The Christmas season has come again. Tis the time to share about the person of Jesus and the good news he brings us. One of the stories from the Bible that has been told concerning Christ’s coming into the world is that there was no room in the Inn for the Christ child to be born, so he was born in a stable. During the latter years of Christ’s life, he traveled a lot and had no permanent place to lay his head, in other words, he was in a sense homeless. I’ve heard preachers make the point that we need to give Christ Jesus a home. He wants his home to be in each of us, so we need to make room for that to happen.
The Bible says, “Do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you” (2 Corinthians 13:5)? It is vitally important to have Christ Jesus living in you. Why? Because Jesus is eternal life and if He lives in you, then you will live a forever new life (1 John 1:2; 5:11-13). Jesus said. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26)? This is the best good news anyone wanting to escape death could ever hear. But how is it possible for Jesus Christ to be in you? How does that happen?
Jesus also said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-7) “Born again”; what’s that? Jesus wants us to understand that we are spiritually dead, and we die because we sin. Our sin against God has separated us from God’s eternal life. But when we truly and sincerely ask Jesus to forgive our sins, He forgives us and God declares us not guilty. The Spirit of Jesus comes into us and causes our spirit to be reborn to a new life that never dies. How does Christ Jesus come into us so that we can enter God’s everlasting kingdom of heaven?
Think of it this way. When we go out to eat with someone, we can get to know them and develop a relationship. Jesus wants us know Him because He wants to have a relationship with us and give us His eternal life. So Jesus offers people this invitation, “Here I am!”, He said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus uses knocking at a door to help us understand how he can get to be in us.
What door do you think Jesus was knocking on? You are right if you say it is the door of your heart. Jesus wants to come into your life and cause you to be born again so you can share life with Him. If a person is knocking on the door of your house, how do you get them from outside your house to inside? You are right. You open the door and invite that person to come in. That is exactly what Jesus wants us to do. He is knocking on our heart’s door and wants us to invite Him to come in and receive all He has for us.
Remember what Jesus said in the second paragraph above. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” If we believe what Jesus says, we will open the door for him, and he will come in and give us his eternal life as he said He would.
If you are a person who is afraid to die, or if you are a person who is not sure you will go to heaven, then you need to admit you need Jesus. You need to receive His forgiveness for your sins and invite Him to come into your life so He can give you His eternal life. We can’t have eternal life without Jesus.
When Jesus died on a cross and was buried, He rose from the dead and is alive today. He can no longer die. You can say a simple prayer, thanking Him for forgiving your sins, and asking Him to come into you to share His eternal life with you. He will do it. He will forgive you and give you His life so you can have the relationship with Him that He wants to have with you.
Let’s say that you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to come into your life. How will you know He did what you asked? Maybe you’re not like some people who feel a great peace come over them. You may not feel anything. Do you remember the last part of the verse where Jesus said He was the resurrection and the life? Jesus asked, “Do you believe this?” We know that Jesus came into us and that we have His eternal life, not because we feel something, although sometimes that happens. We know Jesus did what He said He would do because we believe Him. Our faith tells us it’s true. Furthermore, if Jesus did what He promised to do when we opened the door and invited Him in, then sometime down the road, you will notice that a change has come over you. Read the gospel of John in your Bible and you will grow in your understanding and faith. Read John 20:29-31. Learn why John wrote this book. What’s true about you? Is Jesus Christ in you?
