The Deep Waters of the Secret Place- Marked by the Master
Jesus explained that:
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; foe the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4: 23, 24
The Father is looking for true worshipers, those who abide in the Secret Place and have a holy desperation for the Lord. Their worship is an expression and affirmation of their love of the Lord. True worship is the natural outflow of abiding in the Secret Place so that all that we do, our serving, our giving, our ministry, and our day-to-day living, are all part of our worship.
As we look at the Old Testament, we see that worship was bloody, so we must understand that there is a powerful connection between the blood and worship.
How can we come to such a place of real worship? We need a deeper revelation of the blood. Through the blood, we are redeemed from sin, reconciled to the Lord God, cleansed from sin, and sanctified. In addition, the blood cleanses the soul so we might truly serve the Living God.
“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Hebrews 9: 13, 14
The blood enables us to serve or bring true worship unto the Lord God. Every aspect of our lives must be under the blood. The blood lifts us from dead religious worship to living and personal worship. All other worship seeks to acquire mercy and earn His acceptance. All other worship is from afar, fearing to draw near to the Holy One. But we are made family through the blood.
“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God”
Revelation 1: 5b, 6a
His blood is a bold declaration of His love, and through His blood, we are made a royal priesthood. Listen to what Peter explained:
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”
1 Peter 2: 9, 10
His blood went above and beyond, doing what we couldn’t do and even more. His blood didn’t just provide a covering and hope; it made us a people, His people. His blood lifts us so that we can now bring Him real worship.
Through His blood, He made us a royal priesthood that in everything we do, we would proclaim His praises. That is our lives would be so wrecked by His love, that out of the overwhelm of His love our lives would reflect and proclaim His love.
Peter also explained:
“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2: 5
The Greek word for acceptable means well-received. We can offer sacrifices that look good and sound good but never touch the heart of the Father. Many people write what appears to be a powerful worship song. We “feel” the anointing, but it is a soulish song. Then we watch as these so-called worship leaders no longer believe in Jesus. How can this possibly be? They stumbled at the blood that sanctifies and the blood that cleanses the conscience from dead works.
The blood must sanctify the vessels that are to bring worship to the Lord, and they must be holy to the Lord. Sanctification demands a separation from the world, and often, we face a test.
Do you remember John chapter six how Jesus offended the people, and everyone began leaving Him?
“When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about his, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
John 6: 61- 63
Yes, we must face the test of potentially being offended by God. We may not understand some things, and we must trust the Lord.
We must understand that He loves us and shed His blood to demonstrate and reveal His love. He has perfect thoughts and plans for our lives; we must trust Him even when we can’t understand. The blood must mean everything to us, and His blood must define us.
As believers, we are called to come and know Him as we abide in the Secret Place of His Presence. Many claim to walk in the realms of His glory and the deep waters of His Presence, but we are to be known by His fruit in our lives. Our hunger for Him must grow daily so that every fiber of our being desires to be consumed by Him. But if we are to draw closer and know Him, we must be transformed to become more like Him.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2: 13
We need a deeper revelation of the blood, because the degree that we place our lives under the blood, enables us to draw nearer to Him.
“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit , which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6: 20
When we recognize the blood in any area of our lives, that part belongs to Him and now lives to glorify Him.
You may have heard that they have been seeking pure red heifers to perform a cleansing ceremony before beginning construction on the Third Temple. These red heifers must be carefully inspected to ensure they meet the conditions to be declared pure.
But the truth is nothing on this earth is pure. Only Jesus was perfect, and He offered the only true offering without a spot. The writer of Hebrews explained that through His perfect offering, His blood can cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. I have never heard someone preach on the power and importance of the blood to serve the living God, so let’s seek Heaven regarding this verse.
Going back to Hebrews chapter nine, verse fourteen, we see that the blood cleanses the soul arena so that we can truly serve the Lord God. We need our soul, our mind, will, emotions, memories, etc., all washed by the blood. The blood cleanses us from “dead works,” which comes from “nekros” (dead) and “egron” works. We could translate this as lifeless, breathless, spiritually dead actions, deeds, or work.
