03/25/2021
Do you fear God when you enter your prayer closet to speak with Him, or when you feel His presence as you worship? When Jesus was a boy there was a veil in the temple that separated all men from the Holy of Holies except the high priest, and this man was only allowed to enter into this sacred place once each year. The fear of God was so great that they would tie a rope around his waist so that if he were to die while behind the curtain, they could drag his body out. Yet, today we enter in and out of God’s presence without fearing death because Jesus paid the price of our admission with His life. At the moment when He breathed His last the veil was ripped asunder, our bodies became the temple, and the divine presence of God was made available to every believer.
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”
Matthew 27:50-51 ESV
What a wonderful gift we have received, what an amazing blessing! The Jews were thrilled to have God dwelling privately in their temple in Jerusalem, and were satisfied to have one high priest to represent them, and one day for this to occur, but now we have free and easy access to Him whenever we want to stand before Him, we feel His presence always through our faith in Christ, and receive His forgiveness for our sins every day... not just once each year on Yom Kippur... the Day of Atonement.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,”
Hebrews 10:19-20 ESV
If we were only able to atone for our sins once each year, how lost would we feel? What if we made atonement and then fell to sin the very next day? Could we stand the thought of living with that sin for a year as we waited? Through Christ we find grace, and not just on occasion, but every minute of every day. Jesus abides in us, and our fellowship with Him, like His fulfillment of the law, is complete. In my morning devotional reading I read this description written by Andrew Murray in the 1800s...
“The new way, through which all believers now have access to the Most Holy, always goes through the torn veil, the body of Christ. Every step on the new and living road of access to God includes, therefore, fellowship with the cross of Christ.” - Andrew Murray
During Holy Week we can be tempted to fall into despair as we envision our Lord Jesus bring beaten, scourged, and hung on the cross to die, so disfigured that He is barely recognizable as a man. Yet, not a single blow, lash of the whip, jeer from the crowd, or nail that pierced His body, is anything but His victory, and meant to be a gift of God’s grace to us, and a cause for our celebration of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The spectacle we imagine might bring tears to our eyes, but the love that flows from that hill is nothing less than pure, and perfect.
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:10 ESV
By the rending of the temple veil we celebrate the cross with every breath we take, and Easter, unlike Yom Kippur, which is only one day each year, is our constant celebration of victory, and God’s eternal grace. Do we awaken every morning to the sound of the hammer driving the nails through the hands of Jesus, and to see that the temple veil has been torn for us? Do we thank God for the blessings of Calvary, and lift our arms to receive the grace being poured down over us? Is every day our Easter, and another invitation to pick up our cross and follow Jesus?
““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV
Let’s think on this today as we enter into your prayer closet, and say the words that begin every day... “Father, thank you for your many blessings!”
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the horror of Calvary that was turned to victory and sheer joy for those who believe. Thank you Lord for Jesus who is the torn veil we walk through to come before you. Thank you for welcoming us into your presence all the day long, and every day that comes. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you whose grace is sufficient for us, and whose love fills us to overflowing. Praised be your name for every new day, your many blessings, and your loving kindness we find in your presence. Great are you who forgives the sinner, heals the sick, feeds the hungry, and makes way for the most humble and downtrodden to join you in your victory celebration over death. Hear our prayers Holy father as we stand before you each and every day as if it were Easter, and pour out our hearts to you. Forgive us our sins Lord, for so often we don’t know what we do. Help us to walk the way made possible through the broken body of Jesus, and find us standing before you, made worthy by His blood. Seat us at your table, and call us your children... hear our never ending expression of love for you, and our thanks for being able to enter into your court freely as the children of the Great King, and the heirs, and joint heirs, of your Son Christ.
“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”
Mark 8:34-37 ESV
Rich Forbes