The Curtain is Torn

This Sunday we are starting as a church family a devotional book called TORN. This morning, we will lay a foundation by going through what the book will have as Days 1-4. Starting tomorrow, each individual will start on day 5. I would like for us as an ENTIRE church to go through this devotional. Don’t just half way commit, but I am asking you to fully commit to this study. WHY? I want us as a church to continue to grow in God and one of the ways to do that is by HIS WORD – and together we as a church going through the same study I believe will help us on an individual level.

​

Matthew 27:51 ESV ~ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

We are going to be exploring and studying how the curtain being torn gives us the courage we need to come near to God. I believe we are going to see God’s desires that nothing – not our past, not our present, not our problems, not the issues of this world – nothing will get in our way of drawing closer to God. I believe that, throughout this study, God is going to use whatever it takes – a cross, an empty tomb, and even a torn curtain – to give us the courage to get a closer relationship with Him.

DAY ONE – A SERMON WITHOUT WORDS

Romans 8:31–39 ESV ~ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God often uses the strangest and unusual things to speak to us – a full fishing net, a feast of 5,000, and an empty tomb – even a torn curtain to signify that NOTHING can separate us from God.

DAY TWO – THE VEIL

​

Exodus 26:31–35 ESV ~ “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.

In the Old Testament churches, no one was welcomed near the “Holy of Holies”. In the layout of our churches, this could be considered the altar area. We know that today, the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God lives, is in our heart and lives. The veil was constructed to keep people out – 60 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and width of about a man’s hand and it took 300 priests to carry it. The message then was clear – stay out. The message since the curtain was torn – all are welcomed.

DAY THREE – CHERUBIM KEEPING WATCH

​

Genesis 3:24 ESV ~ He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

​

Exodus 26:31 ESV ~ “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.

Cherubims are keeping watch over the holies of holies, since they were sewn into the veil, to keep everyone out. Cherubims were placed in the path of the Garden of Eden to keep everyone out. The veil was torn at the death of Jesus to show us today that we have access to the Father; and this access is available no matter what you have done, no matter to past, you have access.

DAY FOUR – UNBOUND COMPASSION

​

Isaiah 54:5–10 ESV ~ For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.  For the Lord has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer. “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Jesus showed us UNBOUND COMPASSION. How? Because He kept silent.

​

Mark 14:60–61 ESV ~ And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”

Why did He remain silent? Because He was guilty.

Please tell me that makes you uncomfortable. Jesus was guilty – guilty with your sins and my sins, the sin placed upon Him by the Heavenly Father.

​

Romans 3:19 ESV ~ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

This is the moment that Jesus stood accountable, not to the high priest, but before God. No words are needed!

In silence, Jesus went to the cross to suffer our punishment. This had been foretold in Isaiah 53:7.

​

Isaiah 53:7 ESV ~ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

As we continue over the next few weeks, we are going to journey to the cross.

DAY FIVE – TOP TO BOTTOM

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Just as this curtain was not easily ripped, the price being paid for our sins was not an easy task. Yet, God did both just the same. What no man could do, God did by the death of His Son.

Verse 1 speaks of death and there are three types of death in the Bible: physical, spiritual and eternal. I want to focus on SPIRITUAL:

• A person who wastes his life on riotous living – Luke 15:32 “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ””
• A person who has not partaken of Christ – John 6:53 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
• A person who does not have the spirit of Christ – Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
• A person who lives in sin – Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins” and Colossians 2:13 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,”
• A person who is alienated from God – Ephesians 4:18-19 “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”
• A person who sleeps in sin – Ephesians 5:14 “for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””
• A person who lives in sinful pleasure – 1 Timothy 5:6 “but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.”
• A person who does not have the Son of God – 1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
• A person who does great religious works but does the wrong works – Revelation 3:1 ““And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”

DAY SIX – GO AWAY

Isaiah 45:20–23 (ESV)

“Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

In Bible times, the temple was not very inviting, however, today, the church needs to be a place that ALL can come to worship God … ALL TOGETHER!!! We should have the confidence to go to God in prayer, we can go BOLDLY!!!

DAY SEVEN – THE DIVIDING WALL

Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Jesus has broken the wall of seperation, the wall of hostility. There is no wall seperating us from God.

DAY EIGHT – NO LONGER HIDDEN

Isaiah 59:20–21 (ESV)

“And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord. “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Sometimes our past causes us to hide ourselves from God. The cross can change all of that!!! God no longer hides from us and we should no longer hide from Him. He wants absolute surrender. The Father turned away from the Son so that we might receive the Sons blessings.

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

DAY NINE – MAKING PEACE

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Peace is not an easy thing to restore – not in the heart, not in this world, and not in life. Jesus died to make peace in our lives and in your heart. When Jesus gave up his last breath, the veil was torn and the door between us and God was once again open.

Colossians 1:21–22  ESV

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Imagine yourself, standing before the King’s throne, no guilt, no shame, simply holy and blameless.

DAY TEN – JUST AS I AM

Psalm 25:1–2 (ESV)

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.

You can come to Jesus, just as you are. All the sin, all the shame, and all the trials, all the wounds, all the problems of this life – just as you are.