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When we examine the remarkable
wonders surrounding the death of Jesus, we are overwhelmed. As you look at your copy of God's
Word of Matthew 27, the passage that Pastor Anderson has read
in your hearing tonight, let me point out just a few of those
wonders, any one of which we could focus on tonight. Well,
in verse 37, you have written over the head of the Lord Jesus
Christ as he is crucified, a placard. an inscription in Hebrew and
Greek and Latin, Jesus, the King of the Jews. We speak frequently
of the three offices of Christ, that he is our prophet, our priest,
and our king. And isn't it amazing that even
in the hour of his death, his kingship is directly acknowledged
by those who are crucifying him while he's doing his priestly
work? Another one of the great wonders
surrounding the cross is the total darkness at noonday that
we see in verse 45. When Jesus is atoning for sin,
it is though the Father and all of creation turn away in respectful
silence as Jesus suffers alone in the darkness. We sang about
this a moment ago when we sang Isaac Watt's majestic hymn, Alas,
and Did My Savior Bleed. Watts captures this perfectly
when he has us sing, well might the sun in darkness hide and
shut his glories in when Christ, the mighty maker, died for man,
the creature's sin. Another one of the wonders surrounding
the death of Christ is the earthquake in verse 51. Immediately after
the death of Christ, it is as though all of creation, which
we are told in the book of Romans, groans anyway under the weight
of sin. It is as though all of creation
groans at the cruel death, is in upheaval at the lawless death,
murder of her creator. And then you have, in verse 52
and 53, another astounding wonder related to the crucifixion, and
that is the resurrection of certain saints in Jerusalem. One of the
things I've been asked to do over the years is to engage in
speculation. We aren't told anything else
other than verse 52 or 53. So when you look at that, that's
it. That's all the biblical revelation about that. These are representative
people. They arose as specimens of the
way in which all the saints shall in their due time arise. They're
much like Lazarus. They die again and await the
permanent day of resurrection. But itself is still an astounding
phenomena and wonder. And then you have in verse 54
another great wonder surrounding the crucifixion. Again, all of
these are material for a series of sermons on the cross. The
Confession of the Centurion in verse 54, and what you have here
is a picture of Christ convincing power. That this man watching
all the proceedings is convinced that Jesus is who he claims,
that he is indeed the Son of God. I hope you've known this
convincing power, this drawing to saving faith, for it certainly
is at the core of the power of the cross. But what I want us
to do tonight is to look at verse 51, what I consider to be the
most astounding of all of these wonders. And that is the simple
act of the tearing of the veil. There are several veils spoken
of in scripture, at least four, some figurative and symbolic,
some literal. You have the veil in the tabernacle
and in the temple, more on that momentarily. Secondly, you have
that veil spoken of in the book of Hebrews where Christ's human
nature is called a veil. That his deity was hidden behind
his humanity for the most part as he walked upon the earth during
his incarnation. The third veil that scripture
speaks of is the veil that rests on all our hearts by nature. That veil is sin and separates
us from God. Second Corinthians three speaks
of this. The fourth veil that the Bible talks about is the
heavens, when the Bible speaks of the heavens as a veil that
Christ pierced through when he ascended on high and sat down
at the right hand of the Father. All of these veils that I just
listed are here because of sin. All four speak of separation. If you pull a curtain, you want
separation. You want to be kept from someone
or something. In the garden, there was openness.
We could call it the ultimate barrier-free environment between
God and man and men and women. There were no veils in the garden. But sin has brought separation,
veils, into the world. Isaiah sums it up most clearly
in Isaiah 59 when he says, your iniquities have separated you
from God. The great tragedy of our fallen
nature is that we don't mind. that there are veils between
God and us. It doesn't really bother us at all. As long as
God gives us our daily temporal benefits, as long as he supplies
us with good food, nice clothing, warm shelter, we're okay with
veils and separation. But when the Holy Spirit begins
to convict a person, and show them that there is a veil, a
gulf, a separation between them and a holy and a righteous God,
and that eternity will be an everlasting separation, a permanent
veil. If we're not reconciled to God,
then we begin to cry out, how can I pierce the veil? How can
I get to God? That, by the way, is the great
question of the old covenant. The most powerful and dominant
symbol of that separation that faced the worshiper every time
he came to the tabernacle and then the temple. The most powerful
dominant symbol of that separation was the veil. that God-designed building, whether
we're speaking of the temple or the tabernacle, then the temple,
that housed the holy place and the holy of holies. The temple,
if you'll remember, was divided into a series of courts. When
it was constructed in all its majesty and glory, you had, first
of all, the court of the Gentiles. That was the outer court where
Uncircumcised Gentiles were allowed there, but between their court
and the next court were posted signs in several languages that
read exactly like this. No foreigner may enter past this
barrier. Anyone who is caught doing so
will have only himself to blame for his ensuing death. Not a
very seeker-friendly church. Then you had, past that, you
had the Court of the Women. That was the next court where
Jewish women could go, but then they had to stop. Then you had
the Court of Israel where circumcised Jewish men could go, and then
there was a place where they had to stop. And then even the
priest could only go behind the first veil to the holy place,
and then They had to take sacrificial blood with them. But no one could
go behind the second veil, which went, which separated the holy
place from the holy of holies. The only person who could go
there was the high priest once a year for about 25 minutes.
