The Red Cloud chief., 1912-04-04


Acts ?:32.
st. Paul may not make direct re
ference to the virgin birth OF oui
Lord, though he certainly knew Of the
prophecy that q virgin shall con
ceive." lisa. 71D, but what does il
matter? 1t is not greater miracle tc
be born than to rise triumphant over
death. That Paul assumes the fact
is evident from this lesson. Literally
he begins by saying. Now I make
known the gospel which | preached
unto you at Corinth, whereby you are
saved and what you must always re.
member, that Christ, who came full.
filling all that was promised in the
Scripture, died for our sins and rose
again. Paul goes on to tell ex
plicitly Of many who had seen Jesus
after the resurrection and. most i'm.
portant Of all, how he, himself, had
seen the Christ
Last of all he was seen Of me
also. Though | am least of all the
saints in that prosecuted the church,
yet am what I am, and his grace was
not bestowed upon me in vain Paul
was not such bad man" from the
accepted moral standards of his time,
yet he felt the truth of what Christ
said, viz, that the essence OF sin is
that "they believe not on me-"
The fact of the resurrection Of Je-
sus Christ is the best proven fact Of
history. In the first place the dis
ciples themselves did not expect Je-
sus to die (John 1880, hence, Of
course. they never even thought of
the resurrection mark 9:10. In the
third place when on that Easter morn
Mary reported the empty tomb and Of
thought it idle talk" U.uke Paid.
When the women reported having ac-
tualy seen him. the men, and how
many men like to take instruction
from n woman. were unconvinced
and rather doubted those who had
conversed with him on the road to
Emmaus.
Again, when seen by the ten, Thorn.
as would not accept the report till
he had seen his hands and his feet.
Arguments Based on Unbelief.
All arguments to convince us that
| Jesus did not rise are based upon I'm.
/ belief and the answer Of countless
| millions throughout nearly twenty
centuries has been the words Of Pau;
| (verse 2O) but "Now Is Christ risen
from the dead" TO deny is to be lost
in the fog, our preaching vain, and
we have no ground Of faith. See
verses 1914. To accept is to place a
firm foundation underneath our
whole Christian scheme. to set the
seal of authority and purity upon the
! life Of him whom all men, Jew and
Gentle alike. say was good, and opens
n vista of hope for all who die in the
Lord.
Paul goes on to show that the res.
direction Of Jesus is the beginning of
plan whereby all the human race
who are related to Christ shall like
wise be resurrected. Even as through
the transgression OF one man sin
came upon the whole human race, In
like manner by the perfect life OF
obedience upon the part Of one man
We may all be made alive.
Paul makes a strong contrast be-
tween the death of the believer and
that Of the non.believer. III I fight
with beasts at Ephesus what advan
tage does that have? Let us eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die" Not so
however, with the Christian. hence he
exhorts the Christians to be awake
to righteousness and to sin not.
Only Friends Saw Him.
For tho younger classes this story
Of the first Easter is a most fascinat
Ing one, dramatic, tender. inspiring
For the older pupils we may well dis
cuss, How Easter would be observ
ed. Have we fully realized that We
are risen with Christi" Remember
he showed himself only to his friends
not to Plate nor to the Sanhedrim
Are you his friend? Have you seer
the risen Lord? A description Of
"Holy Fire" of the Greek Christians
who gathered each with his taper In
the church at Jerusalem on Easter
Sabbath, and how each passes the fire
on to another or carries 1t sacredly
back to his home church, would b<
appropriate in order to illustrate the
fact that each one Of US must ap
propriate Christ in his resurrection
power. and having appropriated hi
life We are in duty bound to pass or
this knowledge to others. Paul show
ed his gratitude by ''laboring more
abundantly"
1t might be we'll for us to draw at
tention to the fact that the commun
ion service "shows forth his death til
he come again." and baptism is sym
bolic Of his death and resurrection
(Rom. 8:A. wherein We are to wall
In newness of life, and that at hi.
coming again all enemies shall bs
subject to the Christ. That these ar.
great truths We all know, yet lever
the least" may have part In tellinl
the glorious Easter story and that w