Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-03-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LEssoNxiH. FIRST QUARTER. INTERNA-
. TIoNAL SERIES, MARCH 81.

Vext OF thS Lesson Co.. XIV, 1&-21e
65-5S-Memory Verse, 57-GoIden
Text, I Cor. XIV, 2O-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. D. NJ. stearns.
TCopyright, 1907, by American Press Association
Having the choice of an Easter les
son instead Of 9. review OF the quarter,
we gladly chose the resurrection story,
though in the review there is resurrec-
ton also, in the cherubIm, in Noah and
his family coming safely through the
waters of judgment to new earth, in
the giving back Of Isaac, etc. The
very first assurance of a deliverer
(Gen. Ill, 10 has in it the resurrection,
as well as the suffering of the de-
liyerer.
Instead Of taking the verses assigned
as lesson from this marvellous resur-
rection chapter, we prefer to take the
whole chapter, noticing, to begin with,
the effect that the resurrection OF
Christ when truly received will have
upon the belieyer-he will be steadfast,
unmovable, always Astounding in the
work of the Lord, knowing that his
labor is never In vain In the Lord
(verse So, because he Is identified
with One who IL alive forevermore and
has all power In heaven and on earth.
The first portion of the chapter, to
verse 10, states fully the gospel empha-
sizing six of the ten or twelve resur-
| rection appearances of Christ and
| proving that, apart from His resurrec
| ton, there Is no gospel, no salvation,
no forgiveness of sins, nothing to
preach. The gospel is simply stated in
verses 3 and 4-Christ died for our
sins, He was buried, He rose again the
third day, and ell this according to the
Scriptures. It is written In Acts K, 43,
] ''To Him give all the prophets witness,
that through His name whosoever be-
lieyeth in Him shall receive remission
of SINS On that great resurrection
day we read that Christ said to the
| two with whom He walked to En-
maus, "Ought not Christ to have suf-
fered those things and to enter into
His glory?" And, beginning at Moses
! and all the prophets, He expounded I'M
/ to them In all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself duke xiv, %, 27).
The same evening as He went with
| the eleven He Endorsed Moses and the
| prophets and the psalms and opened
| their understanding that they might
| understand the Scriptures and said,
| "Thus 1t is written and thus it be-
I hooved Christ to suffer and to rise
| from the dead the third day and that
repentance and remission Of sins
should be preached in His name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem"
| duke xiv, HID. Unless His resur-
| rection means SO much to us that we
! long to preach the gospel to every
creature, 1t is evident that we have
not yet been endued with power from
on high. We must SO see Jesus risen
| and giorified that we shall fall to zero
| In our own estimation and learn to say
| truly, mot /, but the grace Of God,
! which was with me'' q Cor. XIV, 8, 10).
Then, as to our message, we must re-
ceive 1t from God as Paul did verse -.
| See also Jer. 1, 10; John xii, 40, for
anything that comes merely from our
selves will count for nothing.
Then the gospel that does not in
clude the resurrection of the believer
| and our subsequent reign with Him till
all enemies shall be put under Him,
even death itself, is not full gospel
| oversees 21-28). BY the first Adam
came sin and death, by the last Adam
came life and resurrection, and all who
are Christ's shall have resurrection
bodies at his coming Verse 23). No
tice this whole age, already 1900 years,
covered by the word "afterward," and
the millennlal age covered by the
| word "then' of verse "a. The highest
mountain peak Of Scripture is In verse
| %, In the words, ''that God may be all
| In ALL" We may even now in some
! measure anticipate that time by let
| ting Christ be all In all in us and work
all in all through us Col. Ill, II; Cor.
| xii, O.. While we wait for the king
dom and live to hasten it we should
manifest something of its righteous
ness and Joy and peace in these mortal
| bodies, the life Of Jesus made manifest
In us (Rom. xiv, II; II Cor. iv, 10, III.
This will not be apt to be the case I'M
less we are filed with enthusiasm be-
cause of the resurrection glories which
await us, most surely believing and
thus knowing the certainty OF these
things, that our present body Of hui
| initiation shall be fashioned like unto
His glorious body, that we shall be like
Him when we shall see Him as He is
duke /, /, A; Phil. Ill, 20, 81; John
lii, 2.
There are many believers who seem
to think that all there Is to redemption
Is preparing us for heaven and getting
US there when the time comes, giving
NO thought to the resurrection OF the
body, the return OF Christ to reign. the
restoration Of Israel and all associated
truths. The sad perversion of Scrip
ture which teaches that Israel Is now
the church and the church is the king
dom may be responsible for this. The
truth Is that the church Is company
OF people gathered out Of all nations,
while the kingdom will include all ma
tons, with the literal Israel at the center
and Jerusalem the throne of the Lord.
These sinful natures, even in the best
of people, like Nicodemus, cannot see
the kingdom of God, but there must be
new nature, birth from above John
Ill.