The Veil Was Torn

• The Veil was torn
• Mark 15:33-41 READ
• We have direct access to God. We have forgiveness of Sins. Therefore we should not sin and we should stay in fellowship. We should endure
• If you don’t understand the significance of the veil being torn, you will struggle to walk in Victory
• What is happening-
• The death of Jesus- “why have you forsaken me”? The weight of sin, trying to give him vinegar, the veil is torn, and the centurion says “Surely this man was the son of God”
• This declaration from the Centurion is HUGE that he saw the death of Jesus and believed that he WAS God in flesh!
• But the most important part we want to talk about today is the verse 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
• Very Very significant. Very important. Before Jesus there was separation between God and man. Symbolically through the temple, but spiritually through Sin.
• This is no longer the case. Jesus has broken the dividing line. We now have direct access to GOD
• READ Eph 4 14-16 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation
• The problem with Many Christians, is that they haven’t read the OT enough to really appreciate the meaning behind the veil being torn, but its HUGE
• Its like this- President of the US- (regardless of who is office) most protected person on the planet. Layers and layers of security ( fence, background check, metal detectors, go through bomb sniffers, THEN you get in thehouse- but still no access) Think if you could just walk up, and in and sit in the oval-

• That’s ACESS. That’s no dividing line. Now think if you were a many time felon who shouldn’t have access!- None of us should have access to the father because of his WRATH
• Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
• John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
• Nahum 1:^2-3 God isjealous, and the Lord avenges, The Lord avenges and is The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; ³ The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked.
• What was it like in the OT?
• READ- Ex 26:31-35 What the veil looked like
• READ Lev 4:1-21 What the High Priest DID
• READ Leviticus 21:6-8 How the high Priest LIVED
• How sin was dealth with Exodus 30:10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

• You could barely handle me reading it to you for a few minutes, but think about living a lifetime under the OT
• But Hebrews says– Hebrews 10:20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
• The tearing of the veil signifies the NEW living way! Its through JESUS- Not through the OT Priesthood
• Heb 7: ²⁶ For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who isholy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; ²⁷ who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
• Heb 4:14-16Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

READ HEBREWS 10

1. We have God’s law in our hearts

• Because of the veil being torn, if we are Christian we now have the law of God written on our hearts. He is able to guide us and lead us through the law that has been written on our hearts
• Heb 10:16 Thisis the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them
• It used to be that you may not know the laws of God- but now- you do know the laws of God
• Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
• This is what the prophet Isaiah promised Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
• What does it mean to you?
• You have God’s law in your heart- live like it
• Jer 31:34 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord.
• You know God! You know what he wants and what he desires! You need to read your Bible! Yes, but so much of what you know you need to be doing, you don’t need to be told
• You know what God requires you just don’t want to believe it. You want to lie and say its not true- Sexual immorality, thievery, murder, belief in God, all predates the law.
• This is the classic kid move- “if I would have known” but you never told me. FALSE. You KNOW
• Being married- we know what the other person wants- intrinsically.

1. We have forgiveness of Sins

• Heb 10: ¹⁷ then He adds,“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ¹⁸ Now where there is ^[e]remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
• The tearing of the veil signifies that we are no longer unable to receive forgiveness of Sin! God forgives the repentant! The veil has been torn and we can be forgiven! Praise God
• 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• God is in the forgiveness business through Jesus Christ!
• This veil is making access to forgiveness possible- we can now go directly to God for our forgiveness. We don’t have to go through a priest!
• What does it mean to you?
• Are you walking the forgiveness that Jesus provided? Have you turned from your sin and turned towards God? Have you received the grace of God in your life?
• Its WAITING For you- God is providing a way out from yoru sin
• Its scandalous that you can commit the most heinous sin and have God forgive you of it.

• Heb 4: ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• There is no time to delay- The time is now. Why would you wait one day to walk in forgiveness?- Being at costco- Free samples- People arrange schedule, wait in line- Chicken
• When you wait to ask for forgiveness, you’re walking in disobedience, but also living in guilt and shame much longer than you need to!- Have you ever really felt guilty? Ever really felt shame?
• THIS IS WHY JESUS CAME- THIS IS WHY WE ARE CHRISTIANS. FORGIVENESS
• Not music, friends, business contacts and cool factor- FORGIVENESS- It changes EVERYTHING
• Some people come to church for everything else except forgiveness
• When you walk in forgiveness, you give forgiveness. You treat people better because you know what you have been forgiven from
• It will cause you to draw near to God because you no longer fear him!
• Heb 10: 22 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.

1. We should not sin

• This is probably the most important part of the whole point of the veil being torn-
• We should no longer sin. We should no longer go back to the vomit or practice lawlessness.
• ²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (READ 27-31)
• Hebrews says that once you know what you know, there isn’t much else that can be done for you
• Once you’ve tasted the grace of God- once you’ve experienced forgiveness and then you go and sin willfully, there isn’t much else that can be done for you. You’re going to just fall under judgment. You’re going to end up in destruction
• This is probably one of the scariest verses in the Bible (Read again)
• 2 Peter 2:20For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

• It would have been to have never been saved- to have never known it
• What does it mean to you?
• STOP SINNING. Quit pretending that the sin that you perform doesn’t matter and that it isn’t affecting you. Quit worshipping your sin and minimizing it. IT can keep you from heaven!
• How do we stop sinning?
• Get saved. 2. Get filled with the holy spirit 3. Set yourself up to WIN. 4. Get some accountability 5. Get drastic. (If you have a job- do your job. Simple. If you’re a Christian- don’t SIN)
• Sin wants to kill you. Sin wants you to die “the wages of sin is DEATH”
• Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
• Be honest. Be relentless. Be willing to put yourself out to another. Get accountable
• Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [c]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1. We should stay in fellowship

• What is interesting about this Hebrews verse, which was written to Jewish believers, was, the veil has been removed, you can be forgiven of your sin, so how do you walk in that? How to stay on track with that?
• ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as isthe manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
• The writer of Hebrews says that the way to maintain the relationship with Jesus, to keep your life on track- get together with other Christians. Go to church. Be together.
• Strength in numbers.
• Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
• What does it mean to you?
• You can’t be in fellowship if you constantly are separating yourself from the people of God
• Hebrews also says- Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
• I’ll never understand people who say that they love God, and want to live for Jesus but don’t like his people. Impossible! The people of God are the Body of Christ!
• The admonition is that if you are saved, if you are set free, if you have access to God, sustain it through fellowship! Be with each other! Spend time with each other!
• Football v Wrestling. Every man for himself v a team atmosphere. Excelled at one.
• 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.’
• Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
• Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.