I please God to bless us together
this evening as we meditate in his word. Let's turn to the Gospel
of Mark, chapter 15, and we'll read verse 38. The Gospel of
Mark, chapter 15, and reading verse 38. And the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom. This was a very significant and
a very important fact that occurred. And it was really a confirmation. It was the confirmation that
the work of the blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, was complete. As we read in the previous verse,
and Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost and the
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. As we think in that, we can realize
there have been some 4,000 years which had occurred since Adam
and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and there had been that
prophecy then And there would be one who would indeed bruise
the serpent's head or would squash the serpent's head. And those
4,000 years had passed. And now, the only begotten Son
of God had come to fulfill that prophecy. And he lived that perfect
life for those 33 years on this earth. And having done his father's
will, in perfection, with no fault and no sin. And having suffered all incarnate
God could bear, with strength enough and none to spare, on
that cross at Calvary, on that never too forgotten night, he
spoke these words, it is finished. The work of salvation was complete. Glory to God for the fulfilment
of it and it's through that blessed work of the Saviour that we tonight
by God's grace have hope, a good hope of eternal life and to so
clearly show that this was the work of God. In the fulfilment
of that prophecy, this is what occurred. The veil of the temple
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. You may ask, well
why was that so significant? It was because for many, many
years, indeed since the temple had been erected in the wilderness,
there was the holy place and the most holy place where God
graciously came down and dwelt above the mercy seat in that
place which typified heaven itself and there in the midst was the
ark of the covenant and there were the seraphims over the ark
and in the in the ark was law of God. Well we're not of course
clear as to whether when this occurred that was still in existence
but nonetheless that was the whole thrust of the situation
and the high priest was only allowed to go into this holy
place once a year and not without blood for the atonement of his
sins and for the sins of of the people. What a day that was. An annual day which the living
look forward to and truly worshipped the Lord on that occasion. But
now there was a change. There had been that veil which
separated the holy place from the holy of holies and no one
was allowed to go inside to the holy place, otherwise they would
die. It was a very solemn, a very
sacred and a very holy place. And remember the only way into
that place to obtain acceptance was with the shedding of blood. Without it there was no acceptance. And that was the only way that
the high priest could come on their annual occasion. But what
do we see now? We see Jesus. And we see Jesus
now satisfying all the law of God, which man could not do because
of his sinful state. Man could not keep God's holy
law. But the Lord Jesus Christ kept
that holy law. And therefore, when he had finished
the work that his father had given him to do, on that cross
at Calvary, having endured those three hours of darkness and the
hiding of his father's face, he now had conquered sin, death,
hell and the grave and was able to utter that glorious statement,
it is finished. The work was finished and now
there was no need for a natural High Priest. There was now no
need for the Holy of Holies on the earth, because now the way
had been made into the holy place, in glory, through our Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And to show that was true, and
to show that was absolutely in accordance with God's will, this
veil was rent, entwined from the top to the bottom. Now, this
veil was not a light thing. When they were in the tabernacle,
it was relatively light, because of course they used it to cover
the Ark of the Covenant and the Altar of Incense when they travelled
from place to place. But when they had established
the permanent building that Solomon had been able to build, and then
of course that was then destroyed and subsequently built in the
days of Ezra and Nehemiah, although not quite to the same specification
in size, but nevertheless it was the place where the veil
was. And this veil was an exceedingly
beautiful veil. And it was a very heavy veil.
And it was very thick. And it was very large. And it's
estimated that it probably weighed in excess of four tons and was
probably, because of all the embroidery, something like four
inches thick. So it was a very substantial
veil. And remember no one could go
past it apart from the higher priests on that annual occasion.
And so to have it torn, rent from top to the bottom, was clearly
nothing that any of those priests could have done. It emanated
from heaven itself, enumerated from the great and glorious work
of the Father in acknowledging the way into the holiest of all,
into heaven itself, was now there through the merits of his only
begotten Son and the Saviour of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we read this simple statement,
My friends, it's very important. It's so important for us today.
