I've entitled this message, The
Rent Veil. The Rent Veil. Verse 37, and Jesus cried with
a loud voice, and we know what that cry was. It is finished. I can't express how sweet those
words sound. Salvation accomplished. And then the scripture says,
he gave up the ghost. Do you know he's the only one
to ever do that? He gave death permission. You can have me now. You know,
with everybody else, death takes us. He gave it permission. That speaks of the excellency
and the glory of his person. And then we read in verse 38,
where unseen omnipotent hands Take
hold of the veil and the temple and rip it into. From the top to the bottom. Letting
us know that this is what the Lord did, not what men did. This is what the Lord did. Now,
when he had not yet died, I love to think about the sun stopping
it shining. There's a miracle that none of
us can, we believe, but we don't know how it happened, but it
did. Somebody may think, well, what
about all the things that could happen as a result of that? I
don't, you know, I'm sure a lot of things could happen, but the
sun quit shining. It wasn't a solar eclipse. The
sun quit shining. And then we know when he died,
that there were three other miracles that took place. Now, first of
all, the fact that he died in the first place, I think is so
mysterious. That's shrouded with mystery.
The son of God died. And when he died, the scripture
says the earthquake, everybody there felt it. I don't know if
it was all over the world. It could have been. But that
is giving us some idea of the mighty power of his death. The whole earth shook. His death was like no other death.
And then we read also in Matthew's account where the rocks rent. Rocks were torn apart, broken
up. And this reminds me that really
the only thing that breaks the heart IS SEEING HIS DEATH AND
WHAT IT ACCOMPLISHED. LAW AND TERRORS DO BUT HARDEN
WHEN ATTENDED ALL ALONE, BUT A SENSE OF BLOOD-BOUGHT PARDON
SOON DISSOLVES A HEART OF STONE. THE ONLY THING THAT WILL BREAK
MY HEART OR YOUR HEART IS SEEING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF HIS GLORIOUS
DEATH. THIRDLY, Graves were opened. People were
resurrected and they walked around Jerusalem. Now, how many people
this happened to? I don't know, but it does tell
us this. His death is the cause of life. Why were those graves
opened? His death is the cause of life. And then we read of these unseen
omnipotent hands, the hands of God taking that veil at the top
of it and ripping it. Can you imagine what that must
have appeared to the people in the temple at that time when
they saw that veil ripped from the top to the bottom? Now this was not the veil of
the tabernacle in the wilderness, but it was the temple which had
been rebuilt by Herod. And extra-biblical literature,
and the reason I say that is there's nothing in the Bible
that tells us how thick that veil was. So this is just given by
extra-biblical literature, but it said it was at hand breadth,
about four inches Thick. And it was so big that it took
300 men to hang it up. It was so big and it was so heavy. And this is the veil that was
rent from the top to the bottom, showing this to be God's work. Now, there was the tabernacle
in the wilderness. What a beautiful type and picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now in this tabernacle, in the
wilderness, there was a courtyard. And in that courtyard, there
was a portable tent that had two rooms. Now in that courtyard,
to get into the tent, there was one entrance. There's one way
to the Father. One entrance. And at the beginning,
right there where the entrance was, there was an altar for sacrifice.
And there was a lather for washing. And what that lets us know is
there's no way of coming into God's presence apart from the
blood of Christ and the cleansing, the continual cleansing it provides. You know, I know that people
have tried to, well, the blood is to justify you and the water
is to sanctify you and wash you up. You can't separate the blood
from anything. It's the continual cleansing
of the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth. That's in the present tense,
active voice. It always cleanses. The blood
of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us. from all sin. And you would
go into that tabernacle and there were two rooms. In the first
room, called the holy place, you had three pieces of furniture. You had the altar of incense,
which represents the intercession of Christ. You had the candlesticks,
the light, Christ our light. He is the light as to how God
can love me. I understand how God can love
me for Christ's sake because I'm seen in him and God sees
him. And then we have the table of
showbread, Christ our sustenance, Christ our food. He said, I am
the bread of life. And the priest went into that
room every day after the blood was shed and they washed in the
altar and they would go put the food on the table. They would
keep the light going. They would burn the incense,
but there was another room. called the Holy of Holies. And there was a veil that separated
that room from the other room. And that veil was made of blue,
heavenly. It was made of purple, the royal
sovereignty of God. It was made of scarlet, speaking
of the blood of Christ. It was made of white linen, speaking
of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Now this veil was a veil
of separation. And you could only go into the
Holy of Holies once a year. And only one person could go,
not any old person could go, only the high priest. And you know the laws around
the tabernacle were so strict, everything was. I think of Nadab
in a bayou. Instead of getting fire from
off the altar, they thought, this fire will do. And really,
when they were doing that, they were bypassing Christ. The fire
from off the altar that burns the sacrifice. They were saying,
well, that's not important. Any old fire will do. And so they
burned incense with what the scripture says, strange fire
that didn't come from the altar. And you know, the scripture says,
the fire of God came down and consumed them for doing that.
