men if you would flip over in your Bible to Matthew chapter 27 we'll come back to
Hebrews but go to Matthew chapter 27 the title of my sermon this morning is the
rending of the veil the rending of the veil of course rending means to tear
something like to tear fabric people in the Bible sometimes when they're upset
would rend their garments they would tear their clothing well the Bible talks
about the fact that when Jesus died on the cross the moment that he died the
veil in the temple which is basically like a fabric curtain is ripped in half
from top to the bottom look down at your Bible there in Matthew 27 verse 50 the
Bible reads Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice yielded up the
ghost so he screams out one last time he cries out one last time he breathes his
last breath he yields up the ghost and verse 51 and behold the veil of the
temple was rent in twain it was ripped in two from the top to the bottom and
the earth did quake and the rocks rent so there's an earthquake there are these
signs that happen while Jesus is on the cross there's darkness upon the face of
the earth there's an earthquake that happens and in the process of that
earthquake rocks you know break apart as happens in earthquakes and as a result
of this the veil in the temple during this earthquake actually gets ripped in
half and if you would flip over to Luke chapter 23 Luke 23 while you're turning
to Luke 23 I'll read for you from mark 15 mark 15 37 says 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 and when the centurion which stood over against him
saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost he said truly this man was the son
of God look if you would at Luke 23 verse 44 and it was about the sixth
hour and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour and the
Sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst and when
Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said father into thy hands I commend my
spirit and having said thus he gave up the ghost now when the centurion saw
what was done verse 47 he glorified God saying certainly this was a righteous
man so what is the rending of the veil represent it must be pretty significant
because the earthquake is only mentioned in Matthew not in Mark and Luke so you
know not every gospel gives the same details right sometimes they're
emphasizing certain things and leaving out other things but this one detail
makes it into Mark and Matthew and Luke about the veil in the temple being
ripped in half it's significant what was the veil well flip back if you would to
Exodus chapter 26 while you're turning to Exodus 26 the first point is that the
rending of the veil represents the breaking of the body of Jesus Christ so
the first significance is that the veil represents Jesus and the veil ripping in
half signifies the fact that Jesus Christ body was broken if you remember
Jesus the Last Supper prophesies this where he breaks bread with them and he
breaks the bread and he says this is my body which is broken for you and then he
takes the cup and says this cup is the New Testament in my blood and so he's
prophesying that he's going to die on the cross that his body is going to be
broken that his blood is going to be shed but you're turning to Exodus 26 I'm
going to read for you from Hebrews 10 the Bible says in Hebrews 10 19 having
therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil that
is to say his flesh so the Bible flat-out tells us that the veil
represents the body of Christ it represents the flesh of Christ it says
there's a new living way to go into that most holy place in the temple through
the veil that is to say his flesh the veil represents his flesh now if you
understand what the veil was it's a it's a partition it's a barrier it's blocking
the way between the holy place and the most holy place it's separating those
two things but when the veil is ripped in half it actually becomes an opening
it actually becomes a way in through the veil now look down at your Bible at
Exodus 26 31 let's get some detail on the veil here it says now shall make a
veil of blue and purple and scarlet and fine twine linen of cunning work with
cherubims shall it be made now what is the significance here of these colors
blue purple and Scott these are the colors of blood you know Jesus Christ
was beaten and the Bible says he was bruised for our iniquities and so what
color is a bruise bruises are purple and blue red is the color of blood and the
blood when it's under our skin is blue or purple and so the beating and the
scourging of Jesus would have made Jesus back be this color it would have been
blue and purple and scarlet and so this represents the bruised beaten bloody
body of Christ and so that's what those colors mean and then it says in verse
32 that's how to hang it upon four pillars of shitim wood overlaid with
gold their hooks shall be of gold upon the four sockets of silver so the veil
is hung on these four pillars and so you can see how when there's an earthquake
these pillars go two different directions and it just rips that veil
from the top to the bottom and this type of wood is significant too because this
shitim wood this type of tree is an acacia tree what we would know in
Arizona as an acacia tree one of the cool things about living in Arizona of
course there are hundreds but what you know one of the cool things about living
in Arizona is that a lot of the plant life here is actually the same plant
life that you would find in Palestine so if we were over there where the events
of the New Testament took place you'll see a lot of the same type of desert
plants over there it's a similar climate similar plant life you know in fact that
you know the Joshua trees that grow over in the Mojave Desert just in the very
western part of Arizona are only found in two places in the world as I
understand it and that is of course the Mojave Desert in Southern California
Arizona and also in Palestine and so the acacia trees here in Arizona are similar
to the type of trees that are over in Palestine and you'll notice when you
look at these trees that they have these big giant thorns on them right and
it's not just cactuses in Arizona that will stab you everything in Arizona is
