The Veil is Torn

"And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." Matthew 27:51

Throughout the Old Testament, the veil in the temple separated the part of the temple where people were allowed to be from the Holy of Holies, God's dwelling place, and the part of the temple that only the priest was able to enter into once a year. It signified the separation that sin had caused between man and God. But, when Christ died that horrible death on the cross for you and for me, that veil that separated us from God was torn completely.

The torn veil allowed all people full access to God. Jesus paid the price, the proper "atonement" for our sins. The debt was paid....in full. It was as if, in that moment, God took the note our debt was written on and tore it in half.

"Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

One of the things our Pastor speaks about often is how so many Christians seem to walk around living defeated lives. I dare say I know a few who seem to live this way. And while I'm daring to say things, I dare say I've been one of those people myself. Why do we forget the very words that were written to us in Hebrews? "Let us come BOLDLY before the throne of grace." Did Christ not die for this very purpose? In the moment that my Savior gave up His spirit on the cross, He opened the doors to the throne room of God and told me to enter boldly. Why then do so many people who call themselves Christians continue on in defeat? You are not defeated! You are "more than a conqueror through Him who loved us." Lift up your head, dear friend.

Yes, Jesus never ever promised that life would be easy. In fact, His very words told us that in this world we would have trouble. It's inevitable. But He also promised that we should not fear. We should take heart for our Savior OVERCAME THE WORLD! It doesn't matter what this life tries to throw at you, how many times Satan tries to steal your joy...we have a Savior who has already defeated him.

So do you feel defeated? If so, it's time to stand up, take hold of the power that is inside every Christian, tell the devil that in the name of Jesus he and his brood of demons must leave, and take back your joy. The veil was torn for the very purpose of you and me being able to come before God boldly with everything...no matter how big or small.

If you're a Christian, others should be able to see your joy, your hope, your peace. Will life sometimes knock you down? Yes, absolutely...probably more times than you care to count. But, that's the time when you look up and see your Heavenly Father reaching out His hand. In the midst of pain, chaos, oppression, persecution, stress, or illness, others need to see you leaning on the One who defeated all of that.

He defeated it all. He tore the veil. He told us to come boldly. So...come.

This post was inspired in part by this song by MercyMe....it gets me every time I hear it. If you haven't heard it before, please listen. Then tell me why you should continue on defeated when we serve such an incredible God!