“Since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.”’
“When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” [1]
Worship is the eternal occupation of the redeemed. Since this is true, one would expect that the people of God would prepare themselves for worship. All that we do in the realm of worship during this life is but preparation for our eternal occupation. In fact, I am bold to say that if you have no desire to worship the True and Living God, you will not enjoy Heaven. I wonder if the reluctance to worship witnessed among our contemporaries arises from a misunderstanding of what constitutes worship. Perhaps we have never worshipped. Perhaps we are ignorant of what God expects.
Worship! The term speaks of ascribing worth to the One worshipped. Worship is the natural response of the heart set free and delivered into the presence of the True and Living God. If we saw the glory of the Lord—and recognised that divine effulgence as His glory—we would unquestionably worship. Worship is ascribing to God His worth. It is giving God the glory that is due His Name. To worship is to honour God. It is to permit oneself to marvel at His grace, to adore His Person, to wonder at His majesty, to rejoice in His goodness and to be fascinated with His love.
Worship may be loud and noisy, or worship may be quiet. There may be shouts of exultation or there may be only the quiet word always associated with worship, “Oh!” Tragically, the “Oh” is missing from much of our worship, whether noisy or quiet.
I invite each one listening today to consider Christ our Lord. As the author of this letter has written, “Consider Him” [HEBREWS 12:3]. I invite each worshipper to join me in focusing on the first FOURTEEN VERSES of the TENTH CHAPTER of this book. In these verses, we shall encounter the Eternal Christ, our sacrifice from before the earth was formed. Encountering Him, we shall make the effort to return the “Oh!” to our worship.
PEOPLE WILL WORSHIP — People are inherently religious. There is an undefined, though nevertheless real quality, residing within the breast of each of us that longs for ceremony. We are fascinated by cant and creed. We are comfortable receiving direction concerning what is acceptable and what is offensive. All this is an indication that we shrink from freedom even as we long to “do” something pleasing before God. In part, we delight in ritual because we recognise that divine expectation removes a degree of responsibility from us, whereas religious structure arising from exercise of our own fertile imaginations permits us to willingly blind ourselves to personal responsibility.
As an example of what I am saying, consider the comforting liturgy found within contemporary Christendom. It makes no difference whether one is considering the liturgy associated with old, mainline churches or whether one focuses on the unacknowledged, though very real, liturgy exemplified in the freestyle worship forms of evangelical Christians. We Baptists, to consider just one example of evangelical Christians, permit ourselves to hide behind subterfuge as we aver sensitivity to the will of God in our worship. Nevertheless, deviation from what is comfortable leaves us “trapped” in a liturgy that permits us to unconsciously perform our religious duties. Young seminarians will be cautioned that it is easier to change a congregation’s theology than it is to change their order of service.
There is no question but that we who participate in various rituals surrounding what we commonly call “worship” generally feel good about our actions. Christians from the liturgical tradition speak of the dignity of their services and insist that through participating in the familiar rituals they derive comfort and a sense that they have truly worshipped. Christians practising evangelicalism assert that the “freedom” they experience permits them to respond to the movement of the Spirit and that this freedom is a source of comfort. A common theme in either of these forms of worship is knowledge of what is coming next, which permits the worshipper to feel comfortable. A common feature in either form of worship is the sense of gratification the worshippers derives as she or he feels good about what has transpired during “worship” because they have fulfilled the expected norm.
I am neither defending nor attacking either structured worship or freestyle worship; I am endeavouring to establish the truth that consciously or unconsciously, all people seek to worship, but few people are able to define what is meant by the term “worship.” Let’s think about this subject, seeking to come up with a definition of what we are endeavouring to do. If we understand what we are seeking, we are far more likely to find it than if we never know what we want to do. If we don’t know what we are seeking, we will never ¬¬find it.
What does it mean when we speak of worship? Is worship defined by what is felt, by an undefined mystical sense? Is worship defined by careful adherence to a liturgy which may or may not wear the patina of antiquity? What are the elements of worship? It will be to our benefit to know what we are doing when we “worship,” since our eternal occupation will be worship if we are to accept what is written in Scripture.
