And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit. And then these are the words we consider tonight for our text. At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27, the first part of verse 51. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this particular day which we call Good Friday, we need to understand the truth that this day means different things to different people. For some people today, it was probably no more than a holiday vacation, a day off of work. I remember years ago that in the town I grew up in, many businesses were closed at least on Friday afternoon of Good Friday. People had the day off. To others, this day has been no different than any other day in the year. It had absolutely no special significance at all. But even within the church, there are times there are some to whom this day means different things. Some simply focus on the physical pain and agony that Jesus suffered and nothing more. And then they feel sorry for poor, poor Jesus and what He had to endure. And although we cannot ignore that, because indeed, through the torture of the cross, Jesus suffered in His physical body in a way that is unimaginable to us, yet we need to understand that even more than that, the crucifixion account, which is the setting of this text tonight, is about the utter abandonment of Christ. And we need to understand why it is that we as His people are called to rejoice. Why do we call this day Good Friday? beloved we are called to rejoice because as the door of God's presence closed on Christ His presence was opened to those Christ redeemed Golgotha Calvary's hill was shrouded in darkness a dark veil covered the earth and blocked the light of the sun and as the Savior hung on the cross on that awful Friday He was denied more than just the light of the physical sun Jesus Christ was denied the rays of His Father's love. And He was denied the warmth of His people's compassion as they cried out, You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God. He saved others, they said, but He can't save Himself. He's the King of Israel. Let Him come down now from the cross and we will believe in Him. As He hung suspended between heaven and earth, Jesus was, as Isaiah said, rejected. Heaven had turned its back on Him. And earth would not receive her King. And Jesus suffered the full force of the abandonment in a way that His people will never experience by the grace of God. And He gave expression to that when He cried out, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? From his own lips, as he was being pierced through for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, and as the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, as he was being made, as Paul says, sin and a curse for us, he cried out in agony even while being abandoned, rejected by all. A congregation never before that time or since has anyone been so alone. The abandonment of the cross was Christ's chief conflict. It was worse than any other torture He had endured as He truly became a man of sorrows. And it was there, suspended between heaven and earth, that the Messiah breathed His last breath and surrendered His Spirit into the hands of His Father. That was a stunning defeat. At least to the eyes of unbelief, to the Jews, the chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees. But to the eyes of faith, to the child of God, to the believer in Jesus Christ, that was the moment of crescendo. That was the climax in the history of redemption. That was the trumpet blast of salvation. And as the Savior breathed His last breath, His creation groans. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. But when Jesus Christ yielded up His Spirit, this groaning of creation was ushered in by a divine event that took place in the temple. In the Jewish temple where the heart of the Jewish people beat the loudest, there was a veil. There was a curtain torn in two from top. All of these awesome signs in creation, the earth shaking, the rocks splitting, the tombs breaking open, but also the rending of the veil. For boys and girls, the tearing of the curtain. And on this Good Friday night, as we consider this Word of God, let's notice together, first of all, the purpose of the pre-torn veil. Secondly, the occasion of the tearing of the veil. And finally, the significance of the torn veil. What's the point of the rending or tearing of the temple veil? Well, you see, in order to understand this congregation, we need to look beyond the veil. We need to get behind it to see the significance. The veil, or any object for that matter by itself, is meaningless, separated from its function. We need to understand a little bit about the priesthood, a little bit about the temple sacrifices, Also, we need to understand the priestly office of Jesus Christ. It's impossible to understand the significance of the rending of the veil without understanding, according to Scripture, the purpose of the pre-torn veil. What was its function? Why was it in the temple? And what temple is God's Word talking about here? When we think of the temple, most naturally we think of Solomon's temple, that grand house of God for which King David planned, Solomon built, and of which the Bible goes through so much length to describe in detail. But that temple only lasted about 400 years until it was destroyed. Then there was a second temple that was built under Zerubbabel after the Babylonian exile, and that temple was also destroyed. Then there was a third and final temple built under Herod. This temple was begun roughly around 20 years before Christ's birth and was most likely still in the process of completion when he began his ministry. This is the temple that his enemies said took 46 years to build. This is the temple in which the veil was torn from top to bottom. The Jewish historian Josephus, whom we talked about this past Sunday, who was also born, it is believed, within a few years after Christ's death, who was also most likely an eyewitness to the temple and its furnishings, gives a detailed description about the temple and says that the veil was about 80 feet tall, 25 feet wide, embroidered with blue and fine linen and scarlet and purple. In the fabric were woven cherubim, not those cute little Cupid-like creatures that you find on a Hallmark card, but angels that were closest to God, the guardian angels of God's holiness. Apparently, this veil was so large and so heavy it took a number of oxen teams or a large number of men to even move it, to manipulate it. But the point is that the temple veil was so important to the Jewish people. It was extremely important to their Jewish religion. That veil and its function was maintained throughout three temples all those hundreds of years, serving its purpose. It