A Literal Resurrection | | From New Book of Sermons^—“Life’s Greatest Forces” By a Well Known Conference Speaker REV. WILLIAM KIRK BRYCE
of a week , we find Jesus again in the same Upper Room in the city of Je ru salem, where He has th a t neyer-to-be- forgotten interview w ith Thomas. I only need to recall th e scene to bring home to your mind the bodily reality . of the risen Christ, Thomas a t first could not believe He was the same Christ as had been put to death a few weeks previous; when Jesus therefore per'ceived- th e state of the m ind ;of Thomas, He said to him, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach h ith e r'th y hand, and th ru st it into my s id e b a n d be not faithless, bu t be liev ing ;” 'to which Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my Qod.” - Christ here represents H imself with" a body, and a body bearing the m arks made th rough suffering on' th e Cross of Calvary.“ ' A little later th an this second incident- in th e Upper Room, He . appeared on 'the shore of th e Soa of Gaditee Hb th e dis ciples a s . they came in from*'a n igh t’s fishing. You-remembeV th e Scene; as they drew n ea r-la n d He wasilstanding close ‘to the--Crater’s edge ready to give them a gldd,! welcome, having immedi ately before th is kindled a fir'b and cooked some fish, which ultim ately sa t isfied ith e wants of these hungry^fisher- men. We are quite safe in saying th a t Chr-iSt- sat down w ith them , and joined in the pleasure of an early morning breakfast, and ate It w ith as much zest as "any meal they had ever seen Him take, adding emphasis to th e words John spoke' when first; am id th e dim light of the morning, h’o^Said, “It is the Lord,”— the samiS” loving, sympa thetic, thoughtful F'rie’n d :4 I am quite aware Christ .was not so easily recog-”"
“W h y s h o u ld i t b e th o u g h t a th in g in c re d ib le w ith you» t h a t G od s h o u ld r a is e th e d e a d ? ”— A c ts 26:8. jE have many times stood bj
the graveside in th e cemetery and wondered, as we laid loved ones to rest ih th e cold
earth, w ith what body will they rise again; or will the same body which is laid in the grave ever rise at all? The teachings and ; experience of th e Lord Jesus Christ, so far as I study my New Testament, lead me to believe th a t there shall be a bodily and literal resu r rection from th e dead, and in order to ju stify th is dssertibn— .1 begin by saying th a t; C h rist's Resur rection was a literal fact. • When Jesus left the-grave on th e th ird :day, He did -so w ith a-real body. 'iiThis can be proved by many references ftom the New Testa ment. Let me ta k e somé of His mem orable appearances afte r He rose from the d ead . -In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 24ÿiJwe find-'H im mysteriously mani festing H imself to th e disciples as they werer gathered together ih the Upper Rodm-;; and shedding’Mrroàd I n 'all th eir hearts- the influence' of fear-. They thought He was a spirit, bù i th e King of L o ie soon drove’’pùt a ir sénse of te rro r; by telling His disciples t<5 ex am ine His hafids and fee t.' “And He said unto them , Why a re ’ ye troubled? .and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet; it is ti myself: handle me', and see; for a sp irit h ath not flesh and bones, as ye éèe me have.” I call your atten tion to -these words, “ it is I myself?* - I have been in th e gravé, says Christ, but I am here the same a s I was before I died— ‘-‘it is I myself.’* A fter th e lai®Ç
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