trying to stab you in some way and so if you look at the trees you'll actually
look on the branches they have these big jagged thorns coming off them right here
in Arizona you can see some very long thorns inches long and of course we know
that Jesus Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns made from those type of
thorns made from this tree the shittim tree that's mentioned here that's the
plural of course but basically this is another picture of Christ here the wood
that's all throughout the tabernacle is this type of wood that represents pain
it represents punishment it represents the the crown of thorns but also it just
represents just the the judgment punishment atonement etc so everything
in the tabernacle everything in the temple later is going to be symbolic so
it says thou shalt hang upon the veil excuse me verse 33 thou shalt hang up
the veil under the tatches you say oh the Bible has all these hard words
tatches well it's attach the tatch is what you use to attach right the tatches
that thou may is bring in thither within the veil the arc of the testimony and
the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy so it's
a divider right and now shot put the mercy seat upon the arc of the testimony
in the most holy place and that's not set the table without the veil and the
candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the
south and thou shalt put the table on the north side so what's interesting is
that the veil starts out as being a divider in the Old Testament but in the
New Testament it becomes the exact opposite of a divider it becomes a
pathway it becomes a conduit it becomes a way into the holy place whereas in the
Old Testament the veil is doing what it's keeping people out of the holy
place or the most holy place Jesus brings people in Jesus opens it up and
so it ripped in half to signify the way being opened into the most holy place
now it's interesting to look at this furniture here in verse 35 it says thou
shall set the table without the veil and the candlestick over against the table
on the side of the tabernacle toward the south so outside of the veil is the
candlestick and the showbread which represents the Word of God because the
Word of God is often represented by bread it's a light unto our feet lamp
into our feet light into our path and so the light is outside of the veil you know
so that basically unsaved people basically are being shown at least the
way pointed to the veil pointed to Christ the bread represents the Word of
God the light represents the Word of God but then inside the most holy place is
the Ark of the Covenant and the golden sensor and that's the most holy place in
the Old Testament it was very protected because God is trying to teach us and
emphasized us the Old Testament how inaccessible God is to man whereas Jesus
Christ brings us nigh unto God in the New Testament and then I'll just quickly
read this I want you to flip back to Hebrews chapter 9 at the end of the New
Testament Hebrews chapter 9 and I'm going to quickly read for you from 2nd
Chronicles about the about the temple itself because remember eventually the
tabernacle was replaced by the temple and in the temple it says in 2nd
Chronicles 3 14 and he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson and fine
linen and rot cherry beams thereon so I just want to show you that the the veil
also exists in the temple in the same way that existed in the tabernacle so
number one the tearing of the veil the rending of the veil represents the
broken body of Jesus and how Jesus Christ is the way to reach God he said
no man cometh unto the Father but by me so instead of being a partition the
ripped veil the broken body of Christ is actually an invitation to come in not a
partition to keep you out the second thing that the veil represents so number
one it represents the broken body of Jesus that's why it's red and blue and
purple because it's that broken body but number two it it represents the
beginning of the New Testament the beginning of the New Testament now when
we hear the words New Testament and Old Testament we're typically thinking of
the two divisions of the Bible you know we got our Bible here and part of it's
called the Old Testament and then in other parts called the New Testament but
that's not really what the word testament means in the Bible the word
testament in the Bible means covenant and those two words are used
interchangeably and a covenant or a testament is a solemn agreement or some
kind of a solemn guarantee or promise or agreement or contract if you will and
the reason that the books of the Old Testament are called the Old Testament
is because of the fact that they obviously are the books that are all
written before the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ brings in the New Testament
and then the New Testament are the books that are written after the Lord Jesus
Christ has died on the cross and been buried and risen again so that's of
course a great division to have in our Bible between the Old Testament books
and the New Testament books but we have to understand is that when we start
reading in Matthew chapter 1 we're not really into the New Covenant yet because
Jesus hasn't died yet right so when we're in chapter 2 3 4 all the way up
until Jesus dies it's still the Old Testament as far as what time period
they're living in it's still the Old Covenant it's not the New Covenant until
Jesus dies on the cross so there's a moment in time when the New Covenant
begins when the New Testament begins not talking about the books but talking about
the actual covenant the actual testament the actual contract look if you would at
Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15 I'll show you what I mean Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15
and for this cause he is the mediator and notice doesn't say he's a mediator
it's not like well as Jesus there's Mary there's the Saints there's Buddha
Krishna no no he's the mediator there's one mediator between God and men the
man Christ Jesus it says he is the mediator of the New Testament that by
means of death for the transgressions excuse me for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the First Testament day which are called might
