The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-21
INTERNATIONAL. SUNDAYSOlOOL
 LESSON (By F. O. SELLERS, Acting Director of Sunday School Course of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago.)
LESSON FOR APRIL 23
EASTER LESSON.
LESSON TEXT-T Cor. 15:1-2S.

lLI<ODo1S HAL GOT. l0sl-ZS.
 GOLDEN TEXT-Now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of them that are asleep.-I Cor. Is 20
 If teachers can impress indelibly upon the minds of their scholars the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and is as truly alive today as when walk ing the hills of Galilee this repetition of the Easter story will not be in vain. For the pupils to take notes of the points of the argument and to recite upon those notes at the end of the class hour would greatly help to fix the facts in their minds. This account considered today is perhaps the old est written record we have of this great fact, written about 56 A D., hence the significance of verse six
 l. The Triumphant Fact tvs. 1-4) If Christian workers would be more fa- miliar with this passage they would more intelligently understand what the term Gospel" means. The fact of the resurrection loomed larger in Paul's mind than the virgin birth; the former was and is the greater miracle This, one of the supreme chapters of the Bible, tells us what the Gospel is, and what it's results are to be. CD What it is. Not a new cure for tuber- culosis, nor a new social environment, but the good news of one who was God incarnate (Paul does not use his earth ly name Jesus), Christ the Anointed One, who died for our sins just as the Scriptures had foretold, and was bur- jed. On the third day, according to the Scriptures" He rose again and is now and ever shall be alive. Any Cos l pei that ignores the incarnation, pas 1 to the Scriptures and lie. (2) The result of preaching or testifying to this great program is twofold: first, salvation, saved, restored to right relations with God;" and second, per- severance, wherein ye stand" The "God-story," good news, evangel or 1 gospel-they are all the same-is "the ,power of God unto salvationE" and the Astrong doctrine of the ree9rrectior w.ll in's eaasy ssss ', { one n , reason r stand upright. "christ died for my sins according to the Scriptures" dse. 53: 5-10).
 II. Witnesses to the Fact (vs. 5-12). Paul (v. 3 received the resurrection truth from many witnesses, whom he proceeds to enumerate, for it was not a matter of his own invention. The in- credulity of the disciples at the first is frankly recorded Uuke 24:12). Je- sus did not appear first to John, Pilate or the Sanhedrin, but to woman, and the change of the apostles from a spirit of despair to that of confident, 1 joyous certainty was most astonishing. There are eleven recorded appear ances of Jesus after his resurrection, and not one of them was made to his enemies. Paul does not mention all of the appearances. He is probably naming only those persons, witnesses Of his appearances, with whom he had conversed, or at least few from each group. CD Peter, referred to indirect ly in Luke 24:34; (2) the apostles, to be exact, the first ten, Judas being dead and Thomas absent; (3) the apos- ties with Thomas present; (4 five hundred, the only record of this great company, though perhaps implied in the brethren of Matt 2S:10. Half a thousand witnesses are enough to establish any case" Of these the for ha,, ol; years after the event; (5) James, prob ably our Lords brother, the honored head of the Jerusalem church; (6) Then all the apostles" larger cir cle than the twelve (see Luke 2S:4S, Acts 1:6-8). This may have been the appearance in the morn at the Sea of Galilee; CD me also'
 III. The Fact Applied. (vs 13-20). The Corinthians, to whom Paul was writing, did not deny Christ's immor- tality, but seemed to deny that the same power which had raised him could be applied to us who are only human. Paul answers this by present ing four arguments:
 CD The resurrection of Christ pIOfCo tLlS Ol LnS tion from the dead, if only of Jesus. The Sadducees taught the contrary. The Stoics taught that the dead were re-absorbed in God. To say Christ is not risen is to claim death as annihila- tion, to destroy faith in Jesus (v. 14) and to impugn the testimony of those who had seen him (v. 15). A dead Christ means dead Christians (v. ID and our heaviest sorrow will be to face the grave (v. 1S).
 (2) The Christian is "in Christ" and his resurrection carries ours with it. Paul's emphasis upon this term lin Christ" (vs. IS, 19, P, 23 and else- where) is important to note.
 (S) Christ, the second Adam, brings life; our common human nature dies like as the first Adam, but our second Adam rose and "in him" we live.
 (4) If Christ conquered death only for himself it was no real victory, nor could he give back to the Father re- dpaunad world