# 3: The Difference Jesus Makes

A Sign for the Times “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness… By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age)… But when Christ appeared…” (Hebrews 9: 8-9, 11)

New Covenant Worship “New covenant worship is essentially the engagement with God that he has made possible through the revelation of himself in Jesus Christ and the life he has made available through the Holy Spirit.” Petersen, Engaging, 100

Jesus Enables Us to… Know the God we worship better Worship God as our Father Worship God anywhere Have immediate access to God Approach God with boldness Worship with the help of the Holy Spirit Worship with the saints in heaven

I. Knowing God in Jesus “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature…” (Hebrews 1:3) “He is the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15) “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9)

A Clearer Picture of God “If we want to get our picture of God clearer, we must look in the direction of Jesus. Through word and deed, dying and rising, Jesus introduces us to what God is really like.” Trevor Hudson, Signposts, 27-8

Redrawing our God-Picture “Jesus is our picture of God. Filtering all our ideas about the Holy One through this decisive disclosure of himself in Jesus of Nazareth is the only safe way to redraw our God-picture.” Hudson, 28, 38

II. Knowing God as Father “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:14) “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God… Beloved, we are God’s children now…” (1 John 3:1, 2)

Praying to the Father “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9) “When you pray, say: “Father…” (Luke 11:2)

Asking the Father “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you… I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and believed that I have come from God.” (John 16:23, 27)

III. Worshipping God Anywhere “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father… the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:22, 23

The New Temple “The New Testament proclaims that Jesus in union with his church is the new temple, where God dwells in or through his Spirit.” Petersen, Engaging, 93

The New Centre of Life “The centre of the new religious community was not an institution located in buildings or at a place - not even in Jerusalem, nor was it a hierarchy or ruling organization… it was simply and entirely the person, Jesus Christ.” David Petersen, Engaging with God, p. 80

The Ultimate Meeting Point “Jesus replaces the temple of Jerusalem as the source of life and renewal for the world and as the centre for the ingathering of the nations. He does this because he is the ultimate meeting point between God and humanity… and in his saving work he does all that the temple was meant to do for Israel.” Petersen, Engaging, pp. 93, 102

IV. Immediate Access to God “Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water…” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

No Place for Human Mediators “Now that the ultimate priestly liturgy has been performed, there is no place for the operation of any human priesthood in an earthly sanctuary... Because of what Christ has achieved, the Old Testament system of approach has been ‘set aside’ and a new basis for relationship with God has been established (Heb. 10:9-14; cf. 8:13).” Petersen, Engaging, 231

V. Approaching God with Boldness Through Jesus, we are able to worship God simply, sincerely, and confidently He continues his priestly acts in heaven He does so as one who can sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15)

Before the Throne of Grace “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

VI. Worshipping Through the Spirit “For through him [Jesus] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18) “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…” (Philippians 3:3) “…you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15)

God’s Presence Through the Spirit “The coming of the Spirit is another way of talking about the coming of God to dwell amongst his people, to fulfil the ideal of the temple and to transform their lives by his presence (cf. Ezek. 40-48).” Petersen, Engaging, 143

VII. Worshipping with the Angels “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 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…” (Hebrews 12:22-24)

A New Locus of Life and Worship “As in the Old Testament, the locus of life and worship is to be the sanctuary. However, under the new covenant, the sanctuary is the heavenly Jerusalem, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Christians are pilgrims still treading the road to that heavenly city, yet through Christ we may enjoy the fellowship of that joyful assembly in advance.” Petersen, Engaging, 254

Joining in the Worship of Heaven “Meeting together as the household of God on earth (10:21), we are to keep on drawing near to God in the midst of his people in the heavenlies (10:22): ‘Through Christ, their High Priest, Christians may approach God in the sanctuary of heaven and of the world to come. In their worship they participate in the heavenly worship of the angels and of the perfect saints.’” Petersen, Engaging, 250-51

A Foretaste of the Future “What we experience now in our relationship with God, in the company of his people, is an anticipation of the ultimate reality. The whole of life is to be lived with reference to that unshakable kingdom and the prospect of living in God’s presence forever.” Petersen, Engaging, 254