Christians are called to worship the Heavenly Father (Matthew 6:9-10). Jesus summed up the divine mission as the Father seeking true worshipers, who will worship Him in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24). To this end, we are taught by the Scriptures to meet regularly as a church for public worship (Hebrews 10:25; Psalm 95:6), and to present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:31).

The chief obstacle we face to this divine calling is sin. Even the most mature among us are prone to pride, stubbornness, and callous disregard of our neighbor. We struggle with selfishness, hatred, and lust. As God calls us to give Him glory in everything we do, we feel the constant sting of evil thoughts, evil words, and evil deeds. How can we be encouraged to serve the Lord with joyful hearts, and not be discouraged by the many ways we still fall short of His glory? How can we be confident when we worship God, despite our many sins?

Hebrews 10:19-21 provides the encouraging answers to these questions. "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God." Christians have confidence in worship because of something objective, because of something outside of ourselves. We are bold to enter the holy presence of God because of the "new and living way" Jesus has secured for us by the shedding of His blood. We are not confident to worship because we feel better about ourselves, or because we are sinning less today than we did the day before. We are confident because of the perfection of Another. We are bold to approach the heavenly throne room because free access to that place has been provided us by Jesus Christ, our faithful High Priest.

The assurance that our prayers are heard, that our offerings are acceptable, that God is pleased with our lives, begins and ends with Jesus in heaven. There is a place for self-analysis, but not as the starting point of worship. Reflecting on our own spiritual condition is bound to make us despair, even as we are to enter God's presence with rejoicing (Psalm 100:1). Where we must look for assurance is to Christ in heaven. We must reflect on His spiritual condition-His perfect obedience, His faithful intercession, and His glorious majesty. This is our starting point. This is how we avoid the discouragement that comes from knowing how sinful we are. This is how we can be confident in worship, despite our many failures.

Time and again, the author of Hebrews points us to our heavenly Mediator. For example, verse 2:9 says, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."

Verses 3:1-2a: "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him."

Verses 4:14-16: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Do you understand this, dear Christian? If the requirement to worship God is to attain a subjective measure of holiness before approaching the heavenly throne, why would the author of Hebrews tell you to go to that throne to "find mercy and grace?" The throne of Christ is not a throne of reward. It is a "throne of grace." We enter His presence boldly and joyfully, even as we acknowledge that we need His forgiveness and help.

It was the realization of this principle by Martin Luther that sparked the Reformation of the Church. The realization that Christians must not trust in the attainment of an elusive standard of moral uprightness for the right to worship confidently. The realization that we have been justified by faith (Romans 5:1a) and are therefore at peace with God (5:1b); that Christ has secured our access to the heavenly presence (5:2a); that we can now rejoice in the expectation of future glory (5:2b) and glory in our present tribulations (5:3-5) because we have been reconciled to the Father by the death of His Son (5:6-11). It is within this context of humble trust and confident rejoicing that we are to come and confess our sins.

This is not to say that Christians should never grieve over their sins. Christ paid too great a price for us to be casual about our disobedience. Yet the way to deal with personal sins is not to avoid God because we feel guilty, which can be our first impulse (Luke 5:8). Rather, we should come to the Father with childlike faith, and yes, with bold confidence, rejoicing in Christ as we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness. This is the meaning of Martin Luther's controversial statement to his friend, Philip Melanchthon: "Be a sinner, and sin boldly, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however . . . are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign." Luther was not encouraging his friend to sin. He was using hyperbolic language to startle Melancthon, to help him understand that sin would be for him (and all Christians) an ongoing struggle, yet should never again be a reason to doubt or despair in God's presence. Luther was addressing the same subject addressed in the book of Hebrews, that Christians are to be bold before God despite their many sins.

This is simple, basic Christianity, but the simple things can so easily elude us. Jesus died to give you access to God. Do not erect mental barriers to that access. Do not whip yourself as Martin Luther did (literally!) because you feel unworthy of God. Come to Him, and keep coming to Him, to receive cleansing from your unrighteousness. Do not come because of the deluded notion that you are somehow worthy in yourself, but because Jesus is worthy, and because He has made you worthy by virtue of His shed blood and the washing of regeneration.