was a durable, detailed piece of art with an important function. And the history of Revelation, beloved, allows us to see that the function of the veil includes the horror of the veil. Why was it there? The veil was a vivid symbol of separation. Of God's separation from His people. It symbolized the distance between God and His people. In the warm colors of the veil, one could feel the cold of God's absence. In the beautiful design of the veil, one could see the ugly reality of why it was there. The veil was a symbol of the sin that offends God and separates man from God and keeps the unholy from approaching the holy. The Lord said to Moses in Exodus 26, Then you shall bring the ark of the testimony in there, Behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the most holy. The veil was a dividing line to divide God's presence from the people. And even the common priesthood, the Levitical priesthood, could not go behind the veil. Only the high priest, and even he could only go behind the veil one time per year on that Day of Atonement. On that one day in the year. The high priest would bring the sacrifice that was a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice to atone for the sin of the people. And the high priest, as he then went behind the veil into the very presence of God, represented the people in the very presence of God. And on that day, the sins of the people were symbolically laid on the head of the scapegoat and sent away as the blood of the sacrificial Lamb was brought into the Holy of Holies, into the presence of God. And all of this pointed to the satisfaction of God, to God's forgiveness of sins, to the removal of the guilt of God's people. Congregation, the Day of Atonement has been called the Good Friday of the Old Testament. This temple veil covered the glory of God's presence from His people and its message was loud and clear. Off limits! Keep out! No admittance! Do not enter. Beloved, that veil was also necessary for protection. To keep an unholy people from being consumed by the wrath and justice of a holy God. Remember Uzzah? As the Ark of the Covenant was being transported from the Philistines back to Israel, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah sticks out his hand to steady the Ark so it won't fall on the ground. God's justice and wrath consumed him on the spot. The veil was a symbol of the curse of sin and separation from God as well. It was a symbol of the holiness of God that you could not approach God under just any old situation and circumstance. And who could feel the curse of the veil more than Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross? The agony and death of Christ on the cross and His saving sacrifice was the occasion of the tearing of the veil. Congregation, Jesus Christ, according to the inspired writer of Hebrews, is the great high priest. He was chosen by God Himself. Yet as the high priest, He was denied access into His own Father's house, into His own Father's presence. Humanly speaking, when He walked this earth, it was off limits to Him. As far as the Levitical priesthood was concerned, Jesus lacked all the necessary qualifications. In the eyes of the Jews, He lacked calling. He lacked ordination. He lacked consecration. And most of all, he lacked the priestly bloodline. He didn't have the right name. His resume was empty. He was lacking in every way. Again, all of this in the eyes of the Jewish world. Yet as Hebrews 5 says, he was chosen by God according to the order of Melchizedek. Not Levi. But according to the order of Melchizedek, we first meet with Melchizedek in Genesis with Abraham. And Hebrews 7 gives us a commentary on what took place at that time telling us that Abraham and in his loins, Levi, representing his descendants, Levi, including the Levitical priesthood, that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. He bowed down to Melchizedek. The point to show the superiority of Melchizedek over Levi. But at the time of our text, the road has been turned upside down. Melchizedek returns in Jesus Christ. He pointed forward to Christ. But Levi, through the Levitical priesthood, refuses to pay tithes to Him. Refuses to bow down to Him. Refuses to recognize His rightful place. And refuses Christ's access into His own Father's house instead. He was fastened on a symbol of God's curse, the cross. High on a hill for all to see. And on that cross, He suffered the full weight of the curse of the veil as He was rejected by His Father, rejected by His people, but also rejected by the priesthood that He came to fulfill. Yet on that cross, this great high priest brought the perfect and final sacrifice for sin in self. And willingly offered this sacrifice of substitutionary atonement. And with His blood removed the guilt of His people and pacified the wrath of God against His people and makes holy that which was unholy. And only after He suffers this total abandonment and rejection and hell and barely after He breathes His last breath, the veil is torn from top to bottom and heaven is opened as it were. He was abandoned by His Father so that we might be able to have access to and to approach the Father. What was the occasion of the tearing of the veil? The perfect eternal sacrifice had been made. The eternal punishment of hell for sin had been endured in Christ's body and soul. Death was the final punishment for sin. And as Hebrews says, Jesus Christ entered the holy place, heaven itself, in the presence of God behind the veil with His sacrifice in hand as it were. God the Father accepted His sacrifice and therefore opened His presence to His people once again. That's the significance of the torn veil. By rending the veil, God testifies to the world that the work of His Son was perfect. It was final. It was once for all. No more bloody sacrifices were needed. And the message of reformation that is preached through the torn veil is that for all who by the grace of God come to Jesus Christ and embrace Him by faith, there is full and free access to the Father. Those who are in Jesus Christ are brought into the very presence of God because He has removed any and all obstacles that stand in the way of His people. Even as Paul says in Colossians 2, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way having nailed it to the cross. Beloved, the veil of the temple and the veil of Christ's flesh have been torn in two. And therefore, if you are a child of God, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as we consider His cross tonight, as we consider His utter abandonment, you have been given the precious gift, the most precious gift. An open way to the Father. That's what the Lord's table reminds us of. That the way has been opened for His people to come to Him. Through Christ, we are in the very presence of God. Congregation, do we really understand what that means? Do we really comprehend what it means to be in God's presence? That those who were once detestable before the very sight of God are now invited into His very presence? Do we really appreciate this? And in humility, do we thank Him for this? Can we really imagine the cold of distance and separation from God? Well, not like Christ. Not at all. Praise God. We will never have to. But we need to understand in part. If you can't understand that through your sin and misery, then you will never appreciate His presence. We are to be reminded of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai and the Lord tells Moses to put a boundary around Mount Sinai. