Will you please turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 6? We will read from Hebrews 6:17-20.
Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of His counsel, interposed with an oath;
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:
which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and entering into that which is within the veil;
whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
In the same book, Hebrews chapter 10, we will read from Hebrews 10:19-25.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh;
and having a great priest over the house of God;
let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water;
let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for He is faithful that promised:
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works;
not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, as we gather together before Thee, we commit this time into Thy loving hand. We pray that Thy Holy Spirit will use this time to reveal Thy heart to us and to bring us into Thy will, that Thou mayest be glorified.
We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have been in the gymnasium of Christ. A gymnasium is more than just a school. When you go to school, you listen to lectures. Well, when you go to a gymnasium, you exercise.
The Bible tells us, “Exercise thyself unto godliness.” God’s will is that we may be like Him. He wants us to be conformed to the image of His beloved Son, that we may be His bride, His life companion.
This is the will of God for all whom He has called. All whom He has called, He justified; and all whom He has justified, He glorified.
Our Lord Jesus has made every provision for us that we may be conformed to His image. But He also requires that we should exercise godliness.
As we have mentioned before, exercise is something to which we need to apply ourselves diligently. We need to exercise our spirit, because by exercising our spirit, the Holy Spirit is able to do His work. Exercise is something that we must do constantly.
Exercise is stretching yourself. Our spirit needs to be stretched, and stretching, of course, may cause you to feel a little pain. But such pain, we call growing pain. It is very worthwhile.
Now, when you go to a gymnasium, you will find there are all kinds of exercises. It is an all-round exercise. You do not just exercise your right arm and never exercise your left one. Then you will grow abnormally.
There needs to be balance. We need to exercise all of our members, that we may grow in balance. This is the same thing with spiritual exercise. You do not just exercise one thing and forget all the other things. It has to be an all-round exercise.
You will also find that spiritual exercise is a group exercise. You do not go to the gymnasium all alone by yourself. In this gymnasium of Christ, you find there are other brothers and sisters who are with you. Such exercise is a group exercise, because it is the will of God that we should be built up together.
For the past three times, we mentioned a few of these exercises. These are some basic, principal exercises. Of course, there are many other exercises that we have to go through, but for this time, we will just concentrate on four things.
Consecration is something that requires exercise. You must not only have the beginning of consecration; you have to have a continuous consecration. You have to have daily consecration. You have to continue to live a consecrated life.
The second exercise is the dividing of the soul and spirit. This is something in which we need to be under instruction. The Holy Spirit is our Instructor. He knows how to apply the living Word of God in our lives.
After He has applied the living Word upon us, we begin to realize the difference between the soul and the spirit. Our emphasis is on the soul life and the spirit life, because soul and spirit are organs; they are faculties. But they are neutral. It depends on which life is in charge.
Naturally, the one in charge in our soul is the self. And this self is a fallen self. The Bible says, “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” But it needs the Holy Spirit to reveal this to us.
Ordinarily, we realize that in us, in our flesh, there is much that is bad, but some good. We think it is not altogether bad. Formerly, it was dead in sin; now we want to use the good of it to serve God. We do not really know ourselves.
It takes the Holy Spirit, using the living Word of God, to divide the soul and the spirit until we come to the point of seeing that in us—that is, in our flesh—there is no good thing.
But who can deliver me from this body of death? I cannot deliver myself. No matter how I analyze myself, I am not able to really see through. No matter how I try, I cannot succeed.
I find that my spirit is imprisoned in my soul. As the reformer said, “Old Adam is too strong for young Melanchthon.” Young Melanchthon is no match for old Adam.
The outward man must be broken so that the inward man may be released. The self-life must be broken so that the Christ-life may be released.
This is by the working of two principles: the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and the discipline of the Holy Spirit. By these two principles, the outward man will be broken, and the inward man may be released. But this is also a daily exercise.
These things we have briefly covered. This afternoon, we would like to go into the fourth exercise. We call it life within the veil, or, to say it another way, living in the presence of God.
