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ARE YOU SURE THAT JESUS ALREADY DWELLS IN YOUR HEART?

- Ignatius A le Roux

Paul mentions in Eph. 3:14-19 a specific prayer that he prayed for the Christians in Ephesus. One of the items that He thus prays for, is that the Lord Jesus "may dwell in your hearts through faith". Now the question arises: How can we make sense of Paul praying that the Lord Jesus must dwell in their hearts if they are already children of God? Paul states in Eph. 1:3 that the Father blessed them with

Where have they obtained this godly love? In Romans 5:5 Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit pours God's love into our hearts when He comes to live in us. He already lived and worked in the Christians in Ephesus. What then does Paul mean when he prays that the Lord Jesus must dwell in these children of God? How would the Ephesians have understood this prayer?

The answer to this question is hidden in the meaning of the little word "dwell" as Paul uses it here.

The concept of "dwell" includes something of what Jesus says in John 10:9 when He states: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." A sheep that has become part of a flock, is at home in the pen and moves around everywhere under the care of the shepherd. Such a sheep "comes in and goes out". In the evening he comes into the pen and in the morning he goes out to the pasture. Thus the word dwell entails that you are at home and at ease. You can come and go as you please, as you find it pleasant and comfortable. It is your home. You are the owner and it belongs to you. You do not need to ask anybody's permission for anything you want to do. When someone can "go in and out" spontaneously, he is without a care. He is at home, feels comfortable and knows that he belongs there. He is happy and can be himself.

An additional meaning of the word "dwell" can be found in Matthew 12:45. The Lord Jesus speaks of a group of evil spirits gaining control over a person's life. He then says: "...and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first". When evil spirits "live" in a person's life in this manner, they are in control of that man's life. They govern his life and fulfill their own will in and through him. They manifest their character and work in and through such a person's life. It is a horrible thought, but a reality. One sees it for example in the case of the demonised of the Gerasenes. (Mark 5:1-7). Until the Lord Jesus freed him, his life was the 'home' of a legion of evil spirits.

Although demons operate differently from the Holy Spirit in the lives of people, the word that Jesus uses to indicate that the evil spirits are living in the life of such a person, is the same as that which Paul uses in Eph. 3:17 when he prays that Jesus may dwell in the hearts of the Ephesians. The fact that he prays that Jesus will dwell in their hearts, does not mean that He is not already present in their hearts, but that He is not actually in control of their lives. He is not in absolute control of their hearts and does not really, as it were, feel at home there. As a result of this He is not able to do the work in their hearts that He actually desires. This is to reveal His indwelling in their hearts by manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives (Gal. 5:22).

It sounds awful to think Jesus could be present in a person's life, but that He is not at home there. What is clearly evident from the meaning of the word dwell, as Paul uses it in this prayer, is that there is a danger that although the Lord Jesus has entered into the life of a person, He is not necessarily at home in such a person's life. It is as though He is present in such a life but not really in control of the life. He is tolerated as a lodger rather than as the landlord. He cannot be at ease and come and go as He pleases. No, his experience is that his presence there is purely tolerated. Paul's concern in this prayer is therefore not with regard to the presence of the Lord Jesus in the life of a believer, but it concerns the quality of his indwelling in the heart of such a person. What position does He hold in such a life?

When you have your own home, then you find rest. What peace do you not enjoy when you know it is your own home, there you can live and do as you please. There you can relax, receive and entertain whom you wish and just be yourself. When you come home from work, you know that you can now relax and do your own thing. In the Old Testament in Isaiah 66:1 the Lord speaks in these terms when He urgently asks his people:

His home and resting-place would be in their midst where He is at home, at ease and in control. As a result of Israel's idolatry, she was carried away in exile by Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem and the temple were levelled with the ground (2 Chron. 36:11-21). Now with the return and restoration seventy years later, there are some that reckon that when the temple is rebuilt, God will again dwell in their midst. However, the Lord explains in Isaiah 66:3-4 how He abhors the offers which they hope to bring to Him in this temple:

It may sound terrible, but this is how the Lord views mere ceremonial religion. They wanted to build a temple so that they could bring the offerings which He commanded them to bring through Moses. Because of the punishment of the exile they had to endure, they have now finished with the idols and wish to act strictly in accordance with his precepts. He, however, knows their hearts and He knows that they merely want to do this to show how devout they were. They no longer committed idolatry but brought Him offerings. To what does He compare the offerings that they wish to bring with such an inclination? According to the above text He equates this to murder and the worst form of idolatry imaginable. They wish to bring the offers that He instituted, but with the same motive as an idolater who brings his offers: to please Him. This was in order to manipulate Him to bless them in that which they wish to do. In this way they degraded God to nothing more than just another idol. Therefore He challenges them:

Surely it would not have been wrong in Old Testament context to rebuild the temple and again bring the offerings. But were they not just doing this to be able to say: "We are not as bad as our parents who worshipped idols. We worship the only true God; the God of Israel. See how we bring His offerings!"

