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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
April 1926
I f Christ Be Not Risen-! r DR. WALTER B. IIINSON . /Tjf/iAÂAÎ"Pastor East Side Baptist Church A/V* , Portland, Oregon We are always delighted to give Our Family” an article from the pen of Dr. Hinson, our friend and brother in the faith. His contributions are always Scrip- turally soul-inspiring, and this Easter mes sage will serve to fix our thoughts upon the theme which is of vital importance to every child o f God, as well as giving an unanswerable argument in defense o f the faith. “Nov >• Christ risen from the dead.”— 1 Corinthian» 15i30. |HE greatest proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ Himself. And I shall show you that to be a fact in a few minutes, though it is an argument for the resurrection that I have never heard mentioned. Nevertheless I am not slow to recognize the other proofs that the resurrection of Jesus is a fact. A Roman guard was stationed to keep the disciples from stealing the dead body of Christ— as though they would ever dream of so doing! What would they do with a dead body? That they did argue by the absence of the body that He was still alive is proved to be foolishness when you remember that on the first Easter Sunday there was not one soul under God’s heaven believed Christ would rise from the dead. But the guards forsook their task and they went and said, “ He is risen and the grave is empty.” And the Pharisees gave them great money to spread abroad the stupid lie that the body of Jesus had been stolen by His disciples. Nor was the resurrection of Jesus ever disproved by the enemies. There is not one word of argument against the well established fact of our Lord’s resurrection. Nor was it even in dispute. The Pharisees were bitter against the early Church, but even they never questioned the fact that Christ had risen from the dead. Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene saw Him. Marvelous and significant is it that a woman out of whom He had cast seven devils was the first to see the risen Lord Jesus! And you recall, if you know the Bible, how realistic and spectacular is that inter view between Mary and the Master. For early she had sought the tomb to see the place where the dead Christ lay. And she found Him not. And seeing a man she thought to be the gardener she said, Sir, they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him; if you can tell me where the body is, do so. And He said, “ Mary,” and she recognizing His voice answered, “ Master.” And then she ran to tell Peter and John that Christ was alive. You know that story also, how the two set out in great haste for the sepulchre, and the loving John outran the impetuous Peter and came first to the open grave. But when Peter also Baw the tomb he entered in; and then the two disciples saw the grave clothes carefully folded and laid aside, their use done with for evermore. And they went abroad to tell how Christ had risen.
R E S U R R E C T I O N "E lzoe P rindle S tead “ T h o u sow est n ot that b od y that shall be” 1 C or. 1 5 :37 •Y esterday — -dark, wrinkled bulbs in darker earth were laid; T oday —bright shoots o f tender, living green appear! On coming Easter morn, in fragrance rare and matchless white arrayed, A miracle o f God will greet us here! Y esterday — pain-marred and cold, we laid her form away; T oday - —her happy spirit dwells where angels reign! On God's great Easter morn, dozun Heaven’s way and up from mold’ring clay, In wondrous glory robes she'll come again! — L o s A n geles, C alifornia. The “ Other Women" But other women in the early dawn had sought that grave, and they also had a vision of the once dead but resur rected Lord Jesus; and they went to tell the ten disciples who were gathered together in a special place. And when they told their story the dfsciples refused to believe it; they could not understand how Christ could be alive. For had they not seen Him die? Was it not a matter of common repute that He was laid awhy in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea? And go they could not believe that He had risen. And two men came in to them and they had a won derful story. They told how walking along the Emmaus road a stranger Joined them and asked why they were sad. And they told Him about the Christ who had lived, but who had died, and was dead. And He opened the Scrip tures to them, and out of the Psalms and the prophets and the great books of that marvelous Hebrew people, He showed to them that Christ ought to come», live, die, and rise again. . ■* '< And then by one of His beautiful mannerisms, His way of breaking ►the bread, He revealed Himself to them and then disappeared. And they, full of holy exultation because of the fact of the risen Lord, hurried away to tell the dis ciples that they also had seen Christ. And Jesus appeared and stood in their midst and said, “ Peace be unto you,” and showed them His hands and His side and proved to them that He was indeed the once dead but now risen Lord Jesus. Doubting Thomas It is a good thing that one of those disciples was absent from that meeting. I have always been glad of that. Poor Thomas was away, and when they told him that Christ had risen from the dead he said, Unless I put my finger in the scarred palm and my hand into the broken side, I will not believe in the resurrection of the Master. It was a pity perhaps for Thomas that he said it, and yet it is a great Joy to me, I repeat, that he had that doubt. For a week afterward when he with the disciples had gathered together Christ appeared again. And He said to Thomas, You have desired two proofs— to touch the scarred palm and the pierced side; do so now and be not faithless, but believing.
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