receive the promise of eternal inheritance watch this for where a
testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator
for a testament is a force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at
all while the testator liveth so when did the New Testament come into force
with the death of the testator right and that's Jesus now what this is talking
about is it's using an illustration of like a last will and testament we've
probably heard that right last will and testament what does that mean well when
someone dies let's say they have a lot of money and a lot of possessions and a
lot of property what they do is they make an official document saying who
they want to inherit their stuff they don't want it to just be verbal I split
everything you know because you know it could be a lot of money and after people
die sometimes people are greedy and they're fighting over stuff so before
people die they'll often lay down this solemn document and it is like we said a
contract or covenant or a guarantee and so they have their last will and
testament and so when somebody has a will it's it's also called a testament
right and so here's the thing let's say that last will and testament says that
I'm gonna inherit X amount of money from dad well I can't bring that document to
a lawyer and say hey I want this money now my dad owes me this now he's gonna
say this document means nothing this document has no force of law this
document doesn't give you any entitlement to anything because the
testator is still alive right now after he dies this document suddenly means
something but without the death of the testator it's not enforced yet okay and
so the Bible says a testament is a force after men are dead otherwise it is of no
strength at all while the testator liveth and so Jesus Christ dying is what
actually initiates the New Testament that's the beginning of the New
Testament it says whereupon verse 18 whereupon neither the first testament
was dedicated without blood for when Moses had spoken every precept to all
the people according to law he took the blood of calves and of goats with water
and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the
people saying this is the blood of the Testament with God which God has
enjoined unto you moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all
the vessels of the ministry and almost all things are by the law purged with
blood and without shedding of blood is no remission okay now let me start out
by saying this the New Testament is not a new way of salvation because the way
of salvation has always been there from the beginning of time until now okay
because Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world and Old
Testament Saints still had salvation available unto them through Christ
because the New Covenant the New Testament is not a new way of salvation
okay now here's what you have to understand the Old Covenant again we're
not talking about the two sets of books in the Bible we're talking about the
agreements or the covenants okay the Old Covenant the first covenant was not
something that had anything to do with Adam or Noah or Abraham or Isaac or
Jacob you know Abraham this covenant the Old Covenant the Old Testament was not
made with Abraham or Isaac or Jacob where was the Old Covenant made according
to this scripture that we just read it's made with Moses am I right what the
Bible calls the Old Testament is the the agreement that was made with the
children of Israel on Mount Sinai with Moses they're sprinkling the blood of
animals and saying this is the blood of the Covenant which God has enjoined unto
you now why is this significant because this isn't about salvation the covenant
that's made on Mount Sinai is a covenant between God and the nation of Israel
that he's gonna be their God and they're gonna be his people and he's gonna bring
them into the Promised Land and they're gonna follow these laws and he's gonna
bless them and so on they're gonna be a peculiar people a holy nation you know
I'm not gonna go into all that that entails but there's that old covenant
that's made with the nation of Israel okay and then what you have is the New
Covenant which God does not make with a specific physical nation but it's a new
covenant where instead of God's chosen people being a specific physical nation
in the New Testament God's chosen people is just all believers everyone who
believes on Christ red yellow black and white we don't have to be circumcised we
don't have to go to Jerusalem three times a year we don't have to be living
in the Holy Land we don't have to follow certain ordinances or statutes in order
to be God's people all we have to do is believe on Jesus Christ that's the New
Covenant the new you could call it the New Deal you know not to get confused
with Franklin Roosevelt or something but it's a New Deal the New Covenant the New
Testament okay that's the deal it's not a new way of salvation okay because
salvation has always been by grace through faith salvation in the Old
Testament it was still by calling upon the name of Lord I mean you go back to
Genesis chapter 4 and it says then began men to call upon the name of the
Lord right so there are a bunch of people in Genesis 4 calling on the name
of Lord and being saved obviously you'd add individuals before that but that's
when men began in plural to call upon the name of the Lord and so we have
people being saved not by works not by deeds of righteousness not by following
the Mosaic law which wasn't even gonna show up for another couple thousand
years but no they're getting saved by calling upon the name of the Lord just
like we today get saved by doing what calling upon the name of the Lord the
Bible says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall
believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be
saved for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved now let
me tell you something at Mount Sinai did God roll out and say here's a plan of
salvation here's how you're gonna get to heaven is that what Mount Sinai is about
I mean when you're reading Exodus is that what is talked about no the
covenant made at Mount Sinai is a covenant made with the house of Israel
it's a covenant made with the house of Judah it's a covenant about being God's
