Now for those of you not familiar with the structure of the temple of God, this wasn't any ordinary room or curtain, this was the innermost sanctum of the temple (after women, gentiles, ordinary men, and non-high priests were excluded), the place where God's presence resided, where high priests still died if they didn't perfect the purification procedures. That curtain was destroyed, the way to where God dwelled, the way to God's presence was opened.
Yet history does not end here does it?
Jesus resurrects in 3 days, giving eternal life and adopting and loving as His own children those who would welcome Him and confess His name. Huge deal, it’s the reason most of us are here this weekend, absolutely the greatest thing to happen to humankind, a gift of grace and forgiveness for all of those trespasses that once got their due in the OT.
But history doesn't end here either.
Jesus died and rose again, bringing us believers with Him into eternity, but God wasn't nearly done. Jesus and God didn't just tear the curtain and leave us to wonder whether we could, or how we would, walk in to where He was. So what happens next? (Acts 1:4-5)
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So you see something else happens after Jesus! Something that Jesus Himself spoke of. And watch what happens when that Holy Spirit shows up, not just on the apostles, but on ordinary believers! Here the Holy Spirit had already been released on to the apostles, whom people took as drunk, but Peter explains to them that they had just killed the saviour they've been waiting for, and the crowd asks Peter what to do (Acts 2:38-47):
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
So here’s the progression we see: they repented, and were baptised and received the Holy Spirit and then they began experiencing and walking a new life, a supernatural life! That didn't stop with just the apostles or the crazy people following them in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit was released to people everywhere:
There was a Roman military official by the name of Cornelius. He was a worshiper of the God of Israel, which the Jews never recognized because he wasn't Jewish. One day he gets a dream to go get Simon, also named Peter, who was living with Simon the tanner by the sea, and listen to him. Meanwhile, Peter, who, what do ya know, was living with Simon the tanner by the sea, gets a vision that unclean things have been made clean by God. When Peter meets Cornelius, he finally puts one and one together and realizes that God is bringing non-Jews into the family of God, and started to share the gospel with Cornelius’ household. Here’s what happens next (Acts 10:44-47):
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
So you notice now that every people group that was previously excluded by the temple receives salvation, receives the Holy Spirit, receives the presence of God. Hence in the rest of the NT, in the letters of Apostle Paul he would often write that when you believed and were saved, the Holy Spirit entered into you.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. (1 John 4:13)
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
Look at this, He whose name couldn't even be spoken in OT we may now call Father, Abba, Dad in greek.
We don't walk in through that torn curtain, God comes out. All that separation, all that distance that people needed to keep in the OT vanishes, as the Spirit of God comes out of the Holy of Holies and makes His dwelling in our very being as believers.
Think about that for a moment, think about that in light of all that you saw in the OT and what being near God was like.
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