The Transformed Life part 2

The Transformed Life part 2 Jesus said unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you. This was a startling statement that caused many who followed Jesus to stop following Him. This is because the natural mind cannot receive the things of God. I Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.   We saw in the last issue how that words, especially words that proceed from God have life in them and this life can transform us.  John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Jesus was saying that His words contain a life force that is able to sustain and transform us. Words that come to us as revelation have a direct influence not only on our spirit but also on our physical body; the importance of this cannot be overstated. This highlights the tremendous importance of having the Lord speak to us daily, this is our daily bread this is the air we breathe. This quickening of our spirit and body is necessary if we are to live and grow in spiritual stature as well as maintaining a healthy body. Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. The importance and value of communion We now come back to .. John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.   The multitudes, which came to see Jesus and see the miracles He performed, saw Jesus multiply the five loaves and two fishes and later they came back for more, and when Jesus told them they had to eat His flesh and drink His blood they ridiculed Him. Later when the ministry of Jesus was completed, the evening before He was to die he said this. 1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Notice Jesus said; this bread is my body and this cup is my blood, He did not say this is an emblem or symbol of my body and blood. When we partake of communion we see bread and wine; how then can it be His flesh and Blood? What does this mean? The Catholics teach that the bread and wine must first be transformed into the body and blood of Jesus; this is known as the Doctrine of Transubstantiation and this transformation i.e. turning the bread into the literal blood of Jesus and likewise the bread into the literal body of Jesus could only be achieved by the blessing of the priest. Martin Luther strongly opposed this doctrine; however we Evangelical Christians tend to throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak, and in doing so often miss a vital truths which we need to understand. The key to understanding what Jesus was saying is found in the word “blessed”   Note: Matthew 14:19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. What happened to the bread when Jesus blessed it? It underwent a change, life or virtue was added to it which caused it to multiply. To bless is to impart something, usually this was done with the laying on of hands when one person blessed another. We are told to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover as virtue is imparted to the sick person. Likewise when Jesus blessed the bread and wine something was imparted to it that causes a miracle to happen. Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. What happened to the bread when Jesus blessed it?  Something was imparted to it, and we are told to do likewise, 1 Corinthains 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.     The apostle Paul here is teaching on the subject of communion or the breaking of bread. He then continues on to talk about how this is not to be done casually or without thought and understanding. 1 Corinthains 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. The word unworthily here is the Greek word anaxios, and means irreverently or to treat as common, to take lightly.  The word damnation here is the Greek word krima and means by ones choice or action has judged himself unworthy. The word discerning here is the Greek word diakrino,  and means; to separate thoroughly or make a difference. Now what does all this mean? Paul is saying because they were taking the Lords table or communion as a normal meal v33 they were missing out on the real benefits of the table of the lord. Because they did not discern or make a difference between a normal meal and the table of the Lord many were sick. Paul was saying when we partake of the Lords supper or communion it is not the same as eating a normal meal. The bread and the wine in the Lords supper have been blessed and the life of the resurrection body of Jesus imparted to the bread and the power and substance of the Lords blood imparted to the wine. We must discern and make a difference between a normal bread and blessed communion bread and wine, if we don’t we are open to sickness and death. This is not the doctrine of transubstantiation but it is the teaching of Jesus that the life in taking communion is available to us, which if understand and enterer into daily will dramatically make a difference in your life. Just a Adam was to come to the tree of life in order to continue to live, we also must also understand that Jesus is the tree of life, when we understand that communion is coming to the tree of life and we in faith to receive this life, transformation will occur and we will be changed and live in the life of Jesus. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Blessings Neville Johnson February 10, 2009