Jesus’ role in Genuine Worship

In our study of Genuine Worship, we have discovered that God is the focus of Genuine Worship. From Genesis 22, the first time that the word worship is used in the Bible, we see it explained by love and obedience. Genuine Worship to God is done out of love and is manifested in our obedience. In lesson two, we learned about the tabernacle and how it leads us to worship God correctly. This week, we are going to cover the significance of Jesus Christ in Genuine Worship.

I. Jesus: Our High Priest

In the book of Leviticus, chapter 9 and verse 7, we discover that the earthly priests played a significant role in the daily life of the people. They would minister to God on behalf of the people. They would have to offer sacrifices for their own sin and for the sins of the people as well. The sacrifices could only cover the people’s sins. They could not wash their sins away. This had to be done constantly, reminding the people of their bondage to their sin nature. In Hebrews 4:14, we learn that under the New Covenant, Jesus is our Priest. In Hebrews 5:9-10, we learn that Jesus, as High Priest, offers us eternal salvation. We are rescued from our sin nature once for all time. The sign of this eternal salvation is our obedience. As Genesis 22 taught us, obedience is joined with love in Genuine Worship. Jesus is different from the earthly priests because He comes from a different lineage. Hebrews 8:1-2 reveals to us that Jesus is our High Priest in Heaven instead of on the earth. Jesus ministers to God on our behalf in the heavenly tabernacle. Genuine Worship involved having Jesus as Our High Priest who intercedes on our behalf before the Lord. How does Jesus relate to the earthly tabernacle?

II.Jesus and the Tabernacle

Let’s take a look at what the New Testament teaches us about Jesus and His relationship to the earthly tabernacle.

• John 10:9 – Jesus is the door. No one can begin walking into the presence of God unless first coming to Christ
• John 14:6 and Hebrews 10:19-20 – Jesus is the only way to God’s presence. We have to go through Him as the door and through Him as the veil.
• John 1:29 – Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
• Hebrews 10:4-12 – Jesus’ sacrifice is offered once for all time. His sacrifice is able to set us free from our sin nature.
• Ephesians 5:25-26 and John 15:3 – Jesus washes us with the water of His Word
• I John 1:9 – If we confess our sins (agree with God that we have sinned) He will forgive us and cleanse us.

Jesus has set us apart from the rest of humanity through His perfect sacrifice. What are we set apart for? Why has God set us apart from the rest of humanity? Let’s discover the reason from the Word!

III. Jesus’ special priests

The final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, in chapter 1 and verse 6, we discover the reason why God sets us apart from the rest of humanity by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God does it because He loves us. He does it to make us an entire kingdom of priests here on this earth. Our job now is to serve the Lord. The way that we do it is by investing the Gospel in the lives of the people around us. We have a holy calling and that is why God must make us holy, so that we can accomplish that calling. In I Peter 2:9, God reveals to us that as followers of Christ, our High Priest, we are a chosen race of people. We are chosen with a purpose. We are chosen to be a royal priesthood here on the earth. Our job is the proclaim the excellencies of God. His excellencies are the fact that through Jesus Christ, God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. This is what is means to be a priest here on this earth under the New Covenant. This is the calling of every Christian under the New Testament. What does this look like on a daily basis? Romans 12:1 teaches us that as the priests of the Lord, in order to worship Him correctly, we must offer our lives as a living sacrifice to the Lord on a daily basis. We are submitted to the will of God day by day and we are dedicated to obedience.

My dear friend, are you a royal priest for the Lord because of Jesus Christ? Do you live as a royal priest every single day? Have you experienced God’s eternal rescue from your sin nature? Are you seeking to proclaim the excellencies of God moment by moment, day by day? Are you walking in obedience to the Lord out of love? May the Lord help us live as royal priests on a daily basis for the glory of God.