The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-02-25

LESSON TEXT-John II : 50, 38-4i.
GOLDEN TEXT am the resurrection,
and the life. john 11:25
Suffering, sorrow and bereave-
ment are so common in our day that
this lesson is peculiarly appropriate.
Life, even to the Christian, finds its
full measure of things which hurt
and grieve. Many ask: "Why must
I, a follower OF Christ, bear such
burdens?"
The answer is, that while the be-
lever 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 makes
US ready 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 was sent to
Him Of His friends illness. But He
did 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 we cannc+ fully
understand. We need only to trust
Him and abide His time.
Notice that His failure to respond
at once to the message of Lazarus
sisters did not mean that He had
deserted them (John 11:4-6). Nor
did it mean that He had denied them
His help ". y.
Above all, note 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 conform t. IT opinion of
what should hav seen done; but
let us renenlh chat we know only
in part He knows all. Let us trust
Him. Job, in his darkest hour, said:
Though he Stay me, yet will trust
in him" dob 13:15)
The steps from sorrow to victori-
Gus Joy in this story are three in
number.
/. Death and Tears (vv 32-25).
By the time Jesus came, Lazarus
was dead and his family and friends
could only weep as they said IF
thou hadst been here 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" Il Cor $3.50. Until
the glorious day Of Christ's return
ing, when the redemption of the
body will be complete (Rom. 8:23),
death will continue to bring sorrow
to the heart and tears to the eyes.
But let us rot fail to notice that
as the friends of Jesus, we do not
sorrow alone. Jesus Wept' ". 35)
with Martha and Mary. We know
that He weeps with us in our trying
hour. He is the ''friend that stick
eth closer than a brother" He is
the one who gives grace to meet
the deepest sorrow, and to bear it
with grace because Of His tender
fellowship.
II. Faith and Hope wv. 38-40).
eff thou wouldest believe, thou
shouldest see the glory of God, :"
said Jesus to Martha She must
look beyond the evident fact of the
deafness of her brother and see
Gods glory in his resurrection,
Thus faith assures us that those who
believe in Christ have more than
the comfort Of His sympathizing
presence-they have a sure hope
(read I Thess. 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 put her hope in
Him, the Christ of God. Once we
recognize Him as God, we have no
hesitation IN belleVlng IN Ills nlfac-
ulous power.
III. Christ and Resurrection wv.
41-4N.
Majestic and authorization are the
words of Christ 81 am the reslIr-
rection and the life" ". 25) He it
v,ae who cave life for was He NOT
Hin the bnoiDnin5 with GOdh2 And
ie II mot cold If Hin, +ha+ call +hinoe
were made bv him. (John IL. 81?