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death, the Lord said. There was to be a reverent distance between God and His people. And the people cried out to Moses, You speak with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us lest we die. But by the grace of God, the boundaries of Sinai has been erased as signified by the rending of the veil and the Savior's invitation goes forth, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. In Christ, the weary and the burden may enter the presence of God with boldness by the blood of Jesus. Not that the reverence is gone, but there's greater reverence for God on behalf of those who come before Him. Beloved, who tore the veil? It was none other than God Himself who with His almighty hand, as it were, reached down and tore it from top to bottom. And this tearing from top to bottom is also significant. This was not the work of human hands. Even if it were possible, which it wasn't, human hands would have had to tear it from bottom to top. If you've ever tried to tear a curtain as it's hanging suspended from the ceiling, it's impossible to tear it from top to bottom. we need to start at the bottom. And as there's a little tear, then we pull the sides apart and the tear just goes on up. This was from top to bottom. But the Jewish historians tell us again that it was not only 80 feet tall and 25 feet wide, but it was also about 4 inches thick. It was solid and heavy. It took the supernatural, the hand of Almighty God, to tear that veil. And can you imagine the horror and the fear of the temple priest when this took place as that place which was once blocked off was wide open and everyone who saw into it entered the very presence of God. You see, God didn't tear the veil in the middle of the night. He didn't tear that veil when the temple was empty. It happened right in the middle of the afternoon. And remember, it was the time of the Passover. The temple was not only filled with worshipers from Jerusalem, but most likely many travelers were there celebrating the Passover sacrifice. And as the hand of God tore that veil, His divine finger was pointing backward to the time of Eden, to that time at the dawn of history, that time of the closeness and intimacy between God and His people. And the sermon that rings out from that once secret place behind the veil is that fellowship has been restored by the Lamb of God. Never to be taken away from His people again. How do we know? Hebrews 6, 19 and 20, which we quoted recently, says, This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The anchor of Jesus Christ forever holds His people in the presence of God. Beloved, it's God's people. Those who believe on Jesus Christ. We sit here tonight in the presence of God. God's people have been placed in His presence. Christians, those for whom Christ died, have direct access to the Father through the Son. The church is a new, a royal, a different priesthood which has been born. The Levitical priesthood on that day, at the moment that Temple Vale was torn, was given its final notice, its pink slip. Your services are no longer needed. And that priesthood congregation has been replaced by brothers and sisters in the faith. The priesthood of believers under the great high priest, Jesus Christ. Boys and girls, we may not look like temple priests, at least not how they looked at one time. We don't wear those priestly garments and robes complete with the headdress. We don't wear breastplates and burn incense. Our sacrifices don't drip with blood, but our sacrifices are of the heart, spiritual sacrifices, which rise to God as sweet aroma when they rise from a pure heart by God's grace. Those who confess Christ are priests. Our worship in this place. Our singing. Our prayers. Our offerings. Our listening to God's Word. Our priestly activities, which when offered in humility from a sanctified heart, arise to God as sweet aroma. Is your worship sweet-smelling to the Lord? Paul says in Romans chapter 12, I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. But the priestly activity of believers doesn't stop within these four walls. That activity, beloved, extends beyond this pulpit. It extends beyond the pew to all of life. John Calvin says with regard to that priesthood that it hangs as a canopy over all we do. In other words, for the believer, the priesthood is a calling from God. It is a way of life. Whatever you have been called to do in this life, you must render your service to God as a priest. Your work is to be offered to God with praise and thanksgiving from a heart of devotion to Jesus Christ. And the blood of Jesus Christ is to be sprinkled on all that we do. All of life is to be sanctified that is set apart to God. Our lives are to be lives of thankful response to the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ accomplished on Calvary's tree. In the rending of the veil, God's people have been thrust into the presence of God the Father Almighty as priests of a new order. And the torn veil proclaims the good news, the gospel of Christ, that the old has passed away and in Christ the new has come. The torn veil proclaims that for those in Christ the final sacrifice has been made. The redemption price has been paid. The eternal punishment is a thing of the past. And communion with God is an eternal reality. But for those who are not in Christ, for those who have not faith in Him, that torn veil means that judgment is coming. Jesus Christ is victorious over sin, over Satan, over hell, and those who are not with Christ are against Him. And a torn veil means that apart from repentance and faith, eternal abandonment awaits them. when they will be forever shut out from the gracious presence of God. Beloved, we are called to rejoice because the Lord Jesus Christ is King. The cross was His step to His heavenly throne. The thorns were His crown. His blood is our life. And as you gaze upon the cross of Christ shrouded by that veil torn in two. May your song of confession be Alleluia! What a Savior!