The author of Hebrews says that our bold access to heaven is "by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh." This phrase is overflowing with encouraging truth.

By "living," the author draws attention to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not by the blood of dead animals that we serve God, as the Israelites did under the Law, but by the blood of the crucified but now risen Lord Jesus. Jesus is alive in heaven, interceding on our behalf!

By "new," the author hearkens back to the preceding section of his letter, which speaks of Christians being under the New Covenant. One of the joyful benefits of this Covenant is God's declaration: "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17). Under the Old Covenant there were constant reminders of sin, with the daily and seasonal and yearly offerings, and the Israelites never had full assurance that their sins had been finally and forever remitted. This is why the immediate presence of God was often a terror to them (Exodus 20:18-21). Yet now, under the New Covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus (Matthew 26:27-28), we have confident assurance of unbroken communion with God because our sins have been eternally blotted out of the divine record book, never to be used in evidence against us again. Unlike the Israelites who quaked with fear in God's presence (Hebrews 12:18-21), we have now been brought near to God in heavenly Zion, with perfect assurance that He accepts us because of Jesus, "the Mediator of the New Covenant" (Hebrews 12:22-24). Glorious comfort! How could we ever have confidence to worship God, even at our best moments, unless these things were so?

The phrase "through the veil, that is, His flesh," is a mysterious saying at first glance. By "veil," the author is alluding to the heavy curtain which hung at the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the old earthly temple (Hebrews 9:3). The Holy of Holies was the throne room of God on Earth (Psalm 132:7), and the veil at its entrance was a symbol of the sinner's separation from God. An artistic rendering of cherubim was embroidered on this veil (Exodus 26:31), representing the cherubim which guarded Eden from sinful Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:24). The high priest of Israel would pass through this veil once each year to offer blood atonement for the nation of Israel (Hebrews 9:7). No one except the high priest of Israel-and he only one day each year-was allowed direct access to God through the veil in the old earthly temple.

How is the "flesh" of Jesus a metaphor for this veil? Just as going through the temple veil was the only way to enter the earthly throne room in Jerusalem below, so is the flesh of Jesus now the only way to enter the heavenly throne room in Jerusalem above. Jesus is the "Way," the one through whom men, women, and children may now come to gain direct access to the Father in heaven. As Jesus said, "I am the Way . . . no one comes to the Father except through Me." It is by Jesus Christ alone that we may enter the presence of God in heaven, and by no other way.

Note further that it is not just by the Son of God's flesh, but by His crucified flesh, offered on a tree, that we gain this access. Just as the earthly veil was torn in two when Jesus died (Mark 15:37-38), access to heaven was opened to all the faithful when the flesh of Jesus was torn on the cross, and His blood shed (Ephesians 2:18; 3:12). Entrance to heaven's throne room is granted freely and exclusively to those who enter by faith in Christ who suffered on the cross.

To doubt this access, to question whether believers are allowed to worship God freely and boldly, is a great sin against God, and puts us in danger of fearful judgment (Hebrews 12:25). To shrink away from God in light of what Christ has done is to say, "God, I don't believe You have taken away my sins. I don't believe You have given me confident access to Your throne. I don't believe that Christ's sacrifice on the cross and His presence at Your right hand is reason for me to be bold in Your presence." This is the sin of unbelief that the Hebrew Christians were in danger of committing (Hebrews 3:12-4:13). The warnings given to those Christians are the same warnings we must heed today: Christian, stop doubting! Do not reject the access to God's throne He secured for you by the blood of His Son, in favor of another path. Stop wavering in unbelief and be confident in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for you.

Having assurance that we may confidently enter the heavenly throne room by faith, the author of Hebrews exhorts us to steadfast worship. Verses 10:22-25 present a three-pronged exhortation, in fact, one that some commentators perceive as the central exhortation of the entire epistle. We will consider each of these prongs in turn.

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22)

This is a strong call to the church to act upon the confident access it has to the glorious throne of the Father and the Son. Since we have this confidence, "let us draw near," meaning, "let us draw near to commune with and to worship God."

