The New Covenant (Part 2)
THE NEW COVENANT (Part 2)
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isa. 64:6).
For those who seek God’s presence by their own works…for trying to follow the rules and regulations of religion…the veil is still there, separating them from God. And it always will be. For those people “…It has not been removed…”
But what else did you see in 2 Cor. 3:14-16?
“…because only in Christ is it taken away.”
“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away! No more separation from God. How come? Because centuries later…
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.” (Matt. 27:51).
Because when Jesus died on the cross for your sins, the curtain that separated us from God was torn in two from top to bottom. Just as Aaron had to cleanse himself by sacrifice before he could enter God’s presence, I have to cleanse myself by sacrifice before I can enter His
presence. So do you. But for you and me, the sacrifice was provided by God….Jesus….so that whenever “anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” His blood is our purification.
And instead of having to sacrifice every time we wish to enter God’s presence, the sacrifice that was made once…Jesus on dying on the cross…was sufficient forever.
On top of that, we can enter His presence any time we wish. We’re not limited to once a year.Through Jesus, we’ve been made clean. We can be with God anytime we like, anywhere we like! Unlike the priests of old, we don’t have to enter God’s presence with fear and trembling…we don’t have to wonder if our buddies are gonna have to drag us back out by a rope tied around our ankles! In fact, Paul says in Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence…”
With confidence! Why?
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood…” (Rom. 3:20-25)
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Rom. 5:9).
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…” (Eph. 1:7).
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13).
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col. 1:19,20).
Through Jesus, we have peace with God. We’ve been washed in the Blood of the Lamb. We can fellowship with God…anytime, anywhere. Our sins have been redeemed.
That’s the New Covenant.
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