This attitude with which they wished to bring their offerings to Him was an abomination to Him. Therefore He compares that which they do with murder and idolatry. He does not desire a physical temple in which to dwell, but rather to dwell in their midst. He longs to be their God who would be at home in their midst. To dwell in their hearts is his desire.

The Lord who knows our hearts, is the One who also asks us today: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within you?" He who knows our hearts, is the One who asks: "Where then is a house you could build for Me?" When He asks this, He declares: "... to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Today still He has no other dwelling place here on earth than the hearts of his children. Therefore it is good to heed the use of the term to dwell in the Bible.

The Ephesians understood exactly what Paul was praying for them. Rooted and grounded in the love of God, their lives had to be the dwelling place of the Lord Jesus in such a way that He would really be at home in their hearts. Let us ask ourselves the question: Has the Lord Jesus found a dwelling-place in our lives? Is it a place where He knows and experiences that He is at home and at ease? Where He is accepted and in control? Where nothing hinders his rest? Where everything happens according to his will and nothing is tolerated or allowed that does not please Him?

In Proverbs 4:23 we are commanded to:

Every thought we think, every word we speak and everything we do, has its origin in our heart. Do we really guard over each thought, word and deed like people who know that the Son of God lives in our hearts?

During the journey through the wilderness the Lord resided in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle. His presence was clearly visible in the column of clouds that ascended daily from the Holy of Holies and protected the whole nation against the heat of the sun. At night His presence was observable as a fire that provided light, heat and protection for the whole camp. When the priests took the blood from the offerings of the people into the sanctuary, how would they not have quietly worshipped the Lord? They would have been aware that He could see every thought they were thinking. In the same way, the origin of everything we think, speak and do (the springs of life) is right away present with the living God in the throne-room of our hearts. He knows and sees everything. It is enacted directly in front of his countenance. It is He who promises us with the new birth not only to give us a new heart and a new spirit, but also to come and live in our new, regenerated spirit by his Spirit (Ezek. 36:26-27). Are you sure that you have been born again? The Lord Jesus said:

He is the One who laid down his life on the cross with the promise:

Listen carefully to what He, on the way to the cross, promised us:

Do you love Him? Does He abide with you? Do you not want to set yourself apart with Him to give your life, your heart completely and unconditionally to Him? In Chronicles 16:9 we have the assurance that:

How does one get your heart there where it is surely, permanently, undividedly set upon the Lord? For that, more than just a hurried prayer is needed. It will be helpful to set yourself apart with the Lord and to settle the matter properly with Him. Do that which Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:6 and set yourself apart in order to pay attention to the Lord. Do it regularly day by day and each time voice the longing that you want to undividedly set your heart on Him. That you want Him to live in your heart and have absolute control of your whole life. That your emotions, thoughts, words and deeds would be under his control. When you pray this regularly, day by day over a period of time, you will experience that He shows you bit by bit which aspects of your life do not yet belong to Him. In this way He will help you to throw out one matter after the other and to conquer. Matters that you never thought could be sin, He will point out showing that it does not please Him. Listen to His voice and break with it. You will experience how He controls more and more of your thoughts, words and deeds. In this way, that which is true of Himself, His characteristics, will be revealed more and more in your life. That is what Paul talks about in Gal 5:22 as the fruit of the indwelling of the Lord Jesus by his Spirit in the life of the believer.

Does the Lord Jesus already dwell in your heart in this manner? He assures us:

When He speaks, either by his Spirit deep in your heart or through his Word, the Bible, listen to Him and do what He says. Be sensitive to it by not ignoring it or arguing about it. Speak to Him about it and ask Him to grant you the grace and power to be obedient to Him. In this way your life will become a life where only that which is pleasing to Him, is done. This is a life in which and through which He can reveal Himself to the world. In the heart of such a person He can really dwell. When people move into a new home, they normally go through a process through which they organise it to their taste and longing. Sometimes they even break down and rebuild some of it. The same applies when the Son of God comes to live in our lives. Just think of the first noticeable change in the life of a person that He freed from the legion of evil spirits in Mark 5:

When evil spirits live in a person, they force themselves on that person. Contrary to this, the Lord Jesus is the One who will quietly speak to you, but will leave the choice of pleasing Him, to you.

Let us pay special attention to be obedient to even the slightest prompting of the Holy Spirit. We have the promise of the Father that the Holy Spirit that He gave us, dwells in us to enable us to walk in his statutes and to observe His ordinances. It is He who strengthens us in the inner man with power through his Spirit according to "the riches of His glory". We may ask Him for that as often as we may need it.

May the Lord Jesus really dwell in your heart

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PO/Box 1367, KUILS RIVER, 7579 SOUTH-AFRICA Tel: +27 (0)21 903-1901 Fax: +27 (0)21 906-2637
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