If you've been following along with my recent sermon series called "Holy," you know that we've been exploring the incredible holiness of God and what that means for us as His followers. In the first part, we looked at how the prophet Isaiah was utterly undone in God's holy presence, stripped of any sense of his own righteousness. Then last week, we talked about how Jesus makes a way for us to experience God's holiness through His sacrifice. 

This week, I want to dive deeper into that truth and show just how radical Jesus' work on the cross was in opening the door to God's manifest presence. No longer are we separated and relegated to a mere shadow of the reality. Through Christ, we can boldly approach the throne of grace like never before. Let's explore what that means.

The Shadows and Symbols

To understand the significance of what Jesus did, we first need to revisit the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. These were painstakingly constructed according to God's precise instructions as a place for His glory to dwell among His people. But they were only ever meant as symbolic representations, mere shadows pointing to the greater reality still to come.

Think about all the intricate details and rituals involved – the altars, the washbasins, the holy place with its lampstand and table of showbread, and the holy of holies where only the high priest could enter once a year. All of it was designed by God to give the people a tangible way to approach His presence, while simultaneously reinforcing just how utterly holy and "other" He is.

The author of Hebrews describes it as "a visible parable" and "essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made." The old system of sacrifices and ritual cleansings could never truly deal with humanity's sin problem once and for all. It could only foreshadow the solution that was still to come.

Jesus: The True Temple

And that's where Jesus comes in. When He declared, "something greater than the temple is here," He wasn't just talking about Himself metaphorically. No, He was literally claiming to BE the new temple, the one of which all the old rituals were merely copies and precursors.  

Remember when He told the Jews, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"? They thought He was speaking of the physical temple in Jerusalem, but John tells us, "He was speaking of the temple of His body." Do you see the profound implications? 

Jesus didn't just open the way to God's presence – He embodied it. He IS the meeting place between God and humanity. His body, crucified and resurrected, is the new temple where God's Spirit takes up permanent residence.

The Veil is Torn

And what did His sacrifice accomplish? Matthew records that at the moment Jesus breathed His last, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." This veil, which had separated the holy place from the holy of holies, was a vivid metaphor for our separation from God's glory. Only the high priest could pass through it once a year. 

But when Jesus died, that barrier was violently ripped apart, opening the way for all who follow Him to enter freely into the Lord's presence. The book of Hebrews describes it as a "new and living way" that Jesus opened for us through His flesh. Where we once had no direct access, we now have bold and confident access by the blood of Christ!

We Are God's Temple

But there's one more profound truth we need to understand from all this: WE have become God's temple. We are now the place where His Spirit resides and His glory is meant to be displayed. Just as Jesus' body was the ultimate meeting place of God and man, so now our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" indwelt by God Himself.

This is an astounding reality. We tend to think of church buildings as God's house, the place we go to meet with Him. And yes, there is certainly a corporate dynamic when we gather together as His people. But the Scriptures are clear that we individual believers are His home, His place of dwelling. 

As the apostle Paul said, "God is building a home...with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. We see it taking shape day after day - a holy, holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home." Do you grasp the significance of this? We are participants in an ongoing, living temple project where God is conforming us into a radiant display of His presence and glory.

An Invitation to Intimacy 

So in light of all this, how are we to respond? If the old sacrificial system only heightened people's awareness of sin and separation from God, this new covenant invites us into deep, transformative intimacy with our Creator. We no longer have to cower in fear or insecurity, afraid that our sin and brokenness disqualify us from His presence.

No, we can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). The veil has been torn! The barrier has been removed! We are welcomed, wanted, provided-for as dearly loved children. 

Will we still struggle with sin? Absolutely. But we don't have to let shame and guilt keep us at a distance. We can run boldly into God's presence, receive His forgiveness and be empowered to proceed on the journey of sanctification. We can live as His holy, set-apart people, being transformed from glory to glory into the image of Christ.

A Holy Invitation

Friends, this is the invitation before us today. Not to rote rituals and empty rules, but to the very heart and presence of Almighty God. We are called to be His temple, His dwelling place, a place where heaven and earth intersect in an explosion of glory.

So let's approach Him without hesitation. Let's lift our voices and our hearts in undignified adoration of the One who was, and is, and is to come. Let's wake each morning with the name of Jesus on our lips and His praises ringing through our days. 

Let's live as people conscious and consumed by His holy presence. For He has removed every barrier through the blood of His Son. We have been made royalty, a kingdom of priests with unfettered access to the King's chamber. May we never take that for granted, but enter in with thanksgiving and rejoicing!

In the days ahead, as we look toward Easter and all it represents, I encourage you to camp on this reality. Let it soak into the depths of your soul. You are a temple of the living God, a dwelling place for His glory. Live in Light of that truth, and watch how it transforms you from the inside out.