And it was such a fearful experience that rabbinic tradition arose
like this. to the high priest, let's tie
bells on a rope around your ankle so that the other priest could
pull you out in case you die before the Lord. In fact, the
priest, the high priest, when he went into the Holy of Holies
on the Day of Atonement for just those few minutes, was counseled
to creep timidly into the most holy place. And as he went, he
would sprinkle the blood of a spotless sacrificial lamb. sprinkled it
everywhere so that he wouldn't take one bloodless step. All of these sacrifices, the
millions of them, the millions of slain animals, and the rivers
of blood were all pictures, signposts pointing to the work of Jesus.
The blood that was so frequently shed was showing our desperate
need for atonement to be restored back to God. The Old Testament
Jew, of course, was very familiar with observing the barriers and
the veils between God and himself. Every time he came to church,
to the tabernacle and the temple, there was the veil staring him
in the face. He was unable to go beyond the
outer court. Even the priests couldn't go
in there, and then only one of them, then for only less than
half an hour. And the veil that kept men out, that's spoken of
here in verse 51, was uniquely designed. Jewish historical writers
say that it was at least 60 feet long, perhaps longer, at least
20 feet wide, was at least 20 feet high, and was several inches
thick, requiring when it was hung, 300 men to lift it up. It was a beautiful work of art,
purple and blue and scarlet and white. But how could anyone ever
open the way to God? That's what the entire Old Testament
priestly and sacrificial system groaned under. There was no direct
access to God. Every path was veiled off. The
way was not open. because the price for sin had
not been paid. When we talk about Good Friday
and what took place on Calvary's Hill, we have to define the actors. The two actors are primarily
God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father. And when
we speak of Good Friday, we're not just talking about a son
who gave himself for us, but a father who was yearning for
the fullness of time when he could reach down with holy hands
and tear the veil in the middle from top to bottom and give sinners,
Jews and Gentiles alike, free and open access to his throne
and his presence. Let me remind you, when Jesus
cried out in Gethsemane's garden on the Thursday night before
and said, let this cut past for me, if it is possible, the father
was silent. When Judas came and kissed him
later that Thursday night with that wicked and hypocritical
sign, the father was silent. When Jesus was scourged and mocked
and stripped and spat upon, the father was silent. When Jesus
took that rugged timber on Friday morning on his raw bloodied back
and carried it up the Via Dolorosa, the father was silent. And then
when Jesus was nailed with ringing blows to that cross, the father
kept his peace and was silent. When Jesus now hanging on the
cross on that Friday morning was raised up, then dropped with
a thud into a hole in the ground and his flesh ripped, the father
was silent. And as Jesus began to endure
the wrath of God on Friday on behalf of his people, the father
was silent. As two wretched thieves, wicked
men on either side of Jesus, taunted Jesus, and the mob around
him joined in and rejected Jesus, challenging him to come down.
And the soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross, all while
Jesus' blood dripped down on them. And everyone concerned
trivialized his death. The father was silent. And then
as Jesus entered into those hours of incredible agony in total
darkness and spoke the last words of his life, you remember those
last seven words. The first word was, Father forgive them for
they know not what they do. Second word was Jesus saying
to the thief on his side, assuredly I say to you today you shall
be with me in paradise. The third word, where Jesus speaks
to his mother and says, woman, behold your son, and to John,
the beloved disciple, behold your mother, showing his respect
for the moral law that even in his agony, he wouldn't set aside
the fifth commandment. The fourth word was the cry of
dereliction. My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? And the fifth word, when Jesus
simply said, now, as his breaths are coming harder and harder
to take, it's becoming incredible, excruciating agony for him to
even draw enough breath to speak out one slight syllable. He said, I thirst, as he was
knowing the pains of hell and saying what every reprobate in
hell says all day long. I thirst. And then the sixth word came.
