Jesus - The Veil Between

Introduction

Introductory message - Driving home the point of synchronicity between the OT & NT.

Brazen Altar - Represents the Cross of Christ

A place of Substitutionary Atonement

A place of bloody Sacrifice

Brazen Laver - Represents the Sanctification of Christ

The continual washing necessary to keep us fit for service in a dirty world

Golden Lampstand - Jesus ‘The Light of the World’

A Unique Light

A Picture of Jesus and the Church - bore from His Side

Made to bring light in darkness

Table of Shewbread

A Picture of Fellowship

With Christ

With One Another

The Basis of Fellowship

The Instruction for Fellowship

Jesus - the Bread of Life

The Necessity of Life

The Sustainer of Life

The Strength of Life

The Singularity of Life

The Priests Alone Ate of the Bread

The Bread was Anointed

The Bread was Secure and Undefiled

Fellowship was not Synonymous with Laziness

Sanctification was Necessary for Fellowship

The Golden Altar

A Picture of the Current Ministry of Christ

Our Intercession for Others

Christ’s Intercession for Us

It Brings man Close to God

It Speaks of the Resurrection

It’s Height & Horns spoke of the Power Therein

It’s Need was Perpetual for Us and Others

Today we’re going to look at something not made of wood, gold or brass - but fabric. We’re going to look at the Veil

First we see the Plan

I. The Plan

(The Construction & importance of it)

It was a Choice Work

What I mean is that it was a beautiful work.

Imagine for a moment:

Today if someone wants a blue or purple shirt or dress, they go to walmart and buy one - and rather inexpensive as far as clothes go. But it wasn’t always that easy.

For instance: The Hebrew word for blue is ‘tek-ay’-leth’ which means ‘the cerulean mussel’. It’s the name of a shellfish that they would gather up, then extract blue dye from them and use that to color the linen.

Purple was literally an industry. The Bible tells us of an early sister-in-Christ names Lydia in Acts 16:14 “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”

The reason that purple is the color of royalty is because it was so expensive to get!

So when you consider this veil, I want you to consider what it looked like IN RELATION TO EVERYTHING ELSE. When you consider how it would have looked comparatively speaking, it was a sight to behold!

It was a Choice Work

It was a Cunning Work

The Bible says ‘fine twined linen of cunning work’.

First off, let’s recognize for a moment the difference between woven garments today vs. 2,000 years ago. Today we have big industrial machine that weave fabrics & material together very quickly.

(Ill.) I went in a clothing manufacturing plant years ago and I was amazed at these huge machine weaving together material they way they do.

Well they didn’t have those then.

I’m not sure how exactly they would have woven that together - whether they would have had a line or patch of the various colors. It’s my suspicion that the strands themselves were of the various colors and they were woven together without the distinct colors individually, but it’s just a guess. (I’ll share why momentarily)

It was a Cunning Work

It was a Careful Work

In other words, God once again gave them specifics on how it was to be made. In there, He said it was to have cherubims on it as well.

Cherubim's are angelic creatures. We’re not told specifically what all they look like, other than they are winged creatures.

You’ll see that upon the Mercy Seat God instructed them to make two cherubim’s with their wings spread forth touching one another.

We see it was a Careful Work

We see the Plan. Next, the Position

II. The Position

(Where it’s Placed and Why)

In the Holy Place

Inside the Holy Place. It hung just behind the Golden Altar that we spoke about last week.

In the Holy Place

Between Man and God

Man was able to enter the Holy Place - the priests that is. However, God wasn’t in the Holy Place, God was in the ‘Holy of Holies’ or the ‘Most Holy Place’.

There were two ‘rooms’ in the Tabernacle - and the thing that separated the two was the veil.

Between Man and God

We see the Plan. The Position, next the Purpose

III. The Purpose

(What is the function of it)

To Separate Man from God

The purpose of the veil was it was a tool to keep man and God apart.

Going back in the Bible, I want to see something:

We see God creating Adam (Gen. 2:7)

We see God speaking to Adam (Gen. 2:15-17)

We see God interacting with Adam (Gen. 2:19)

In Gen. 3 things change:

We see Adam sinning (Gen. 3:6)

We see God approaching (Gen. 3:8)

We see God pronouncing Judgment (Gen. 3:14-19)

We see man and God separating (Gen. 3:22-24)

And it’s been that way ever since.

The reason why man and God had to separate is because God is Holy - and God and sin cannot are as different as oil & water - they don’t mix!

So the veil was there to keep man and God apart, but it was for another purpose as well… to Save Man from God

To Save Man from God

Leviticus 16:1–2 “And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died; And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.”

The veil was there for their protection - so that God wouldn’t strike dead the man who approached the Ark of God!

God gave specific instructions on how He could be approached in that day (Which is found in Lev. 16)

But I want to look forward to Heb. 9:1-10.

