Welcome to the Warriors of Grace podcast hosted by Dave Jenkins. Warriors of Grace is about helping men from generation to generation become gospelmen in private, in the home, in the church, and in public through the Word of God. Now for today's episode, let's join our host, Dave Jenkins. Well, welcome back, men, to the Warriors of Grace podcast. My name is Dave, and I'm the host for this show, and today we're going to continue our series, Helping Men Become Better Theologians, series helping you today to understand why theology matters for worship. you know, believers from the earliest years of Christianity, especially those coming out of Judaism, they struggle to understand the relationship between Israel's worship, Christian worship, and the real worship of heaven. And in fact, the confusion escalated to such a point that some apostasize from Christianity in favor of returning to the worship of their Jewish heritage. In fact, the book of Hebrews functions as the New Testament supreme answer to this fundamental problem. It was written specifically to warn those Christian converts tempted to return to Jewish worship. And in particular, what the book of Hebrews reveals is the proper relationship between worship as it was in the beginning and worship as it is now as found in our present relationship to the worship of the world without end. The climax of the author's argument in Hebrews is found at the end of chapter 12 when he says this, starting in verse 18. For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words may the hearers beg that no further message be spoken to them, for they could not endure the order that was given. If even a beast touches a mountain, it shall be stoned. Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. But what you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gatherings, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on the earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. And at that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This phrase, yet once more, indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is things, That is, things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Now, in this passage, I want you to notice the three-worship emphasis here. The author begins with, as it was in heaven, what may be touched, the physical forms of the Old Testament worship as represented by Mount Sinai, and then he moves into, as it now is in verse 22 when he says, but you, present Christians have come to Mount Zion, and yet his description of this mount to which they come points directly to the world without end, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the heavenly temple Isaiah and John envisioned, the place where God Himself dwells, surrounded by joyful angels, the assembly of the firstborn, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect. To this heavenly city where God dwells, Christian worshipers come to Him rather than He coming down to them, as in the Sinai experience and His presence in the tabernacle and the temple. Now, the author of Hebrews contrasts these locations of worship in a number of ways throughout the book. He distinguishes between the true tent that the Lord sets up and the one set up by man. Hebrews 8, 1-2. This heavenly tent is greater and more perfect since it was not made with hands that is not made of this creation, as Hebrews 9, 11 says. He calls the earth a place of worship and all that entails copies of the heavenly things in Hebrews 9, 23, and copies of the true things in Hebrews 9, 24. And the law in general is a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities in Hebrews 10, 1. So, the author of Hebrews is correcting those who define the essence of worship by the Old Testament shadows rather than understanding what those shadows represent, the true worship of heaven. But you have come, the author of Hebrews says, to the reality, to the true worship of heaven itself, And Paul describes this reality for Christians in Ephesians 2, 6, when he states that God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And what that means is Christ is seated in heaven, and since we are in Him and we are with Him there, And he tells us how just a few verses down in Ephesians 2.18, for through Christ we have access in one Spirit to the Father. You see, we have access to the Father because in one Spirit through Christ, we are actually there in the presence of God in heaven. And this is why we give glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, for each person of the triunity of God plays an active role in what makes worship in God's presence possible for Christians. This is the central message of the gospel. We sinners who were far off now have access to the presence of God and one Spirit by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone. This is the gospel, but don't miss the essential connection between the gospel message and Christian worship. Paul makes this connection in Ephesians 2 by alluding to the shadows of the Old Testament worship and his explanation of our present reality as Christians. We sinners were far off, we were unable to draw near to the sanctuary of the presence of God, but now in the Spirit, through Christ alone, we have access. That means we can draw near. And so, now in verse 19, Paul says, so then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, those prohibited from entering the sanctuary of the presence of God, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. That's a phrase that alludes to the Old Testament temple. Now, notice how Paul continues to build this imagery of the New Testament temple, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God. And now what this reveals is the connection between the gospel and the theology of heavenly worship. That is, through Christ in the Spirit, we have access to the presence of God, and the goal of the gospel is to enable us to draw near to the presence of God in His house, in His heavenly temple, where we are then able to commune with the Lord. What that means is we as Christians no longer come to the shadows. In and through Christ by the Spirit, we come to the reality of the worship of the world without end. And the problem with much of medieval worship, and a danger even for worship today, is if we chase after shadows rather than the true form of reality. But we also must be careful to avoid a second error. On the one hand, we no longer worship by the means of the shadow. We recognize that we are joining in the real worship of the world without end. But on the other hand, although this is a very real reality, men, we must also recognize that it is not yet a physical reality. Our bodies are still here on the earth while we are really seated with Christ in the heavenly places. And what this reveals is the important spiritual essence of our participation in the heavenly worship of God through Christ. As Paul says in Ephesians 2, we have access in one spirit. That is the spirit of God is the agent who makes this possible because it is a spiritual reality. The church is God's