The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is filled with expressions of worship. Unrepentant mankind is revealed as religious in the extreme during the days of the Great Tribulation. The revelation of what is taking place on the earth demonstrates almost incessant worship of the antichrist that is to be revealed. Through the “worship” that is offered during those dark days, people are actually worshipping the devil, Satan, who is described as “the dragon,” or that “ancient serpent.”
One example of such wicked worship is found in REVELATION 13:1-8. In that passage, John writes, “I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
It is astonishing to realise that people will be incredibly religious during the dark days of the Great Tribulation. However, they will be worshipping the devil. John says of people even when they are suffering under the judgements of God, “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” [REVELATION 9:20-21].
What will be witnessed at that time is the fruition of what is seen even now in our world. Those who worship before idols, those who exalt the modern idols of popularity, prestige, power and possessions, are guilty of worshipping demons. The Apostle warns, “What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God” [1 CORINTHIANS 10:20a].
Israel was guilty of this same sin, as Moses wrote:
“Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;
you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
then he forsook God who made him
and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.
They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
with abominations they provoked him to anger.”
Take special note of the verse that follows! Israel grew proud; they began to trust in their own abilities and strength rather than the LORD their God. This, in turn, led to demonic worship. So, Moses wrote,
“They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
to gods they had never known,
to new gods that had come recently,
whom your fathers had never dreaded.”
[DEUTERONOMY 32:15-17]
Mankind is inherently religious, and it is certain that we will worship something. If God is not the centre of life, we will worship that which excites us, that which stimulates the senses and stirs the emotions. Satan is a master of deception, and people are sufficiently foolish to stumble unwittingly into His entrapment.
Wicked worship such as we have just been considering must be contrasted to the worship that is offered up to the Living God in Heaven. Around the throne of the Living God, Cherubs are always worshipping Him Who is seated on the throne. Around that scene will be the redeemed of God engaged in worship. John saw the scene and wrote, “Whenever the [cherubs] give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’”
[REVELATION 4:9-11]
The redeemed of God, represented as twenty-four elders, worship God on His throne!
Again, the Revelator describes the scene that unfolds as the Saviour, here identified as a Lamb that had been violently slain, presents Himself before the throne of the Father in order to receive the title deed to creation. The Revelator writes of that scene, “When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
‘Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.’
“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!’
“And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’”
[REVELATION 5:8-13]
Note what happens next. John wrote, “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” [REVELATION 5:14]. I thought in the preceding verses we had been observing worship! However, only after what preceded are we told that the heavenly congregation begins to worship! This one verse tells me several truths that must be recognised if I will understand worship.
Singing, of itself, is not necessarily worship. Singing can be one element of worship, but singing is not worship by itself. Similarly, prayer is not of itself worship, though it assuredly should be an element of worship. The preaching of the Word is not worship, though proclamation of the Word should lead to worship as Christ the Lord is revealed through the Word that is declared. Ritual, rite and liturgy may be involved in worship, but of themselves none of these can be considered to be worship. Worship is the spontaneous response of the individual when God has revealed Himself. Worship requires knowledge of the Holy One. Worship requires awareness of God’s presence. Worship is independent of ritual, independent of liturgy. Worship is fervent, heartfelt acknowledgement of God’s worth, confession of the Holy One’s character. Worship flows unconsciously from the life that recognises that an individual is in the presence of One who is greater that the individual, One who is worthier than is the individual.
Consider these truths as foundational for worship that is acceptable to the Living God.
• Worship requires knowledge of the Holy One.
• Worship is fervent acknowledgement of God’s worth.
• Worship flows unconsciously from recognition of the presence of the Living God.
Why do we think of worship as boring? Why do youth come to church and spend their time playing games on their phone, talking to one another and generally ignoring what is going on? For that matter, why are the churches losing the generations following the elders of the Faith? What happens that a child turns fourteen and suddenly they are turned off by church, drifting away to stay in bed on Sunday morning, watch television or play video games rather than join in the worship?
In the first place, consider that perhaps our children are not converted! We don’t introduce them to Christ; and when we do speak of Christ, we introduce a Saviour who is quite different from Him as He is presented in the Word. Thus, children are introduced to a Saviour who is available for them to use as they determine and according to their felt needs. He is a Saviour willing to “help,” rather than being a Master who seeks their best for His glory. The Jesus of the modern church is an adjunct to whatever we want out of life; He is not the Lord of Glory who deserves our best effort.