I don’t want to bring the form or worship that makes people feel like it is so good but lacks life. The real worship imparts life to those who receive it. Real worship enthrones Jesus, and He comes and abides in it. His Presence is found in real worship. But we need to understand something:
“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”
Leviticus 10: 3
So, true ministry and worship that meets the Lord’s exacting demands must regard Him as holy. The Hebrew word for holy here is “qadash,” meaning consecrated, sanctifying, hallowed, separated, and holy. In the Old Testament, blood was required to sanctify the priests.
We need the blood to cover every area of our lives, which means we honor the blood and its demands for sanctification and obedience:
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1: 2
The blood speaks of total submission and obedience and if we walk under the blood then we must walk in full submission and obedience, even when we are offended or don’t understand. We must face the truth and whether we have submitted that area wholly to Him, or not. We must see just how precious the blood of Jesus is and what it means to us:
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
1 Peter 1: 18, 19
It is the costly and precious blood of Jesus that has redeemed us from our vain conversation or behavior. Remember this:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
Leviticus 17: 11
As we read the Book of Hebrews, we see that tabernacle and its design was based upon the one in Heaven. Jesus took His blood and went into the Heavenly Tabernacle.
“Then likewise He sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
Hebrews 9: 21-22
We must understand the importance of the blood and walking submitted to the blood. Jesus sought that everything would be under the blood, but we must willingly surrender and place our lives completely under the blood. Jesus came beyond the veil in Heaven to present His blood for us before the Father, that we might experience all that the blood means.
“This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”
Hebrews 9: 20
The New Testament, or New Covenant, is sealed in the blood of Jesus or we could use the term, the sprinkling of His blood. Through His blood, we are redeemed and brought into the family so that through His blood, the New Covenant might be ratified, and we, as heirs and co-heirs, could receive and become a royal priesthood.
The blood declares we are chosen by Him and accepted by Him.
“Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near Him.”
Numbers 16: 5b
We can draw as close to the Lord as we want, but holiness is a price to be paid if we desire to come closer. The Lord longs for us to come and press deeper, but we must understand the need to walk sanctified and holy unto the Lord.
“Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.”
Psalm 65: 4
We are called to be a royal priesthood, every single believer and not just the ministers. We are all called to serve the living God. But how can we serve Him as a royal priesthood and truly honor Him? Thank God for the blood. The priests in the Old Testament had to present themselves and be anointed with the blood. The application of the blood was critical for them to bring true worship. So, real worship that ministers to the Lord has had the blood applied to the vessel bringing the worship.
The blood has a voice, and the blood of Jesus speaks of better things.
“To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things than that of Abel.”
Hebrews 12: 24
The blood of Abel spoke of vengeance; the blood of Jesus called out for mercy. When Jesus was on trial and on the Cross, Jesus stayed quiet and let His blood speak. Only His blood could do it for us because His blood was perfect and unlike everyone else, His blood was His love, calling out mercy.
“But Jesus kept silent…”
Matthew 26: 63
Jesus didn’t defend Himself but trusted in the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus surrender completely to the will of the Father, knowing fully what that would mean for Him.
“And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22: 44
Did you see that? Jesus prayed even more intensely when He was in agony, to the point that He sweated blood. Even surrendering to the will of the Father came with blood. We must understand that Jesus was offering Himself in worship of the Father.
Today, through what He did, we have been given access to the Secret Place of His Presence through a new and living way.
“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, 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: 19-22
Blood is one of the most degradable things, such that once blood comes out of the blood it quickly is corrupted. But His blood has His divine life in it; it never dies and loses its power. We have been sprinkled with His blood, consecrating us unto the Father as priests. The way to the Father is also consecrated through His blood so we can draw near in FULL assurance and boldness. The blood has defeated fear and death, and His blood makes us alive and free.
We are now the blood-bought Church.