Because if that veil had not been rent, then there would not
be that entry into the holy place. And that holy place of being
glory, where the Father is. We could not pray to our Father
in heaven, but we can today because of that work, that finished work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. how relevant, how important,
how wonderful it is. And so as we read these accounts,
which we do of course in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and they're very
wonderful to be able to read. It's something which poor sinful
man would not have been able to have comprehended, to have
understood. But we're thankful today that
we do have the statements which the Apostle Paul was able to
write in the Hebrews for our encouragement to realize that
these things were done for our blessing. And so we can come
today and we can approach unto our Father in heaven through
the merits of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. And there
were of course many statements that we could refer to in the
epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, really, to confirm the wonderful
blessing that this was. And just to remind us of one
or two of these, if we turn to the sixth chapter of Hebrews,
and reading verses 18 to 19, or 18 to 20, rather, perhaps
we'll start at 17. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs a promise, Remember, all the Church of God
are the heirs of promise. That's very humbling, isn't it,
to start with, to think that we are an heir. The immutability
of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable
things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, that we might
have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay
hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth
into that within the veil. Whither the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, maiden high priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek. The blessed Lord Jesus has entered
in to the holy place. We know that even today he is
seated the throne on the right hand of the Father in glory there
to intercede for us. It should be a very humbling
consideration and a very wonderful consideration and a very encouraging
situation to realize that we have such a Savior who is there
now in glory to intercede for us in all our needs and to know
that we have this great and wonderful High Priest. And in the ninth
chapter to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul gives us really quite a
picture of what we see. He says here, perhaps in the
third verse in the ninth chapter, and after the second veil, and
that's the veil which has now been torn from top to bottom, after
the second veil the tabernacle which is called the holiest of
all, which had the golden censer and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid
round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna,
and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the Covenant,
and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing the mercy seat,
of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now, when all these
things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the
first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God, but into
the second went the high priest alone, once a year, not without
blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people.
The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest
of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle
was yet standing. And then he tells us, which was
a figure, it was a picture. Sometimes I think if I'd been
there, I wonder what I would have seen. I wonder whether I
would have had spiritual eyes to observe what it really meant
and what it signified. There must have been so many
that pondered what it meant. which was a figure for the time
then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that
could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining
to the conscience which stood only in meats and drinks and
divers washings, that means many washings and carnal ordinances
imposed on them until the time of reformation. So that is the
historical position which existed until this day that we read about
in the 15th chapter of Mark. Verse 11 tells us, but Christ
being come, and high priest of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is
to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats
and of calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. My friends, meditate on the glory
of such a statement. Bless God for the truth of it. And so the apostle goes on. And
I often think, you see, The Apostle Paul was brought up at the feet
of Gamaliel. He knew the law. He knew what it meant outwardly.
But then you see, after the Lord called him on that Damascus road,
he went into the desert. For those three years, and no
doubt in that time, the Lord opened to him these glorious
truths so that he was now able to come and write these so that
today you and I can rejoice in them. And he tells us this, for
if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer spring
from the unclean sanctifies to the purifier in the flesh, how
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God. So what does it mean
to us? the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to you and
to me tonight? You know, we often read of the blood of Christ,
we often sing of the blood of Christ, we often perhaps speak
of the blood of Christ. My friends, what does it mean
to you and to me tonight? To realise that the veil of Temple
was rent entwined from the top to the bottom, as a showing forth
that the Lord Jesus Christ had offered up himself as that acceptable
sacrifice. How much more should the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God. Tonight my friends are we just
satisfied with dead works? Or are we serving the Living
God? That means the Living Saviour. That means recognising what he's
done in order to atone for our sins. And then he goes on, for
this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by
means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were
under the First Testament, that's the law of God, they which are
called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. It's a great depth of truth here,
my friends. And all of us, we need to know
that we have an eternal inheritance. Naturally, people die and they
leave an inheritance. But my friends, even that is
passing. But you see, if we are the recipients of an eternal
inheritance, it means what it says. It is eternal. It will never fade away. And
it is given freely to the Church of God, those for whom Christ
died. For the redemption of the transgressions
that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive
the promise of the eternal inheritance. What a wonderful, wonderful truth
this is and how we should glorify God because of it. And so when
we read such a statement as this, and the veil at the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom, to realise that was
an indisputable confirmation that the word of the Father had
been completed and the way into the holiest of all was now available
to every born again child of God on this earth. And what a
mercy therefore to praise God today if we are favoured to enjoy
such a wonderful revelation, which it really is, to our souls
that we have the great blessing of acceptance to the Father,
through the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well my friends,
we have a glorious Gospel, we have a blessed Gospel, we have
a wonderful Gospel and how we fail so often to understand it
and to appreciate the great truth that we have. And then the Apostle
goes on and just a few more verses in the 10th chapter of Hebrews
where the Apostle tells us, and commencing perhaps at verse 15
in the 10th chapter, whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness
to us. For after that he had said before,
this is the covenant, and that means a sworn conditional promise,
that I will make with them after those days saith the Lord, I
will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write
them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." Oh,
what a great blessing that is. As you and I see our sins, yes,
black sins, mounting up to realise that through this Sinatonian
death, of the blessed Saviour, they will be remembered no more,
forever. Now where remission of these
is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the
veil, that is to say, 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." What this really
means is that the death of the blessed Saviour in a making for
us that entrance into the holy place. Whereas before, of course,
we could not enter. No one could enter. What a change. What a change from that Old Testament
dispensation to the glory of the New Testament. And what does
it do? It redounds to the honour and
glory of the Blessed Saviour. Without the death, the Lord Jesus
Christ. No access, no way to the Father,
complete barrier. But may we bless God for this
wonderful truth and having an 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. Now,
the devil cannot gainsay the truth of God's Word. He will
endeavour to. He will say, it's not worth praying.