Again, our worship consists of a liturgy that is repetitious and dreadfully boring—we know what is coming next. What would happen if, when we came into the House of God, we had no idea what would happen next? What would it be if the Risen Lord actually met with us and began to work among us as He did in the churches during the days of the Apostles? What if Jesus actually healed someone? What if Jesus actually disturbed a demonised man before setting that man free? What if blasphemers and doubters were struck dumb by the Son of God? We pretty much witness what we expect at the services of the church because we are not expecting much! What if the services were as described by the Apostle when he writes, “If all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:24-25]?
When we enter the House of God, ushers should hand out crash helmets and the pews should have seat belts because we don’t know what will happen next, but it is sure to be wild. Our God is not a tame, predictable entity that is always nice. He killed liars who dared enter into His presence. He struck down pretenders who imagined they could offer whatever they deemed acceptable as worship. He blinded people who attempted to turn others away from hearing the message of life. His glory caused even His servants to fall on their faces in awe. Entire nations pleaded with Him not to reveal Himself or display His anger. You cannot control a God such as Him! How can you anticipate what He will do next? This is what worship must be if worshippers will actually enter into true worship before Him.
Our worship fails to introduce worshippers to the Risen Son of God. When the Master appeared in unveiled glory to the people of that ancient day, the universal response was awe. Whenever people met the Risen Saviour, they were smitten by wonder, they marvelled, they were lost in admiration—in short, they were awed. We have seldom, if ever, had such an experience, and our youth are deprived of knowledge of the Holy One. Consequently, modern worshippers appear more enamoured of the tawdry elements of this dying world then we are enthralled with the power and the joy of the Ruler of Life!
People want to worship, and they are going to worship something! They will not long make the attempt to participate in a soporific liturgy that changes nothing and fails to stir the heart. People want to meet the Living God. We’ve spent quite enough time playing a game that pretends we are worshipping when in fact we are going through the motions and accomplishing nothing. It is high time for God’s people to meet Him, to worship the Living Son of God. It must be the desire of each child of God to meet the Living God, to meet the Risen Saviour, whenever we come together in assembly. It must be the burning desire of each follower of the Christ to see others introduced to Him, and especially whenever we meet in assembly.
IT IS GOD’S PREROGATIVE TO ACCEPT WORSHIP — Think about this truth that is delivered in the text. “When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” [HEBREWS 10:8-10].
We do not tell God what we will do in the realm of worship, as though He is compelled to accept what we have decided to toss His way. The LORD God will accept only that which is acceptable to Him. And in multiple instances in the Word God has spoken of what is acceptable to Him. Long years past, Micah spoke for the LORD God, instructing people concerning what is acceptable to God. Micah wrote,
“With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
[MICAH 6:6-8]
Rite and ritual are meaningless when they are divorced from justice and kindness and humility before the Lord! God expects us to reveal our love for Him through our relationships in the world. Then, and only then, are we to come into His presence displaying true humility. Micah’s admonition echoes that delivered by Moses. “What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD” [DEUTERONOMY 10:12-13a]?
Perhaps you will recall an incident that occurred during the days when Jesus was ministering in Judea. The divine account relates how the religious leaders came to Jesus with a complaint against His disciples. “Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.’ He answered them, “And why ‘do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, “Honor your father and your mother,” and, “Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.” But you say, “If anyone tells his father or his mother, ‘What you would have gained from me is given to God,’ he need not honor his father.” So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
‘“This people honours me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”’”
[MATTHEW 15:1-9]
My, my, my! How gauche! The disciples didn’t wash their hands before they ate! To these religious leaders, this was not merely an issue of the disciples being inconsiderate or slovenly. As I have often pointed out, washing the hands before eating was not a matter of hygiene. This was a religious requirement meant to illustrate that a person deemed himself ritually clean. Through their protests, these religious leaders exposed themselves as having exalted prescribed ritual over the One proclaimed! They were focused on what they did rather than being focused on Who they were to meet in worship.
