A New Heavenly Worship

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Knowing Jesus means you can worship God with unlimited access. Before Jesus came and offered Himself as a once-for-all sacrifice for sin, God’s people were limited in their access to true worship. Everything changed when Jesus came.

When He died on the cross, He gave His human life and offered a perfect sacrifice of His blood. And that sacrifice ended the need for sacrifices in the earthly Tabernacle. The barrier is now removed.

Jesus did that for you.

Thankfully, you don’t worship God by going through endless rituals. God invites you simply to offer your voice in prayer or in praise and song because Jesus is in heaven as your perfect High Priest.

Jesus brings you to God because His sacrifice was perfect and complete. Through His death, Jesus provides us with all the good things we can experience because we are now at peace with God. He brings you peace when you are troubled, He comforts you when you grieve, He calms your anxiety, and provides what you need when you need it most. Life can be discouraging, even depressing at times. Jesus brings you His perfect and powerful presence and can lift you from despair because He lives now in God’s presence and prays for you.

None of that was possible under the old system put in place by Moses.

Jesus, personally, entered heaven to complete for you your eternal redemption. He offers His righteousness on your behalf and provides a way for you to come to God.

Still, there’s so much more. Not only are your sins covered by the blood of Jesus, but your conscience is also cleansed and made new. How would you like to be forgiven for your sins but also set free from that nagging burden of guilt over your sin? Jesus offers that to you in His death.

Jesus, now seated in heaven with God, makes all of this possible. And He continues to provide a bridge for you to experience the benefits of that promise forever. He is your eternal mediator.

The Tabernacle on earth was just a figure—the reality is in heaven. “Now to appear in thepresenceof God for us” means before the very face of God. Christ has not entered into a manmade sanctuary. It is spiritual but real. He died on earth to save us; He lives in heaven to keep us saved. He is there for us.

Put simply, there exist only two places for your sin—either your sin is on you or it is on Jesus. So if your sin remains on you, nothing can remove it but the death of Jesus.

He is going to return to earth, but not to save the world from the penalty of sin. He accomplished that when He came as a human, lived a perfect life, died a horrible death, and made a perfect sacrifice with His blood. When Jesus returns, He will return to present Himself and all who have trusted Him as evidence of His eternal salvation finished and offered for all who will believe.

Do you believe?

1. Why would there have been a barrier between God and the people in the Tabernacle?

2. Salvation isn’t intended to be purely intellectual. We are to know God in the sense of an intimate relationship and not just being aware of information about Him. Are there areas of your life where your relationship with God is more of an awareness, rather than an intimate relationship?

3. If God truly makes all things new in salvation, what parts of your thinking need this renewal?

Additional Resources:

Trusted Bible teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee's, complete audio teachings of Hebrews 9:1-7, Hebrews 9:2-24, Hebrews 9:6-27, Hebrews 9:25-10:24.

For a deeper study of Hebrews, try the Hebrews Bible Companion.