Matthew 27:45-52 – “Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart. ⁵² And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised.”

Several things captivated my heart and mind as I prayed, read, and pondered today. Today, I am focused on Matthew 27-Mark 3.

When Jesus died on the Cross, it sent an echo through eternity that IT IS FINISHED!   The Purchase Price has been paid for Salvation!    Divine Justice was satisfied, rendering the devil without authority.   The devil’s legal standing was broken.    The verdict in the Courts of Heaven was issued.

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn in two from Top to Bottom. That signified many things, including that the Old Covenant was over and the New Covenant was now in effect. Salvation by Grace through faith was a reality.

Also, being torn from top to bottom signified this was God’s work and that He was opening the way it was unearned access.  It signified heaven reaching down to man. It signified that mankind’s entrance into the Kingdom of God was now accessible. It signified that All God has and is now available to those who believe and receive.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said All Exousia (power) has been given to Me.  His death satisfied divine justice and decreed that the Authority was His.   It was effective in heaven and on earth.   He has granted that authority. Therefore, there is nothing unavailable to us through faith.

In Mark, we find numerous references to “Immediately!”  Ten times in the first two chapters, “immediately” is used.  God is a God of immediate.  Maybe it won’t be visible immediately, but it is done in the heart of God immediately.  We need to embrace the immediate.

GOD is the God of Grace, Mercy, and Miracles.  We receive the first two but complacently lack the third.

Three thoughts:

• People really want to believe.
• People are fascinated by the supernatural.
• People are bored with religion.

New Covenant Christianity is other than typical religion.  It demands that we die to ourselves.  That we crucify the me in us!   It requires total dependency on God and total surrender to Him.  It requires the boldness to dare to bring heaven to earth. It is living life in the immediate, knowing that the door to the Kingdom is now open and that all God has is to be embraced and used for His purposes now!

I have laced several thoughts into this, but the link, to me, is that the Veil of the Temple has been removed, and as New Covenant Christians, anything less than Kingdom Living in the present should be unacceptable to us.

We have been granted full access to God in every dimension of life, which is our heritage.   The question is, “Why Not Now, and Why Not Us?”  Embrace the Victory of Calvary and live in the fullness of the Victory of Jesus.   He is our hope!

You are Victorious, so live victoriously.  Have a wonderful day in Jesus!