You're just too bad, you're just too sinful. There's no access. Tell him, Christ has died. Indeed, a rather is risen again. My friends, the devil can't face
that, because it's truth. The devil has always hated truth.
He always will. But you and I have the truth
of God's Word. And it's a wonderful blessing
if you and I are established in the truth of God's Word and
can rejoice in it and understand the wonder of it. And to realize
here that the Apostle then goes on to say, let us draw near with
a true heart in full assurance of faith. It's a blessing when
God gives us an assurance. My friends, seek after it, long
after it, to have that assurance that we are accepted in the Beloved.
And bless God when you and I are privileged with access at the
throne of grace to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a wonderful evidence that we are accepted and it is a wonderful
evidence therefore that we have come in full assurance of faith
and don't let the devil take that from you but press on pray
on seek on the lord will indeed come and remember us for good
and bless us indeed and having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience which by nature we do have an evil conscience
And yet here is this word then spoken to us tonight, and our
bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering for it is faithful that promised. Isn't it good that the Lord gives
us such words like this? To hold fast that which is good
grasp it with both hands, as it were, and lay hold of it,
and bless God for it. Then His Word shows us the wonderful
truth, the wonderful way to this throne of grace, through the
shed blood of the Saviour, and through this wonderful position
that we have today. And the veil in the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Well it's very clear
that it was so. It's recorded in the three Gospels. Obviously it is a very established
fact that this did occur and it was to confirm that there
was therefore now no more need of the ceremonial law which was
so difficult to keep, in fact impossible to keep, and so extensive
in all its ramifications. And now, as we read together
in that account in the Hebrews, we have this new and living way. And you and I today are encouraged
to come boldly unto the throne of grace, not because of anything
good in ourselves, but because of what the Lord Jesus Christ
has done. What do we do? We plead his name. We plead his
name because his name is that which has fulfilled all that
was necessary to grant us that access through Jesus Christ,
our wonderful and glorious Saviour. Well, the question must be to
us tonight, mustn't it? What think ye of Christ? What
think ye of Christ? That was the question put, wasn't
it, to the disciples. What think ye of Christ? And
what do we think tonight? It's not something that we should
push under the carpet and think, well it's not very relevant.
It is very important, it's so important that we might have
a right view of the Saviour and to realise that it's only through
Him that we have access under the Father. It's only through
Him that our prayers will be accepted. What a blessing then
it is if the Holy Spirit grants us access at the throne of grace
and we do have liberty in prayer. And it's not then just a form
of words. No, it's to know that our prayers
have entered in to the holy place. And we can bless God then for
the finished work of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, the Apostle, when he
wrote to the Ephesians, he enters in really to this truth in beautiful
words. And in the first chapter, the
Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, in reading from verse 3, he says,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder
if you and I come like that sometimes. And able to say, blessed be the
God and Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, to bless from
our heart the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It surely
is a God-honouring position to be in. And what a favour it is
when the Holy Spirit moves us to see the blessing that it is
and the glory that it is. and how we have such a debt that
you and I will never be able to repay. And so therefore to
come and realise this truth. And as he goes on, according
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Again
these are great truths and they're gospel truths. and their God-glorifying
truths, to think that the Almighty God has chosen us. What was there in me, says the
hymn writer, to merit esteem or give my Creator delight? As
even so, Father, we ever must sing, because it seemed good
in thy sight. As you and I look in ourselves,
we will never see that which is good, in ourselves. We should
only see that which is good through Christ. Christ in you, the hope
of glory. That's the scene that you and
I want to observe. And so the Apostle tells us,
according as he has chosen us in him. Before the foundation
of the world, we need faith, don't we, to believe that's beyond
our natural comprehension. Before the world was created,
there was the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we were
chosen in Him all that time ago. Indeed, we don't know how long
ago it was, because it's an eternity, and yet there it was. And so
he says, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. His will. The will of God that
you and I should be called, that you and I should be chosen. The
will of God. And it was through this, His
will, for us, that the value of the Temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom, so that you and I today are blessed
with a glorious access in prayer to our Father in heaven. And