Moses said to Aaron, don't cry. They had it coming. They failed
to sanctify the Lord God. Now you see the awesome majesty
of this thing of the Holy of Holies where the high priest
would go in once a year. If he came any other time, he'd
be killed. Once a year, he would come with the blood of atonement,
the great day of atonement, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat,
over covering the ark, and that is why the people were accepted,
because of the blood. Now, that blood didn't do anything
for him. It's what that blood represents,
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, when Christ died, that veil
of separation. And you say, why do you have
to have a veil of separation? Well, the Lord said, your sins
have separated you. Your iniquities have separated
you. And your sins have caused me
to hide my face. God is holy. He's separate. He's other. You and I can't just
come waltzing into his presence. He is other. I wish I understood
that as I should. He is altogether holy. He cannot
be approached. apart from the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission of sins. Now, God took that veil and he
ripped it in half. Now, God's speaking by this.
This is God speaking. What is he saying? Now turn with me for a moment
to Hebrews chapter nine. Hebrews chapter nine, beginning
in verse six. Now, when these things were thus
ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle. That's
that holy place, that first room. accomplishing the service of
God. They were lighting the candlesticks. They were putting the show bread
on the table of presence. They were lighting the incense,
but into the second with the high priest alone once every
year, not without blood, which he offered
for himself. And for the errors of the people,
the Holy Ghost, this signifying that the way into the holiest
of all was not yet made manifest while it's the first tabernacle
is yet standing, 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. Now, these men came in with this
blood and the people were out while the high priest did this,
they were accepted, but do you know, your conscience was never
truly satisfied by that. If you would offer the blood
of a million animals, it wouldn't really satisfy your conscience. You knew something about that
high priest going in there, knowing he was just a man, and the fact
that he went in there, your conscience could never really be satisfied
by that. This was just... A shadow of the real thing. Shadows are, have no substance. And all this did was let us know
the way is not yet made manifest. While that tabernacle was there,
while that veil was there, that veil of separation, the way into
God's presence was not yet made manifest. But when God ripped
that veil into. Look in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 19, having therefore brethren boldness. That's a strong word, not with
timidity, not in fear and trembling, having therefore brethren boldness
to enter into the holiest. by the blood of Jesus. Now let's see what led up to
him making this statement. He goes on to say, by a new and
living way, which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say his flesh. Look back at verse one. Claire
read this Sunday night, and I thought, I'm glad he read that Sunday
night, because everybody's gonna get to hear it again. Hebrews chapter
10, verse one. For the law, the tabernacle,
the sacrifices, the commandments, the feast days, the holy days,
God's written word, the 10 commandments, for the law, having a shadow
of good things to come, The gospel was preached in all of these
things. The gospel was preached in the tabernacle. I love to
think of that badger skin covering the tabernacle and The Hittites
looked at it, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and they said,
when's the last time you looked at a badger? It's not pretty.
It doesn't look very impressive. And they looked at that thing
and said, what is the deal? What do they see in that? They didn't know that the very
Shekinah glory of God dwelt in that tabernacle. But that tabernacle was a shadow.
of good things to come. And not the very image of those
things can never, with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year, continually make the comers there and do perfect.
