The Coolidge examiner., 1937-02-18

GOLDEN TEXT am the resurrec.
tion, and the life. John 11:25.
PRIMARY TOPIC When Jesus
Friends Stopped Crying
JUNIOR TOPIC - With Jesus at
Lazarus Tomb
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP.
IC-The Power of Jesus over Death.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP.
| IC-The Power of Jesus over Death.
Life, even to the follower of Jesus
Christ, has its hours of sorrow, suf-
| ferlng, and bereavement. While the
Christian is not "of the world" he
is ''in the world" and here he must
meet the problems of life, including
the evils to which the flesh is heir
because of sin.
The fact that Jesus is our friend
and our Saviour does not exempt
us from human sorrow, but it does
assure us Of the needed grace to
bear the trial and to trust Him even
in life'S darkest hour.
Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, was
sick. The home in which Jesus had
found rest and fellowship was in
deep trouble. Jesus was no longer
in Judea. In haste word is sent to
him of his friends illness. But he
does not come.
Why does he delay? Such is the
heart-cry of thousands today who
call on him in their hour of trouble
The purposes of God are beyond
our ability fully to understand. We
need but to trust him and abide his
time. Notice that his failure to re-
spond at once to the message Of
Lazarus sisters did not mean that
he had deserted them Q1:4 :4-6). Nor
did it mean that he had denied
them his help Q1:O. Lazarus may
have been dead before the word
reached him. He may also have
delayed in order that there might
be no question about the resurrec-
ton miracle. And he may have
tarried in order that their faith
might be strengthened.
Above all, do not fail to notice
that he came. He always does. Jesus
has never failed any child of his.
The time and the manner of his
answer to our prayers may not con-
form to our opinion of what should
have been done, but let us remem-
Der that we know only in part, he
| knows all. Let us trust him. Job
in his darkest hour said, Though
he slay me, yet will trust in him"
Cob 1919.
1t is suggested that the lesson for
today be studied and taught by
considering three pairs of words
giving cause and effect.
Death-Sorrow wv. 1926; Also
Wv. 19-2D.
Try as we may to temper its
cruel blow, the fact remains that
death is the enemy of man. 1t came
into the world as the result of sin
(Rom. 5:12), and only in Christ is
it swallowed up in victory" q Cor.
$3.50. Until the glorious day of
ChriSt'S returning when the redemp-
tion of the body will be complete
Gom. 8:23), death will still be the
enemy which brings sorrow to the
heart and tears to the eyes.
But let us not fail to notice that
as the friends of Jesus we do not
sorrow alone. He is with us. Jesus
wept" (v. 35) with Martha n d
Mary. He Weeps with us in our
trying hour. He is the friend that
sticketh closer than brother
III. Faith-Hope (vv. 1929.
Those who believe in Christ have
more than the comfort of his SYM
pathizing presence - they have a
sure hope. Read l Thessalonians
4:14-18. Sorrow and unbelief would
becloud our faith and thus rob US
of our hope. Martha needed to have
her faith stimulated by the gracious
words of the Lord, and then she
triumphantly puts her hope in him
as 1.-The Christ of God" Once we
recognize him as God, we have no
hesitation in believing in his mi
raculous power.
III. Christ-ResurrectiO (vv. 25,
rs, 38-44.
Majestic and authoritative are the
words of Christ, Il am the resur-
rection and the life" He it was who
gave life, for was he not in the
beginning with Cod? And is it not
said of him that "all things were
made by him.? And Paul tells us
that 'by him all things consist" "
He is the only one who could say,
81 lay down my life. l have power
to lay it down and | have power to
take it up again" John 1917, 49,
So it can rightly be said that if we
have Christ we have everything
both in this world and in the world
to come. But if we do not have
Christ we have nothing. We are
without God and without hope.
One can sense the urgency of the
soul-winner's task, when this truth
is known and realized.
Voices
nov apd piobt ond ovorv ro0.