The Heart of Jesus E-Book

Dane Ortlund

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 110

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Concise Edition of Dane Ortlund's Book Gentle and Lowly, Edited for Young Readers, New Christians, and Seekers When Christians struggle with sin, they can easily feel that God is close to giving up on them. But in Matthew 11, Jesus describes himself as "gentle and lowly in heart," longing for believers to find rest in him. The good news of the gospel flows from God's deepest love for his people.  In this concise book adapted from the bestselling Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund, readers will encounter Jesus's tender heart for sinners and sufferers. Written for a wide audience—including younger readers, new Christians, and those just beginning to explore the Christian faith—it features easy-to-read terms and helpful explanations. The chapters are also short enough to read at bedtime, around the dinner table, or during lunchtime. The Heart of Jesus dives deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is, comforting and sustaining readers with the affections of Christ for his people. - Adapted from Gentle and Lowly: Smaller chapters and sentences are ideal for younger readers and busy families, as well as those who might have difficulty reading a longer book - Provides a Unique Perspective: Confronts readers' typical thoughts on God's heart - Scripture-Based: Explores passages throughout the whole Bible to give readers a full picture of God's heart for sinners

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“This is a sweet and comforting book that will grow your knowledge, provoke your worship, and inspire your devotion. Best of all, it will help you to know, love, and trust our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Tim Challies, author, Seasons of Sorrow

“During a difficult time in my life, the Lord used Dane Ortlund to remind me of the beautiful reality of Christ’s love—that he is gentle and lowly in heart, overflowing with perfect love and compassion for sinners like me. Now, in The Heart of Jesus, we find these comforting gospel truths made even more accessible to needful, weary souls. I pray this book is read widely, leading many to draw near to Christ for cleansing mercy and true rest.”

Scott James, author, The Sower; Mission Accomplished; The Expected One; and The Risen One

“Dane Ortlund’s The Heart of Jesus is a profound journey into the very core of Christ’s being, revealing his unfathomable love and unending compassion for humanity. Through reflections on Christ’s emotions, actions, and unchanging character, Ortlund beautifully illustrates the depth of Jesus’s heart, inviting readers to experience the transformative power of his love. This book not only unveils the heart of our Savior but also reassures us of his eternal devotion, making it a must-read for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of God’s boundless love.”

Shane Pruitt, author, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe; Calling Out the Called; and Revival Generation

“As a grandfather who loves to read to his grandchildren, I’m always on the lookout for good books. I look for works that will bring them joy as well as nurture their love for the Lord. I also look forward to the day when I can give them great books to read on their own. One of the first books I plan to give them is Dane Ortlund’s The Heart of Jesus. I wouldn’t be surprised if they read it over and over—just as I have read and reread Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly.”

Randy Newman, Senior Fellow, The C. S. Lewis Institute; author, Questioning Evangelism and Questioning Faith

“During the height of the 2020 pandemic lockdown, I received a copy of Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly. I’m not sure if there was ever a more perfect book for me, personally, at just the right time. It gave me life. I am thankful that Ortlund’s scriptural thoughts on the heart of Jesus will now be accessible to those in the multigenerational church I pastor, people I desperately want to see realize the Savior’s love. I believe the church will be strengthened in our affections for Christ as we grow in knowledge of his heart for us. The gospel is indeed good news. Ortlund has served us greatly by putting together this much shorter and more reader-friendly version of what I consider to be his modern classic. What a gift to be reminded of the Savior who runs to our suffering and sin rather than away from it. Take in this deep breath of fresh air.”

Dean Inserra, Pastor, City Church, Tallahassee, Florida; author, The Unsaved Christian and A Short Guide to Church: What Is It All About?

“When I read Gentle and Lowly, it changed my life! In 47 years in church, I’d never noticed that Jesus described himself this way. It was also mind-boggling to see how Dane Ortlund described Father God as so gracious, based on Jesus’s words, when I’d been taught more of the wrath and anger of God. As a public high school English teacher, I’ve seen how today’s students have fallen behind in their reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition, and how their attention spans have shortened. For most of them, the original version would go over their heads, or they would give up trying to read it. I am thrilled that The Heart of Jesus has been created, and I cannot wait to tell students and church youth groups about it!”

Jen C., mother and teacher, North Carolina

Praise for Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly:

“Beyond the tangible gift of this book lies the intangible gift of the gospel that Gentle and Lowly shares with anyone who has the privilege of reading it. Our humble fellowship has chosen to read it together so that we may all better know the ‘single diamond’ of Christ’s heart, as conveyed in both this book and the word of God.”

