Deuteronomy 12:13,14
“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, but in the place which the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.”
The Lord didn’t want the people to use altars or worship areas of the other religions. He was to be worshiped in the places and manner that He described. We are to do the same.
In John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” In the Old Testament, there was a specific system of worship. Jesus’ death and resurrection brought a new way. It doesn’t contain the system of sacrifice. It’s through Jesus.
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but through me.” It’s not so much how, but through Whom. We relate to God through Jesus. His sacrifice cleansed us once and for all. That never changes. It’s not like we’ve taken the sin antidote and we no longer need it. We forever rely upon what Jesus has done for us.
Once the sin issue is dealt with we do what Jesus says. Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” We are to learn from Him. To do that we need to read the bible. We learn attitudes to adopt, we learn to be forgiving. We learn to associate with believers and to congregate together for worship. It’s a way of life.
Lord, thank You for Jesus. For His sacrifice and how through it we gain daily access to You, Your power and grace. Help us to walk in His ways.