信仰の手引き（英語・English）
Jesus Came Into The Temple
投稿者
goodnews2
投稿日
2023-09-30 12:29
閲覧数
109
The Temple Without Jesus
One day, before the major festival in Israel called Passover, Jesus went up to the temple in Jerusalem. Inside the temple, people were selling oxen, sheep, and doves. In one area, there were also money changers sitting there. The reason for this was because those who came from far away to worship at the temple found it difficult to bring their own oxen or sheep to be used as offerings. Also, a money changer was there to change the money for people to pay the temple tax.
When Jesus saw this, He made a whip out of cords and drove the oxen and sheep out of the temple. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned
their tables. He also drove out the dove sellers and said to them,
“Make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”
My Heart Before Accepting Jesus
The temple in Jerusalem was a place for God to dwell. However, before Jesus came, the temple was noisy with the shouts of merchants and the cry of animals. It was dirty with the foul smell of the animals’ waste. It was the house of God, but it had become a messy temple. Actually, it could not even be called a temple. That is when Jesus did the work of cleaning the temple out.
This temple is a picture of our heart. If we do not have Jesus in our hearts, we will live with our hearts full of sin and filthy thoughts. All sorts of evil thoughts will come in and out of our minds, leading us to live a sinful life.
Before I was saved in 1962, I had committed a lot of sins. I was hungry, so I stole wheat or melons from other people’s fields and ate them, and I told many white lies
that sounded nice to my friends. So, I knew for sure I would go to hell if I died. Still, I could not stop committing sins. ‘If I meet my friends tonight, I’m sure we’ll steal fruit from someone’s field again. From now on, I will never meet up with them ever.’I made up my mind like this, but it was useless.
After Accepting Jesus in My Heart
After I was saved and Jesus came into my heart, I changed. The greed and desire that filled my heart disappeared and I began to think about what makes Jesus happy. Then my life changed. I used to like committing sin and talking about worldly things, but after receiving salvation, there was nothing else I wanted to talk about other than what I read in the Bible. After reading the Bible once, twice, twenty times and more, the words of the Bible were alive in my heart and Jesus was powerfully leading me. It was not that I was trying to change my life, but it was Jesus driving out the evil thoughts in my heart that changed my life.
Our Hearts are The Temple of Jesus
Your heart is also a temple. Those who do not have Jesus in their hearts have dark thoughts such as sinful desires, boasting, worries and so on, planted in their hearts.
However, if Jesus is in your heart, He will drive out all evil and filthy thoughts. Just as He drove out the oxen, the sheep and the money changers and cleansed the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus cleans your hearts. If Jesus is in your heart, it does not matter if we are not good looking or if we are not smart and cannot tell 1 from 3. This is
because Jesus will do everything for you and fill all your needs.
New Creation in Jesus
We may have an argument with a close friend and hurt each other’s’ feelings, become distant or no longer be friends with them. I am neither a person of good character nor a good person, but from the time I was saved until now, my good relationship with Jesus has not been cut off. This is solely because of Jesus in my heart. While within me, He leads me to live a clean and holy life. I am a mean and an evil person, but because Jesus could not stand evil, He drove all evil thoughts out of my heart.
In the Bible it says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians5:17) You should not try to live a good life. Do not try hard to be holy or righteous. If you receive the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus and accept Him in your heart, He will not only solve all of your problems but also make sure you do not lack anything to enter the kingdom of heaven. He will raise you to be the sons and daughters of God and He won’t have any discomfort dwelling in your hearts.
Jesus Forever with Us
Before Jesus came, the temple was filled with the loud noises of merchants and the bleating of oxen and sheep, but after Jesus came, the temple became quiet and clean. If you receive forgiveness of your sins and accept Jesus in your heart,
He will forever stay with you, remove your filthy and evil heart, and solve all your shortcomings and problems. I hope you would all look at and rely on Jesus.
