Duties of the New and Living Way: True Worship

The New Way allows us to enter God’s presence with boldness

The New Way was made possible through Jesus’ death on the cross

The New Way has given us a Great High Priest

There are three duties that follow the basis of the New and Living Way that we will look at in the coming weeks. Tonight, as we look at verse 22, our first duty that sustains our relationship with Jesus as our Great High Priest is true worship.

“Let us draw near” is not just a singular drawing near but instead a continual drawing near to the Lord.

Hebrews 4:16. Same idea and continual expression.

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Spiritual attitude

True heart -

seen as genuine and is opposed to hypocrisy and deception.

Jesus said in John 4:24 that our worship should be in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24 ESV

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Full assurance of faith -

we should approach the Lord in worship with full confidence in our salvation, not because of our confession but because of the God who has saved us. Faith produces full assurance and certainty that God will do what He has said He will do.

Spiritual condition

“Hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience” -

Not only should the heart of our worship be genuine, but the condition of our hearts be without any sort of impurity. This is an action that has been completed but with a continuing result. It has happened but continues to happen. This is a reference back to the Levitical sacrificial system. Exodus 29:21

Exodus 29:21 ESV

Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

External cleaning only.

The conscience is either a place of misery and guilt or joy and peace and so it is necessary for a cleansing to take place.

“Having our bodies washed with pure water” -

Exodus 30:18-19.

Exodus 30:18–19 ESV

“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.

The washing usually needed to happen over and over again but this takes place with the pure water, a reference to the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:4-5.

Titus 3:4–5 ESV

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 5:26 ESV

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

John 13:10 ESV

Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”

We should come to worship the Lord as cleansed and forgiven in both the inside and the outside because worship is an action for the body and the soul.