Reformed churches are sometimes criticized for a "boring" worship style. Certainly bland, emotionless worship is not something we should aspire to. On the other hand, when we consider deeply what is happening in the Christian worship service-a conversation between the saints on earth and the Father and Son in heaven-worship becomes an awesome thing, no matter what hymns are chosen, no matter what Scriptures are read, because God is speaking from heaven to His people on earth, and we back to Him. Many Christians today don't understand this heavenly dynamic of worship. Instead of eagerly anticipating the glorious meeting with God in heaven by faith, they look instead for substitutes: loud music, drama productions, multimedia shows, big personalities, giant buildings, or large crowds. Such things may be impressive in a fleshly sense, but compared to the seriousness and wonder of heavenly conversation with God, they are worthless! In fact, they are worse than worthless, because they direct our minds to earthly things, rather than the glory of God in heaven which is apprehended by faith alone.

Certainly the author of Hebrews does not underestimate the importance of heavenly worship. The lead thought of this climactic exhortation is to draw near to God in heaven to commune with Him in worship! Let this be an admonishment to us, brethren-we ought never allow the importance of Sunday worship to be diminished in our minds. On the scale of apostolic importance, one to ten, worship is a ten! Americans today are so casual about worship, so thoughtless, so dull-witted. We must free ourselves of this culture of ignorance and think deeply about the heavenly realities of worship. The Father has sought us out, and gathered us together for this purpose, that we might worship Him, not in Jerusalem or in any other earthly location, but in the realm of the Holy Spirit, in heaven, in Jesus, who is The Truth. The goal of our salvation, the purpose of our weekly gathering, and the eternal destiny of all the chosen in Christ, is to worship God in heaven (Psalm 23:6; 30:12). Let us never be guilty of taking this lightly! Let us never be lured into seeking earthly distractions instead of the awesome heavenly access we enjoy!

"With a true heart" means that worship must be done without pretense, without going through the motions. We must draw near to God with sincere and not hypocritical intentions. We must come with worshipful hearts, with our minds engaged as well as our bodies. Christian worship is for thinking people. Christian worship engages the mind. We do not come to church to meet our friends, to show off our new clothes, to sing songs, to receive a blessing, or even to hear a sermon. We come to church with one central purpose: to worship God. Such worship requires the totality of our being.

"Full assurance" means that worship must make the connection to our heavenly High Priest, having confidence that we are accepted by God because of the crucified and risen Christ. Jesus offered Himself as the propitiation for our sins, reconciled us sinners to God, and has ascended to heaven to be a perpetual High Priest at God's right hand. It is on this basis alone that we are assured that our prayers, songs, and acts of charity are pleasing to God. Christian, do you understand this? Your assurance of being accepted by God is not that your conscience isn't bothering you at the moment, or that you're feeling happy and upbeat. Your assurance is this, that no matter how much you may sense the need for God's mercy, and no matter how good (or bad) you may be feeling, Jesus Christ has made you worthy to come to God, and that alone is what gives you confidence.

"Faith" means that worship must be performed not according to what is seen, but in relation to the unseen God dwelling in the unseen heaven through the mediation of the unseen Savior in the realm of the unseen Spirit. The priests, vestments, and elaborate ceremony of the Old Covenant have been fulfilled by Christ. Such things served as shadows under that covenant, but they are no help at all to New Covenant worship. In fact, they are a hindrance and distraction, because the Christian's mind is to be drawn by faith to an unseen world, where the types and shadows have found their fulfillment. As the author of Hebrews reminds us a few paragraphs later, faith is "the conviction of things not seen" [NASB]. True worship done with full assurance of faith is focused on a place completely unrelated to what we see, that is, heavenly Jerusalem, where the Father and the Son reign in glory (Hebrews 12:22-24).

The phrases, "hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" and "bodies washed with pure water," make use of metaphorical language the Hebrew Christians would have well understood. "Hearts" and "bodies" represent the inner and outer person, respectively. By virtue of spiritual regeneration (symbolized by the washing of baptism), Christians have been cleansed from all sin, both inwardly and outwardly. The guilt that caused Israelites to panic in God's presence (Judges 13:22) has been completely taken away. This is why we can now be bold in God's presence!

