Evening journal., 1911-04-13
Christian Endeavor
Society

AfflfSIdu EuQNdfOf
Il Society
The Spirit of the Resurrection. Rom.
81 1-1i. Topic for Sunday, April 16.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ
was the first theme of apostolic
preaching and the foundation of the
! Christian faith and church; and its
importance is very significant. If
Christ only died a martyrs death, how
are we to account for the saving and
expansive power of His gospel? What
brought together again the scattered
sheep after the shepherd was smitten? &?
What infused boldness into the timid
hearts? What gave the world-con-
quering zeal to the distressed dis
ciples? The only reasonable explana-
tion is that Jesus manifested Himself
to His disciples as alive after His
death, and filled them with the con-
seriousness and power of his pres
ence.
The brightest morning that ever
dawned was the morning of the resur-
rection. Had Jesus not risen from
the dead, his birth and soiourn here
would have meant no more to this
world than the birth of a David, a
Plato, Mohammed; the song of the
angels, the story of the shepherds
would have been forgotten. There
would never have been a Christmas
day, If there had not dawned an
Easter iiiorning-the day Of resurrec-
tion. All that was and is vital to
Christianity depends on our Saviour's
victory over death.
His word was at stake All through
his ministry Jesus foretold of his final
resurrection from the dead Never
before in the annals of history had
teacher, prophet, priest, or king
made such a startling statement OF
all the great whom Israel could name
IN Abraham, Solomon, Daniel, not one
had ever claimed this power over
death or had prophesied that he would
rise again. Listen to the teachers,
priests, and philosophers of Egypt,
India. Greece, Rome-not one ever
promised to conquer the tomb, rise
from the grave. But Jesus said, "The
Son OF man shall be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth. 8"
Jesus showed to his followers how he
must "go into Jerusalem-and be
killed, and be raised again the third
day. AS he came from the Mount
of TRANSPORTATION he charged his dis
ciples that they should tell no man
what things they had seen, until the
Son Of Man be risen from the dead"
When he cleansed the temple, he said,
Destroy this temple, and in three
days | will raise it up" He spoke OF
the temple Of his body Thus his
word and promise went forth. And the
Lord Himself taught that the divinity
and success of His mission would
depend upon and be demonstrated by
His 4 resurrection. What meaning,
then. vital to Christianity. vital 10
human hopes, vital 10 a worlds saliva
tion, must be given to the triumph of
Jesus Christ over death and the
gravel
Jesus Christ conquered death. not
for Himself alone, but for humanity.
Not only the Son of God. but every
son of man with Him triumphantly
cry, 20, death, where is thy sting? o
grave, where is thy victory?" And
every believer may eXultingly and
gratefully eXclaim, Thanks be to God
which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ" That grave
of the Son of God is related to every
grave that has been made i'm all the
earth That precious body of the
crucitied Nazarone is related to every
body that sleeps in the dust. That
risen Lord is related by a covenant
which cannot be broken, by the pledge
] "A hn. H..
all who sleep in their graves: Il am
the resurrection, and the life; he that
helieyeth in Me, though he were dead
yet shall he live" Now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the
first fruits of them that slept" AS in
the olden time the husbandman gath
cred the first golden heads that had
ripened in the field, and the first
clusters of grapes that had purpled
in the vineyard, and brought them
home. rejoicing in the first fruits
which were the promise and prophecy
of the glorious harvest to come. SO IN
the resurrection of Jesus Christ does
the world look upon the first fruits
Of the general resurrection and re-
toice in their hope and promise of the
harvest of eternal life.
Jesus answers the question Of the
ages, IF a man die. shall he live
again?' He answers It by a con-
quered tomb; not by an argument Of
words; not by a process of logic, but
by the miracle of His own resurrec-
tion. The hope Of the world. there
fore, is not based on a speculation. a
philosophic theory. theoretical
dogma, or a dream of mysticism, but
on the scientific fact, the historic
3 event of Christ's own resurrection.
The promise of Jesus Christ 10 hu-
manity and the argument Of Paul on
the immortality of the soul and the
resurrection of the dead, rest not on
an hypothesis or speculation. but on
the fact Of Christ's resurrection on the
third day. To believe IN the resur-
rection of Jesus Christ is to believe
in the resurrection of humanity. AS
IN Adam all died. even so in Christ
shall all be made alive"