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CHAPTER 9
HE’S ALIVE
I stood against the wall for three days and three nights, thinking about all the things which had transpired wondering what would become of me now. The Soldiers were still gathering wood at dusk to make a fire to warm themselves with at night; but for some reason, they had not seen me leaning up against the wall nearby.
On the third day I watched as the sun rose over the top of the Mount of Olives. The grass and the flowers were wet with sparkling dew drops. The sky was a deep blue, and I could hear the birds sweetly singing for the first time since I was brought down from the mountain. “How strange,” I thought, “everything looks so bright and clear this morning.”
Oh how I wished I could go back in time to my home on the Mount of Olives. I wished Jesus was there praying by the rock underneath my branches once again. I longed for the past, but I knew it could never be that way again. Once you are dead, it is all over. “There is no going back to what once was, and there is no future for a dead tree like me,” I thought.
I looked over at the spike still clinging to my left beam and then over to the right beam where His hands had been nailed to me. I looked down and saw the spike which nailed the feet of Jesus to me. I was covered with the Blood which flowed from His veins. I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself.
I remembered the pain and agony He suffered as He was nailed to me just a few days ago. The spikes were still colored a deep red from the Blood which flowed from His broken and battered body. He had been so badly beaten and His body so marred that He was unrecognizable as a man.
I remembered when Jesus quoted to His Disciples from the scripture the words “HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, HE WAS BRUSIED FOR OUR INIQUITIES: THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM; AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED. HE WAS OPPRESSSED, AND HE WAS AFFLICTED, YET HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH: HE WAS BROUGHT AS A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, AND AS A SHEEP BEFORE HER SHEARERS IS DUMB, YET HE OPENED NOT HIS MOUTH.” Surely He had predicted His own death.
I looked at myself, and His Blood was all over me! His Blood had seeped deep within me. I looked down where my horizontal and vertical beams came together to form a Cross, and saw a heart etched into my chest. It looked as though the heart had been formed and created by His Blood. Inscribed in the center of the Heart were the words, “I LOVE YOU.”
“How did that get there?” I wondered. I then remembered when He was dying on the Cross how I could feel His heart beating right next to mine. I could feel the power of His love as I had heard Him cry out: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise. I looked over in the direction of the Tomb and saw that the stone which had been placed there had been ROLLED AWAY! The Soldiers had fallen asleep and the noise of the stone being rolled away had not awakened them.
“What is taking place?” I wondered! Then I saw the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. This man who people called Jesus of Nazareth walked out of the Tomb. HE WAS ALIVE! I couldn’t believe my eyes. “It is Him,” I cried. “HE IS ALIVE-HE IS ALIVE!” “HE IS ALIVE FOREVER MORE!” I shouted with joy over and over “HE IS ALIVE”. My heart rejoiced within me HE’S ALIVE, HE’S ALIVE forevermore, HE IS ALIVE. I don’t know how it happened, but somehow “HE IS ALIVE,” I shouted those words again and again. I could not contain the joy within in my heart!
I was so happy that He was alive that I forgot about all the thoughts of the past which had plagued me for years. I was thankful that the Soldiers had not used me as fire wood to keep them warm so I could witness Him coming out of the Tomb ALIVE. I shouted over and over with exceeding great joy. I didn’t understand how, but He Was Alive. The words rang over and over in my mind and in my heart, “HE IS ALIVE!”
There were so many things I had seen that I didn’t understand. I had seen Him die. I even took part in His death, yet, now HE IS ALIVE. “How can this be?” I thought. My heart leaped within me. Now, I wanted to live forever because Jesus was alive. I knew now for certain that He was the Son of God! God did not leave Him in the Tomb, but came to His rescue, and raised Him from the dead.
What joy filled my soul. “This is too good to be true,” I thought. “Were my eyes deceiving me?” I questioned. This man whom I helped crucify was standing outside His Tomb ALIVE.
I had seen Him die. I felt His lifeless body next to mine just three days ago as He hung next to me. I knew He was dead. I felt His heart stop beating. I felt His body go limp, and I felt his Blood pouring all over me and all through me. I saw His Blood cease to flow. I saw them prepare His body for burial, and I saw them place Him in the Tomb. I knew He was dead!
Again, my thoughts went back to the time when He taught His Disciples underneath my branches. I could feel His love and peace covering me again and again flowing over me, just as it had when He prayed on the mountain. I then remembered Him telling His Disciples He must spend three days and nights in the heart of the earth.
I remembered hearing Him say that His Father would raise Him from the dead after three days so that all men could live and be free from death. All men could go to Heaven and live with Him for eternity if they believed upon His Name.
It was at that moment I realized that Jesus truly was the Son of God. GOD WAS HIS FATHER. I was beginning to understand why He was crucified. He died so all men could LIVE through His sacrifice. God loved man so much that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON as a sacrifice to make a way for mankind to be saved from all unrighteousness and death.
“But what about me? Could His words possibly apply to me?” I questioned. There I stood leaning against the wall with His Blood all over me. I had been such a burden to Him, and even participated in His death. What chance is there for me to be forgiven for what I had done to Him. After all, it was because of my sins He was crucified.
