2012-03-09
Hi There Dear Ones,
This week, I am led by the Holy Spirit to begin a new segment of this “Our Covenant” series of messages, called “The Veil Rent.” As always, at the center of each devotion in this series is our individual covenant relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me begin an important Biblical reveal with MT 27: 50-51. “When He was on the cross about to die, Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, He gave us His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” Imagine what must have gone through the centurion guard’s mind, as it dawned on him that Christ’s assertion of His divinity was true! Since this series of devotions is also a telling of my personal journey to faith, I must say that IS 6: 9b certainly applies to me and any other person needing to understand belief in the Lord Jesus. Isaiah was speaking of a condition I really don’t want in my life and hope you don’t in yours either. “…Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” The Holy Spirit must have known my heart long before I did, enough to lead me compare false doctrine I was learning to Biblical truth. So, the question before us is: what does the event of MT 27: 51 [also MK 15: 38] really mean to us?
The curtain referred to here is the one that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies in the temple. You’ll remember that the Jewish high priest was only allowed to enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur [the Day of Atonement] once a year. It was the place where the shekinah glory of God actually dwelt over the mercy seat of the covenant box. No human hands tore that veil; it happened at the moment of Christ’s physical death on the cross. It was as if the unseen hand of God had done it. Now, the Holy of Holies was open and exposed to all believers. In the book of Hebrews, we learn the true meaning of this amazing event, as we learn that the veil represented the body of Jesus. It’s being torn meant Christ had given His life on the cross, allowing us to have the boldness to enter God’s presence, the Holy of Holies, which He consecrated for us. HE 10: 19-20, “Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for through the curtain, that is, His body…” Verse 21-22a is profound advice in light of this, “… and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with sincere heart in full assurance of faith…”
This event signified the beginning of being able to approach God, His very presence, in prayer, thanks, and praise. We must never forget that this privilege was paid for by the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is compelling that there is a sort of empathy between the Creator and His inanimate creation, in the earthquake that happened and the rocks that split. Many graves were opened. This ushered in the era of true believers being privileged to approach God directly, not of distance from Him as there had been before. This gives new meaning to such verses as EPH 3: 12, “In Him and through Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” and PS 145: 18-19, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.”
We can see that Christ is the key to access to God’s presence. That is why JN 14: 6 can be more deeply understood. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is also a picture of entering into a covenant relationship with Him. Kay Arthur, a noted teacher of the Bible and co-president of Precepts Ministries with her husband, Jack Arthur, expresses it this way, “There is delight as we bask in the beautiful truth that takes on a glorious dimension in the light of covenant.” There is a veil, flesh, light connection that can be made. The veil represented the Lamb of God; by His death on the cross, the flesh [body of Christ given on the cross] enables us to have a way to conquer the desires of our flesh by the victory of the Holy Spirit in His name; the light of God is allowed to shine on the truly faithful in Him. We can see God’s sovereignty all over the whole event and what it represents. If we weren’t sure the Bible is God’s love letter to us before, how can we deny it now?
PRAYER: O Lord, today we come before Your mighty throne with renewed confidence and a deeper understanding of the amazing event discussed here and its application to our own personal covenant relationship with You. Still, we must confess our imperfections and pledge our willingness to cooperate with You as You work to perfect us [sanctify us]. As early as Joshua’s time, in JS 3: 5, under Your direction, Joshua called the people before crossing the Jordan River west into Canaan to “consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” You have called us to stand firm. 2 THESS 2: 13, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved trough the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” We are willing to allow You, Dearest Lord, through Your Spirit, to lead us to uncovering even the most subtle of on-going sin in our lives. This process can be emotionally painful to us, but it simply must be allowed to go forward. Your love for us is clear, if we are only willing to look for it in our lives. PS 33: 22, “Yes, Lord, let Your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in You alone.” We are willing to take Your direction in this process of sanctification, as with anything else. We pray PS 31: 3, “Since You are my Rock and Fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.” You have given us the strength and courage to face any pain uncovering our sins yields, because it is Your desire to guide us to spiritual maturity and purification in readiness for that day when You decide we are ready to return to Your side in heaven. That will be for eternal bliss and fellowship with You. We have much to thank You for, much to praise You for, so let this prayer include that using David’s words. PS 28: 6-7, “Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped; my heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” We stand firm in our faith in the Lord Jesus and offer this prayer in His mighty/holy name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am led to write about how the Abrahamic Covenant is an example of God’s love in preparation for the veil being torn from top to bottom. The gradual nature of God’s revelations was necessary due to His understanding of when mankind was ready for them. The great gifts of this covenant –people, a land, and a King-were promises kept, although the eternal picture will happen in our future. The newness of life as a committed believer in Christ, one who is “a new creation in union with Christ Jesus” [2 COR 5: 17], is what we have, when we are in a covenant relationship with Him. Because of RO 8: 38-39, we know that once we have this covenant relationship it can never be broken, even though our sinning will distance us from God. The Holy Spirit will work (through what we call our consciences) to bring us to stop sinning, because no one who is a true believer in a covenant relationship with God wants to continue to sin [1 JN 3: 9-10]. There is nothing easy about being a true believer in covenant relationship with God, but this is the only true way to inner peace and real happiness. No one who continues to sin, distancing himself from God, is truly happy. I know this from personal experience in comparing my own pre-Christ existence with my post-Christ living. These messages are called devotions, because they are both demonstrations of why we should devote ourselves to loving and obeying God and my devotion to each of you, who take the time to read them and hopefully give the Holy Spirit, using me, the chance to help strengthen your faith in the Lord Jesus, my Yeshua. As for the word, Messiah, when used to describe Him. His devotion to us is an expression of His sole ability through His Atonement on the cross to save believers from eternal destruction and condemnation. What greater gift could our Lord give us? He is the only true Propitiation [acceptable sin sacrifice] for our sins, who died for our salvation from the negative consequences of them [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10]. Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15