chosen people about being in the promised land about being a holy nation
a peculiar people that's what it's about not about hey here's how you get to
heaven because you know what getting to heaven was already dealt with back with
Adam and Eve Adam and Eve there's there's that lamb that sacrificed right
and they put on those coats of skins from that animal that sacrificed and God
tells them that the seed of the woman is going to bruise the head of the serpent
and it's prophesied that Jesus Christ will one day come the Messiah is going
to come Christ is gonna come that goes all the way back to the very beginning
has nothing to do with the old covenant okay so I don't want you to
misunderstand this when the Bible is teaching that the old covenant gives
way to the new covenant when Jesus dies that's not saying well you know that's
when salvation becomes available because you know what Jesus Christ already
saving people before he died on the cross what about when he says to people
your faith has saved you thy faith has saved thee right or how about when Jesus
says to Zacchaeus salvation has come to this house today so he's offering
salvation before he dies on the cross because it was already as good as done
anyway in that sense and Jesus Christ has been offering salvation all the way
back with Adam and Eve and all the way through the old covenant and all the way
into the new covenant because the two covenants don't have anything to do with
that now I'll tell you why people get confused on this I don't want to get off
on too much of a rabbit trail here but I'll tell you why people get confused on
this is because they believe that the Jews are still God's chosen people
today don't they I mean they think like the nation of Israel that's God's chosen
people so because they don't understand the fact that the Old Testament was with
the nation of Israel and that the New Testament now opens that up to everybody
and says that everybody who's saved is God's chosen people it's a it's a nation
that's of all peoples Jew Gentile red yellow black white they don't believe
that they don't get that they're confused on that so now what you end up
with is like no difference really that's actually significant between the Old and
New Covenant so then they're like oh it's a different salvation that's absurd
you want to know why it's absurd because if you could be saved by works in the
Old Testament why can't you be saved by works right now I'll tell you why
because you're not righteous well you know the Old Testament they're saved by
works oh really they're saved by a filthy rag because the Bible says all
our righteousness is there as a filthy rag so let me ask you something if I
could be saved by a filthy rag in the Old Testament why do I need the blood of
Jesus in the New Testament I'll tell you why because nobody's ever been saved by
a filthy rag that's why and if you think you're saved because of how good you are
or because you're keeping the commandments or because you turned away
from your life of sin you're trusting in a filthy rag to get you to heaven and
it's not gonna happen okay Jesus Christ is the only way anybody could ever get
into heaven otherwise why did even need to die on the cross if righteousness
come by the law then Christ is dead in vain his death is a waste if you could
be saved by the law and that's why the Bible says it's not possible that the
blood of bulls and goats should take away sins it's not possible how can
killing an animal get you to heaven that's stupid I mean how many animals do
I have to kill to get into heaven you know what I mean it's like just
slaughtering animal after animal folks the blood of bulls and goats cannot take
away sins all that was is just a ritual a symbol some kind of a sign to point us
to Jesus Christ right when that lamb is killed it helps us visualize you know
the blood on the altar making an atonement for our sin because look down
at your Bible it says in verse 23 was therefore necessary that the patterns of
things in the heavens should be purified with these but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifice than these for Christ is not in and into the
holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven
itself now to appear in the presence of God for us so here's the thing in the
Bible it teaches that there's a tabernacle in heaven and that the
tabernacle that was made on this earth is patterned after the tabernacle in
heaven and the temple on this earth was just patterned after something that
exists in heaven right and so obviously killing an animal at some tent out in
the desert isn't gonna get you say you know it's just as absurd as when people
today think that baptism gets them into heaven like you think getting dunked
underwater is gonna get you into heaven you think somebody's sprinkling water on
you or pouring water on you is gonna get you into heaven it's crazy but I'll tell
you what is gonna get you into heaven the death burial and resurrection of
Jesus and when you get baptized it pictures the death burial and
resurrection that's why the figure of baptism saves us baptism doesn't save us
but the figure of baptism saved us because what's baptism a figure of his
death burial and resurrection which is exactly what saves us well here's the
thing the the lamb being killed on an altar can't save you but guess what the
Lamb of God can save you Jesus the real Lamb of God okay and that holy place the
most holy place I mean what's so holy about that place anyway here's what made
it so holy is that it's a picture of the real most holy place in heaven and so
the earthly things were sanctified by these earthly things of you know the
blood of bulls of goats but it was necessary that the heavenly things
themselves at the end of verse 23 there they needed to be purified with better
sacrifices than these you know you're not gonna bring some goat blood up into
heaven itself you know in heaven itself in the real place it's the blood of
Jesus that's on that altar not some animal from the earth so it says in
verse 25 nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest in
earth of the holy place every year with blood of others for then must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and as it is
appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment so Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation so number one the veil being
ripped represents the broken body of Jesus number two the veil being rent
represents the beginning of the New Testament the the ushering in of the New
Covenant if you want to know exactly when the New Covenant started I can tell
you to the second when it started it started the moment that that veil was
ripped into it started the moment that Jesus Christ breathed his last breath
boom New Covenant right that's the demarcation point because remember the
old covenant involved a lot of rituals and worship but here's the thing when
you rip the veil and have kind of messes up your worship because you just
desecrated your most holy place you can ruin their whole religion if you think
about it but that's a later point I'm getting ahead of myself number three
look at Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 and this is just a quick point not only does
the rending of the veil represent the beginning of the New Testament but it
also represents the end of the Old Testament or you could call it the
beginning of the end of the Old Testament it's when the Old Testament
begins to expire it begins to have a clock ticking because it's going out of
style okay look what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 8 verse 13 and that he
saith a new covenant he has made the first old now that which decayeth and
waxeth old is ready to vanish away now this probably won't be a shock to you
but Jews don't call it the Old Testament they don't talk about the Old Testament
reading the Old Testament saying the Old Testament because here's the thing you
know why it's the Old Testament because there's a New Testament and here's the
thing this is where a lot of people miss it though at the end of verse 13 there
it says that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away what is what
is decaying and waxing old that's ready to vanish away the Old Covenant okay and
then he saith a new covenant he had made the first old now that which decayeth
and waxeth old is ready to vanish away now it's easy to pinpoint the beginning
of the New Covenant isn't it the death of the testator now the New Testament
is in force that's very easy to pinpoint it's very easy to pinpoint the
beginning of the Old Covenant because the beginning of the Old Covenant is
when Moses kills the animals and sprinkles blood on the people and says
this is the blood of the Covenant which God has enjoined unto you but what about
the end of the Old Testament the end of the Old Testament now this is a little
bit harder to be dogmatic about or to pinpoint I'm going to tell you what I
believe and I think that there could be valid differences of opinion here I
think the beginning of the Old Testament the New Testament are crystal clear but
I think people could have different opinions on this next part but I'll tell
you what I believe about the end of the Old Covenant is that when the book of
Hebrews is being written it's not quite fully gone yet because what is Hebrew
saying that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away so he didn't
say the Old Covenant has already vanished away he said it's ready to
vanish away it's about to vanish away and by instituting the New Covenant he
makes the first old and like I said it kind of it kind of sets an expiration
date on it it begins to die now here's I think the best way to illustrate this if
you work in construction you're very familiar with this idea of something
being grandfathered in who knows what I'm talking about being grandfathered in
right so what this idea is that let's say there's a new building code that
comes out in 2022 and it requires a bunch of new safety precautions that had
never existed in the past you know do we have to just update every building in
Phoenix all of a sudden and just you know and just change everything and you
know let's say all the sprinklers are say you know these sprinklers look like
they're only like what eight feet apart wow that's crazy but anyway yeah they're
pretty close together right you know what what if what if the law came out
and said you know hey they used to need to be eight feet in that particular
facility now they need to be seven it's like all right rip it all out and do it
again no because your grandfathered in so when a new building code comes out
only buildings that are built after that have to be on the new program you can
still be on the old program so let's say you have a house that's built in 1975
it's not necessarily going to be up to the codes of 2021 but there are still
rules that apply to that house here's what they'll do they'll actually pull
out the code book that was in force and say well this was code in 1975 and so
that's what you're being judged on you're being judged on the code from
back then because your grandfathered in under the old code so be understand that
so I believe that there's a transition period where the new covenants
immediately in force but that the old covenant is still there people are kind
of being given a chance to kind of get on the new program and so they're kind
of grandfathered in for a little while I think that's kind of a good way to think
of it is that people are grandfathered in you know as you know the word is
getting out about the New Testament and things are being written so in my
opinion I would say that the you know that I would put an end to the Old
Testament I would say it's probably the destruction of the temple in 70 AD you
know it's it's sort of like the ripping the veil is God basically showing like
I'm done with this but then basically the nation of Israel actually really is
wiped out in 70 AD and then it's completely annihilated in 135 AD but I
would say 70 AD is if I had to put a date on it I would say 70 AD is probably
when you know the old covenants just done because God has just completely
punished Israel and just they're not his people and they're completely you know
destroyed and wiped out by the Romans so that that's what I would say about
the end of the old covenant but I think it's pretty clear that whenever Hebrews
is being written it's not quite gone yet but it's about to be gone and of course