And why shouldn’t they focus on what was done? It is far easier to assess an action than to reveal what takes place in the confines of the heart. These religious leaders boasted of their icy precision in doing the prescribed rituals, but they were ignorant of the presence of the Living Word! The Pharisees and scribes were icily precise in the conduct of their religion, but there was no life in what was done. They were spiritually dead even as they performed the rites they had created.
The same thing happens repeatedly and in far too many congregations in this day! We go to church, recite the liturgy or watch the performance, and yet we never meet the Risen Saviour! This is what some have called “peg-leg religion.” Using this form of religion, we may manage to get around, but there is no life in it. We have to strap it on every morning. This is “peg-leg religion.” Tragically, “peg-leg religion” describes much of what masquerades as worship in this day.
Ritual, liturgy, becomes all important, even though the Risen Son of God is absent from all that occurs. Make no mistake, even evangelicals rely on ritual and liturgy. It is possible to sing choruses, watching the worship team perform, and never worship. It is possible to be entertained by the sermon, and never hear the voice of the Saviour. Those who meet the Living Saviour are transformed. If your “worship” has not changed your life, you need to change your “worship.” If you can “worship” without being changed, then it is certain that you have been performing a ritual, though you have not worshipped. Let me repeat: you cannot meet the Risen Master without being changed!
A primary aspect of the pastoral role is preparing people to meet God. We cannot properly meet Him while clinging to our own broken ways. We must be transformed by His effective working in our lives. Is this not obvious from even a cursory review of the teachings of the New Testament? Paul has written, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” [ROMANS 12:1-2].
Earlier in this same letter, the Apostle encouraged followers of the Master when he wrote: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” [ROMANS 8:28-30].
The issue that has been raised is too important to pass by without driving home the truth that it is God’s prerogative to accept worship; and it is our honour to present our best efforts to worship Him as very God. Don’t pass over this precept so quickly that you miss what is being said. The Living God is worthy of our best—our best service, our best effort, our best love, our best possession. I don’t mean that we should focus on the external aspects that deal with accoutrements or liturgies, though these can reveal our attitudes. We must make the effort to ensure that our heart is pure, that we have jettisoned those facets of this broken life that would dishonour the Lord God. We must allow Him to transform our lives so that we reflect His character in our daily walk and in our interactions with others. Let each follower of the Risen Saviour determine that we will make every effort to so live that our lives glorify Christ the Lord. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” [MATTHEW 5:16].
WORSHIP THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD — Focus on the final paragraph in the text that is before us. The writer has stated, “Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” [HEBREWS 10:11-14]. Clearly, human efforts may or may not lead to an encounter with the Master—the condition of the heart is what matters. Contrasted to that particular view is true worship that always leads to meeting the Living God. The difference in these two concepts is of eternal significance.
Our efforts at worship will either be designed to make us feel good about ourselves, or these efforts will be intended to exalt and to recognise the perfection of the Living God. Either we invent what we think God wants us to do in worship, or we seek what He wants of us. Either what we identify as “worship” will enthrone us at the centre of our effort, or it will seek to exalt the Lord God. Every effort that is focused on making us feel good about ourselves fails the biblical test of worship. Take a moment to ponder that fact—worship is not about us! Worship is about the Lord! Biblical worship is about the Living God. Worship that is acceptable to God does not endeavour to bring God down to our level; worship that is acceptable to the LORD God seeks to lift us to Him. Biblical worship seeks to know God, to explore His character, to recognise His majestic Person. Whenever we leave the event we call worship feeling good about what we have done, it is certain that we have not worshipped. Leaving a worship event that is actually biblical, we will rejoice in our God. When we truly worship Him, we will exult in His majesty, rejoice in His mercy, magnify His might.
Worship is not a matter of having the right accoutrements available or of practising a particular liturgy, worship is the spontaneous response of the individual who meets the Living God. I read of a priest who had been imprisoned during the dark days of the Ceau?escu regime in Romania when the nation was officially Communist. This priest bemoaned that he was unable to worship because he didn’t have any of the paraphernalia prescribed by his religion. May I say that anyone who says he can only worship if he wears a particular item of clothing, or who says he can worship only if in a certain location, or who says one must only recite a prescribed ritual, is incapable of worshipping. I contend that when one meets the Risen Son of God, that person will worship!