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

The author here brings to the surface the importance of hope, the future expectation of good, the resurrection focus of the Gospel. Christians are to worship with eager expectancy for the good things they will receive at the appearance of Jesus Christ from heaven (1 Peter 1:3-5). It is not only past history (death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ) that should fuel our worship, but also future history (Christ's return, the resurrection of the dead, and the future glory of Christ's eternal reign). It is in the nature of Christian worship to confess our hope, our eager longing for the Day when we will sin no more, when our bodies will be raised imperishable, when death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). It is the expectation of resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), the expectation of vindication (Matthew 25:31-36), the expectation of reigning with Christ forever (Revelation 5:10), that is to fuel our worship. These are the vital components of our "confession of hope." We ought not waver in this expectation of future glory, even when we are experiencing trials, because the God who never lies will make good on His promises. "He who promised is faithful," and He will deliver us the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

This final word has a horizontal thrust. In the context of Christian worship and fellowship, we are to encourage one another to greater and greater service of love for God and for each other. When we meet as a church (a practice we must not forsake, as some do), we are to be purposeful. We are to communicate to each other not just the superficial events of the week, but to speak with a view to encouragement, Christian love, and exhorting each other to greater and greater expressions of godly compassion and mutual care. As we gather to meet with God to contemplate His goodness, His promises, and His mercy, the overflow of our spiritual meditation should be to exhort other Christians to love and faithful service.

The tendency is to think, "Is that my place?" Yes, it is. The meaning of Hebrews 10:24-25 is quite plain. We are called to consider one another, to exhort one another. It is not just the minister who is to do these things. "That's fine in theory, but how does it work? What exactly am I to do? What do I say to exhort my brother or sister?" The answer is, think about it. The apostle says "consider." Consider how you can make your conversation an edifying influence on others. Consider how you can demonstrate Christ's love to a brother or sister, and be ready to sacrifice your money and time to make it happen. Consider how you can motivate a brother or sister to take up a need and run with it, to do a job no one else seems willing to do. There is no specific "to do" list here. It's up to each of us to use our minds wisely to consider how to stir up other church members to love and good deeds. Again, this sort of worship is for thinking people. Don't be lazy and give up because nothing comes to you right away. Consider and act, and in view of Christ's return from heaven, make this the increasing habit of your life. Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, "and so much the more as you see the Day (of the Lord) approaching."

Brethren, in view of all that has been accomplished for us in Christ, let us confidently and steadfastly approach the throne of God to worship, and let each of us consider how to encourage one another to love and good deeds, because the Day we long for, the bodily appearance of Jesus from heaven, will soon be here.

Drawing a "line in the sand" usually means that we are setting boundaries in our faith and life. At first glance, that sounds commendable. It's great to have defined boundaries. The problem is that with the ever-shifting winds in our world, the line gets obscured, and we draw another line that is more comfortable for us. The line keeps moving as history progresses, and we are confronted with new challenges and we find ourselves stepping over the line. The Christian faith cannot exist in a world of constantly-shifting sands-without absolutes.

Maybe you remember in the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs is up against Yosemite Sam and his shotgun. Bugs draws a line in the sand and dares Yosemite Sam to step over it-which he promptly does. Bugs swallows deeply and draws another line. "I bet you can't step over this one!" Sam steps over again, and the line is redrawn again and again to no avail. And how often do we draw lines that are violated time and time again, and we just draw new ones. Faith and morals that keep shifting with pressures are neither faithful nor moral.

It is almost regarded as fanatical to say that we believe in "absolutes" (i.e. something that is always valid and changeless). For example, be believe God is absolutely sovereign. This means He has the might and the right to do all His holy will. An absolute God gives us absolute truth. For many today, this goes too far. The fact is, absolutes can be denied by unbelievers, but they cannot be changed. That is hard for man to accept, unless by true faith.

The ultimate absolute is the eternal Triune God Himself, revealed in the Bible alone. Everything flows from Him. If you don't begin all knowledge with an absolute God, you will end up with nothing but man drawing up his own lines in the sand. The result is that there are no morals, there is no knowledge, and nothing has meaning.

