The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-04-21

sunday School Coureo o1 The 00o62
bible tnstitutA Chicago.J
Copyright 1s1e. Western Nsvspapse UaSea.I
LESSON FOR APRIL q
EAsrsa LESSON
LESSON TEXT Cor. ELS.
GOLDEN TExT-Now hath Christ beeu
raised from the dead. the hrst fruits OF
them that are asisep-I Cor. $50.
II teachers can impress indelibiy
upon the minds OF their scholars The
tact that Jesus rose from the dead and!
10 AZ truly alive today az 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 DIX
the facts In their minds. This account
considered today Il perhaps the old
est written record we have Of this
great fact, written about sc A. D..
hence the significance Of verse six.
l. Tho Triumphant Fact (vs. 1.4). II
Christian workers would be more ia
miliar with this passage they would
more intelligently understand what
the term Gospel" means. The fact Of
he resurrection doomed larger in
Paul's mind than the virgin birth; the
former was and 10 the greater miracle.
This. one OF the supreme chapters OF
the Bible, tells us what the Gospel u.
and what its results are to be. (1),
What it is. Not q new cure for tuber-
culosis. nor Q new social environment,
but the good news Of one who was God
incarnate paul does not use his earth
" 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 t.
the Scriptures" He rose again and 10
now and ver shall be alive. Any Cos
pei that ignores the Incarnation. pas
sion and resurrection Of Jesus is false
to the Scriptures and Q lie. (2) The
result OF preaching OF testifying to
This great program is twofold: frst..
salvation, saved. restored to right
relations with Cod" and second. per.
severance, wherein ye stand" The
"God-story." good new. evangel OF
gospel-they are all the same-is "the
power OF God unto salvation" and tho
strong doctrine Of the resurrection
will cause men to walk straight, to
stand upright. Christ died for my
sins according to the Scriptures" (Iso.
63:6-10). 4,
II. Witnesses 20 the Fact Tvs. 6-12)..
Paul ". 81 received the resurrection
truth from many witnesses. whom he
proceeds to enumerate, for Il was not
q matter OF his own invention. The In
credulity OF the disciples at the frst
is frankly recorded (Luke 24:12). Je.
sus did not appear f1rst to John, Plate
or the Sanhedrin. but to q woman. and
the change Of the apostles from Q
spirit OF despair to that Of confident.
joyous certainty was most astonishing.
There are eleven recorded appear
ancee 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 ~pefsons. witnesses
OF his appearances. with whom he had
c~onversed. or at least a few from each
group. (1) Peter. referred to Indirect.
~ in Luke 24:S4; (2) the apostles. to
be exact. the first ten. Judas being
dead and Thomas absent; (3) the apps.
ties with Thomas present; a. i've
hundred. the only record Of this great
company. though perhaps implied in
the brethren" Of Matt. 28:1O. HALF
q thousand witnesses are enough to
establish any case" OF these the
greater number were alive twenty-five
years after the event: (5) James, prob.
ably our Lords brother. the honored
head OF the Jerusalem church: (6)
Then all the apostles" a larger cir.
Gle than the twelve (see Luke 28:48,
Acts 1859. This may have been the
appearance in the morn at the Sea of
Galilee; CD me also" The winning
Of the prosecutor who had looked
upon this wild tale of a crucifed and
risen teacher as a sacrilege and a dis.
grace to his nation. is the most signal
and significant triumph Of the Chris
tian faith. The Damascus road VIC
tory was far more p%ortentious than
any other battle of history. That vi
sion converted Paul and supported
him amidst the most astounding trials
and testings. "Out OF due season."
like an abortive child, like q child of
untimely birth. Paul was unworthy of
the name OF a child. He had seer the
martyr Stephen die, he had prosecuted
those who believed. and although for
given by God, yet he was filed with
q lifelong regret for his misused in
fuence and misspent years. There
fore he terms himself, 'least of the
apostles" But he is saved and
through the grace Of God can ex-
claim. Il am what I am" The evi.
dence Of the resurrection is more pre-
ponderant and definite than the his
toric evidence we have that Caesar
Augustus or Abraham Lincoln aver