The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-03-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR MARCH 81 By
THE REV. w. HENDERSON.

Subject: Easter Lesson, Cor. rs:
1921, 55-5S-Golden Text, 4
Cor. 15-2O-Memory Verse, 81
Commentary.
The resurrection Is an historic
Tact: 1t Is the inspiration Of the Chris
tian company Of believers; it is
ground of the Christians hope for
eternal life; 1t is the reason for our
steadfastness, our immutability in
Christian service. If 1t is not a fact,
IL 1T be fraud, then are we truly of
all men most miserable.
The crucifixion of Jesus was the
supreme test of His disciples. His
death left them downcast, overborne
with grief, in measure scattered.
His resurrection was the signal for
their re-congregation, the inspiration
of their dropping spirits, their
ground for undying hope. The cruel
fixion was necessary, in the scheme
Of God, to their individual salvation.
The resurrection was necessary that
their faith should be strengthened,
that the church should be launched,
that to-day we might have courage
to fight the good fight and to finish
| the course that God hath prepared
| before us.
The resurrection is fact. Few oc-
currences in history are better sub
| stantiated. There may, of course,
be differences of opinion as to what
was the exact content of the appear
ance of Jesus to His disciples after
the resurrection. But however we
may differ as to the form of His res
| direction, on this we are all agreed,
to this history attests, to this the
| presence of the church is evidence,
that Jesus actually rose from the
| dead, that He appeared to His dis
ciples, that His temperance among
] them was so real as to be sensed by
! them. The resurrection of Jesus is
a fact. Whatever may be our dispu-
ftations, let us hold to that, for it is
| all important, it is at the centre of
our religious life.
The resurrection is the inspiration
Of the Christian company of believers.
In 1t we find strength. 1t is the
source of our power as it was of the
| happiness Of that earliest company
| OF the followers of our Lord who,
| when they met Him face to face after
| the resurrection, could not believe
| that it was indeed He "for Joy
The resurrection is the ground of
| the Christians hope of eternal life.
| Christ promised to His disciples that
| though He should be slain and re-
main in the tomb until the third day,
| yet would He come forth again unto
them, triumphant over the grave and
! death. He further gave them to I'M
! derstand that in His victory over sin
and death the certainty of their own
victory over these selfsame forces
| was assured. His fulfillment of His
promises and prophecies to them in
| creased their confidence in Him and
gave them hope for everlasting life
In bliss within God through Him.
| IF Christ be not risen, then" as
Paul says, sis our preaching vain,'
then is the faith and the hope of the
| multitudes who followed Him and in
| whose footsteps we tread, vanity,
/ then are we bereft of hope But by
the grace of God the transcendant
| truth is that Christ is risen from the
dead. And our faith is well founded.
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus
| Christ is the reason for our stead
fastress, our immutabilfty in Chris
tian service. Because His resurrec-
ton is fact, attested in history and
evidenced in the life~ Of His church;
because it is our inspf alton and the
| ground Of our hope of eternal life;
therefore we stand fast in His service
| and lend our energies gladly to the
| accomplishment of His most glorious
! purposes and designs for the regener-
! alton and sanctification of the world.
! The hope OF larger and nobler, a
freer and fuller life hereafter is the
! inspiration of the best in human en-
| deayOr in this earthly pilgrimage.
We strive to bring Heaven to pass
| here in the lives of individuals and
| OF nations because we recognize that
| IL we are to live within the presence
| OF God in the future life we can do
| nothing better than to become accuS-
toned to His presence here and prac-
| tice the principles which control in
His kingdom, in this life.
We cannot lay too much emphasis
| upon the Importance of the resurrec-
ton. 1t is at the very centre of all
| Christian life and thought. A Chris
tlan church without a risen Christ
is almost beyond our imagination.
/ The disciples were a disheartened
band of men when Jesus was cruel
fed. They would have been utterly
confOunded had not Jesus risen from
the dead. His resurrection was es-
| sential to the certification of His
power for this life and for the life
! hereafter.
The resurrection is the consumma-
tion of the love of God in Christ. 1t
| is the finest flower of the Divine self
revelation. 1t takes hold, as does
| nothing else, in all our Christian
| knowledge and experience, upon the
very heart-strings of humanity. 1t
| affords us reason for unquenchable.
everlasting hopefulness And to be
made hopeful is to be inspired, it is
| to be supremely blessed.
| VS.. Ia. Vain" Empty.
VS.. IL Vain" Another word
| in Ok. meaning 'fruitless."
VS.. 55. Sting" THE image is
that of beast with a sting; not
death with a goad, driving men,
VS.. 81. Give thy" Present par
ticiple. Marks both the daily victory
orfo int oR