You know how much good that did somebody? None. None. It pointed to who would
come, and put away sin, but it did absolutely no good at all. If it did, verse two, then would
they not have ceased to be offered? If the sacrifice actually put
a waste in and God accepted it, why did they have to do it again
the next year and the next year and the next year? It was never
finished. It was never done. And no one
could really truly find satisfaction in that. I couldn't. If a man
that I knew, and I guarantee you, somebody said with regard
to the high priest, I know him. I know him. I know things he
thinks, I know things he's done. You mean to tell me that that
man can represent me? Well, he pictures the man who
can, the Lord Jesus Christ, but you never got any satisfaction
from what that man did. Now, if you had some understanding
of what that man was doing, you did. Just like Abel, when he
brought that blood that caused God to respect him, he knew it
wasn't that blood, it was the blood of the one who's coming.
He knew it was the blood of the promised seed. That is where
he could come into God's presence because of that. Now let's go
on reading. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered, because the worshipers once purged should
have no more conscience of sins. If those ceremony, If those sacrifices
actually put away sins, I would say, what sin is gone? I don't
have any sin. I'd have a perfectly satisfied
conscience. But, verse three, in those sacrifices, there is
a remembrance again made of sins every year, and here's why. It
is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take
away sins. Not possible. Wherefore, verse five, When he
cometh into the world, and this is a quotation from Psalm 40,
as a matter of fact, let's turn there and then we'll come back.
So you can see that this is a quotation from Psalm 40 verse six. This is the Lord Jesus
Christ speaking sacrifice and offering doubt. That's not desire.
Mine ears hast thou opened as the bond slave, willing servant
of God. Burnt offering and sin offering
hast thou not required. Then said I, lo, I come. In the volume of the book it's
written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy
law is within my heart. Now go back to Hebrews chapter
10. When he cometh into the world, You know, He came into the world.
I love to think about that. He came into the world. I came down from heaven. That's
what He said. The Eternal One came into the
world. Wherefore, when He cometh into
a world, He saith, Sacrifice an offering thou wouldst not.
That's not what you desired, but a body hast thou prepared
me. You know, before 2000 years ago,
the Lord Jesus Christ was never in a body. He is the eternal
son of God. And 2000 years ago, when he was
made flesh, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. He came in the flesh. A real human being. Fully human as if he were not
God at all. and fully God as if he were not
man at all. The God-man Christ Jesus, a body
hast thou prepared me. You see, for him to save me,
he's gonna have to come into a body, a body that can keep
God's law perfectly, a body that can put away sin, a body that
can be raised from the dead. A body hast thou prepared me,
Verse six, in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou
hast had no pleasure. I'd never satisfied God. The
billions of animals that were slain, I'd never satisfied God. Then said I, verse seven, lo,
I come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do thy
will, O God. Now, the book he's talking about
is not this book. The book he's talking about is
that book written within and without, one side, the other,
sealed with seven seals in Revelation chapter five, the book of God's
decrees and purposes. Everything, that symbolic language
is a literal book, I don't know, maybe it is, but everything God
does Eternally is written down in this book and it was written
of him that he would come to do God's will Though I'm come to do thy will
I came down from heaven. He said not to do listen to this
real carefully I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of him that sent me And this is the Father's will
which is sent me, that of all which he hath given me, the elect,
I should lose nothing. I'm gonna save every single one
of them. He came down to do his Father's
will. Now look what it says in verse
eight. Above when he said, and he's
repeating what he'd already said, above when he said sacrifice
and offering and burn offerings and offering for sin thou woulds
not, neither had pleasure therein which are offered by the law.
Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that
first covenant, the covenant of works, everything in the Old
Testament. Now the Old Testament reveals
the New Testament, but all these sacrifices, everything that that
veil represented, everything, the tabernacle, the sacrifices,
the feast days, he takes them away. He takes away the first
that he may establish the second by the witch will. Remember he
said, I come to do thy will. This is so important. I came
to do that will. By that will, by the which will,
look what it says. We are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Now, through God willing it,
Now understand this about God's will. If God wills something,
it is accomplished, even before it's done, it's historical. God
doesn't will something, it doesn't take place. God doesn't have
plans that end up being frustrated. I love the way the word plan's
not even in the Bible. Somebody says, God's got a wonderful
plan for your life. That's ridiculous. Just ridiculous. God's will is supreme. By the witch will, by God's will,
we are sanctified, declared by God to be holy through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ. It's not apart from this. Here's
why we're holy. Through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. Now that means it's in the perfect
tense in the original. perfectly completed, never to
be repeated. Now, understand this. You're
looking at somebody, I can't get any more holy than I am right
now, and I won't be any more holy in heaven THAN I AM RIGHT
NOW BY VIRTUE OF WHAT CHRIST ACCOMPLISHED FOR ME. SOMEBODY
SAYS YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT WAY TO ME. I MIGHT NOT, BUT I
LOOK THAT WAY TO GOD BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY I AM TO GOD. THIS
IS THE WAY EVERY BELIEVER IS, PERFECTLY SANCTIFIED, ALL TOGETHER
HOLY, WITHOUT FAULT BEFORE GOD. NOW LET'S GO ON READING. NOW
EVERY HIGH PRIEST, EVERY PRIEST, THIS IS TALKING ABOUT THE OLD
TESTAMENT PRIEST, EVERY PRIEST STANDETH Daily ministering and
offering oftentimes, every day, the same sacrifices which can
never take away sins. Now notice this word standing.
