Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-04-07
9nttrnational ge5solls.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 10.

Text of the Lesson, Cor. XIV, 12-28-Mem
ory Verses, 2O-23-Golden Text, Cor
Nv, 2O-Commentary by the Rev. d. M
Stearns.
While for this week we turn from the
regular lesson In the Acts to special resur
rection lesson, the connection Of thought
is not broken, for in the next lesson in or
der (Acts xi, 1926 the great number of be-
levers in Antioch and elsewhere were wor
through the preaching of Jesus and the
resurrection, and it was the power of His
resurrection that led them to send relici
every man according to his ability, to tn
brethren in JudRa by the hands of Barna
bas and Saul.
12, 19. "If there be no resurrection OF
the dead, then is Christ not risen" Tho
Sadducees taught that there is no resur-
rection, neither angel nor spirit (Acts xxi,
81, and everywhere the apostles seemed tc
find those who hated the doctrine Of the
resurrection (Acts ", 2; XVI, 8; xvii, 32).
But it is the great fact which crowns all in
the work Of Christ. BY it He was with
power declared to be the Son of God Rom.
l. ~, and we must believe in our hearts
that God raised Him from the dead (Rom.
K, 9; Thess. iv, 14).
IA, 10. eff Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain" And all the apostles would be
scored as false witnesses for preaching
what was not true. The resurrection OF
Christ from tho dead is the assurance to al
men that He is indeed the Son of David,
the Messiah of Israel and the Judge of all
men (Acts Ii, 29-31; xvii, 8D. AS surety
for us He was delivered for our offenses,
but if He is not raised from the dead there
is no Justification for the sinner, for the
surety remains in prison Rom. iv, 25).
Unless Christ is alive from the dead there
is no gospel to preach, no glad tidings for
sinners, and all preachers arc fools and liars.
16, II. eff Christ be not raised, your
faith Is vain; ye are yet in your sins" A
dead Christ has no power to save or to for.
give sins, and think that is the force OF
the question in verse 80. Why baptize any
one in the name of dead Christ? Israel
was baptized unto Moses as living leader
in the cloud and in the sea Il Cor. x, l, q.
Our Christ is alive from the dead, an i'm
mortal man, the God man, having all
power in heaven and on earth. At Gods
right hand He is the assurance to every
believer of the forgiveness of sins, for there
could not be ut Gods right hand one on
whom any sin was resting.
18. "Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished. If Christ
is not at Gods right iland, alive forever
more, then Stephen was deceived and lied
when he said, II see the Son of Man stand
ing on the right hand of God" (Acts vii,
56). Ananias lied when he said to Saul,
"The Lord Jesus appeared unto thee in the
way US thou oamcst'' (Acts tx, ~, and all
Paul's testimony us to the dead being ab-
sent from tho body and present with the
Lord QI Cor. V, s; Phil, i, 81, 23) is sim
ply without foundation.
10. "If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we arc of all men most miserable. "
The present life of tho believer is set forth
by the Holy Spirit both in the gospels
and the epistles rs II life Of tribulation and
affliction and suffering John xvi, 33; Col
i, "a; Pet. ii, 20, 81; iv, 12, 13), life OF
such treatment from the world as Christ
Himself received (John XIV, 1920, but the
sufferings are not worthy to be compared
with the glory to be revealed, and we are
ever to consider Christ and His sufferings
lest we grow weary and faint (Rom. viii,
IS; Heb. xii, 8; John xiv, y.
30. "But now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the first fruits Of them
that slept" In verses 8 to Paul men
tions six different appearances Of Christ
after His resurrection, and there are ut
least five others recorded Thus He showed
Himself alive after His passion by many
infallible proofs (Acts /, 81, speaking much
of the kingdom during those 40 days be-
tween His resurrection and visible ascen-
sion, the kingdom which is associated with
the resurrection of the saints ut the second
coming of Christ oversees 50-54; Isa. XIV,
8, 8; Dan. xii, /, 2; Acts iii, 90, 81; Math.
XIV, 81, 32).
81, 22 "For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the
dead, for as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive" In verse As
Adam and Christ are spoken of US the first
Adam and the last Adam. The first
UEOuRuO 5lA oho oS<tIll NpOh OiO 3oNO, coo
the last has brought life and resurrection
for all who will accept Him. All are of
necessity in Adam, the one man by whom
sin entered the world (Rom. v, 10, 18, 19),
all who accept Christ are in Christ and en-
Joy the benefits of His righteousness, which
are sufficient for all who will accept Him,
and whosoever will may (Rev. xii, ~.
%. "But every man in his own order,
Christ the first fruits, afterward they that
are Christs at His coming" In Col. l, 1S,
and Rev. /, 5, Christ is called the frstborn
or first begotten from the dead, for by vir-
tue Of His resurrection all resurrections
have taken place or will take place. Both
just and unjust shall rise from their graves
(Acts xiv, 15), but there shall be an inter-
val of 1000 years between them. Rev. Xxx,
s, 6, is very plain upon this.
"a. "Then cometh the end, when He
shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father" The "afterward"
of the previous verse hos already covered
over /, 800 years since Christ rose from the
dead. The "then" of this verse will cover
the thousand years of the millennium, after
which will come the new heavens and earth
wherein dwelleth righteousness, when God
shall be all in all (verses .2S, 80; II Pet
iii, 13). Inasmuch as "He is able to sub
due all things unto Himself" phil Ill,
2I and will eventually, why not trust
HiEI even now to subdue us fully unto
Himself and make us wholly new creatures
to His gloryp (Rev. xxi, 81
25, 26. "For Ho must reign till He hath
put all enemies under His feet. The last
euemy that shall be destroyed Is death. |"
When He thus reigns and subdues, we are
to reign with Him (Rev. V, 10; Xxx, 4, 81.
See also Ps. cxlix. He is now ut the Fa-
theirs right hand on the Fathers throne
waiting for the completion of His body,
the church, but after that He will sit on
His own throne to judge the nations and
rule the world in righteousness (Math.
1xxv, 81; Acts xvii, 81. Then shall we
be manifested with Him (Col. iii, 4;
John iii, q; also Rev. Iii, 81. So time
will come when on this earth there shall