I wonder if you have read this famous book. Brother Lawrence had a book called The Practice of the Presence of God. It has been translated into Chinese, and it is a very popular book among believers. I wonder if you have read it. If you have not, do it.
Brother Lawrence was born in 1611, and he died in 1691. He was a Carmelite monk. He was a very simple person, very humble. He had no special gift to boast of.
At one time, he was in the military, and later on he was in a monastery. Whether in the military or in the monastery, he was a cook. But he practiced the presence of God.
In the midst of the noise of the kitchen, he had the presence of God just as much as in the hour of prayer. He was a person who knew the presence of God.
When he was a young Christian, he read that book. After he read it, he decided that he would practice the presence of God. But when he was trying to do that, he found it very difficult.
He found that it was so easy to lose the sense of the presence of God. No matter how he tried to remember the presence of God, he easily forgot. He tried to recall, as it were, himself back to the presence of God. He found it most difficult.
Now, I wonder what is your experience. I believe that every believer wants to have the presence of God. We want to live constantly before God. We desire continuous, uninterrupted communion with God. This is our search, our quest.
Who does not want to live in the presence of God? Who wants to be out of communion with God? This is the desire of all believers, but we find it very difficult.
You remember; you seem to have the presence of God. Very quickly, very easily, you forget, and you lose His presence. Brothers and sisters, how can we live a life in the presence of God? I think this is something that every one of us really desires.
This afternoon, we would like to go to the Word of God and see how we can live a life in the presence of God.
In order to do that, we have to go back to the Old Testament. You know, after God had delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, He brought them to Himself.
If you read Exodus 19, you find that God brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai. He brought them as on eagles’ wings, and there He gave them the Ten Commandments.
The reason why He gave the Ten Commandments to them was because He wanted these people to be His own people. He wanted to dwell among them. So He commanded them to build Him a tabernacle.
We know that the reason why He asked them to build Him a tabernacle was that He might dwell among them—or, to put it another way, He wanted His people to live in His presence.
When you read the story of the tabernacle, you find that the tabernacle is in three parts:
In the outer court, you have the altar. In other words, if anyone wants to draw near to God, sinners cannot draw near to God, because God is righteous and we are sinful. No one can see God and live.
People who desire to approach God must approach with sacrifice. Through the sacrifice, they will be accepted by God. Their sins had to be atoned for, and God’s righteousness had to be satisfied.
Of course, we know the brazen altar represents the cross of our Lord Jesus. Our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. It is by the shedding of His blood that our sins are remitted, and today we are clothed with Christ as our righteousness.
By that, we are justified before the righteous God.
Then you have the second part, called the holy place. There you find three things: the golden lampstand, the golden table of bread, and the golden altar of incense.
But to enter into the holy place, only the priests could enter in. This is a little bit closer to God, but only the priests could enter it.
Whenever the priest wanted to serve in the holy place—and, of course, also serve at the golden altar—he had to wash his hands and feet. Because in contact with the world, he became defiled, and no one in that condition can serve God.
So they had to wash their hands and feet. Then they could enter into the holy place to light the golden lampstand, to put the showbread on the table of showbread, and to burn incense at the golden altar of incense.
In other words, as priests, they were able to serve God. Now, brothers and sisters, we are not only believers; all believers are priests. The universal priesthood of believers is the teaching of the New Testament.
In other words, we are not only saved by grace; we are called to serve God. Every believer is to serve God. We serve Him in His house. We serve Him in the church. And we serve together as a priesthood.
But between the holy place and the holiest of all, there was a veil. It separated the holiest of all from the holy place.
Only in the holiest of all do we find the ark and the mercy seat—the glory of God above the mercy seat. But even the priests could not enter into the holiest of all.
The high priest, once a year, with blood and incense, could enter behind the veil and make atonement before the mercy seat.
In other words, God wants to dwell among His people. He wants His people to live in His presence. But because of our condition, we are not able to have such high honor and privilege.
