Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-04-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR APRIL %
SECURED ExCLUsIvELY By THE
BANNER FOR ITS MANY
READERS
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text of the Lesson, / Cor. XIV. 1-28.
Memory Verses, 3, 4-G0lden Text,
Cor. XIV, 20-Commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. ID. Nj. Stearns.

year the great fact OF risen living
Christ, so that we may be said to have
many Easter lessons instead of. as In
other years. only one In the year. The
lesson chapter for today is pre-emi-
nently the resurrection chapter, lead
ing us on TO the resurrection OF the
righteous Head and the translation OF
the righteous who shall then be alive
and encouraging the saints to constant
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
and to be steadfast. immovable, al
ways Astounding In the work OF the
Lord oversees 50-5S).
Let us notice first what the messen-
ger says of himself. Although he has
been forgiven, he cannot forget that
he was once prosecutor OF the
church of God. but he always magni-
fies the grace of God which saved such
a sinner. and he calls himself the least
Of the apostles. Later he says that
he is less than the least of all saints.
and still later he calls himself the
chief OF sinners oversees o. TO- Eph. iii.
8; Tim. !. 15). That is true growth
In grace. for AS we learn TO know our
Lord better we cannot but sink lower
In our own estimation. The whole
world is guilty before God. and "sin-
ner' is the only fit name for every one.
without exception. But He came TO
save sinners. and only by His merits
can any one be saved. so that il Is
never a question OF what we are or
what we can do. but only Who is He
and what can he do?
AS to the message. the gospel by
which we are saved. il is that Christ
died for our sins. was buried and rose
again the third day and was seen alive
many times by His disciples and. last
OF all, by the writer OF this epistle.
who saw Him after He had assembled
TO heaven oversees 1-9. Paul did not
think out these things. he received
them and delivered them as he receiv-
ed them verse 81 No minister Of the
gospel is expected To think out his own
Of a sermon or essay and give them To
the people as bread from heaven. But
the true messenger OF God must re-
ceive the message from God and deliv-
er it as such, not with enticing words
OF mans wisdom. but i'm demonstra-
II. A.. The prophets were TO speak
only what God told them. and even
our Lord Jesus was told 10y His Fa
Their what to say der. 1. 20; Eek II.
z; iii. 4 Deut xviii. rs: John XII.
40, 50).
The messenger who speaks merely
out OF his own heart his own message
is not a true messenger der. xiii.
16. 26) AS well might Israel think TO
manufacture their own mamma as for
preacher TO get up or think out his
own discourse. Then notice how Paul
repeats the words. According 10 the
Scriptures" oversees 3. A.. and remember
how the risen Christ opened and ex-
pounded the Scriptures by Moses and
the prophets and also the Psalms
duke xiv. %. 80. A; Acts /. -.
There are four great truths which we
cannot magnify enough-the super
natural birth OF Christ by the Holy
Spirit, His bearing our sins on the
cross as our substitute. His resurrec-
ton from the dead and His coming
again TO set up His kingdom OF right
eousness and peace on this earth.
Apart from His resurrection from the
dead there is no forgiveness. no sal
walton, no glorious future for any one,
but that great event secures all and
enables US TO see ourselves as risen
with Christ and seated with Him In
the heavenlies. He our life. our affec-
lions there and we waiting with Him
for the completion OF His body, the
church oversees 1920; Eph. ii. 40; Col.
III, la.
Believers now being gathered from
all nations TO form His body must
have their resurrection bodies In order
to be fit companions for Him when
He shall come TO reign. Christ the
first fruits rose from the dead three
days after His crucifixion and forty
days later assembled visibly TO heaven.
where He waits for His completed
body, which the Holy Spirit is gather
ing At His coming all the bodies OF
His redeemed shall be raised and the
living believers changed, and all to-
gether meet Him I'm the air for the
judgment seat OF Christ and the mar
riage OF the Lamb. Then He shall re
turn with His saints to judge the liy-
ing nations and 10 begin His reign, for
He must reign till He shall have sub
dued all things unto Himself and con-
quered the last enemy-death verses
1920.
The "afterward" OF verse % covers
all the present age between the resur-
,rection OF Christ and that of His re-
deemed. The ''then" OF verse "a COW
ers all the millennial age when He,
with His saints. shall be reigning and
subduing all things unto Himself
Verse 20; Rev. V. o. 10: Xxx. A.. He
will not begin His reign till we come
back with Him I'm His glory Then