Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1919-11-09

10 verses together, and keep in mind
the entire figure. This figure por-
trays % builder, Christ: CD tenn
pie to be built, composed of living
stones, the church: (2l foundation
for that temple, the rock; a. the gates
of an unfriendly city or power which
shall seek its destruction, hell or more
correctly, hades the unseen abode of
the dead, the grave, 90 a doorkeeper
of the church, or spiritual temple, with
his keys. Peter Peters place in the
figure is not that OF the foundation,
but that Of the keyholder, or turnkey.
The only difficulty is in settling what
the Lord means by the rock. Since
this rock is the foundation OF the
church, the central principle, the fun
damental idea, we are aided to cor
rect decision by the teaching Of the
word elsewhere. We learn from l
Cor. 81 That other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ" This excludes Peter or
any other human platform. Christ is
often called stone, the stone that
the builders rejected 'the chief cor
ner stone;" the stone that is the head
of the corner" the spiritual rock
in the heart and confessed with the
lips is the very foundation of the spir-
itual life of the church
This constitutes the fundamental
difference in apostolic days between
Christians and unbelievers, the church
and the world. 1t does still. It is
the essence Of the teaching OF the New
Testament that the platform or foun-
! If hn v1ax.fa ia. no
church, is the belief that Jesus is
the Christ the son Of the living God"
II Is then Peters grand confession,
faith in the spiritual rock. the faith
that lays hold of Christ belief that
he is the anointed OF God,\ the divine
savior. that the Lord pronOunces the
rock upon which he will found his
church. That this view is correct is
shown by a correct understanding Of
the declaration, 1.-THE gates of hades
shall not pervail against it, From
the gates of city always marched
forth its armies. The powers of hades
are represented by its gates. Hades
is not hell (Gehenna), but the unseen
abode of the dead that holds the de-
parted within It's gates. Just after
these words the Lord talks of his
death, or entering hades. Six months
later the Sanhedrim sent him to death
for making the same confession Peter
made. (See Matt. 20: 24-67). They
expected to demonstrate that the con-
fession of his divinity which he had
made was false by sending him to
hades which they supposed would hold
him and prevail against the confess
> sion, the rock. He was sent there from
the cross, but the gates OF hades did
not prevail, for they could not hold
him, and the living Savior, rising tri-
umphant from the tomb, was the I'M
answerable argument that his own and
&, Peters confession was a rock that
could never be moved. His resurrec-
ton demonstrated that he Is. the rock
Hades did not prevail
Verse 10. I will give thee the keys
of the Kingdom Of Heaven" that is, OF
: the church. The office of the keys il
> to open the doors, or close them. Or
4, Pentecost Peter opened the doors and
under the influence OF the Holy Spirit
declared the conditions on which mer
could have their sins forgiven. be
bound or loosed, and thus enter int
the church. Seven years later a
Caesarea he declared the same condi
tons to the Gentiles.
Verse FL. From that time forth be
gan Jesus to show unto his disciples
They were not strong enough to hea
this teaching until they were con
vinced Of his divinity. And suffe
many things" In this strange wa
carrying out the true idea Of the Mes
7 siah. Gas. 49,
him. He could not bear the though
4 IF he Trlf wi - 80
1 Christ to become worldly king
Verse 20. Get thee behind me, Sa
TAM Christ saw In the words of Pete
a suggestion not SO much of his as c
satan's. 1t was q temptation to shrin
n from the work for which he came
was the same temptation that Gale
out from him the same rebuke ono
\ before Matt $40.
Verse "a. IF any man will com
Y after me-" Compare Mark s:34-3S an
Luke s:2S-27. The conditions of disc
! pleship are here presented. Let hi
4 deny himself Let him be prepared I
say mo- to many Of the stronget
q cravings Of his nature, in the directio
more particularly of earthly ease, com
u fort, dignity and glory Take up h
cross" Luke add, daily; not once, bl
all the time. The cross Is the pain
the self denial required In the proceed
ing words. The cross is the symb
q of doing our duty, even at the cost
2 the most painful death. And folio
i me-" To follow Christ is to take hi
for our master, our teacher, our e,
Z ample: to believe his doctrines, to VI
hold his cause. to obey his precept
b and to do it though it leads to heave
X by the way of the cross.
y What Think Ye OF Christ
b Peter, James and John and the re
4 began to follow Jesus as His disciple
a in the belief that He was no ordinal
man. They lived with him. shared h
q daily life and daily thoughts. and Il
wonder of that life grew upon theI
Never did they exclaim, $50 Jesus to
Is nothing more than an ordinal
man." His life among them from d;
to day only deepened the convictit
that never man spake as this ma
that He, their great teacher, 10 divin
And long after John wrote, -And d
Word became flesh and dwelt amor
US, and we beheld his glory, glory
OF the only begotten from the Fatht
full Of grace and truth
When General Lew wallace h,