This is very important. In all the paraphernalia, in
the tabernacle, you know what piece of furniture they didn't
have? A chair. A chair. That's so important. They remain standing. Why? Because their work was never
done. It was never finished. You offer one sacrifice. Well,
next day you offered the same sacrifice again. The next day
you offered the same sacrifice again and on and on and on. Why? Because the job was never
finished. It was never completed. Sin was
never put away. After all that work, sin was
still there. Verse 24, but this man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down. Now, why did he sit down? When
he had by himself purged our sins, he sat down. The work completed. That's what
it is finished means. Listen to me. There's nothing
for you to do. There's nothing for you to bring.
The work has been finished. He sat down. The work was complete. Verse
13 from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. Now, Verse 14, for by one offering, his death on
the cross, by one offering. What did he do? Did he make salvation
possible? Did he make salvation available?
By that one offering, he hath perfected forever. Everybody? No. His death was not for everybody.
His death was for those He sanctified. By that one offering, He perfected
forever them that are sanctified. Now, whenever we're dealing with
the death of Christ, remember, it was for the elect. What's
the point? His death is successful. That's
the point. If He could die for somebody
and they wind up in hell anyway, His death doesn't save. Something
you do saves. There's no good news in that.
And listen to me, just saying that he didn't die for everybody,
that's not gonna keep anybody from coming to him. If you need
mercy, you'll get there. You'll come to him, you'll cry
for mercy. Let me say it again, Christ only died for the elect.
Why? Is that gonna keep somebody from
coming? No, it's not. No, it's not, not if you need
mercy. You'll see that's the only way you can have mercy is
if he died for you. Now he, by this one offering,
perfected forever them that are sanctified. And he perfected
them forever. You know what that means? If
Jesus Christ died for you, you're perfected forever. It can't get
any better. Verse 15, whereof the Holy Ghost
also is a witness to us. This is what the Holy Spirit
bears witness to. whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness
to us. After he'd said before, this
is the covenant that I'll make with them after those days, saith
the Lord. I'll put my laws into their hearts and in their minds
while I write them and their sins and their iniquities will
I remember no more. Turn back to Hebrews chapter
eight. He quotes this previously in Hebrews chapter eight, verse
10. For this is the covenant. that
I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith
the Lord, I'll put my laws into their mind and write them in
their hearts. Now, this is talking about the
new nature. It's talking about the new heart. You know, you've
heard of the laws of nature when he talks about put these laws
in their heart. Well, for instance, it's the nature of a tiger to
eat meat. It's the nature of a pig to get
in the slop. It's the nature of a cat to clean
itself. It's the nature of God to be
holy. It's the nature of man to be
evil. That's why free will is so ridiculous.
Your will is controlled by your nature. There's no such thing
as a free will. Your will is controlled by your
nature. This law, he puts, is not talking
about the Ten Commandments. Romans 2, 16 says that's written
on everybody's heart. Everybody's born knowing it's
wrong to lie, it's wrong to kill, and all the Ten Commandments.
That law's in everybody's heart. This is talking about the laws
of the new nature. And in this he says, I'll be to them a God. and they shall be to me a people.
And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall know me,
from the least to the greatest. Now this is what is so glorious.
