His Heart, My Home

NOTE: On this day, 45 years ago, I gave my heart to Jesus, as I kneeled in my bedroom in Greenwood, Louisiana.

My testimony since that day is a very simple one: “… even if we are faithless, He never wavers in His faithfulness to us!” (2 Timothy 2:13, TPT)

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Please read Mark 16:1-7.

On the Sunday morning following Jesus’ crucifixion, three of the women who had followed Him went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body, and infuse the grave linens with fragrant spices. The women were so intent on gathering their supplies and completing their task, that they never thought about the stone – the big round slab of rock that covered the entrance to the tomb. Suddenly, as they walked through the dawn mist, they realized they had a big problem.

The question came like a cold splash of water in their faces, “Who will remove the stone for us?”

Actually, they had two problems: a massive stone blocking their access to Jesus, and a  crushing weight, like a giant rock, upon their hearts.

Their eyes were red from crying. Their faces were lined with loss. They could feel the weight of that huge stone upon their hearts. They  were heavily burdened, weighed down with sadness, and oppressed with grief, pain, and fear.

Talk about a reality check! Jesus was dead. The Teacher was gone. And all their hope lay with Him in the grave.

He had said, “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.”   
(Matthew 11:28, The Passion Translation)

How cruel life seemed! They had come to Him at His invitation. They had heard the Words of Life from His own lips. They had seen and experienced His miraculous power. They had been embraced by His limitless love.

Now, it was gone, seemingly, all for nothing.
Now, all they could see in their mind’s eye was His brutal execution. All they could feel was the weight of an unbearable burden… heavier than ever, their loss crushing the very life out of them.

Then…

An incredible new reality exploded before them…

A lightning flash of revelation struck their hearts, turning bewilderment into ecstasy!

The rock had been rolled away; the grave was empty, and the words of the heavenly messenger, “He is not here! He is risen!” burned into their hearts like a laser.

They saw it, they heard it, they felt it, they knew it, they believed it, and they celebrated it… all in one miraculous moment… the power of light over darkness, the victory of life over death, and love over all!

The God who created perfect order out of the darkness of chaos, with the words, “Let there be light”…

The God who delivered an entire nation from slavery in one night, by the blood of a lamb; who filled their homes with light, piercing the darkness of death all around them…

The God who created a world, then entered that world as its Eternal Light, on a cold dark night in a tiny town called Bethlehem…

The God who yielded His body and gave His blood to be crushed by the hateful rage and violence of the the princes of darkness, as He hung upon the cross…

That same God… defeated the powers of death and hell, in the pre-dawn darkness of Resurrection Morning. He stood up, as the rock was rolled from the entrance, and He walked out of that tomb in eternal victory!

Jesus turned the tomb’s entrance into an exit. When He stood up and walked out of death’s tomb, we, as believers, walked out with Him. Sin and death? Forever defeated! Our old life? Forever gone! Our new life? Forever in Him!

Jesus’ resurrection was, is, and always will be the pivot-point of eternity! It is the moment when the direction and destiny of the entire universe changed; when God and man were forever fused together in the eternal bond of love!

The resurrection is more than a historical reality. The Resurrection is a person, the God-Man, Jesus the Christ, who will be the focal point of forever!

Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25,26)

Not only is He, Himself, the Resurrection, but He, Himself, is the Life… the Source and Sustainer of the new abundant-life we enter and experience outside the tomb. (John 10:10)

He said, “I am the Resurrection! I am the Life!” And in the very same breath He asks us this same question, “Do you believe this?”

Wait. Let’s hold on for a minute or two before we answer that. It’s actually too easy to reply to the eternally important question Jesus asks with a shallow and thoughtless response. So before we answer, let’s look closely at the real meaning and effect of “believing” as Jesus defines it.

The tiny Greek preposition “eis” is one of the most important words in the Bible. It is nearly always translated as “in”. In many key passages, it connects the verb “believe” with the person of Christ. For example, “… you believe in God, believe also in (eis) me.” (John 14:1)

This word, “eis” denotes “motion from one place to another; a transfer from one state of being to another”. Simply put , the word “eis” is more accurately translated as “into”.

What difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world.

It is the difference between standing “in” the shallow ripples at the edge of the seashore and diving “into” the depths of the ocean.

With this insight, reconsider John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes “into Him” should not perish but have everlasting life.”

When you have the time, please look up and read the familiar scriptures below. They all contain the word “eis”. As you read them, substitute the word “into” for the word “in”.

John 3:18, 36
John 6:35
John 7:38
John 11:25-26
John 12:44, 46
John 14:12
1 John 5:10

You’ll find that Jesus wants more than our believing “in” Him. Even the devil can “believe in God”. (James 2:19)

Jesus wants us to “believe into” Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and strength. He calls us to be completely surrendered to, surrounded by, and saturated with His person and presence.

Believing “into” Jesus means believing “out of” the tomb!

Do you remember our original question? Who will remove the stone for us? Now we have our answer! He has, and He will!

²⁶ “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put my Spirit within you…” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Praise God! He removes our stony heart of sin, shame, and  selfishness, and gives us a “new heart”. He puts His Spirit within us, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead!

Today, millions of Christians all over the world are celebrating the resurrection of the living Christ. His life is the breath in the lungs of our spirit-man. It is the heartbeat of our eternal being. The resurrection of Christ is the crown upon the head of the gospel.

Jesus was no victim. Blood was the price for our sin, and He paid it willingly. He said, “No man takes my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily.” (John 10:18)

Jesus gave His life for you. Do you know that He would do it all over again if He needed to? That’s  how much He loves you! To know His love is to know mercy, grace, freedom and peace. To know Him rolls the stone from our hearts and ushers us into real life, eternal life!

Jesus doesn’t just offer the memory of a sacrifice. He freely offers us His very own person, His living presence. He’s not in a grave. “He is not here! He is risen,” said the angel. Don’t look for a tomb to visit. Don’t look for a grave to put flowers on. He’s not there.

Jesus Christ is alive. The account of His life is the only biography known to man that does not end with death and burial. His biography never ends!

He is not behind us in a tomb. He is before us on a throne. He invites us to “believe into Him”. He wants to live inside of us by His life-giving Spirit.

He is the Resurrection! He is the Life! Do you believe this? The tomb is open! He calls your name! Now rise up in faith and come forth from death into life!

Jesus loves you so much that He gave everything: His last breath pleading for mercy for you; the last beat of His heart full of unconditional, eternal love for you; and the last drop of His blood to wash you from your sins.

He knew that without His suffering and death you would be forever lost, separated from God for eternity because of your sins. So He willingly and joyfully took your sin, your pain, and your punishment so you could receive His mercy. You can accept His gift of eternal life right now and be resurrected, born again, into a new relationship with God as your Father.

Simply pray this prayer from your heart as you trust in Him to save you:

“Jesus, I want to know you. Thank you for suffering and dying for me, so that I could come to the Father, and receive His forgiveness and mercy.

I declare that you are my Savior and my Lord. I invite you to enter my life right now by your Holy Spirit. I believe into you and by faith I receive you now.

You are the Resurrection. You are the Life, and you now live in me. I believe I am saved! I am born-again! And I thank you for the gift of eternal life you have given me. I will live my new life in union with you. I am yours for all eternity, beginning now.

Amen!”