According to Hebrews 9:8, this arrangement showed that the way into the holiest of all had not yet been made manifest. In Old Testament times, the way to the holiest of all had not yet been opened. There was a veil that separated.
But if you read Exodus 26, you find how this veil was made. We find in Exodus 26:31:
And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubim the work of the skilful workman shall it be made.
And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon four sockets of silver.
And thou shalt hang up the veil under the clasps, and shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
And thou shalt put the mercy-seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
Here you find that this veil separated the holiest of all from the holy place. It was a division. But brothers and sisters, as long as the veil was there, no one could really live in the presence of God, because no one is holy enough.
But then you remember Matthew 27. In Matthew 27:50-51, we read:
And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.
Here you find that when our Lord Jesus was crucified, He was hanging on the cross for six hours, from nine o’clock to three o’clock.
During the first three hours, you remember, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Even though He was surrounded by His enemies, even though man and devil all tried to attack Him, the Father was with Him.
He was able to say, “Forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He could say to that repentant thief, “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”
But at twelve o’clock, suddenly the sun was darkened, and our Lord Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” He did not say, “My Father.” He said, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Because there, He became the One who knew no sin, who was made sin for us. When the Father looked at Him, He saw sin. And as God, the righteous God, He crushed Him.
There our Lord Jesus was our substitute. He was forsaken even by His Father. That is the most painful suffering of the cross.
He shouted, “It is finished.” The work of redemption was done. Then He bowed His head and committed His spirit to God.
He was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem. But at that same moment, that thick, heavy veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. In other words, the holiest of all was opened.
Dear brothers and sisters, here you find that this veil in the Scripture represents the flesh of our Lord Jesus.
That is the reason why, in Hebrews 10:19-20, we read:
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.
This veil speaks of the flesh of our Lord Jesus. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among men. When our Lord Jesus was in the flesh, He was that veil.
Why? Because He was the only One able to see the face of the Father. You know the veil has two sides. On one side, it faces the holiest of all; on the other side, it faces the holy place.
The flesh of our Lord Jesus is that veil. It is a beautiful veil: blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, and cherubim embroidered upon it. That speaks of the life of our Lord Jesus.
When He was in the flesh, His life was so beautiful. His life was so heavenly. He was the One who knew no sin. He was the obedient One. He was the Man that God had in His mind.
Throughout His life, He and the Father had intimate fellowship. He and the Father are one. He saw the Father every moment. He was obedient to the Father in all things. The Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
So far as our Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, was concerned, He saw His Father all the time. He could say, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” “I and the Father are one.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the life of our Lord Jesus. But at the same time, He was the only One who could see the Father. We were outside that veil.
You remember, in the Gospel of John it is said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He shall convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Sin is because the world does not believe in Him. You know, the greatest sin is rejecting Christ Jesus. God gave His beloved Son to the world, but the world rejected Him. That is the greatest sin man can ever commit.
Concerning righteousness, the Lord said, “Because I go to My Father.” He was the only One who could return to God the Father. His righteousness is our condemnation. His righteousness shows how unrighteous we are, and that separates us from God.
But brothers and sisters, that veil was rent. It was rent from top to bottom—not by man, but by God—because our Lord Jesus died on the cross.
A new and living way has been dedicated to us. The way into the presence of God is now open. It is a new way. It is a living way. It is full of life. And this way is dedicated to us.
Now, what is “dedicated”? It means that He has opened a way for us to walk. He has opened it and gone through it, and now He says, “Come. Deny yourself. Take up your cross, and follow Me.”
This is the new and living way. This is the way to the holiest of all. This is the way to live a life in the presence of God.
In other words, He will supply the strength and the power for us to go through. He knows that we cannot deny ourselves, but He will enable us to deny ourselves. He knows that we cannot bear the cross, but He will enable us to bear the cross.
This is why consecration is the foundation of all spiritual exercise. He is willing to save us to the uttermost. He will lead many brothers into glory. This is the secret to living in the presence of God.