A couple things here to keep in mind:

Access to God was limited.

Only the High Priest - ONLY once per year could even approach the throne of God! And he only had authority to go in and make atonement for him & the people!

This was a picture for THAT TIME

This is the way it WAS - thank God it’s not the way it is!

It was insufficient

The OT sacrifices couldn’t make the one who offered perfect - but thank God Christ can!

We see the Purpose

We see the Plan, the Position, the Purpose, lastly the Performance

IV. The Performance

(The NT Scripture / Story that corresponds with it)

The Veil is the Body of Christ

The Veil itself is a picture of the body of Jesus.

The Bible tells us: Hebrews 10:19–20 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”

We see the truth that the veil is a representation of Christ Himself in several different things.

We see His Deity

Colors (like numbers) in Scripture point to or mean different things.

The color ‘blue’ represents Heaven or ‘the Heavenlies’ which speak of the Deity of Christ.

Make no mistake - Jesus is God in the flesh.

John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

We see the Deity of Christ in the blue

We see His Royalty

As I mentioned earlier - purple is the color of royalty.

Remember what the roman soldiers did as they mocked Jesus?

John 19:1–5 “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!”

Know this: They were mocking Jesus then, but they’re not mocking now!

Paul said to Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:14–15 “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”

Describing His 2nd Coming the Bible says: Revelation 19:12–16 “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

We see His Royalty

We see His Humanity

Red oftentimes symbolizes the blood, but it also symbolizes humanity. As in the ‘feet of clay’ or the ‘potter’s clay’.

Jesus of course was God, but He was also man, just like you and I.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

We see His Humanity

We see His Authority

This is where the Cherubim’s come into play. As I said, they are angelic creatures that are mentioned several times in Scripture serving and worshiping God.

Christ is worthy to serve

Christ is worthy to worship

Oftentimes, man is doing just the opposite! Romans 1:24–25 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

We see His Authority

He’s the Barrier that Keeps Man from God

Exodus 26:33 “And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.”

Notice the word ‘divide’ - that’s the key word here. Also: Hebrews 9:7–8 “But into the second went 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 as the first tabernacle was yet standing:”

Jesus is the barrier that keeps people from God. (That sounds weird, but let me explain).

There’s people all over the world that wants access to God.

Muslims want access to God - but Jesus stands in the way

Jews want access to God - but Jesus stands in the way

African & Native Americas want access to God - but Jesus stands in the way

Those who trust in their works want access to God - but Jesus stands in the way

Jesus said: John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

YOU CAN’T GET TO GOD BUT BY JESUS! So Jesus is a barrier in a very real sense.

Muslims think that Mohammad can get you there

The Jews think the Messiah is coming - but He’s already came!

Others think that their works will earn favor with God - but the Bible declares Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

The ONLY way to get to God is THROUGH Jesus. He is the barrier, but next we see that He’s the Broken One that Gives us Access to God

He’s the Broken One that Gives us Access to God

Something happened on the day that Christ was Crucified.

Before we get to that, let’s go back to the night before. Jesus is in the upper room partaking of the Passover meal with His disciples. The Bible tells us that: Matthew 26:26 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.”

Paul speaking to the church in Colosse said: 1 Corinthians 11:24 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Then over the next 20 hours, Jesus would be taken, beaten, mocked, have His beard plucked, He’d wear the Crown of Thorns & purple robe. He’d be taken to Calvary and nailed to a tree. IN TRUTH HE WAS BROKEN FOR ME AND YOU! But His Broken Body is what gives us access to God!

The Bible tells us: Matthew 27:45–51 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

Mark said: Mark 15:37–38 “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”

Luke testifies as well in Luk. 23:45.

But what does this mean? It means that NO LONGER is man prohibited from entering into the presence of God, but THROUGH THE BROKEN BODY AND SACRIFICE OF JESUS, THE WAY HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE!

The privilege that the High Priest had was now available unto all! Jew or Gentile mattered not, what mattered only was that you came by the way of the Cross!

The Bible tells us: Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

We have the privilege now to approach a Holy God - because of the Righteousness of Christ and His atonement for our sins!

He’s the Broken one that gives access unto God

He is the Beauty you See in God

As I consider Jesus, I consider the beauty of God.

Many see God as a stand offish taskmaster - ‘Do this, don’t do that’ type thing.

AND DON’T GET ME WRONG - GOD DOES INSTRUCT US BECAUSE HE LOVES US

But the fact is, God is altogether lovely.

To think that someone would die for me! To think that someone who I didn’t regard, that I didn’t care for - that knows my wicked heart would die for me - NOT BECAUSE HE HAD TO - but because He CHOSE TO - JUST SO I WOULD’T GO TO HELL!

Church that selflessness is a thing of beauty!

He is the Beauty you See in God!

Conclusion