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.

Not only is Jesus alive, but He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. He offers unlimited access on your behalf to the Father, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. That ought to change your perspective on just about any set of circumstances you might be facing today.

God wondrously delivered to Moses the blueprints to build the Tabernacle in the wilderness. What Moses didn’t know at that time, is that the earthly Tabernacle would be a shadow of the real tabernacle in heaven, made by God Himself.

Jesus now ministers on your behalf in a better tabernacle, the genuine tabernacle in heaven. He has made the throne of God a throne of grace, and you have been invited to come there with great confidence and assurance to receive mercy and help in your time of need.

Through prayer and by exercising your faith, you can access all riches and blessings of God that are prepared for you in Jesus. It pleases God when you trust Him and turn to Him through Jesus.

Everything is better in Jesus, who now lives in heaven ministering for you before the presence of His Father.

The ministry Jesus now has on your behalf is far better than the ministry of the high priests carried out in the earthly Tabernacle. Jesus delivered a once-for-all sacrifice for your sins, by offering His own body and shed blood to God in the heavenly tabernacle.

Jesus now interceded, or prays, for you to the Father in heaven. He enjoys such proximity to the Father, seated at His right hand, that He has unlimited access to Him. No earthly high priest could ever claim such access in his ministry in the Tabernacle. And you no longer need to offer a yearly sacrifice for your sin. Jesus did that for you when He died on the cross and shed His own blood. Jesus’ ministry is far better.

In Jesus, the New Covenant is written on the hearts of those who believe. Because His law is etched in our hearts by His Spirit, we know the boundaries of righteousness, and we can have an intimate relationship with Him. Everyone has the opportunity to know God in Jesus because this is a spiritual promise that is alive in the human heart.

In Jesus, there is full forgiveness. There is total pardon. There is no longer a penalty for sin. No more condemnation, and no more weight of guilt on the conscience. That’s what Jesus accomplished.

The Law could not accomplish what Jesus did in His death. It just won’t lift you from your sin; itcan’tlift you out from under sin’s condemning weight. But a new principle is introduced: the Holy Spirit. What the Law could not do, the Holy Spirit is able to do. Therefore, you can be saved and now live for Jesus based on this new principle. You have a New Covenant based upon better promises, God has given you the Holy Spirit, and you have Jesus in heaven standing in the gap for you.

1. Where the Old Testament saints had to offer more and more sacrifices, we just need to trust in Christ’s finished work. How hard is that for you to do?

2. There were a lot of very specific details that God gave to Moses when it came to building the Tabernacle. What does that tell us about God?

3. How can understanding what Jesus accomplished on the cross do away with our sins and our feelings of guilt for them?

Additional Resources:

Trusted Bible teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee's, complete audio teachings of Hebrews 7:20-8:2, Hebrews 7:25-8:6, Hebrews 8:6-13

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