Thomas, inmate, San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, California

The Heart of Jesus

The Heart of Jesus

How He Really Feels about You

Dane Ortlund

The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels about You

© 2024 by Dane Ortlund

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

This book is adapted from Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020).

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2024

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-9373-4 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-9375-8 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-9374-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ortlund, Dane Calvin, author.

Title: The heart of Jesus : how he really feels about you / Dane C. Ortlund.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2024. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023048462 (print) | LCCN 2023048463 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433593734 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433593741 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433593758 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Spiritual life—Christianity. | Heart—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Jesus Christ.

Classification: LCC BV4501.3 .O77 2024 (print) | LCC BV4501.3 (ebook) | DDC 232—dc23/eng/20240213

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023048462

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023048463

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2024-06-27 08:23:41 AM

Affectionately dedicated, with all my heart, to my five magnificent kids: Zach, Nate, Jer, Chloe, and Ben

“But please, please—won’t you—can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?”

Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great front feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.

“My son, my son,” said Aslan.

C. S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew

Contents

Introduction

1  His Very Heart

2  His Heart in Action

3  The Happiness of Christ

4  Able to Sympathize

5  I Will Never Cast Out

6  To the Uttermost

7  The Beauty of the Heart of Christ

8  The Emotional Life of Christ

9  A Tender Friend

10  Why the Spirit?

11  Father of Mercies

12  The Lord, the Lord

13  His Ways Are Not Our Ways

14  Yearning for You

15  Rich in Mercy

16  He Loved Us Then; He’ll Love Us Now

17  To the End

18  Buried in His Heart Forevermore

Conclusion: The Point of This Whole Book

Acknowledgments

General Index

Scripture Index

Introduction

This is a book about the heart of Jesus Christ. Who is he? Who is he really?

What is most natural to him? What flows out most freely?

Who is he?

In 2020 Crossway published a fuller version of the book you are now holding. It was called Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. The purpose of this concise version of that book is to make the content more readable for a variety of other readers—young people, new believers, or anyone who would like to reflect on Christ’s heart in a shorter, more accessible format. Much has been dropped and much has been lightly rewritten with these different audiences in mind. The result is this book, The Heart of Jesus.

Both this concise edition and the longer version have the same goal: to help Christians to see that Jesus is wonderfully different than what we think.

We tend to think that Jesus loves us when we’re doing well, and puts up with us when we’re not doing so well. But the Bible teaches us something different, something surprising. The love of Christ for us is just as strong when we are at our worst—and in a certain kind of way that we’ll explore, his love grows even stronger when we are at our worst.

When we are in pain or even when we are sinning—how does Jesus feel about us? Do you ever wonder what Jesus thinks of you? The Bible answers this question with a wondrous surprise.

It is one thing to ask what Christ has done. And there are many good books on that topic of how he saves us from sin and hell. In this book, we are not focusing mainly on what Christ has done. We are considering who he is. These two matters (what he has done and who he is) are closely connected. But they are also distinct. The gospel not only gives us a clean record; it also sweeps us into Christ’s very heart.

You might know that Christ died and rose again on your behalf to rinse you clean of all your sin; but do you know his deepest heart, his deepest feelings, for you? Do you live with a knowledge of what he did on the cross to forgive your sins? But do you also live with a knowledge of his longing heart for you amid your sins?

A wife may tell you many qualities about her husband—his height, his eye color, his education, his job, his friends, his hobbies, his personality, and his favorite sports team. But what can she say about his knowing gaze across the table over a dinner at their favorite restaurant? That look reflects years of their ever-deepening friendship, thousands of conversations and arguments through which they have safely come, and a settled assurance of embrace come what may. That glance speaks in a moment of his loving care more clearly than a thousand words. In short, what could she say to communicate about her husband’s heart for her?

It is one thing to know what your husband says and does and looks like. It is something else, something deeper and more real, to know his heart for you.

So it is with Christ. It is one thing to know the truths that he is God and that he is coming back one day and a hundred other vital doctrines. It is another, deeper matter to know his heart for you.

Who is he?

1

His Very Heart

I am gentle and lowly in heart.

Matthew 11:29

My dad once pointed out to me something that he’d learned from the old British preacher Charles Spurgeon. In the four Gospel accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—eighty-nine chapters of the Bible—there’s only one place where Jesus tells us about his own heart.

We learn much in the four Gospels about Christ’s teaching. We read of his birth, his ministry, and his disciples. We are told of his travels and prayer habits. We find lengthy speeches and teachings. We learn of the way he understood himself to fulfill the whole Old Testament. And we learn in all four accounts of his unjust arrest and shameful death and astonishing resurrection.

But in only one place—perhaps the most wonderful words ever uttered by human lips—do we hear Jesus himself open up to us his very heart:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)