Therefore, you find in 2 Corinthians 3:18:
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
You remember Moses. When he was on the mountain for the second forty days, when he came down, his face shone because he lived in the presence of God.
We all have a veil upon us. The veil is our flesh. With the breaking of the outward man, we can look at the face of our Lord with unveiled face. The Holy Spirit will transform us from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.
Dear brothers and sisters, how can we live in the presence of God? You know, in Christianity there is a group of people we call mystics.
As a matter of fact, every believer is a mystic, because a mystic is someone who seeks for God. Brother Lawrence was one of the mystics. Among Chinese people, I think many have heard about Madame Guyon.
Many wanted to be like the mystics. The mystics seek after God. But unfortunately, when you study the mystics, you will find several things that were not scriptural.
Their heart to be united with God is so strong that they are willing to pay any cost for it. Now, that is something commendable. But unfortunately, their way is a problem.
Number one, with the mystic it is always man seeking after God instead of God seeking after man. It is trying to reach heaven from earth instead of heaven coming down. So the starting point is a problem.
Because of this, their method is ill-treating their body. They try to put their body under because they believe that the body is evil.
You remember Martin Luther. He was a professor, but then he was convicted of his sin. He was afraid to die, so he left his professorship and knocked at the door of an Augustinian monastery.
He tried to save his soul. He beat himself. He nearly died. But he got no peace until afterwards the Lord showed him, “The just shall live by faith.”
But that is the way of the mystics. They would sleep on a bed full of nails, and they would even clothe themselves with it. They think this is a way to holiness.
They do not see the difference between soul and spirit, so their experience is very mixed. It is very true that God looks upon their heart, and at a certain time it is as if God says, “Now put away all these things.” They enter into something, but then here is another problem.
Their union with God is deification. They want to be so united with God that they become God. This is unscriptural. We are united with God in Christ Jesus. We never enter into deity. We are always men. Praise God for that.
So you find that this way into the presence of God is most difficult when it is mainly by human effort.
But He has opened the way for every one of us. If we are consecrated, the Holy Spirit will bring us into the presence of God, that we may live within the veil.
This has become our right. This has become our privilege. Every believer can live in the presence of God. Just cast ourselves upon Christ. He will do it. He has done it all.
It is not by our memory, because memory is in the soul. We open ourselves to all the finished work of Christ, and by His grace we are able to walk the new and living way.
Then we can live in the presence of God. So let us approach with fullness of faith. Let us approach with hope unwavering. And let us approach with love and courage.
It is not as complicated as we think. It is very simple.
I wonder if you have heard of this man called Oswald Chambers. He wrote a book, My Utmost for His Highest. It is a very famous book. It has been translated into Chinese.
This man was born in 1874, and he died in 1917. He passed through several years of what we call the darkness of the soul.
But then one day, he entered into freedom. He entered in on Luke 11:13.
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?
He was seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and finally the Holy Spirit enlightened this verse to him. So he took it by faith, with childlike faith.
He seemed to live in the very presence of God. If you read his biography, you will find that he encountered impossible situations, but he never worried. He believed that God would provide, and God would open up the way.
So people felt that here was a man who lived in the presence of God. He said, “Holiness is not our attainment. It is the gift of God.”
All you need to do is to give up your right to the Lord. You have to come to God as a spiritual pauper—not asking for anything, but giving your right up to Him. He will do everything for you.
Just remember Romans 12:1-2. Brothers and sisters, simply give up yourself and let Him do it. And that is it. Thank God for that.
Dear Lord, we want to praise and thank Thee because Thou hast prepared all. Thou hast done it all. How foolish we are that we try to do it for Thee.
Teach us how to let go of ourselves and let Him do it. Teach us how to live by faith and not by sight.
May Thy Holy Spirit continue to instruct us in the spiritual gymnasium, that we may be transformed into the image of the beloved Son. May glory be unto God.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, we ask it. Amen.