Hebrews is written before 70 AD so it makes perfect sense you know Hebrews is
probably written roughly you know around 10 years before that or maybe even less
and so it's written right around the time before the temples destroyed in 70
AD but right away the New Testaments enforced so here's the thing when Jesus
died on the cross there's no animal you never need to offer an animal sacrifice
again as far as God's concerned right because you're on the new program you're
on the new covenant people are still doing it and whatever especially maybe
in you know in remote places people haven't heard about the differences yet
and they're still fall in the old covenant laws and everything and people
have to learn and be taught so that's why I believe that there's an overlap
between the two but we know for sure that the New Testament is initiated
with Jesus dying on the cross and that the old covenant begins to have that
expiration date on it at that time and eventually it's gone and so let me just
say this very clearly in case you didn't get all that let me just say this very
clearly the New Testament replaces the Old Testament these two things don't run
side-by-side like the dispensationalist teach oh no there's a little overlap for
them being grandfathered in but let me tell you something the old covenant has
been gone for a long time now a long time it was ready to vanish away back
then and it's it's gone so the new covenant replaces or supersedes the old
covenant okay that's replacement theology you got it right it supersedes
the old covenant it replaces it that's it made the first one old it's it's so
but here's thing when we say he made the first old it's ready to vanish away
we're not talking about the we're not talking about the part of the Bible
called the Old Testament that's never gonna vanish away is it that's not like
oh that's waxing old that's decaying no no God's Word doesn't decay the flower
fades the grass withers but the Word of our God shall stand forever when it says
the Old Testament is ready to vanish away we're talking about the agreement
the Covenant the deal okay let me hurry up here and finish if you would flip
over to chapter 9 of Hebrews you're right there anyway number 4 the rending
of the veil represents the end of the Jews religion the end of the Jewish
religion you know Jesus Christ moves on this earth talking to the woman at the
well he said salvation's of the Jews okay so the Jews had the right religion
in that sense but let me tell you something their religion was messed up
when Jesus died on the cross because when Jesus died on the cross I believe
that the reason why this earthquake took place that damaged the most holy place
in such a way that it ripped the veil in half is to say this is over this worship
is over you know this religion is over and so you know was Jesus Jewish he was
but I don't like it when people say Jesus is Jewish you know what I mean
was Jesus Jewish yeah and in every sense of the word because he was ethnically
Jewish and he is practicing the Jewish religion of that time which is not the
Jewish religion of today totally different religion Jesus Christ never
practiced Judaism okay because you know rabbinical Judaism today's Judaism and
all of its branches none of them are anything that Jesus ever believed or
practiced or taught or grew up with because that's a new religion that
started in 70 AD and there's nothing like it before 70 AD there's nothing
like it before 70 AD today's Judaism founded 70 AD okay at the earliest you
could really say founded hundreds of years later you know when it's fully you
know fleshed out but I would put the founding date of Judaism at 70 AD
because think about in 70 AD that's when the temples destroyed that's when the
animal sacrifices stop in 70 AD and that's when they have to come up with a
whole new religion where it's like well we don't do animal sacrifices we just do
prayers and the sacrifices get replaced with prayers and then you start
developing the Talmud some of the Talmud was around in Jesus day he was
constantly ripping on it and preaching against it but most of the Talmud was
developed after 70 AD okay it was finished around 500 AD so don't ever
let anybody tell you Oh Judea isms older than Christianity and wrong
Christianity founded 33 AD Judaism founded 70 AD so which ones earlier you
do the math okay Christianity begins with the death
burial and resurrection of Christ on the cross and Judaism starts when their
city gets completely wiped out because up until that point they were into the
animal sacrifices and and you know what you say well they just can't do the
sacrifice because they're not in Jerusalem that's funny because I keep
reading the Old Testament there's all kinds of people doing all kinds of
sacrifices in places other than Jerusalem even with the blessing of God
that's a bunch of baloney my friend it's a bunch of blood God tells them
right in the same portion of Scripture where he tells them to build the altar
of sacrifice for the tabernacle he tells them they can make altars out of dirt
and stone in other locations to sacrifice unto the Lord they don't
understand their own law my friend they don't understand their own Torah because
last time I checked Elijah's great animal sacrifice that he did with the
prophets of Baal was not in Jerusalem and it wasn't in the tabernacle or the
temple was it it was on Mount Carmel where he repaired the altar of the Lord
that was already there and he piled up rocks and did it and so the last thing I
want to point out is that the rending of the veil represents an invitation for us
to commune with God the Father so quickly look if you would at Hebrews
chapter 9 verse 10 actually look at Hebrews 9 8 it says 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 which was a figure for the time then
present so is the tabernacle everlasting eternal we're always gonna do it we're
gonna do it in 2021 no it was a figure for that time for the time then present
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that
did the service perfect as pertain to the conscience which stood only in meats
and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances watch this imposed on