My heart sank within me. The feelings of despair and hopelessness were plaguing me again. I felt so ashamed. “Could He also forgive an ugly, bitter Olive tree like me?” I wondered.
Suddenly, He turned toward me and started walking in my direction. He walked toward the Gate of the Cemetery and stopped. The entire time He never took His eyes off of me.
I tried to hide myself. I wouldn’t dare look at Him. I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself. After all, I was the Cross that He had carried to His death. But there was nowhere for me to hide.
I was hoping He would not be angry with me for what I had been. I didn’t choose to do what I had done. I had no strength within myself to keep me from doing all the wrong things I had done in my life. I was guilty of the worst crime in the universe. I had been the instrument of the death of the Son of God.
Again, my thoughts took me back to the times on the mountain when He would come to pray and teach His Disciples about God. I remembered Him teaching them that they must forgive those people who would persecute and revile them, and do all manner of evil against them. If I could just ask Him to forgive me for what I had done, maybe He would find it in His heart to forgive me. I thought of the wrong paths I had taken-- all the times I disobeyed my father, and all the unforgiveness and malice I had in my own heart.
I could go on for hours with all the things I wished I had not done, but was helpless to stop myself from doing them. Yet, somehow, I knew He would forgive me of all the things in my past—all I had to do was ask Him. Then in my heart I prayed this prayer:
JESUS, PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR ALL THE WRONG THINGS I HAVE DONE IN MY LIFE. FORGIVE ME FOR BEING THE INSTRUMENT OF YOUR DEATH. I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS YOUR FATHER AND THAT HE LOVED ME SO MUCH THAT HE ALLOWED YOU, HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, TO DIE ON A CRUEL CROSS ON CALVARY FOR MY SINS. I THANK YOU FOR THE SACRIFICE YOU MADE IN DYING FOR ME AND SHEDDING YOUR BLOOD AT CALVARY. I BELIEVE THAT GOD RAISED YOU FROM THE DEAD SO I CAN BE A TREE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOW, AND I KNOW THAT YOU CAME TO BLEED AND DIE FOR ME SO THAT YOU MAY CLEANSE ME FROM ALL SIN. I KNOW NOW WHY YOU WERE CRUCIFIED AND I BELIEVE NOW THAT YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD. I KNOW THAT YOU WERE CRUCIFIED FOR MY SINS. I KNOW THAT YOUR BLOOD COVERS AND CLEANSES ME FROM ALL OF MY SINS. I THANK YOU THAT YOU WERE WOUNDED FOR MY TRANSGRESSIONS AND BRUISED FOR MY INIQUITIES. I THANK YOU THAT YOU MADE A WAY FOR ME TO LIVE WITH YOU IN HEAVEN FOREVER.
He looked me straight in the eyes. Then with a shimmering smile on His face, He said: “I AM HE WHO ONCE WAS DEAD, BUT NOW I LIVE TO HELP THOSE WHO CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES. I FORGIVE YOU OF YOUR SINS AND TRESSPASSES. BE OF GOOD CHEER, MY FRIEND, FOR I SHALL MAKE OF YOU A PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, I HAVE MADE YOU A TREE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND YOU SHALL DWELL WITH ME IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD FOREVER.”
At that moment, I knew in my heart that everything would be all right. A thousand burdens lifted off me and I knew He had forgiven me. His Blood had covered me and washed away all the sin, hopelessness, despair and grief I knew. My life would never be the same again. I had found the peace my heart desired through the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION and by my faith in HIS BLOOD.
When we call ourselves Christians we are acknowledging that we have been to the Cross and our identity is found in Him through His sufferings. We believe that He suffered and died a horrible death, and that God raised Him from the dead. We have become a new creation in Christ Jesus through the power of His Blood, which cleanses us from all wrong. Like sheep we have all gone astray. Like DEAD trees we deserve nothing, but to be thrown in the fire to be burned. God does not wish that anyone should perish in the fire, but desires that all men would repent of their sins and receive ETERNAL LIFE through faith in Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: NEVERLTHELESS YET I LIVE; YET NOT I, BUT CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.” Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 20.
Paul also wrote: “FROM HENCEFORTH LET NO MAN TROUBLE ME: FOR I BEAR IN MY BODY THE MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS.” Galatians, Chapter 6, Verse 17.
“THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE: OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD, AL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW.” 1 Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, or if you have backslidden or not where you should be in the Lord—please pray this prayer and Ask Jesus to come into your heart and life:
FATHER I COME TO YOU IN THE NAME OF YOUR SON JESUS. I ADMIT THAT I AM A SINNER AND THAT I HAVE COME SHORT OF YOUR GLORY. I BELIEVE JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS AND THAT YOU RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD. I KNOW THAT I AM THE TREE IN THIS STORY, AND THAT IT IS BECAUSE OF MY SINS HE DIED. I AM SORRY FOR ALL THE SINS I HAVE COMMITTED. PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND COME INTO MY HEART RIGHT NOW. I ALSO ASK YOU TO FILL ME WITH YOUR HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.
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