The Veil // Troy Powell

Devotional

Day 1: The Agony of Separation on the Cross

The darkness that fell over the land was a profound spiritual event, a creation in mourning as its Creator suffered. In that moment, Jesus bore the full weight of humanity's sin, experiencing a separation from the Father He had never known. This was the true depth of His sacrifice—not just physical torment, but the spiritual agony of being forsaken. He endured the judgment we deserved so we would never have to. His cry echoes through history as the ultimate price paid for our redemption. [36:53]

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46, ESV)

Reflection: As you consider the profound spiritual suffering Jesus endured, what does His willingness to be separated from the Father reveal about the depth of His love for you? How might this truth reshape your perspective on your own moments of feeling distant or alone?

Day 2: The Final Sacrifice That Tore the Veil

The tearing of the temple veil was a divine act, initiated from top to bottom by God Himself. This was not a random event but a powerful declaration that the old system of sacrifice was complete. The barrier that separated a holy God from sinful humanity was removed in an instant. The need for a human mediator was forever abolished through the perfect sacrifice of Christ. This moment signified the end of one era and the glorious beginning of another. [47:42]

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51a, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life are you still living as if the veil is intact, relying on your own efforts or others to reach God instead of approaching Him directly through Jesus?

Day 3: Immediate and Personal Access to God

The torn veil grants every believer direct, personal, and immediate access to the presence of God. There is no longer a need to wait for a specific day or go through a specific person; the throne room is open. This access is available at any moment, in any place, regardless of circumstance. Through Christ, we can approach God with the confidence of a child coming to a loving Father. This is the incredible privilege purchased for us on the cross. [49:40]

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…” (Hebrews 10:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your daily routine—during your commute, at work, or at home—could you more intentionally practice the truth that you have immediate access to God’s presence through prayer?

Day 4: Balancing Boldness and Reverence in Relationship

Our access to God through Christ calls for a balance of humble boldness and profound reverence. We can approach Him with the confidence of a beloved child, yet we must never forget that He is the holy, sovereign Lord of all. This relationship is not based on our performance but on His grace, yet it demands a response of holy living. We are invited into intimacy, but we must always steward that access with awe and respect for who He is. [53:20]

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

Reflection: How would you describe the current balance in your relationship with God? Is it characterized more by a casual familiarity or a distant formality, and what is one step you could take toward a more balanced, biblical approach?

Day 5: The Call to Return to Reverent Worship

The torn veil invites us into relationship, but it must not lead us to forget God’s majesty and holiness. There is a danger in making God so accessible that we lose our sense of awe and wonder at His greatness. He is both our friend and our King, both approachable and exalted. Our worship should reflect this dual reality—heartfelt intimacy coupled with deep reverence for the One who is utterly holy and wholly other. [01:06:25]

“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one practical way you can cultivate a heart of reverence in your personal worship this week, ensuring that God remains both wonderfully useful and beautifully holy in your life?

Sermon Summary

Mark 15:27–38 unfolds the crucifixion as a theological fulcrum: the physical agony of Jesus intersects with cosmic and communal consequences. The midday darkness that covers the land reads as creation’s lament, signaling something supernatural beyond a mere solar event. Jesus’ anguished cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” communicates the unique suffering of bearing divine wrath and the once-for-all transaction by which sin’s penalty is placed upon him. At the moment of death the temple curtain rips from top to bottom, a single physical act that dismantles the old sacrificial system and inaugurates direct access to God.

Careful attention to the temple’s layout clarifies the curtain’s purpose. The courts, holy place, and holy of holies structured access to God through mediated rites, limited entrances, and annual atonement. The curtain separated unholy humans from the manifest presence; its thickness and size required hundreds of priests to manipulate it. The divine ripping of that veil signals immediate removal of the barrier: ritual intermediaries and recurring sacrifices become obsolete because the one perfect sacrifice makes communion possible.

The text links theological truth to ethical consequence. If God now dwells within believers as the living temple, that reality obligates holy living—bodily and moral integrity that honors God’s indwelling. The tearing of the veil demands both intimacy and reverence: intimacy because God is available twenty-four-seven through Christ and the Spirit; reverence because God remains Lord and holy. The removal of external rituals carries a pastoral challenge—guarding against treating God as merely useful or casual and resisting tendencies to reestablish intermediaries that weaken faith.

Finally, the passage issues a pastoral summons to return to reverence without reinstating empty ritual: embrace the new access to God with humility and boldness, steward the sanctity of the body as God’s temple, and cultivate worship that balances friendship with awe. The narrative moves from cosmic darkness to an opened way, inviting an honest, accountable, and reverent relationship with the living God.