them until the time of reformation but Christ being come and high priest of
good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with
hands that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats
and calves by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having
obtained eternal redemption for us flip back if you would to Hebrews 4 Hebrews
4 says the end of the Jewish religion and that's why they had to make a new
religion that is basically a reaction to God's judgment you know God sent them
Jesus Christ think about this God sent Jesus Christ under the Jews right he
offered something many of them received him most of them didn't the ones who
didn't receive him were judged by God they're punished by God where God sent
the Romans to and the Bible is clear that God was the one who sent them they
were fulfilling God's will you know he sent them as an evil messenger to
fulfill his wrath on them and the Romans came and by the way when the
Romans came and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and and just killed so many people
and everything if you actually study the history about the two you know Roman
Jewish wars in 70 AD and 135 AD you know you'll find that literally thousands of
Jews were crucified literally thousands of Jews were crucified boy what goes
around comes around doesn't it you know God punished them God poured out his
wrath on them and allowed them to be just completely wiped out by the Romans
many of them literally crucified in a poetic justice and here's the thing what
is Judaism what is the modern religion of Judaism it's basically the
stubbornness that rejects Jesus Christ when he's right in front of your face
doing all these miracles preaching all these amazing sermons the power of God
the Spirit of God everything's pointing to you that this is the Messiah you
reject him then God rips your veil in half breaks your altar when God sits
there and and destroys your entire city destroys the temple burns it all to the
ground and you're just like no I'm still right I'm still God's chosen
people I'm still waiting for the Messiah I'm still blessed by God that's Judaism
in a nutshell for you it's basically just a stubborn rejection of Christ I
mean can you imagine being Jewish and I'm talking about religiously Jewish
2021 really and you're still waiting for the Messiah and you say well you're so
away for the second coming of Christ yeah but here's the thing the second
coming of Christ is something where God said hey it's gonna take a long time
because he said a days like a thousand years a thousand years like a day you
know the Bible already gives us many indications in the New Testament that
the second coming of Christ is not going to come for at least a thousand years
that it could be thousands of years that it could be way off in the future but
the difference with the Old Testament Jews waiting for the Messiah is that
there are all these things about the Messiah that are time-sensitive and it's
a whole nother sermon to develop this but the Messiah had to come during the
Roman Empire in order to fulfill the book of Daniel well how many empires have
we had since then it's over that ship has already sailed okay also you know
the the scepter was not going to depart from Judah until the Messiah came well
the scepter departed from Judah a long time ago you see what I mean there
all these things where the Messiah was coming in a certain time a certain
predicted time that's why the wise men show up and they're looking for him
Simeon's looking for him and other prophetess is looking for everybody and
here's the thing even if you talk to a non-christian historian even if you
talk to a Jewish historian here's what they'll tell you oh man the first
century AD was like a Messiah mania everybody's looking for the Messiah
that's what they'll tell you talk to any Jewish historian and they'll say
yeah first century AD man everybody was looking for the Messiah there's all
these false messiahs but you know before and after Jesus especially after Jesus
there are all these other guys claiming to be the Messiah claiming to be the
Messiah it's like a Messiah mania where everybody's waiting for them but you
know why because they're like okay these are the predictions these are the
prophecies it has to happen in this amount of time in this time frame here
we go where is it right everybody knew that it had to happen a certain time and
guess what Jesus showed up right on time and Jesus fulfilled everything and he
did it wasn't what they wanted it wasn't what they wanted to hear it wasn't the
kind of Messiah they wanted but he showed up and fulfilled everything okay
but in 2021 it's too late to fulfill that stuff because it's all different
now does everybody see what I'm saying but it's the stubbornness thousands of
years later of saying I want the Bible I want the 39 books of the Tanakh but
minus Jesus give me Genesis minus hold the Jesus well let me tell you something
Genesis makes no sense without Jesus it really doesn't I could point out for you
20 things in Genesis that make no sense without Jesus but with Jesus they make
perfect sense with Jesus everything makes sense everything red blue purple
scarlet what does that mean if you're a Jew Oh pretty pretty colors if you're a
Christian everything has a much deeper meaning doesn't it hey let's go talk to
the Jews and get a deeper meaning on the Word of God really because that's gonna
be about as deep as a frisbee okay whereas Christianity has the real depth
the deep thing in fact that's our memory verse this week right I should try to
tie in every week the memory verse because I accidentally tied it in last
week and now I'm gonna tie it in right now the spirit search with all things
ye the deep things of God you know you're gonna find the deep things Holy
Spirit not Judaism not the Jews okay and the last thing I want to show you verse
19 of chapter 10 having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he had consecrated
for us through the veil that is to say his flesh sorry I had you turn to
Hebrews 4 didn't I go back there go back where I told you to go sorry about that
that was my mistake Hebrews 4 14 seeing then that we have a great high priest
that has passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our