This steady drip of the Post-Modern dialectic has gradually eroded the belief in biblical absolutes in today's modernistic church. At best you can only have opinions or synthetic theories. The humanist philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, concluded, "There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths." The Swiss philosopher, Paul Feyerabend, once stated, "The only principle that does not inhibit progress is: anything goes." He is credited for the famous, self-contradictory statement: "The only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths." Of course that means that what he has just said is also not absolutely true. We are often told to think that being relative is a sign of true brilliance that exhibits tolerance, while holding to an absolute is to be stubborn and intolerant.

It is not unusual for relativists to be caught in their own intellectual net. When they say, ‘It's wrong for you to impose your morals on me,' they are then imposing their morals on you by telling you that you are wrong. When they say, ‘There is no right or wrong,' is that statement right or is it wrong? Relativism is at the root of liberalism and creeps even into evangelical circles. Isaiah 45:22 says, "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." For some, that is too narrow. Why do liberals debate or bristle at a statement like the one found in John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." It is too constricting to some, because it allows no wriggle-room.

Many in the Church have fallen prey to moving the line in the name of cultural relativism (morals change as we keep up with the times). Sometimes the Church itself has altered its doctrine or practice under the pretense that the church must always be ‘reforming.' Surely we do change as our world around us does. We have modern technologies that are a tremendous help to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Scholars are finding better ways to define our faith (there's no shortage of books). But, God's Word does not change. We may never redraw the lines of God's Word so it fits into our changing world.

Are there absolute boundaries in our lives? I hope we all know that in faith and life there are definite lines that we may not cross without falling into sin. But, who draws the line?

There is a line, not in shifting sand, but etched in the rock. But, man has not drawn it. You have not drawn it. The church has not drawn it. God has. We might think that we have drawn these lines in terms of our doctrine or moral values. As soon as we say that, we have just fallen into the error of relativism. Sinful man is incapable of drawing that line without error or constant movement depending on his circumstances. We have seen too much of this attempt in the church today. When we define who to worship or how we are to worship, we are drawing our own line. When we define morals in terms of what is acceptable in the church or our society, we are drawing our own lines. I'm always impressed with Joseph, who when tempted to commit adultery under heavy pressure from Potiphar's wife, said, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9) It was God who drew that line for Joseph. Neither the eternal God, nor His Word changes over time. "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." (Mal. 3:6; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17)

God's Word does not come with a weather vane-to change direction depending on which way the wind is blowing on a given day (cf. Eph. 4:14). Jesus stated, non-categorically, in praying to His Father, "Your word is truth." (Jn. 17:17)

Having God's line in the rock throughout our lives tells us that we are not to step over it. To do so is to sin, or to transgress God's absolute will. We have all done it many times-just today. The solution to the problem is not to redraw the lines to fit our lifestyle. The only solution is to confess our sin and seek forgiveness in the only One who paid for them and never stepped over that line-Jesus Christ.

As I said, we do not draw the lines or set the boundaries in our lives, no matter how noble that sounds. Our task is to live within the lines God has drawn. The church does not draw these lines either. It is the task of the Churches' officers to ensure that these lines are not blurred, redrawn, or violated so God's people trespass on sinful territory. It is the task of the Church to direct all trespassers-all people-to Christ alone and Christ always.

The constant pressure for worldly change and accommodation will always be there, like the steady drip of water trying to erode the rock on which we stand. The Absolute will absolutely not be dissolved. The only absolute truth is that there is absolute truth. We have God's Word on that.

Because God draws the lines for us, and because we are sinful human beings, who are always inclined to ‘go with the flow,' it is incumbent upon us to seek the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit to follow God's will. We need to grow within the Word, not in spite of the Word or outside of the Word.

When our various Classes and the Synod meets, there must be a self-conscious effort to yield to the doctrines and directives that God Himself has given us. We don't need to call on God to draw the lines. He already has. It is our calling to see them and obey them. We do need to pray for His help that we will be content to live joyfully and fruitfully within the scope of His will.