Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-11-04

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON VI, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, NOV. 5.
Near i. & O. Freight Depot.

NATIONAL SERIES, NOV. 5.
Text of the Lesson, Cor. XIV. 12-26-DIem-
DRY Verses, 20-23-GoIden Text, Cor.
Nv, 57-Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
Stearns.
l2. Now if Christ be preached that He
rose from the dead, how say some among
you that there is no resurrection of the
dead?" The resurrection of the dead is one
of the oldest of Bible truths, believed by
David Cps. xvi 0, 10Y, firmly held by Job
Dob xix, 25, o. also the margin) and en-
braced by the antediluvians as taught in
the cherubim Heb. ri, l3).
10. but if there be no resurrection of the
dead, then is Christ not risen" The Sad
ducees believed that there was no resurrec
ton, neither angel, nor spirit duke xx, "a;
Acts xiii, s., and the wisdom of Greece
Knocked at the idea of resurrection ACTS
xvii, 32). a letter just to hand from Japan
tells of congregation to whom the gospel
was being preached, and when they heard
of the resurrection and ascension Of our
Lord some one in the audience cried out,
NO; no denying these glorious facts"
Il. And if Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain and your faith is also
vain AS it was foretold that Christ
should rise from the dead, if He rose not
the Scriptures are broken, and if broken
therefore unreliable, and we have no foun
dation on which to rest, no gospel to
preach, no Saviour in whom to trust. If
q man who is surety for another goes to
prison for the debt, his continuance in
prison proves the debt unpaid, while his
release shows settlement. Christ not
risen would prove the debt unpaid.
Is. YEA, and we are found false wit
nesses of God because we have testified of
God that lie raised up Christ, whom He
raised not up, if so be that the dead rise
not" The great point of the apostles
preaching was the resurrection of Christ
(see Acts ii, 81; iii, Is; ", 3, SO; V, 30; X, 80,
40: xiii, 33), and if they had been teaching
falsely then they were liars and deserved
the wrath of God, but God had Endorsed
their teaching by many miracles Mark
xvi, 90; Acts viii, 49,.
l6. For if the dead rise not then is not
Christ raised" With the records of the
Old Testament concerning the boys raised
to life by both Elijah and Elisha one would
think that 10 Jew could deny the resur-
rection, but then, rs now, there were both
Jews and gentiles who laughed at the
supernatural and miraculous. In Jesus
days on earth they could not deny the resur-
rection of Lazarus, but it only angered
them so that they wanted to kill Him
John xii, 10y.
II. And if Christ be not raised your
faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" He
Il ntfpnSnS and
raised again for our justification (Ron. iv,
25). If lie be not raised, where is our JUS
tiiication? But since He died and rose again
and is at Gods right hand for us, there is
no one to condemn, and there is no con
domination Rom. viii, 3D.
IS. "Thcn they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are persisted" Such teach
ers as Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed
are dead teachers and cannot save. Their
followers perish. Our Christ is alive for
evermore, as he said to John on Patmos
over so years after his ascension, and has
all power even over hell and death (Rev. i,
Il, lS); therefore His sheep can never perish
John y, 81, 2ol.
49, IF in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Faithfulness to Christ and His gospel will
always provoke opposition from world
living in the wicked one John xvi, ?, 80: ii
Tim. iii, II; | John Y, 19); it will give ns
anything but Il pleasant time, as far as
friendship and surroundings go. There
fore If there be 10 future, rest and recon-
pense we are most miserable and great fools.
But see Rom viii, Is; ! Pet. xii, 10.
20. but now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the first fruits of them
that slept" Hundreds of His followers
saw Him after His resurrection, and Ste
phen, Paul and John each saw Him after
His ascension oversees q, s, with Acts vii, 90,
IS; Rev. i, Ii. He was the first to rise
from thedead never to die again (Acts XVI
%; Rev i, 81, the first fruits typiiied in the
sheaf presented to the Lord on the morrow
after the Passover Sabbath QIey. xiii
10, H.
81. For since by man came death by
man came also the resurrection of the
dead BY one man sin entered into the
world aud death by SIN. Through the Of
Tense of one many are dead, but see the
grace of God, and the gift by grace, that by
one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto
many, even unto all who receive Him
Rom V. u. 10. John i, ~.
-. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive" All with
out exception are in Adam, and consequent
ly by nature children of wrath and dead in
trespasses in sins (Eph. ii, 8, 81 but not all
are in Christ, as that position necessitates
the new birth-the receiving of Christ as
their Saviour John iii, 3, ); i, ~. All who
are truly in Christ shall surely be made
alive as to their bodies and take part in the
first resurrection (Rev. Xxx, O..
%. But every man in his own order
Christ the first fruits; afterward they that
are Christ's, mt his coming" The word
translated order" signifies a company oil
band or legion and is used only here 1t is
suggestive OF the various companies who
shall take part in the first resurrection
more definitely referred to in Rev. Y, vii
xiv. Observe the long period covered by
the word 'afterward.p 1t is now over ,s1i
years since Christ. the first fruits, rose, and
we still wait for the "afterward."
"a. Then eometh the end, when He
shall have delivered up the kingdom &c
God, even the Father; when He shall Lave
put down all rule and all authority and
powlr." As the "afterward" has already
covered SO long period, so the then" will
cover at least the Thousand years during
which He with us will subdue all thing:
unto Himself REV. V, 10; Xxx. o..
Is. For He must reign till He hath PM
all enemies under His feet" He is able Il
subdue all things unto Himself, and II,
will phil iii, 2l). To Him every kne,
shall bow Ophil. ii, i0). Yea, all kings shall
fall down before Him. All nations shal
serve Him lPs. Xxi, ID. He is now at tn,
Fathers right hand on the Fathers throns
Grew iii, 2ll.
III. The last enemy that shall be de
stroyed is death" 1t would seem from lisa
lxv, 20, that there will be death during th'
thousand years, for 1t is not till the end o.
that period that death and hades shall b,
East into the lake of fire REV Xxx, IA Bal
the time will come when on this earth theTS
shall be no more death tltev. xxi, ~ Oh
serve that death is an enemy, and We arr
nowhere taught to love it Let US nevel
think OF death as in any sense the coming
OF Christ. At death the believer goes to b,
with Christ, and then, as now. Christ i,
with us, but at the coming of Christ see ID
verses 81. 81, with | Thess. iy. .6-lS. whal
shall take place