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Luke 23:44-46
Historically, the day was from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so the sixth hour would be 12 noon and until the ninth hour being 3 p.m. As Jesus breathed His last breath and quoted the words of Psalm 31:5, He committed His spirit to His Father in heaven. Darkness fell over the earth from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (Luke 23:44, 46). But Luke 23:45 adds another important piece of information in the salvation of humanity through this event of the cross; the veil of the temple was torn in two. The veil of the temple was a divider which separated the Most Holy Place (where the Spirit of the LORD dwelt) in the innermost part of the temple from the people (Exodus 26:31-35).
The significance of the veil being torn in two is that as Jesus died on the cross the veil was torn in two, opening the presence of the LORD to the people – the separation or divider has been removed allowing God’s presence (Holy Spirit) to unite to the people in this ultimate act of redemption. As Jesus goes away to Him by which He had been sent (John 3:16; 16:5), the arrival of His Holy Spirit is brought forth in this significant event and is prophesied in John 14:15-18; 16:5-15.
As Jesus leaves to go to His Father in heaven, He will send His Holy Spirit to dwell within all who will believe in Him to be our eternal guide to life in Christ. His physical presence is gone and what He came to do has been fulfilled, as is the fulfilling of the physical Law of the Old Testament by the new Spiritual life and renewing of one’s heart in Christ by what He has done on the cross in the New Testament (Matthew 5:17).
This is the opening of a newly redeemed relationship with our Father God in heaven through His Holy Spirit as given by the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.
This is salvation in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law given by God to Moses.
This is the pure sacrifice required to death in defeating death, sin, and Satan as the sinless sacrifice is the requirement to overcome death, which is the punishment for sin (Romans 3:21-26, 6:1-7:6).
Jesus paid the price for sin, all sin, even our sin, that through what He has done for us, we may obtain everlasting life (John 3:16-17). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). There is nothing we can do or ever could do to earn our salvation other than to accept that Jesus took our sins upon Himself to the cross. Jesus paid our penalty to sin, for us, that through Him we may be forgiven and accepted by our Father God in heaven forever. It is through our faith in believing in what He has done for us that we receive salvation. It is through Him, by Him, and given as a gift to us. As a result, our lives are changed forever, allowing us to now do the works that are reflective of a new life in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior of the world (John 3:16-17).
Dear Lord,
Thank You for sending Your one and only Son, Jesus, to take our sins upon His sinless body to the cross and pay our penalty to death, that we may receive through what He has done for us, eternal life in heaven with You. He is the way, the truth, and the life. I pray that You will help us to open our hearts to life in Christ Jesus, that we would seek Your guidance and will for our lives, strive to be the people that You desire us to be, and that our lives would allow the light of Christ to shine through us in sharing Your great love with all the world. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
If you have never received Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior, today is the day. I invite you through this message and this devotional that we share today that gives us the information that we need to know to be confident that Jesus is our Savior. And you can do that by simply praying:
Dear LORD,
Please forgive me for I have sinned. I need Your forgiveness; I invite You into my heart to be my Savior. I profess You my Lord and Savior, and I will strive to follow Your will for my life. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
If you prayed that prayer, I welcome you into the family of God. Thank you. Get involved in a church if you are not; a local group of surrounding Christian friends and fellowship to help guide you in your new relationship with Jesus; and spend time in prayer with Him each day. See you tomorrow.