THE QUIET HOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 20 April 1935, Page 15

THE QUIET HOUR

(Contributed by Rev. H. Curran). AN EASTER. MESSAGE. No. 2. EASTER. WHY?

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ DIED ior our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was BURIED and that HE' ROSE AGAIN the third day according to the Scriptures : And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once” (1 Cor. 15:3-6). We do not worship a dead Christ. One who has no power. Thank God! Although He died for our sins, and was buried, He rose from among the dead, and is now just as real as when in the flesh, even if these human eyes cannot see Him! While Jesus trod this earth, they had frequently tried to kill him. But this they could not do till His hour had come. We read: “Then they sought to take Him, but no man laid hands on him, because HIS HOUR WAS NOT YET COME.” (John 7:3Q). When He went to Nazareth, where He was brought up, Jesus preached a wonderful sermon to them. Then they “Rose up and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow r of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong. But He passing through the midst of them went His way,’> (Luke 4 : 29, 30). But in the garden it was different. The hour had come and Jesus said: “When I was daily with you in the temple ye stretched forth no hands against Me: BUT THIS IS YOUR HOUR,

and the power of darkness. Then took they him and led Him and brought Him i,nto the high priest’s home” (Luke 22:53, 54). Previously Jesus had told His folio wers that He would die for them. He said: “I lay down My life for the sheep. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My lire, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but

I LAY IT DOWN OF MYSELF. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again.” (John 10: 17, 18). That meant resurrection. •

If His eriemies had only understood that Jesus could not be kept in the grave, they would not have been so ready to crucify Him. ‘ WHAT TOUCHED HIS HEART.

A friend or the writer’s told liow the story of Jesus failed to touch him. He heard of His birth, His death and His resurrection. But it did not move him. As he read of the crucifixion, it appeared to be a murder, far away, that had nothing to do with him. But one day he read: “I lay down My life. No man TAKETH IT from Me, Out I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” Then the Spirit revealed to him that LOVE, not men, caused the Son of God to voluntarily die for him. “That,” said he, “brought it close to me. It had seemed a long way off before. I saw that, in His great love, He had come down to die for me, a poor sinner. And it won my heart, and I surrendered to Him, and He saved me.”

Many a time our friend preached to others about the loving Saviour, who had given him eternal life, and now he is “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

After a mock trial, with 'false witnesses, they nailed the Saviour of sinners to the cross. “And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on the right hand, and the other on the left’’ (Mark 15:27). This was done after Pilate said: “Behold, I, having examined Him before you, HAVE FOUND I NO' FAULT IN THIS

MAN. . .. No, nor vet Herod: for I sent you to him, audio, NOTHING WORTHY OF DEATH hath been done by Him” (Luke 23:14, 15). One of the malefactors said: “But tllis man hath done nothing amiss,” while the Centurion said: “Certainly this is a righteous man” (Luke 23: 41, 47). And later: “The centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying,

TRULY THIS WAS THE SON OF

GOD' (Matt. 27: 54). While the disciples appeared to have forgotten, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together .under Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said,vhile He was yet alive, AFTER THREE DAYS I WILL RISE

AGAIN.” (Matt. 27 ; 62, Oo). Then they said: “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third .day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away.” “iPilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” (Verss 64-66). They remembered that He had said He would rise again. But they forgot chat He had said: “I have POWER to take it again.” So when the time was up, the Lord Jesus rose again in spite of the seal and the soldiers; for all the powers of hell and earth could not keep Him in the tomb.

Jesus went in and out among His disciples, being seen of individuals, companies, and finally, He was seen by over “five hundred brethren at once.” Forty days after Jesus rose again He led* His followers to the Mount of Olives, gave them a farewell message and said, “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jersusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, HE WAS TAKEN UP; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven ? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven. shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven .(Acts 1 : 8-11).