South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-11
THE REsURRECTIoN OF JESUS

the dead.-Rom. S:34.
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.
I. The Resurrection of Jesus -
Historical. The Christian religion is
based upon the resurrection OF Jesus
Christ. If he did not rise from the
dead then. as Paul states. IF Christ
be not risen, then is our preaching
vain. and your faith is also vain" We
have. however, abundance Of histor-
zeal proof that Jesus did rise from the
dead according 10 the Scriptures The
fact that the Jewish Sabbath was
changed TO the Christian Lords day,
because Jesus was raised from the
dead on that day, is one of the evil
dences that the early church was as
sured of the resurrection Of Jesus.
Therefore that we keep the first day
Of the week, is in memory of our
Lords resurrection, and so long as
the Lords day is thus kept il will
be perpetual memorial Of that event
/ Christmas. day. Good Friday and Eas-
ter sunday are monuments 70 three
different historical facts in connection
with the life of Jesus: the first COM
memorates his birth, the second his
| death. and the third his resurrection
from the dead. Every time we write
the year in which we live we give
attestation TO the truth of Christ's
i
upon the beginning of the Christian
dispensation. Then the gospels Of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and
all the epistles are credible history.
,. The Resurrection of Jesus is
Well AttcSted. The historic evidence
of the death and resurrection IF Jesus
Christ is simply overwhelming. The
New Testament. as just stated, gives
evidence that is irresistible. So far
as I know there is no such convincing
\ evidence in existence for any other
/ ancient historical fact. The Scrip
I lures declare that in the mouth of two
| or three witnesses every word may DE
/ established. but we have a large num-
| Der OF witnesses who say that they
/ saw Jesus after his resurrection from
/ the dead. that they heard him speak;
| and our lesson story is concerning
| three men who walked and talked
with him a long distance on the
| evening of the day he rose from the
dead. He remained forty days on the
/ earth. and was sene by many persons
/ on different occasions, and under dill
ferent circumstances. during that pc
| riod. We have an account OF at least
I ten distinct appearances, but the prob
1 ability is that there were. at least,
ten times ten appearances, those that
are specifically mentioned being sam
! piles of the rest. II is a most interest
| iuS SNuu1 " ItdI TIE dCNOulaiS VI AiiN
/ appearances of Jesus from the time
he was raised from the dead.
,. The Resurrection OF jesus Is the
! Proof of His Claims. If he did not
rise from the dead he was a false
prophet so also are the Old Tesla
ment Scriptures false which intimate
/ that he would be crucified and rise
from the dead. He predicted his
/ death and resurrection on several oc-
casions; see Matt. 16:21-23 and read
/ il at your leisure as it is too long for
me 10 quote. He began the statement
by saying that he must go TO Jeru-
salem and suffer many things of the
| elders be killed, and be raised
| again the third day, for which predic-
ton Peter rebuked him. Mark reports
Jesus as saying. THE Son OF man is
/ delivered into the hands of men and
| they shall kill him; and after that he
| is killed he shall rise the third day.
Luke reports him saying, He shall
be delivered unto the Gentiles and
shall be Knocked and put &c
/ death. and the third day he shall
rise again" It is true that his dis
ciples were so obsessed with the
thought of temporal reign, that theS
| did not take i'm the significance OF
what he said, but after his resurrec-
ton they remembered and discussed
his predictions of that event. If the
original ulS0lp pres ulu not nave ehbSC
lutte first-hand proof of the resurrec
ton of Jesus. there would have beer
no Christian church.
T. The Resurrection of Jesus II al
Prime Personal Import. The resur
rection of Jesus l.. the chief objective
evidence Of the truth of Christianity
Ii has been properly called the corner
stone Of the Christian church, there
fore to be thoroughly convinced o.
that glorious fact is TO become
grounded i'm the faith. that our holy
religion is built upon the rock which
never can be moved. The resurrec
ton of Jesus is the proof that he Il
of God: without this evidence his mir
acIes his matchless teaching, and ever
his SDOtlesS life could net save hin
from being called an impostor. Hi'
resurrection is the keystone TO his
veracity and TO his claim that he Il
the Saviour of mankind. Then again
his resurrection is the basis of oui
inward spiritual convictions tina
death is not extinction. III Jesus rose
from the dead. then we may well be
lieve his words that our bodies viii
also be resurrected, but If Christ b'
not raised then is our preaching vail
and our faith is also vain; but tn
Lord is risen indeed. and OF this w
have inv ard as we'll as outward evi
dence: tive spirit Of God which dwell
in us. testitieS To the fact
Copyright. 1914. by l.. :. DavidsOn.)