Category Archives: Calvary

The Friday that was Good

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Good Friday everyone. This is the Friday that was Good. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Thank you Jesus for Calvary! Thank you for the cross. And even though it’s a couple of days away, I am so thankful He didn’t stay in the tomb. It is empty!!

You can read my other posts on Holy Week here, here, here, here and here. Please come back tomorrow and Resurrection Morning (before or after church!) for our final conclusion. 

“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Mark 15:37, 38 NKJV.

The veil in the Temple separated the Holy Place from the Holiest of Holies. Only the High Priest could even enter the Holiest of Holies, no one else was allowed. Inside was the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod that budded, and Manna. The High Priest could only go into the Holiest of Holies once a year to roll away the sins of the people for another 365 days. (Day of Atonement)

This Holiest of Holies represented the presence of God.

The Israelites could not approach God for themselves. They had to have others to plead for their sins.

But everything changed on the Friday that was Good.

It is a Holy Friday and with good reason! We cannot talk of the Cross without realizing there was a Holy God, a Good God, paying the price.

Look at all that was going on in the spirit world when Jesus was dying. 

When Jesus took His last and final breath, the earth shook violently, thunder rolled and a magnificent thing happened in the Temple. The massive curtain, which, according to Jewish historical descriptions, was approximately 30 feet wide, 60 feet high and three inches thick, was impossible for man to rip apart! It was said that it took 300 priests just to wash it. That’s big.

That veil separated man from God’s presence. So when God literally tore it into two pieces, from the top to the bottom, it was very significant.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2.

When Jesus died, things changed forever. We could now enter that Holy Place, God’s Presence, all by ourselves. Without fear!

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh…” Hebrews 10:19-20.

Now the priests were no longer the only ones who could WORSHIP!

Worship was now for everyone.

Do you realize what that means?

We are able to worship the Savior personally, have a living relationship with the One who hung on the cross!

And…it gets better.

We  can, and should, worship God anywhere! 

  • In a church, yes, please worship Him there!
  • Out in the woods? Worship Him!
  • Walking down the road? Worship Him!
  • Driving in your car? Worship Him!
  • About to have a meal? Worship!
  • Breathing today? Worship, worship, worship!

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16.

Because of Calvary, because of “It is finished”, we have direct access to Jesus Christ.

Don’t be discouraged today if you are quarantined on this Friday that is Good. Rejoice because the veil was torn and wherever WE are, HE is!

Friday is Good because without Friday there would be no Resurrection Sunday. Join me tomorrow as we anticipate the Risen Savior.

Kingdom2

Seal the stone, set a watch but Jesus is coming!

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It’s Saturday…You can read the other posts from the Holy Week series Hosanna, Hanging on His Every Word, Because He Lives, No need for the Sword, Did Jesus really sweat blood in the Garden? and The Friday that was Good.  Be sure and come back tomorrow, and we will wrap it all up. Blessed Easter!

There is not much information given in the Word of God concerning the day after the crucifixion.

But then there is Pilate.

He makes another entrance here, and even though we might not gain much insight as to what the disciples and family of Jesus are doing, we get a good look at those that crucified the Lord:

“Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,  Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

Were they really afraid of this teacher? They said they were afraid of His disciples, that they might actually steal the body of Jesus and then present it to the people as if He had risen from the dead. Just like He said He would do.

Pilate was already in. He was in deep. He didn’t originally want to kill this man, Jesus. His wife even warned him of her dream and begged him to spare His life. But Pilate was swayed by the people. He caved, gave them a murderer instead and allowed the crucifixion to proceed.

But now, he cannot afford for anything to go wrong!

 “Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.”

“So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” Matthew 27:62-66.

 

Seal the stone, set a watch, make it as sure as you can.

There was no rock heavy enough, no amount of guards strong enough, to keep Jesus in that tomb!

Pilate’s attempts were pointless when it came to keeping Jesus from rising again. Even if he didn’t believe it, if he was convinced that the disciples were the ones to try to move the body, it was all out of his hands at this point. God was in control and His Word had already declared that on the third day He would come up out of that grave!

And today, it is the same.