then he tells us, for the praise of the glory of his grace, when
he has made us accepted in the beloved. And I'm sure of this,
that when the Holy Spirit comes and touches our heart, without
any doubt, there must be praise to the glory of his grace. His grace which has touched our
heart, His grace which has brought us into spiritual life. Do we
not praise Him for it? To think how wonderful it is that the great God should have
condescended to look upon such an unworthy, sinful wretch as
you and me? Do we not have to come and have
to say, to God be the glory, great things he has done for
you and for me. So the Apostle says, to whom
we have redemption through his blood. Yes, through his death. You see, the shedding of blood
signified the death that occurred. And so the Saviour shed his precious
blood upon that cross at Calvary in order to redeem every member
of his church, everyone, none left out, all our partakers,
all are joined together, all rejoice in the great plan of
salvation, all praise God that the confirmation of death was
shown by the renting of that veil in the temple all those
years ago, something so significant, so important. The redemption
through his blood the forgiveness of his sins according to the
riches of his grace wherein he has abounded toward us in all
wisdom and prudence. My friends this is a wonderful
chapter you know this first chapter in the epistle of Paul to the
Ephesians and then he tells us just to go on for a couple more
verses having made known unto us the mystery of his will made
known unto sinful creatures the mystery of his will. Isn't that
wonderful to think that almighty God has made known his mystery
to sinners like you and me and given us a real hope in his glory
that through this sin atoning death It is well with our souls
because we have indeed been chosen in him before time began, and
have he made known unto us the mystery of his will according
to the good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that
in a dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and
which are on earth, even in him. in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,
that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted
in Christ." Now that which we read together this evening is
just one long sentence. So there's good reason to just
go through it. It's one complete thought and
it's a wonderful thought and it's a blessed thought to think
that we should be sinners of the earth. We should be to the
praise of his glory. Who first trusted in Christ? Well, are we tonight trusting
in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ with that confirmation
that the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to
the bottom, that we're trusting in the glorious finished work
of the Saviour for our salvation. And we have to come and say,
my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That's a firm foundation. And
we want to be on the firm foundation. We don't want to be on the sand. We don't want something that
would give way when the storms of life come. and the winds blow
and the rains come, we want to be founded upon the rock, the
rock Christ Jesus, which is immovable. Because Jesus Christ has said,
I am the same yesterday and today and forever. So what a blessing
then if you and I found in this position rejoicing tonight in
this wonderful statement, this confirming statement that the
work of the Saviour was accepted by the Father. It wasn't done
in vain. It was done fully and complete
to satisfy the holy demands of the holy law of God. So as we
come tonight, we might glorify in this great truth that we should
be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ,
and if so, we are amongst those whom have obtained an inheritance,
not because of our works, but because of God's work, because
of his finished work, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance
being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. And my friends,
God's will is a perfect will. It's a wonderful will and how
we will thank him and praise him for it if he has opened our
eyes to behold the truth of the gospel. And one of the greatest
truths of the gospel is set before us here in this verse. And the
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. May this be a wonderful influence
for us tonight. And a wonderful influence for
us when we attempt to pray, to realise that we come through
the merits of the Saviour. We come through his finished
work and we are therefore encouraged to come boldly unto the throne
of grace. Oh friends, our privilege is
to pray to our God in heaven, God the Father. And when we try
and meditate on that, it's really just beyond what our little finite
minds can think of, that such unworthy people, sinners of the
earth, can come to the great God, the eternal God, who was
and is and always will be, and we can come through the Lord
Jesus Christ's merits. Do we then desire tonight to
praise him for all that he's done on our behalf and given
us that good hope of eternal life and blessed us with that
living way whereby we can approach unto the majesty on high. My friends, it's a very humbling
thought, it's a very humbling truth, but it is so that we tonight,
blessed be God, can come to our God in prayer, believing our
prayers will be received and we have the evidence that the
Lord Jesus' life and death were accepted by the Father because
of this glorious picture we have and the truth of it, that the
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom,
the work of Almighty God to confirm the blessed acceptance of the
work of his Son. Amen.