The midland journal., 1945-03-30
THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER
OF OUR FAITH

/
LESSON TEXT-Matthew 27:62-28:e.
GOLDEN TExT-Let u run with pa.
tience the race that L. set before us. looking
unite Jesus the author and perfecter Of eur
faith.-Hebrews l2:l. 2.
Christianity is resurrection faithl
How good 1t Is to recall that, In this
troubled year Of 1945, even as we
share once more the spiritual In
spiration Of Easter Sunday.
Today we recall that the loving
hands of His friends and followers
had given themselves in what they
thought was to be their final act Of
devotion to their Lord. His body
had been tenderly laid In Joseph's
tomb and the great stone rolled In
place at its door.
But even as some were kind and
loving, there were others who were
so relentless In their hatred that
they pursued Christ even beyond the
grave.
I. The Hatred Of Christs Enemies
27:62-66).
We sometimes wonder at the Bit
terness Of the enemies Of Christian
ity in our day. Had we given more
earnest heed to the Bible story we
should have known that 1t was 80
from the very beginning.
The wicked men who brought
about the crucifixion Of Jesus were
not content to let Him rest in His
grave. They had lusted after His
life and they had taken that, but
even as He lay silent In the tomb,
the priests and the Pharisees came
to PLATE and called Him "that de-
ceiver" ". 63) and demanded a spe-
cial guard.
They feared that His disciples
would perpetrate fraud, and after
stealing the body declare that He
was risen. Wicked and deceitful
hearts can imagine all sorts Of
treachery on the part Of others.
The hatred Of unbelievers toward
Christ and toward His followers
knows no stopping place. In civil
lied lands and among cultured peo-
pie 1t operates under a cloak Of re-
spectability, but 1t Is nonetheless
bitter and relentless in its pursuit Of
Him and of His church.
III. The Victory Of Christ (28:1-8).
Victory and praise should be the
keynote Of Christianity. Why should
we be do1eful and sad? Our Lord
has come back victorious from the
gravel We may be glad and sing
even in the midst of earth's sor-
rows and distresses. Let praise be
the employ Of our lips constantly
as we worship Him and work for
Him.
The picture that greeted the sur
prised eyes of the two women as
they came to the grave, as it began
to dawn on the first day of the week,
was one resplendent with the glory
and majesty of God. The earth
quaked as the lightning flashed. The
angel Of the Lord broke through the
supposedly unbreakable seal Of
Rome and rolled back the stone
which was to have permanently
closed the door to the tomb.
This was done, not to release
Christ-for He had already gone, no
grave could hold Him-but that men
might see the empty grave and know
that He was risen. Other religions
keep the graves Of their founders.
Christianity points to an empty
tomb.
To the foes of Christ represented
by the keepers, the coming Of the
angel and the revelation Of the pow
er of God brought absolute discom-
future. That is still true. Men will
argue with theology, church meth
ods, even Christian profession, but
when they see the power of God re-
vealed, they can only be "as dead
men,"
To the friends Of Christ, the angel
brought comfort and assurance.
Their fears were assuaged by his
word Of comfort, and then their faith
was revived by the assurance that
Christ was risen. The resurrection
declares that He Is the Son of God
with power, the Saviour Of the
world.
iii. The Joy Of Christ's Disciples
(28:7-9).
The followers of Christ had their
share Of fear and unbelief, but it
was quickly overcome by joy and
assurance as they knew that their
Lord was risen.
The note Of great Joy is highly
appropriate on Easter Sunday, but
just as proper on every Sunday
yes, every day Of the Christians
life. He is risen from the deadl
That settles all questions about His
deity, His power, His salvation. Il
meets the problems Of our lives with
an unfailing word Of confidence and
joy.
| Be sure to note that such good
news must not be kept to ourselves.
We should emulate the zeal Of the
disciples, who departed quickly" to
make it known to their families and
friends. The story Of the victorious
Saviour Is still unknown to many
thousands-possibly we should say
millions. Let someone depart quick