In the first century, "outside the camp" meant rejection. It's where the ceremonially unclean waited. It's where lepers were sent. It's where the remains of the Day of Atonement sacrifice were burned. And it's exactly where Jesus suffered - outside the city gate, carrying shame that wasn't His.
That, Dr. Price said, is exactly like God: He takes what the world calls shame and turns it into salvation. He takes rejection and turns it into redemption. He takes a cross, an instrument of execution, and makes it the symbol of eternal hope.
Following Jesus, Dr. Price reminded the congregation, sometimes costs popularity. Sometimes it costs a relationship. Sometimes it costs a promotion or the comfort of the familiar. But grace always arrives before the instruction - identity comes before obedience. "We have an altar" comes before "let us go." Wherever Jesus leads, even into an uncomfortable season, His grace is already there waiting for you. Dr. Price pointed out that the original readers were tempted to stay anchored to Jerusalem's temple and its traditions, but even Jerusalem was temporary - every earthly city eventually fails. Because "here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Hebrews 13:14), your hope was never meant to rest in anything this world can shake.
Live Where Jesus Is Praised
Dr. Price closed his message in Hebrews 13:15-16, showing that everything he'd taught so far leads to one natural response: worship. "By Him therefore let us offer a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name." Praise, Dr. Price said, isn't dependent on your circumstances, your season, or what's happening in the culture around you - it's rooted in what Christ has already done. Dr. Price reminded the church that even in a summer full of changing jobs, changing health, and changing seasons, the God we praise never changes.
And praise was never meant to stay in your mouth. Verse sixteen adds the practical half: "Don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." Praise and service, Dr. Price said, are not two separate ideas - they're the natural fruit of belonging to Christ. When you truly live at the unshakable altar, worship and generosity stop being obligations and start becoming who you are.
"The altar was never about wood, bronze, or stone. It was always about one truth: God provides the way back to Himself." - Dr. Richard Price
4 Ways to Live at the Unshakable Altar This Week
- Name your false altars. Be honest about what you've been leaning on for security - career, success, education, approval - and hand it back to Christ.
- Follow Jesus outside your comfort zone. If He's leading you somewhere unfamiliar, go. His grace is already there.
- Offer a continual sacrifice of praise. Don't wait for a good week to worship - praise is rooted in what Christ has done, not in your circumstances.
- Do good and share. Find one person in need this week and be the answer to their prayer.
Listen, Watch, Learn More
Want to hear Dr. Price teach this message in full? Watch the complete sermon, "An Unshakeable Altar," recorded live at Schrader Lane Church of Christ. Then test what you've learned with this week's Priceless Lessons quiz and Scripture Matching game, both available on Barry's Bureau. If this message spoke to you, you may also enjoy last week's post, Following Faithful Leaders, on staying steady under godly leadership.
Where Is God Leading You Outside the Camp?
Here's the question Dr. Price left us with this week: What altar have you been quietly building your life around? Whatever it is - career, comfort, approval, control - it cannot hold the weight of your soul. Only Christ can. This week, take one step outside your camp and follow Him there. Then come back and tell us: what is God asking you to surrender, or where is He leading you outside your comfort zone? We'd love to hear from you in the comments, or share this post with someone who needs the reminder.
Join us for worship at Schrader Lane Church of Christ or visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources.
Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
An Unshakeable Altar — Quiz
"The altar was never about wood, bronze, or stone. It was always about one truth: God provides the way back to Himself." — Dr. Richard Price
Test what you learned from this week's Priceless Lessons message. 7 questions, just a couple of minutes.
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"An Unshakeable Altar" Priceless Lessons Quiz
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Priceless Lessons from Dr. Price
Scripture Matching — An Unshakeable Altar
Match each key phrase from this week's sermon to its correct verse in Hebrews. Tap a phrase on the left, then tap the verse you think matches on the right. 8 pairs total.