I want our congregation to worship. I want each of us to know what it is to worship when we come together in assembly. And we will worship corporately when we are worshipping privately. When we meet the Risen Son of God on a daily basis, we will be assured that we will meet Him whenever we gather as a congregation. When we seek God, we will find Him. Is this not the promise of God given through His Prophet? “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” [JEREMIAH 29:13]. Meeting the Living God is dependent upon the heart of that one seeking the Lord. When one’s heart longs for God, God will graciously reveal Himself. When one has exalted herself, she cannot expect to meet God.
Asa, the King of Judah, with an army of 580,000 men went out to meet a much larger army from Ethiopia. The contest was certainly not in Judah’s favour. Nevertheless, Asa cried out to God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you” [2 CHRONICLES 14:11]. The LORD heard Asa’s prayer and graciously delivered His people, defeating the Ethiopian armed force.
When Asa returned from the battle, he was met by a prophet of God. The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Obed as he went out to meet Asa, the message God gave him was, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you” [2 CHRONICLES 15:2a]. This is the message we need to hear and heed—if you seek God, He will be found by you!
Azariah recited the history of the nation to remind the king of the veracity of what he was saying. “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” [2 CHRONICLES 15:2-7].
Those who seek God find Him. Those who ignore God will be ignored. The same truth prevails in the realm of worship. Those who seek God will be blessed as He reveals Himself to them. Those who exalt themselves will never know the presence of the Living God. Is this not the teaching of the Word as given in the Letter to Hebrew Christians? “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” [HEBREWS 11:6].
This promise is most likely a restatement of the promise given in several places. As David is instructing Solomon, He makes this statement: “If you seek [God], he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever” [1 CHRONICLES 28:9b].
The promise is reminiscent of the promise Jesus delivered to a Samaritan woman. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” [JOHN 4:24].
In the Proverbs is a promise attributed to “wisdom” personified as speaking in this particular Proverb. The application of what is spoken by Wisdom assuredly does apply to the Living God.
“I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.”
[PROVERBS 8:17]
This passage is focused on the changes that have taken place in the realm of worship. We can become so focused on the changes that we miss the shared aspects of worship. Worship, whether offered under the Old Covenant or offered under the New Covenant, is meant to allow the worshipper to meet the Living God. We don’t want to let that singular truth slip from our memories. However, there is a transition that has occurred that can make the difference between worship and mere rite or ritual. Worship that is acceptable to God is offered through Jesus Christ.
This truth must be iterated: worship that is acceptable to God is offered through Jesus Christ. Do you remember Jesus’ words: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” [JOHN 14:6b]? Worship that is not offered to God through Jesus Christ is unacceptable, such worship will be rejected by the True and Living God. Under the Old Covenant, one was compelled to approach God through an appointed intermediary, a priest whom God accepted. And that priest could approach only through bringing a sacrifice, an animal slain and consumed on the altar. However, the transition that God Himself has provided is that we now have both a High Priest who is appointed forever and a sacrifice that has been offered once forever. Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest, and He is our eternal sacrifice.
That the offering of Christ’s body is sufficient for the forgiveness of all sin forever becomes evident as we read, “Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” [HEBREWS 10:11-14].
That His Priesthood is eternal is evident from what is written. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” [HEBREWS 7:23-25]. Christ the Eternal Son of God always lives to make intercession for His people.
However, the writer continues exploring the ramification of the Saviour’s eternal nature, writing, “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever” [HEBREWS 7:26-28].
This is why we come to the Father through the Son—the Son is our ever-living priest! This is why we no longer have priests to serve among the churches. Christ is our eternal priest! This is why we no longer need speak of the Communion Meal as a sacrifice—Christ is our eternal sacrifice. There is no other sacrifice! We worship a Living Saviour!
When we worship Christ the Lord, we are entering into the Most Holy Place. We do this by the blood of the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb of God. We have access to the very heart of God. Therefore, the writer of this Hebrew Letter speaks of the import of this knowledge for the people of God now. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” [HEBREWS 10:19-25]. Let us worship the Lord. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