temple, the place of his dwelling, but this temple is not a physical location or a literal building, but rather a spiritual reality. And it's not even the physical gathering of the church or God's temple. Rather, the true temple is in heaven, and we are the spiritual part of that real temple. And the problem is, is that physical human beings naturally tend towards defining the essence of our communion with God in physical terms. This is one reason Christians have often gravitated towards external forms of Old Testament worship. They feel more real. And this is why Christians often gravitate also towards an experiential focus in worship where we define the presence of God in physical, sensual terms. We know that the Bible teaches that we are seated in the heavens with Christ. We know that we are God's temple. We know that we have access to the presence of God through Christ in the spirit. But we want physical proof of these spiritual realities. We want to be able to feel the presence of God. We want to tangibly experience communion with God. And so when we're asked the question, how do you know that you've worshiped? We want to be able to say something like, I felt God, I experienced his presence. But here's the thing we need to remember, ma'am. While we are truly in God's presence through Christ, it is in the Spirit, it is not yet a physical reality. It will be one day a physical reality. We will literally be in the presence of Christ in heaven. And Paul says in Colossians 3, 4, when Christ, who is your life, appears bodily, then you will also appear with Him bodily in glory. But that time has not yet come. We are already there spiritually, but we're not yet there bodily, is what I'm saying. This is why faith is necessary for communion with God in this already-and-not-yet relationship between worship as it is now and worship of the world without end. Hebrews 10.22 says, Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. Faith is a means by which we are able to draw near to communion with God through Christ in the heavenly temple, though we do not yet experience that communion in physical ways today. The author of Hebrews defines faith in chapter 11 as the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen. And he says in verse 6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." You see, we need faith as we draw near to communion with God, because even though we know we have access to the presence of God in the temple of heaven, we cannot see it. We cannot see God. We cannot feel God. We cannot experience God with any of our physical senses. Our communion with God is in its essence spiritual. And so we come with the assurance and the conviction that when we draw near to God through Christ, we are actually in the presence of God in heaven, even though we have no tangible physical proof. And when we're asked the question, we need to say that we are worshiping, and I know I worship because I drew near to God through Christ with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith. That means that our worship is now a spiritual participation of the heavenly worship meant to form us to live now in light of the true form of reality. Worship now should embody the theological pattern of true worship as foreshadowed in the rituals of the Old Testament worship and revealed in the biblical vision of heavenly worship in the Bible. And so, from creation to consummation, the corporate worship of God's people is immoral. It's a reenactment of the theology of true worship. God calls for His people to commune with Him through the sacrifice of atonement that He alone has provided, listening to His word, responding with praise and obedience to Him, and culminating with a beautiful picture, a perfect communion with God in the form of a feast. And this reenactment in corporate worship of God's work for us is what will progressively form us into, and help us to understand better, a heavenly worship. And this is why historic worship services, intentionally structured on the basis of this theological pattern, have always followed a standard pattern. Worshippers begin with God's call for them to worship Him, followed by adoration and praise. They then confess their sins to Him. They then receive full assurance of pardon in Christ. They thank Him for their salvation. They hear His word preached, and they respond with dedication to the Lord. And the climax of all historic Christian worship has always been expression of communion with God through the celebration of the Lord's table. To eat at Christ's table is the most powerful expression that Christians are accepted by Him, memorially reenacting Christ's death until He comes. All of the scripture readings, prayers, and songs in this order are chosen carefully for their appropriateness in a particular function within the service structure shaped by the true reality of worship in the world without end. And so, worship now that is shaped by the true spiritual realities of heavenly worship is what God has designed to sanctify us, to live by faith in light of those realities, just like the saints of old. As Paul says in Titus 2.12, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people. And so, he's talking about the gospel that brings salvation, but then notice what else he says about what the gospel does in that passage, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. In other words, the gospel that saved us is also the gospel that sanctifies us. The gospel that reconciled us to God, that brought us near to Him, is the gospel that will continue to grow our relationship with the Lord. We don't just believe the gospel for salvation and then leave it behind. Even as believers, we must continually renew ourselves in the gospel so that it continues to train us and cultivate our relationship with God. Now, notice what Paul says next, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Worship in this life that is shaped by our covenant relation with God through the gospel, the spiritual reality is of heavenly worship. It sanctifies us into a people who live in light of that relationship as we wait for the blessed hope. By reenacting what we are in Christ, Christian worshipers become what they are. That is why the structure of our worship services, they matter, as we've already discussed. You see, our worship is to be shaped by the Word of God. That is why worship is not just us gathering together on the Lord's Day. Our worship is a matter of all of our life, because all of our life is lit before the face of God. Well, I want to thank you men for listening or watching this episode of the Warriors of Grace podcast. Until next week, may the Lord richly bless you and keep you. Thank you for listening to the Warriors of Grace podcast. If you enjoyed the show today, please subscribe, leave a rating on the app, and share our episode with your friends and family. If you want to, you can follow us on Instagram at Servants of Grace, on Twitter at Servants of Grace, or search Servants of Grace on Facebook. 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