We cannot prevent the Word of God from being fulfilled. Prophecy has come true for hundreds and hundreds of years, and the last few prophecies will come to pass. Jesus will come again for His people, those that have made themselves ready for His appearing.

Are you trying to control things today? It is useless, friend. God was in control at Calvary, at the tomb and at the ascension. He is still in control of the events of this world today. He isn’t surprised by the pandemic, wars or rumor of wars. We can trust Him with our anxiety. Our hope is in Him and Him alone!

What will you be looking for in the morning?

He will not be on the cross or in the tomb.

“Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.”   2 Corinthians 4:14.

He came out of the earthly grave so that we, too, could triumph over death, hell and the grave! While we await His second coming, He wants us, YOU, to have a relationship with Him here. He wants YOU to come up out of the grave of depression, isolation, loneliness, emptiness and be set free because of Calvary. 

No matter what the soldiers did to keep Jesus from exiting that tomb, He was coming out anyway. Friend, there is no obstacle that God cannot move out of the way for you as well and this Easter weekend is a wonderful time for a total life change. One that matters for eternity.
Be sure and come back in the morning…He is alive! 

 

For the kingdom
When the Cross was the Attraction

When the Cross was the attraction

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sue“God Hold us to that which drew us first, when the Cross was the attraction, and we wanted nothing else.” ~ Amy Carmichael

When the Cross was the attraction….Today I am happy to have my sister-in-law, Sue Elkins, sharing with us!  Sue is a mother of four, a grandmother of three, a long time Broker/Associate with Re/Max Realty Professionals, and was a pastor’s wife for many years. She and her husband, Dexter, are still very active in their church, aptly teaching, ministering and being helpers as the Bible calls us to be. She keeps the highways busy traveling to see her grandbabies as often as she can. God gave this to her this week and I know it will bless you as it has me. You can read her other guest posts, Still I Will Trust You, Go, Surprise Jesus and Who was Hur, by clicking on the titles!

My God Is Awesome, Every Praise, I Won’t Go Back, Break Every Chain….the list of new songs is unending and inspiring. But an old one from the past really touched my heart during altar call a few nights ago.

Move me with Your message once again

It’s been so long since I have broke within

Take me back once more to Calvary 

Where one more time, Your message moves me. 

I have heard this song many times, but not for years, and this night it was speaking to me in a different way.

So often, when a song like this is sung, we tend to be moved by shortcomings, problems, failures or needs within our lives.  There is nothing wrong with that and Jesus understands those times, but this time my spirit was broken for a different reason.

Luke 23:33.  “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him.”  

The phrase “take me back once more to Calvary”  just kept flowing over and over in my mind.

Back to Calvary….

Where I first met You, Jesus, where I first realized what You had done for me.  I still remember those first feelings of sadness when I realized that Jesus had given His life for me!   The complete THANKFULNESS I felt that Jesus loved me so much that He would die for me.  The humbleness that overwhelmed my soul that He loved me even before I knew and loved Him.

With Calvary as a vision before me, as the song says, I should be broken for Your sacrifice. Lord.  I should be broken because of how much I love You, Lord.  I should be broken because You gave me newness of life here and life eternal over there.  My problems, my shortcomings, my failures or needs will be met if I keep going back to Calvary and the message it brings to all of us….

Christ is our Redeemer.   

When the Cross was the Attraction

How long has it been since I bowed more than just my knees, but really bowed my spirit to remember Calvary and what it brought to me?   As the words came flooding back into my mind, I was reminded that the message of Jesus and the cost of that message still needs to break us from time to time.  It is so easy with all the things that are going on around us to become overwhelmed and broken by the problems that face us.   But the message….the message that Jesus loves us, that He is the Provider, the Healer, the Counselor, the Deliverer, the Savior, the One True God, that came, died and was resurrected for us….that message can never be forgotten!  Because, if we forget that message, then we may forget to pass it on to others who need to hear it.   It needs to still move us, move us to be broken and thankful that we know Him and have the privilege of walking with Him.

Oh, Lord, let me not forget to let your message move me once again!

 

Sharing with Making your home sing, Modest Mondays