Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-04-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson II.-Second Quarter, For
April IL, 1908.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Memory Verses, 43, 44-GoIden Text,
John XII, 25-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
copyright, 1908, by American Press Association
Still remembering why this gospel
was written, that we might have life
through Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Xxx, 81, we come to this great resur-
rection chapter and anticipate some
what the optional Easter lesson of next
week. There is no salvation for any
one apart from the resurrection of Je-
sus Christ, as is fully set forth in |
Cor. XIV, 1-20, and there is no fullneSS
of life for any save one until the i'm
mortal body becomes ours at the reSur-
rectiOn of the just at the coming Of our
Lord Jesus Christ q Thess. iy, 1918;
Cor. XIV, 5O-54). All the mystery Of
sickness and suffering and seemingly
unanswered prayer will then be made
plain, for now we see through a glass
darkly, but then face to face; now we
know in part, but then shall we know
even as also we are known.
Here is a family specially dear to our
Lord, where He always had a cordial
welcome and where there was one who
could do all that needed to be done and
ind time to sit at His feet and hear
His word duke X, 3S-42). Many time
He was refreshed in this home. Yet
see what He permits even to such as
these: The one only brother becomes
sick. They send Jesus word. He did
not come, but remained two days just
where He was. Lazarus grows worse.
The sisters hearts are wrung with an
guish Oh, if Jesus would only come!
Why does He not come? The brother
seems to be dying. Yes, it is all too
true; he is dead. The sisters are heart
broken and dumb with amazement as
they are compelled to lay away in the
tomb the body of their dearly loved
brother, whom Jesus loved Also Now,
see the Lords view of this and listen
! to His words to the disciples: This
sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory Of God, that the Son of God
might be glorified thereby. Lazarus is
dead, and | am glad for your sakes
that was not there, to the intent that
| We may believe" oversees 4. IA, 15). Aft
er the burial and the home is desolate
Jesus comes, and the cry of each sister
is, Lord, if thou hadst been here my
brother had not died" oversees Fl, 32).
''Thy brother shall rise again. *.*
am the resurrection and the life"
Though believers die, they shall live
again, and believers who shall be alive
at the time Of the resurrection shall
never die oversees 1920. What Cod
who is love, for some wise reason per-
mits for the present hurts Him as well
as those who suffer. "Jesus groaned
in the spirit and was troubled.
Jesus wept'' oversees 33, 35). In all our
affliction He is afflicted Elsa. lxiii, 81.
He doth not afflict willingly. No chas-
tening for the present seemeth to be
joyous (Heb. xii, III. What has He
to say to these two sisters whom He
loved? Verse 3D. "Said / not unto
thee that If thou wouldst believe thou
shouldst see the glory Of God?" Verse
40) What are they to believe when
the brother is dead and buried? Be-
lieve in God and believe also in Him
who talked with them xiv, u. Be not
offended though they put you out of
the synagogue and even kill you xvi,
1-3). Have the faith that will not
shrink though pressed by every foe,
that will not tremble on the brink Of
any earthly woe; absolute and unwav-
ering confidence in Him under all cir
cumstances, like that of Ps. XVI, 1-3,
finding of joy in the Lord always. Then
there must be obedience. Martha SEEM
/ ed to think it quite useless to take
away the stone, for the body must be
even now corrupting, but faith in Him
and in His word delivers us from think
ing such thoughts. Nothing too hard
for Thee is the believers cry. The
stone being taken away, the same voice
that in Gen. said, LET there be
light" said, Lazarus, come forth"
And he that was dead came forth alive
and well. Some one has said that if
Jesus had not mentioned Lazarus by
name all the dead would have come
! forth at the sound of His voice, and
we know that the time will come when
at the sound of that voice all the dead
shall rise, the righteous at their APP
| pointed time, and all the unrighteous
at their time chapter V, %, 29). How
little we seem to know of the power
of that life giving word! Oh, for the
mighty quickening of His Spirit! But
Lazarus, alive from the dead, is bound
hand and foot with grave clothes, and
Jesus said, ''Loose him and let him
go" (verse AZ. The power that gave
him life brought him to the mouth of
the tomb, but He commissioned others
to loose him, for they could do that
All true believers have life, but not all
have life abundantly, for they are too
often bound by the grave clothes OF
the life when they were dead in sins
The Truth will set them free (viii, 32),
and it is the privilege of those made
free from former bondage to set others
free, as Priscilla and Aquila did Apol-
los (Acts xviii, 24-2S). The word Of