The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1916-04-20
LESSON FOR APRIL 23
EASTER LESSON.

LESSON TEXT Cor. 15:1-2S
GOLDEN TEXT-Now hath Christ been
raised from the dead the first fruits OF
them that are asleep.--I Cor. 1920
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 Sc A. D.,
hence the significance of verse six.
1. The Triumphant Fact Tvs. 1-4). If
Christian workers would be more IA
miliar with this passage they would
more intelligently understand what
the term Gospel means. The fact Of
the resurrection doomed 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 its results are to be. Cd
What it Is. Not new cure for tuber-
culosis, nor new social environment,
but the good news of one who was God
incarnate paul does not use his earth
ly name Jesus), Christ the Amounted
One, who died for our sins just as the
Scriptures had foretold, and was bur-
led. On the third day, according to
the Scriptures" He rose again and is
now and ever shall be alive. Any Cos
pei that ignores the incarnation, pas
sion and resurrection of Jesus is false
to the Scriptures and a lie. CD 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 We stand" The
"God-story," good news, evangel or
gospel-they are all the same-is "the
power of God unto salvation" and the
strong doctrine of the resurrection
will cause men to walk straight, to
stand upright Christ died for my
sins according to the Scriptures" (Iso.
SO: 500.
II. Witnesses to tho Fact Tvs. 5-12).
Paul ". 81 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 Nuke 24:12). Je-
sus did not appear first to John. Plate
or the Sanhedrin, but to woman, and
the change Of the apostles from
spirit of despair to that Of confident,
joyous certainty was most astonishing.
There are eleven recorded appear.
ances Of Jesus after his resurrection,
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. ID Peter, referred to Indirect
ly in Luke 24:34; (2) the apostles. to
be exact, the first ten, Judas being
dead and Thomas absent; 90 the apos-
ties with Thomas present; "a five
hundred, the only record of this great
company, though perhaps implied in
the brethren of Matt 28:10. Half
a thousand witnesses are enough to
establish any case" OF these the
greater number were alive twenty-five
years after the event; 60 James, prob
ably our Lords brother, the honored
head of the Jerusalem church; (6)
Then all the apostles larger cir
Gle than the twelve (see Luke 28:48,
Acts 1869. This may have been the
appearance in the morn at the Sea OF
Galilee; Cd me ALSO"
III. The Fact Applied. Tvs. 1920.
The Corinthians, to whom Paul was
writing, did not deny Christ's immor-
tally, but seemed to deny that the
same power which had raised him
could be applied TO us VINO. are only
human. Paul answers this by present
ing four arguments:
(D The resurrection of CArist
proves the possibility Of the resurrec-
ton 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-
ton, to destroy faith in Jesus ~. 14)
and to impugn the testimony Of those
who had seen him ". 15). A dead
Christ means dead Christians ". I'D
and our heaviest sorrow will be to face
the grave ". 49,.
(2) The Christian is Gin Christ, and
his resurrection carries ours with 1t.
Paul's emphasis upon this term lin |
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