After drinking the cup of God's wrath to the bottom, when Jesus
said that one simple Greek word, tetelestai, it is finished, price
paid. And then finally, his last word,
when Jesus said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,
then the father could no longer be silent. With eager hands,
he speaks by taking the temple veil, and tearing it in half
from the top to the bottom. In that moment, all the shadows
and types and sacrificial systems, all the priestly duties, all
the old covenant, all the old way of worship and entrance into
God's presence was done away with and dismantled. The way
to God was open. Now all people now may draw near
to God through a new and living way. The way is open. The veil
was not torn from bottom to top by men with saws and scissors.
but by God from top to bottom. It is His declaration that salvation
is accomplished. The veil has been irreparably
torn. All the demons in hell can't
stitch it back together. The veil's torn by the Father.
If there'd only been a small hole cut in the veil, lesser
offenders might have squeezed through, but it's torn wide open
so that the chief of sinners can walk through. There's ample
room. There's now free, full access. And wasn't this the promise of
the new covenant? That God was stating that he
would have fellowship with his people, that he would not forever
be kept from them. Didn't he promise hundreds of
years before in Jeremiah 31 in the promise of the new covenant,
I will be their God and they will be my people. Meaning we'll
not be separated. Across that veil had been written
as it were, no admittance. Stay back for hundreds of years. Now is written, whoever comes
to Me, I will not cast off. No sinner is too great. No heart
is too hard. No one is too young or too old.
No case is impossible. Remember before, if any man had
dared to enter the Holy of Holies, he'd have died because of presumption
or profane intrusion. I think of when God is establishing
that old covenant statute in Exodus 19 before the giving of
the law. And God keeps saying to the people
of Israel, those words like you read in Exodus 19, keep your
distance, stay back. Moses and the high priest in
the old covenant might draw near just for a moment, but the word
to everyone else, people like you and I was, stay back. But
now, now the invitation is come. Come unto me, all ye who labor
and are heavy laden. The gospel invitation is, draw
near. The veil has been torn. Access
is free. The barriers are down. The separating
sin has been removed and pardon has been given. Yes, there's
no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. But the blood
of Christ has been shed. So come. The apostle cries out
those great words in Romans 8. What can now separate us from
the love of Christ? No veils. The devil himself may
want to keep you from God, but the worst he can do is hang up
a torn veil. My unbelieving friend, do you
need an open way to God tonight? A torn veil. Jesus has purchased
it and the Father has opened it. Come, come to the shed blood
of Christ. The Father will not turn you
away. To my believing friend, listen
once again to those glorious words of Hebrews 10. Brethren
having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through
the veil that is 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. The writer of Hebrews says, we
are to have boldness to enter. Some say confidence. Why? It's
safe. Jesus has gone before us and
opened the way. We're told to draw near and not
to hang back. And we are told that this new
way is a living way, not an inanimate curtain. The torn veil is the
gospel. God receives sinners through
Jesus Christ. Rejoice in it tonight. Let's
pray. Oh, sovereign Lord, enlarge our
hearts, warm our affections, and open our lips to praise you.
As we are studying the cross, we are captivated, for there
your grace removes our burdens and heaps them onto Jesus, who
has made a curse and sin for us. There at the cross, the sword
of your justice struck the sinless Lord Jesus. There on the cross,
your infinite attributes of both love and justice were magnified. There on the cross, massive punishment
was due and paid in full. Our Father, how we praise you
for the work of Christ on that Friday. We are astounded that
he was all sorrow that we might have all joy. That he was cast
off that we might be brought in. That he was punished as an
enemy that we might be welcomed as sons and daughters. That he
was given over to hell's worst so that we might obtain heaven's
best. That he was stripped naked that
we might be clothed in white robes of righteousness. That
he was wounded that we might be healed. That he was thirsty
that we might drink deeply and be satisfied. that he was tormented,
that we might be comforted, that he was put to shame, that we
might inherit glory, that he was plunged into darkness, that
we might have eternal day. O Christ, we praise you that
you wept so that every tear might be wiped away from our eyes,
that you groaned in agony so we might have endless songs,
that you bore a jagged crown of thorns so that we might be
crowned with honor. that you bowed your head so that
ours might be lifted up, that you closed your eyes in death
so that we might gaze on cloudless brightness. Oh Father, who spared
not your only son, that you might spare us all of this. We pray that you would help us
to adore you by our lips and by our lives. We pray in the
name of our beloved Jesus, amen.
The Death of Jesus and the Tearing of the Veil
Series Resurrection Season Sermons
| Sermon ID | 325161721208 |
| Duration | 20:33 |
| Date | |
| Category | Special Meeting |
| Bible Text | Matthew 27:51 |
| Language | English |
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