"Through the Curtain" Sermon: Hebrews 10:19-25

“Through the Curtain”

[Hebrews 10:19-25]

April 19, 2019, Second Reformed Church

            Comedians have pointed out that some of our “Christianese” is not readily understandable by unbelievers.  For example, if we say, “Have you been washed in the blood?” many people will be confused about what we mean.  Similarly, we may be confused when the author of Hebrews tells us that we have been saved through the curtain.

            In chapter ten of the letter to the Hebrews, the author explains that the sacrificial system has ended because the blood sacrifice of Jesus is once and perfect and fulfills the whole system.  So no additional sacrifice ever has to be made again.  Jesus died a perfect death once, and it was complete and satisfies everything God requires, so no additional animals should be sacrificed, and Jesus does not need to be sacrificed again.  Therefore, we are saved through the curtain.

            Let’s understand this:

            First, the curtain symbolized separation from God due to sin.

            When Israel was in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land, God instructed Moses to build a mobile worship building called the Tabernacle.  God gave detailed instructions about the size and materials the Tabernacle was to be built with.

            In the innermost part of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies.  This part of the Tabernacle was the place where God descended, and it was off limits to everyone, except the high priest once a year, when he offered up sacrifice on behalf of all of Israel for their sins on Yom Kippur.

            The Holy of Holies was separated from the next section of the Tabernacle by a curtain that was fifteen feet high and fifteen feet wide.  And we read:

            “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” (Exodus 26:31-34, ESV).

            This is the imagery that the author of Hebrews is using in our text – due to our sin – in the Tabernacle – God instructed that there be a curtain separating God from humans, because God cannot stand to be in the presence of sin.  And we understand this spiritually, in the sacrificial system with its high priest and the other priests through whom everyone had to go to bring their offerings and sacrifices to God.  No one had direct access to God due to sin – and the curtain symbolized the sin that separates sinners from God.

            Second, Jesus’ crucifixion and death tore the curtain open.

Matthew records:

            “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, ‘This man is calling Elijah.’ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

            “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:45-54, ESV).

            As Jesus died on the cross, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn open – from top to bottom – it was torn open from fifteen feet in the air down.  The Holy of Holies was now open and exposed and anyone whose sins were forgiven could approach God directly.

            Why?

            Because, through Jesus’ life, suffering, and death, He credits all those who will ever believe in Him with His holy life and takes on Himself the debt for all of our sin – the Wrath of God – and He pays that debt, so all we who believe are seen as holy, righteous and sinless through Jesus.

            It is through the One Final Sacrifice of Jesus – and the tearing open of His flesh – that the spiritual curtain that kept us from coming before God and living has been torn open through His blood.

            The author of Hebrews writes:

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,”

Jesus has credited us with a perfect keeping of God’s Law and He has paid the debt for all of our sins – (these things we receive through faith) – so now – through His blood – through His flesh – through His One and Final Sacrifice – as both High Priest and Sacrifice – we are welcome to enter the holy place – to come into the house of God and boldly ask of Him as the children of their Father.

Because of Jesus’ life, suffering, and death, you – if you are a believer in the historical Jesus and what He did – you are able to come before God and ask Him for your daily needs and He will give them to you.  You can come before His very presence without fear and worship Him and thank Him and glorify Him.  Because that curtain has been torn apart – Jesus’ flesh was torn open – for each one who will believe.

Knowing and understand this, what shall we do?

The author of Hebrews tells us three things that we ought to do in response to this:

First, let us draw near to God with full assurance that we are forgiven.

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

As we come before God in worship and in prayer, let us not doubt that Jesus’ work is enough to save us.  Let us not doubt that He has saved us, as we are assured through our belief in Him and His work in our hearts and through the confession of that belief with our mouths.

Let us not worry that we are not good enough to come before the Almighty God, because we’re not!  But Jesus is, and He has washed us with His blood and made us right with God through His work.  We have been bought with a price – Who is Jesus – and we are now His, co-heirs with Him of the Kingdom and the adopted children of God.

Do you believe that Jesus is God the Son in the flesh, and He lived and died to make you right with God?  Do you love Jesus?  If so, be assured that you are right with God, you are saved, you can draw near to His Father and our Father and He will receive you with open arms – just as He does Jesus.

Second, let us hold fast to our confession.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

The Apostle’s Creed is a brief summary of the faith – and it contains what we must believe to be saved.  And as we learn more and more through the reading and preaching of the Word, our confession – the truth that we known about God and salvation through His Son – grows. 

We know Jesus is God the Only Savior.  We know that He has gone to prepare the Kingdom for us.  We know that He is coming back and will bring us into that Kingdom.  That’s our hope – our sure hope – what we know will happen, though it hasn’t happened yet.  Don’t waver!  Turn away for those who teach anything contrary to the clear teaching of the Scripture – especially about Jesus and His being God the One Savior.  Rebuke the devil and he will flee.

And understand that we are bold in our confession and in our coming before God, our Father, not because we understand everything or have everything figured out.  No, we are bold and sure and confess our faith without wavering because Jesus is faithful.  He is the Good Shepherd Who lay down His life for His sheep – and He will never – He can never – desert us or fail us.  He chose us to be His and we are His forever – safe in His hands.

And third, let us stir up love and good works, especially as we worship together.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

One of the things we are always to be about is increasing love of God and love of neighbor in our brothers and sisters.  It should be a goal of ours to help our brothers and sisters in Christ love God and neighbor better.  We are to be teaching and discipling people and praying for their growth in faith and obedience.  Let us share with one another the ways in which we are loving God and neighbor and the ways in which we need help in loving God and neighbor.

Another thing we are to do is to encourage one another to do good works – especially in the church.  God has gifted us in many and varied ways.

Peter writes: 

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 4:7-11, ESV).

Then we are told not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some. 

Do you know what that means?  It means some Christians think public worship – gathering together whenever we gather for worship – is optional.  Now, there are emergencies.  We do get sick from time to time.  Some people must work a job that keeps them from normal worship.  But it is not normally right to skip worship because you have a busy life or want to do something else.  Understand, this is between you and God. 

It is when we gather together in worship Paul says, that we are “[equipped] for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:12b-16, ESV).

When we gather together as the church – as God commands – we are equipped and strengthened and matured.

More on that another time.

Sin makes us unable to be right with God.  The curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Tabernacle and Temple was a constant reminder that God is holy and we are not.  But the curtain was torn open as Jesus’ body was savaged and He was crucified – as He screamed out in the horror of being separated from His Father.  This He did to make us right with God – so we could pass through the curtain into the throne room of God.

And now we can enter boldly with full assurance of our salvation, confess the truths of the faith without wavering – for God is with us, and we gather together as the people of God to stir up our love – to obey God through faith, to encourage each other to do the good works God has set before us.  And as we worship together and stir each other up and encourage one another as the Church – God matures us and makes us ready to be His people every day.

We live in a time when even Christians do these things less and less.  But the author of Hebrews tells us to do these things more and more, because Jesus is returning – the Day of Judgment is near – even more near than it was two thousand years ago.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, on this Good Friday, we remember the physical torment Your Son went through to make us right with You.  We thank You for this great and final sacrifice, and ask that You would send the Holy Spirit in fuller measure, that our hearts and minds would be sharply pricked, and we would obey You in all that You have commanded, because the Day is near.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.