We will speak a little on the way to worship God. When we come before God, some people may come with a depressed feeling. Some may feel that they have not done well during the previous week, that they have disobeyed God’s word, or that they have backslidden. As a result of these feelings, a person can be frustrated from worshipping God and drawing near to Him in a spontaneous and sweet way.
We will consider one matter. This matter is true not only in the Old Testament but in the New Testament as well. How can man come to God? Many people think that they can worship God when they have some merit, when they have performed good works, or when they deserve God’s praise. Others think that because they have not performed well and have done many things that displease God, they cannot come to God to worship Him.
But whether or not our works are good has nothing to do with our coming to God. Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brothers, boldness for entering the Holy of Holies in the blood of Jesus.” This verse tells us that our coming to God is in nothing else other than the blood of the Lord Jesus. Good works, zeal, or spiritual experiences cannot qualify us to come before God or make us more worthy to draw near to Him. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus enables us to draw near to God. If you think that the blood of the Lord Jesus is not enough for you to draw near to Him, I will tell you honestly that you will never be able to come to Him or worship Him.
Different persons have different conditions and situations. Some may have some shortcomings; others may have some sins. Some may have fallen seriously; others may be better. If coming to God is based on a person’s spiritual condition, how can we worship God together in oneness? None of our hands are clean; they are all mud-stained and defiled. But by the blood, we can come boldly to God to worship Him. Without the blood, no one can worship, and there is no worship. The Lord’s blood is effective not only on earth but in heaven as well. Not only was it effective on the cross, but it is effective on the throne as well, so that we can now come to the Holy of Holies to worship God.
Some may say that God is too gracious in this way, but we must realize that it is through the blood that we are qualified to worship. It is true that God is full of grace, but it is not all grace. If God were to forgive our sins carelessly and allow us to come before Him to worship Him carelessly, that would indeed be great grace. But those who have considerable Bible knowledge and deep spiritual experience, and who are excellent in life and conduct, are no more qualified than we are in coming to worship God. Everyone who comes before God must have the blood; everyone needs the cleansing of the blood before he can come before God. We are the same as everyone else, and we must come to God by the blood. If there is a meeting where the blood is replaced with good works or spiritual experience and where there is trust in these things to come to God, this worship is not acceptable to God. If anyone bases their worship on the works they have performed during the previous week, they do not know what worship means. Let us learn to worship by the blood and come to God through the blood.
Many people say that there are many similarities between Christians and Israelites. They say that with the Israelites, there were three kinds of worshippers: those who offered the sacrifices outside the tabernacle, those who served in the Holy Place, and those who served the Lord in the Holy of Holies. They say that, in a similar way, there are three kinds of Christian worshippers. Those who say this do not know what worship is. We have to know that the Israelites are different from us. Everyone of us can come to the Holy of Holies to worship, while the Israelites could not. The picture in the Old Testament is a picture of estrangement. The congregation could not do anything. They could not worship directly or even slaughter the goats and bulls themselves; they had to depend on the priests to do this for them. They were estranged from God and could not worship Him directly.
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