The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-02-25
Sunday School
Lesson In Brief
Ru PEW u A MEEKS
By REV. b. A. MEEKS

Bible Passage: Il am the resur-
rection, and the life"-John lbs.
The raising of Lazarus from the
dead stands out as most spec
tacular miracle. 1t is the culmi-
nation of a series of miracles. 1t
would seem that Jesus reaches
the climax in the statements con-
corning Himself when He says
unto Martha, II am the resurrec-
ton, and the life" In addition to
this statement Jesus presented
Himself as the light of the world,
the bread of life, the door of the
sheep, the good shepherd. the
true vine, the way, the truth and
the life.
This message of hope was given
to Martha at time when she was
all but overwhelmed in grief over
the loss of her brother Lazarus
in death. In this experience of
the Bethany home we see the love
and sympathy and power of Jesus
made manifest This revelation of
Jesus as He ministered to this sor-
rowing family has been the source
of comfort and consolation to
thousands of Christian homes in
every generation from that time
until now. It has served to take
the sting out of death.
To a large number of people
death is the king of terrors'
but to all true believers it is
simply the gateway to the reali-
zation of their highest hopes. The
uppermost desire of the apostle
Paul was to be called out of this
world so he could go to be with
Christ, to see Him as He is, to
spend the future in His immediate
presence and in unbroken fellow
ship with Him. That which makes
death hard for the believer is the
separation from friends and loved
ones. Even though it is fully
realized that the separation is
only for a limited time, yet this
temporary separation is a just
cause for sorrow.
We know so very little about
death. It has not been our ex-
! perience to talk with any Of those
who have passed on into the
future life through the gateway
of death. Jesus came back from
the grave and became infallible
proof Of Immortality. but He gave
! few details of that experience
We do know that death is certain.
It has been the universal expert
ence of man that he must die a
physical death. The only way to
enter into the heavenly home is
through this death. We also know
that death sewers all communica-
ton between the living and the
dead. No one has been able to
successfully communicate with
those who have passed on to the
great beyond. Another fact about
death is that it ends all sense
perception. The physical senses
no longer function after death.
However, we are firmly con-
vinced that death does not ami
hilate the soul nor the body. The
essence. the personal. the con-
sicousness and the identity of the
soul survives all changes made
by human death. Death does
change the form of the BODY but
does not reduce it to nonentity
Jesus will raise it and make it
into glorious body in the resur-
rection. Death may convert the
energy or force of the soul but
does not reduce it to nonentity
Death destroys the coexistence of
soul and body. but not existence.
| Death to the unbeliever is a
going out into the darkness from
whence there is no return. It is
leaving everything he values. 1t
is leaving everything for which
he has labored and struggled and
obtained. It is the loss of every
thing with no hope for gain.
But death to the Christian is
the dark passageWay by which he
enters a more glorious place of
abode. Death to the Christian is
gain in that it brings about a ces-
sation of care, of change, of strife,
of struggle, and carries him be-
yond the reach of disease, and
sorrow, and suffering. 1t is sim
ply laying aside that which limits
and hinders whereby he is made
perfect in holiness and lives a
larger, fuller, richer, grander and
nobler life.
Yes, death to the Christian is
going home to be with Christ
where he will see Him as He is
and have full, free and unbroken
communion with Him through
out all ages. This home for the
Christian is an attractive place
for as someone has said. Beauty
smiles there; plenty laughs there;
tho b1occiro IF I'D SC o,o4bro1ooI