Key Takeaways

1. Darkness revealed creation’s mourning The noon-to-three darkness functions as a theological sign, not a meteorological accident; it expresses creation’s response to the Creator’s suffering. Such darkness invites reflection on how the created order registers moral rupture and how cosmic signs can point to spiritual realities. This moment disrupts ordinary explanations and presses the heart toward awe and sorrow before God’s redemptive work. [34:51]
2. The cry of forsaken God “My God, why have you forsaken me?” articulates the weight of divine judgment borne by Christ in solidarity with sinners. This abandonment marks the transaction in which sin’s penalty is imputed and the relationship between Father and Son momentarily obscured so sinners might be reconciled. The cry reframes suffering as substitutionary and salvific rather than random pain. [35:16]
3. Veil torn grants direct access The curtain’s rending from top to bottom signals God’s initiative in removing the barrier between humanity and himself. That single act ends the need for recurring sacrifices and opens an ongoing, personal approach to God through Christ. Access now rests on grace, not ritual gatekeeping, and invites daily communion with the living God. [48:15]
4. Balance reverence with relationship New intimacy with God does not abolish worshipful awe; the challenge lies in holding bold access together with holy fear. Treating God as merely useful erodes the beauty of worship and shrinks divine glory into convenience. Healthy devotion preserves both confidence to approach and a posture of trembling reverence before the Lord. [64:29]
5. Believers become God’s dwelling The tearing of the veil redefines where God’s presence resides: not in a building but in redeemed people indwelt by the Spirit. That reality creates moral responsibility—bodies and lives must reflect holiness because God now dwells within. Holiness therefore becomes both privilege and obligation, shaping everyday decisions and relationships. [58:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:20] - Connect & Growth Track
[26:29] - Next-Gen Ministries (Youth & V Kids)
[28:55] - Easter Weekend Invitation
[30:45] - Reading: Mark 15 (Crucifixion)
[33:58] - Darkness and the Cry of Jesus
[41:06] - Temple Layout Explained
[47:42] - Veil Torn: Barrier Removed
[65:36] - Call to Reverence & Worship

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Mark 15:33-38 (ESV)
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Observation questions

What two extraordinary events happened at the moment of Jesus’s death, according to these verses?
What was the purpose of the temple curtain, and what did its tearing signify? [45:06]
What did the darkness from noon to three o’clock represent, according to the teaching? [34:51]
What did Jesus’s cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” communicate about what He was experiencing? [35:16]

Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, and not from the bottom up? [47:42]
How does the removal of the barrier between God and humanity change the nature of our relationship with Him? [48:15]
The tearing of the veil ended the old sacrificial system. What are some modern ways people might try to “rehang the veil” or put something between themselves and God? [56:01]
If God’s presence now dwells within believers, what kind of responsibility does that create for how we live our daily lives? [58:07]

Application questions

The access to God is now immediate and personal. How does the truth that you can talk to God at any moment, in any place, change your approach to prayer this week? [49:40]
With this new intimacy, how can you practically balance having a close, friendly relationship with God while still maintaining a heart of reverence and awe for Him as your Lord? [01:04:29]
Since our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, are there any areas of your life—your thoughts, habits, or relationships—that you feel challenged to honor God with in a new way? [58:07]
What is one tradition or spiritual discipline you could incorporate into your routine to help you “return to reverence” and remember God’s holiness without falling into empty ritual? [01:06:25]
The centurion declared Jesus was the Son of God when he saw how He died. Who in your life needs to hear about the torn curtain and the direct access to God that Jesus’s death provided? How can you share this with them?

Sermon Clips

37s

#KeepGodBeautiful

“See, don't know about you. I would stare at China cabinets and go, this is a waste. It should be useful. Now it's become useful. But once it gets washed through the dishwasher and the the the design's coming off, it gets put back in the cabinet. And watch this. It's become useful, but it's no longer beautiful. If we aren't careful and we don't know how to steward and balance relationship and reverence, God will become useful but no longer beautiful. And that cannot happen in your heart.”

60s

#ReturnToReverence

“Return to reverence. Return to reverence. And I'm not asking you to return to religious rituals, but if it helps, hang a veil in the living room if you got to, but return to reverence. I think one of the most dangerous thing we can do is forget about the reverence of God. Matter of fact, I think part of our problem is that we've lowered God to our level instead of keeping him where he belongs. Because when he's just another person, he can't do miracles. When he's just my buddy, the I'm midst I'm perceive different. Amen? Amen. Come on. Let's just close our eyes in this place.”

37s

“See, don't know about you. I would stare at China cabinets and go, this is a waste. It should be useful. Now it's become useful. But once it gets washed through the dishwasher and the the the design's coming off, it gets put back in the cabinet. And watch this. It's become useful, but it's no longer beautiful. If we aren't careful and we don't know how to steward and balance relationship and reverence, God will become useful but no longer beautiful. And that cannot happen in your heart.”

48s

“Your Bible says that god cannot look upon sin. So, the moment that sin is set on to Jesus, god must turn away from Jesus for the first time ever turning his back on Jesus and Christ cries out, my god, my god, why have you forsaken me? He feels the the separation And so as horrible as the physical suffering that Jesus experienced must have been, as horrible as the whipping, as horrible as the crown of thorns, as horrible as the nails and the ultimate crucifixion must have been, the spiritual suffering, the the act of being judged for our sin and being separated from god is what I believe Jesus dreaded about the cross the most.”

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The Veil // Troy Powell

Devotional

Day 1: The Agony of Separation on the Cross

Day 2: The Final Sacrifice That Tore the Veil

Day 3: Immediate and Personal Access to God

Day 4: Balancing Boldness and Reverence in Relationship

Day 5: The Call to Return to Reverent Worship

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

The Veil // Troy Powell

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