Every believer knows the Lord. And they recognize when they're
hearing somebody, it's not the Lord. They recognize that because
they know the Lord. If I say something that's contrary
to his character, somebody says, that's not the Lord I believe,
that's not the Lord I worship. Like the thief on the cross,
everything he knew, he knew because he knew the Lord. Now, all shall
know me from the least to greatest, for I will be merciful. And the word is perpetuous. To
their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will
I remember no more. Now here, because he's perpetuous,
that's a sin removing sacrifice. The reason he doesn't remember
sin is because there's nothing there to remember. It's not because
he's got a bad memory. Now, me and you, we remember,
I wish, you know, wouldn't it be wonderful to forget every
time somebody's done you wrong? Just forget it. It'd be, what
a blessing to just forget it. I don't even remember that happened,
but here's the problem. I always remember. God doesn't,
because there's nothing there to remember. their sins and their
iniquities. Will I remember no more? In the verse 13, in that he saith
the new covenant, he hath made the first old, that old covenant
of works. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away. Now turn back to Hebrews chapter
10, verse 18. Now, he said, their sins and
iniquities, will I remember no more? Where remission of these
is, there is no more offering for
sin. Don't try and resurrect the old
covenant. Don't try to bring an offering for your sin. Don't
bring your tears. Don't bring your Sincerity, don't
bring your efforts to not sin. Don't bring your efforts to not
commit that sin anymore. Don't bring some kind of offering
for sin that you think you're gonna make up for what you've
done. That's an insult to God. That's all it is. It's an insult
to God. He put away that sin by himself
without any help from you. Would that have any help for
me? And what, it's an atrocity. Oh, you need something other
than what I did? You're gonna bring your filthy rags to me?
You're gonna bring your, and think that I can accept that?
Now where the remission of these is, there's no more offering for
sin. Having therefore, verse 19, boldness. to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus. You know, I really believe that
His blood makes me able to enter in. I believe that. And even if I
get shaky on it, it still makes me able to enter in. It's the
blood that maketh atonement for the soul. Not what you do, not
what you think, it's the blood. God said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. Not when I see your works or
your efforts or your sincerity or your faith or your repentance
or anything you do. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Look what else he says, by a
new and a living way. Now that word new is freshly
slaughtered. Now please hear this with regard
to the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's never old, it's
always new, it's always poignant to the Father. You may commit The same old sin over and over and over again. And that does not in any way
negate the newness and the power of his blood. It's a new way. It's always new and it's a living
way. It's not bringing the blood of
a dead animal. It's the Living Christ bringing
His own blood before the Father. Having therefore brethren boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and
living way, which he had consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say his flesh, 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, the washing of water by the word. Now, that rent veil signifies
the complete dismantling of the entire Old Testament economy. And it's what God did. God did
this. What God hath joined together,
let no man put asunder. And what God hath put asunder,
let no man join together. God has ripped that veil into. And here's what the veil says.
The ripped veil says, come and welcome. Come and welcome. There's nothing
to hinder you. Your sin has been put away. The
law has been satisfied. Come and welcome. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor a fitness fondly dream. The only fitness he requires
is to have a need of him. This he gives you, tis the Spirit's
rising beam. Here's what God says by that
veil he tore in two, come and welcome. There's nothing to hinder
you. Now, I don't know this for sure, But I believe that when that
veil was ripped in two, the phoniness of that Jewish religion was exposed.
You know why? That ark had been gone a long
time. Nobody knew where it was. It was probably in some Philistine
place somewhere. The real ark wasn't there. and
everything they were doing was for show. And when that veil
was ripped, it exposed the rottenness and the hypocrisy and the acting
of their religion. It wasn't real. Now, something
else I bet happened. Somebody tried to sew the thing
back up. Don't do that. God ripped it
apart from the top to the bottom to show it was His work, and
don't try to sew it back up. That separation has been removed. May we all, because of God rending
this veil, may we all come boldly to the throne of grace, having
boldness. to enter the holiest by the blood
of Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that you've
ripped the veil of separation in two and that we can come into your
presence with boldness through the blood of thy dear son. How we thank you for the gospel. We pray that you would bless
this message and use it for your glory and for our good. And once
again, we're so thankful that your son finished the work, sat
down, and you ripped that veil to let us know that through what
he did, sinners are welcome to come to thy son. In Christ's
name we pray, amen.