Communion With the Christ:: Living Beyond the Veil

At the death of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross the Veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom opening the Way to the Holy of Holies.

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split" Matt:27:50-51

The renting of the Temple Veil shows God's gracious action toward humanity, that as it rent "from top to bottom" , showing us that what has been accomplished for us and has all coming down from God himself. No man could have rent it asunder and opened the way.

The Veil its self we are told in 1Kings: 6:2, in Salomon's temple was 30 cubits high.

At the time of Jesus' death on the cross, the Veil in the Temple built by King Herod was 40 cubits high and about 4 inches in thickness, and strong enough that it could not be pulled apart by horses tied to ether end; that is according to the Jewish historian Joseph ben Matthias, also called Flavius Josphus.

A cubit's exact length is uncertain, but it is estimated that the Veil's high would be near 60 feet high, beyond the reach of any person.

The renting of the Veil displayed the salvation that God himself would accomplish for us in his Son Jesus Christ.

Beyond the Veil

At the death of our Lord, he had accomplished for us all that we could never have done for ourselves. We had no power to reach out in the strength of the flesh and rent the Veil that kept us from our God. But now God, has made away for us through his Holy Son Jesus.

What does that mean for us every day of our lives here and now and on into eternity? How do we live in recognition of this truth? How do we, now having entered in by way of Jesus, live? How do we live beyond the Veil?

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh," Heb:19-20

For Our Daily Lives?

When we come to see all that Jesus has accomplished for us, this should transform our lives, not just in eternity to come but here and now, for we here and now, do have eternal life in Jesus not just some day in eternity to come.

"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." 1Jhn:5:11

A Way of Life

Eternal life is not just a state of existence, or a duration of existence, but rather a way of life, a quality of life, and more than that, it is a relationship.

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Jhn: 17:3

At times , we view eternal life as something to come, but it is for us each day to live it here and now. What does this life look like in our everyday lives? How do we live in this "Holy of Holies" relationship?

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." Eph: 2:13

Jesus has come to us and brought us near, that is Jesus put us in a position of closeness, we are no longer alienated, estranged from him, God wants us to know him and live knowing that He is near to us.

The writer of Hebrews calls this a new and living way.an all new life for us in Christ, that leads us to live in a way doing good. and living in fellowship with other believers.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Heb: 10:19-25

We need to live out of that relationship of union in Christ which is seen in our everyday life as doing good, fellowship, worship. This life demonstrates openly what has occurred spiritually for us in Christ, that we are alive spiritually in Jesus.

We are to reflect the truth, that we are recipients of the Grace of God, harmful old patterns of behavior come to an end, new one emerges out of this new life in Christ.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

We can live anew in Jesus' life.

He Lives in Us

St. Paul wrote regarding this new life brought to us through the crucifixion.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in (of) the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me." Gal: 2:20

Jesus is living in us and the evidence is what others experiences

" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness”, Gal:5:22

Now, in Greek, the word translated "in”, can easy be translated "of”, each is a good and appropriate rendering speaking of the faith for salvation coming to us through Jesus, it also gives us a powerful insight that our Lord never doubted that He would accomplish our Salvation, Jesus literally had the perfect faith to save all of us. Jesus' faith is what is needed and he has it perfectly.

We now walk in newness of life and in relationship that comes out of our union with him as he lives in us.

"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Philp: 2:13

Even the desire to live in this new life comes from him, it is his desire and he working in, we could not of ourselves reached up to the heights of Heaven and rent that Veil no more than the Veil of the Temple could be torn by the efforts of humanity. It is Jesus through the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is all the result of what Jesus did and does, we simply participate in his life, as he reached out to those around us. As we surrender to his will in our lives, we becoming living sacrifices. Romans:12

What Jesus came literately to do, is through his humanity, was to bring us into the life of the Trinity. Jesus shows us what this life looks like. Perfect love, unity, peace, belonging, and in our lives, Jesus is still showing what this life looks like. Jesus prayed that we all could have this relationship.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." Jhn: 17:20:23

The world can see this unity with the Great God in the unity among believers here and now in this life. This life can go a long way to conveying the truth of who the One and only true God is, the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit, when we live out of our relationship with Jesus. This is why division is so evil, especially when Christians knowing involved themselves in sowing it among the people of God.

Those around us can see what eternal life looks like. This is the Holy of Holies relationship of living beyond the Veil.

Benediction: May we each and all live out of our relationship with our Lord all thru Jesus, who has opened the way into an all-new life, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen