Every Wall Between You and God Has Already Fallen
- Henley Samuel
- May 18
- 7 min read
May 18, 2026
What if the very thing standing between you and the fullness of God's blessing is not your sin, not your weakness, and not your past, but rather the layers of human tradition and religious rules that have been quietly piled on top of the Word of God? Today, we are going to tear down some walls. Not with our hands, but with the truth of what God has already accomplished through Jesus Christ.
From the Outer Court to the Mercy Seat
Let me take you on a journey through the structure of God's presence in the Old Testament. The Lord chose one nation, Israel, to be a holy people. Among all the cities of Israel, one city was set apart, Jerusalem. Within Jerusalem, one mountain was most sacred, Mount Zion, where the temple stood. Inside the temple were many courts, but one place was most holy of all: the Holy of Holies. And there, at the very centre of the most sacred space in the entire world, what did you find? Not a throne of judgement. Not a display of law. You found the mercy seat, the ark of the covenant, the very grace of God.
"He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Galatians 1:4
God's design has always been to bring you to His grace, not to keep you at a distance. That is the gospel. That is the good news. Jesus gave His own Son so that you and I could enter all the way into that mercy seat, into that innermost circle of God's presence and love.
When Tradition Voids the Word
But here is what Jesus had to confront: the very people who should have been leading others into that grace had built walls around the Word of God instead. He looked at the Pharisees, the most religiously committed people of His time, and said:
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men" Mark 7:8
Does that feel relevant today? Think about this: in some churches you must wear shoes, in others you must remove them. In some places flowers are forbidden, in others certain colours of clothing are required. These traditions, when they become requirements, when they replace the Word of God, do what Jesus said they do. They nullify it. They make the Word of God of no effect.
Before you can receive what God is building in you, some structures must be completely demolished. Come with an open mind. Approach what the Word says as though you have never truly heard truth before, because it is only when tradition no longer holds the throne that truth can do its work.
Manmade Rules That Cannot Save
Paul writes in Colossians:
"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch! These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body." Colossians 2:21-23
Notice that phrase: false humility. Real humility is not following human rules to appear spiritual. Real humility is taking the Word of God at face value and trusting it completely. When God says your prayer of faith will bring healing, real humility is believing that, standing on it, and refusing to back down regardless of what anyone else says. That is trusting the Lord, and Proverbs tells us the result:
"Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life." Proverbs 22:4
The world searches endlessly for wealth, honour, and a meaningful life. The secret is not strategy or performance. It is simply this: trusting God. Saying, "Father, You are watching over me. You hold my hand and You will lead me all the way."
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Now let us go to the heart of what God has called us into. 2 Corinthians declares:
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18
Think about what the word reconciliation means. When an accountant reconciles two accounts, they take both ledgers and bring them into perfect agreement. There was a great imbalance between God and humanity. There was enmity, separation, a wall. And God, at the cross, settled every account. The next verse tells us exactly how:
"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
Not counting their sins against them. Think about what this means. Past sins, present sins, future sins. 2000 years before you were born, before you made a single mistake, He had already paid for every one of them. The cross is not a past event that needs to be revisited. It is a finished work that covers all time. Hebrews 9:12 makes this unmistakably clear:
"He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:12
Eternal redemption. Not temporary. Not conditional. Eternal.
The Scapegoat and What Happened at Calvary
Let me show you a picture of what happened at the cross. Under the old covenant, when a person sinned, they would bring an unblemished lamb to the priest. The priest would not inspect the person. He would inspect the lamb. Then the sinner would lay his hands on that lamb, and everything that was wrong in him, every defect, every failure, would transfer to the animal. Then the lamb would carry it away.
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21
That is what happened at Calvary. The One who had no sin, the perfectly holy God, took on every sin, every curse, every sickness of the entire world. And Psalm 22 captures His cry:
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Psalm 22:1
Because in that moment, for the very first time, the Father who had never been separated from the Son was separated, so that you and I would never have to be separated from the Father. 1 John says:
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8
That love was always there. From Genesis to Revelation, God has always been love. But the world did not understand how deep that love was until it was displayed at Calvary.
You Are Now an Ambassador
Because of what He accomplished, 2 Corinthians 5:20 says:
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20
An ambassador does not represent themselves. They represent the country that sent them. We are Christ's ambassadors. We carry this message: someone has already died for your sins. The debt is paid. Come to Him. This is not a complicated gospel. It is simple, it is free, and it changes everything.
And Romans confirms that this is for all:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
Freely. That word should stop you in your tracks. Not earned. Not deserved. Freely.
Conclusion
Every wall between you and God has already been removed. Not partially. Not conditionally. Completely. He took your sins and carried them away. He entered the mercy seat once and for all on your behalf. The ministry He has placed in your hands is not a burden. It is the most joyful announcement in history: the account has been reconciled. The enmity is gone. The wall is down. You can come in.
Reflect on This
Are there any human traditions, teachings, or religious requirements that have quietly replaced your trust in the plain Word of God? What would it look like to approach Scripture with a completely open mind today?
When you think of God, do you picture the mercy seat at the centre of His presence, or do you picture a judge counting your failures? How does knowing that He is "not counting your sins against you" change the way you relate to Him?
Prayer
Father, I thank You that You have reconciled me to Yourself through Jesus Christ. I declare that every sin, past, present, and future, has already been paid for at the cross. I am not standing before a judge. I am standing before a Father whose mercy seat is open to me. I release every tradition and human rule that has kept me at a distance from Your truth. I choose to take Your Word at face value and trust it completely. I receive my identity as Your ambassador and I carry this message of reconciliation with joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
God's design has always been to bring you to the mercy seat of His grace, not to keep you at a distance through rules and ritual.
Human traditions, when placed above the Word of God, nullify its power in a person's life.
True humility is trusting God's Word completely, and this trust brings riches, honour, and life.
God was not counting sins against the world but was reconciling it to Himself through Christ's one eternal sacrifice.
You are called as Christ's ambassador to carry the message that the wall between God and humanity has been permanently removed.
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To dive deeper into this powerful message, watch the full sermon on our YouTube video below.
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