profession for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
filling of our infirmities but was an all points tempted like as we are yet
without sin let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need man remember in the Old
Testament it's like you've got the courtyard and then you've got the
tabernacle and then you've got the holy place and then you've got the mostly
place it's like these layers of clearance it's like you're trying to get
into some super tough military base or something and you got to go through all
these clearance checks and layers of clearance and it's like these concentric
circles of holiness where you get to the most holy place you know everybody can
can come here and then it's just the Levites and then it's just the priest
and then it's just one guy once a year the most holy place right super
inaccessible super holy one guy and if he messes it up he dies he does it wrong
he dies one guy once a year has to be perfect you know it you know he's on
that keypad putting in the electronic code if he puts in the code wrong he
dies all right he's got to do it perfect but think about the New Testament how
different this is in the New Testament you could literally be you could
literally be don't miss this you could literally be the worst Christian on the
planet and you can waltz right into that most holy place literally I mean
that's pretty amazing I mean physically I mean think about it in the Old
Testament the the high priest he had to wash and and you know fresh clothes
certain outfit certain rituals sacrifice the animal if he messes up he dies it's
got to be perfect right he's got to do it right we and the old in the New
Testament literally you could be like Pigpen on Charlie Brown and walk into
that into that holy place in that most holy place you know and here's the thing
I'm not I'm not saying that you should I'm not saying that you should be dirty
physically and you dead sure shouldn't be dirty spiritually amen I sure hope
that the worst Christian in the whole planet is in this auditorium I hope not
you know but who knows right I sure hope not but but hopefully he's far away
from us right but but here's the thing you say why bring that up pastor
Anderson this is why because I want you to realize and I know you're not the
worst Christian ever I'm not the worst Christian ever that's not what we're
saying I want you to realize that no matter who you are if you just got saved
yesterday or if you've been saved for 20 years if you're right with God serving
God loving God or maybe you're backslidden you know maybe you're super
backslidden and you kind of just dragged yourself in here today and you're just
kind of like I don't even know why I'm here I'm so backslidden I don't even
want to be here I you know I'm thinking about just giving up on the Christian
life because I'm such a failure and I've got so much sin in my life and I've
screwed up so many times but you know what isn't it a blessing that the door
is open for you to to come boldly into the throne of grace and to find grace to
help in the time of need to obtain mercy you know no matter how far from God you
get you can always just drop to your knees and pray to the Lord and you're
his child and he's there to hear you and you have access through Jesus into that
most holy place think about that through Jesus and Jesus is what Jesus
though is the ripped curtain the ripped veil right Jesus is this is this is this
gap he's this opening right he's this entrance not a wall but an entrance that
says hey no man comes to the Father but by me but guess what through him though
you can come to the Father all day long and so you can get on your knees and
pray in Jesus name amen and boom you have an audience not with the Pope not
an audience with with Joe Biden you have an audience with Almighty God and by the
way you know it's not even Jesus makes us clear too it's not like you have to
pray to Jesus and then he'll ask the Father for you no no he says he says no
no you ask the Father in my name he says in that day you shall ask me
nothing you can go straight to the top God the Father and I realize that Jesus
Christ is co-equal with God and that Jesus Christ is co-eternal co-equal and
deity but here's the thing you can go to God the Father himself even the Father
through Jesus and that's pretty amazing the creator of the universe whom no man
has ever seen at any time you can actually communicate with directly with
God the Father and Jesus said it's not that I'm gonna pray the Father you know
for you he said no you can go straight to the Father yourself in that day you
shall ask me nothing you ask him and you'll receive that's pretty amazing
that's a blessing and so you know you might read you might have read over this
in your Bible about the veil being ripped in half but man it's important
it's significant Jesus Christ body being broken for us bloody bruised battered
and broken and opening up a way for us to just march right into that holy place
salvation of course only comes through Jesus but communion with the Father also
only comes through Jesus and so yeah we you know we we've been saved I mean you
know I mean there may be people here that are not saved today but the vast
majority of us of course have been saved what does Jesus do for us right
now well you know what he's he's still there opening that way for communion
with the Father what spires never prayer father we thank you so much for your
word Lord and and and for these great promises that you've given us how we can
just boldly come into the throne room of glory and that we can just boldly come
in and and get mercy and get grace Lord thank you for the privilege the the
incredible privilege to have an audience with you Lord and we thank you so much
for obviously your unspeakable gift Lord and and and the blood of Jesus that
cleanses us from all sin his death his burial and resurrection that cleanses us
from sin and frees us from sin and and Lord thank you so much for caring about
us and loving us and hearing us and and that the hairs of our head are numbered
Lord help us to take advantage of this privilege every day and help us to never
even let a single day go by without entering into the most holy place with
you and in Jesus name we pray amen