Death Defeated Pt 2: The Life of Christ is Our Example By Pastor Sue Hampton 0

Let’s go back to the mysterious verses about Christ being the Bread of Life.

Jesus had just said that He is The Living Bread, if anyone would eat this bread he would live forever.

Jn.6:.52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat?

Notice that they did not ask Jesus to explain, they just murmured about it among themselves. They could have asked Him.  Jesus didn’t make it any easier by confirming what He meant.

Vs. 53-58 The Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Wow! He added insult to their offense by adding…drink My Blood!  Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks My Blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He that eats My flesh, and drinks My Blood dwells in me and I in him.  As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by Him; so he that eats me, even he shall live by Me.  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dad: he that eats of this bread shall live for ever.

Vs.66-67 From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will you also go away?

Jesus had said words that were impossible to understand by the carnal mind. Even some of His own disciples walked away.  But, for those who choose to stay, not because they understand hard things, but because they love Him, and are committed to follow only Him; to them He will give understanding.  Let’s not walk away from this mystery, but rather stick around and learn what He meant.

I love the verse in Jer.33:3 Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things you know not.  When I run across verses that are hard to understand, I start calling to Him for revelation. And I keep calling until I find my answers. Sometimes it takes many years, and much study, but at last the mysteries unravel.  I believe that is how I gained great insight to this section of Scripture.

The first meaning is obvious: If Christ lives in you, then you will live eternally. This is interpreted as our life after physical death. It refers to our spiritual life in heaven.  It’s a wonderful truth to know that we cannot die. We have life eternal. This old body may wear out, but our real self is never going to cease.  But, there’s another revelation that can change our life on earth.  That is the power of Christ inside of us while we are still here.  He didn’t only come to pay for our sins.  He came to example how we are to live in the flesh.

He chose not to come in the form of God, but in the flesh of man, just like us. He depended on Father God for everything. Why? For our example!  In that example of Christ, in the flesh, we find the understanding of ‘eat My Flesh’. We’re instructed to devour the Scriptures to see how He lived, what He talked about, and what He did. Our nourishment is the Word of God that reveals the life that our Lord lived ….in His flesh.  And that’s how we ‘eat His Flesh’, …..by letting Him continue His life through us.

He promised, that if we would do that, we could live exactly the same way He lived, by full dependence on His own Spirit in us.  That means that He wants to do the same things He did when He was here, but through our flesh.

Drinking His Blood refers to our constant refreshing through the mercy that His Blood provides for us. We must partake of that mercy for our own needs, and then offer the living waters to others as we forgive them, just as He did.  So, in our study of Death Defeated, what does that mean?  He raised the dead!  One of the miracles Christ performed was calling people back to life.

A Young Man  / Through Touch

Luke 7: 12-17 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was with her.  And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.  And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

When I read that Jesus had compassion on her, I had mixed emotions. I love His compassion! I’ve definitely experienced it in my own life. It’s awesome! But, I worried that, if I had to have great compassion in order to be a minister of life, then I’d fail. I don’t have enough compassion to heal anyone, much less raise the dead.

But, guess what?  I don’t have to have compassion.  I just have to believe In Who He Is!  He Is the one who is full of compassion, not me. 

I believe in His compassion. If He tells me to let Him touch her through my hands, His compassion will heal, or …even raise the dead. All I have to do is be listening, and obey His voice.

His compassion is so powerful that He didn’t even have to touch the boy. He touched the base of the coach that carried the casket. His LOVE is so powerful that it penetrated the wood of the coach, then the casket, then went into the dead body and released LIFE.