v. 7. John's Gospel is to show Jesus as the Son of God, John i. 1, 14. Now, Resurrection is the work of God alone, Deut. xxxii. 39; 2 Kings Man can make things, but he cannot create; he cannot give the breath of life, Job. xxxviii. 4; Gen. ii. 7. One instance we read of, and that shows the awful character of the Antichrist in the last times, Rev. xiii. 13-15. He shall imitate, to a certain extent, the power of Him who says, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." In this name we see Jesus as the Son of God, Rom. i. 4; Acts xiii. 33, 34. 2. Present salvation. Jesus does not say "I shall be," but "I am; thus making us realise the fact that, to those who believe in Him, He is now Resurrection and Life, Eph. ii. 1; John v. 24; 2 Cor. v. 17. "He that hath the Son hath life." "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." How important for us to remember this-that eternal life begins now, in union with Jesus, 1 John v. 13. It is His own word to us-"I am the Resurrection and the Life." 3. Federal Headship. That is, we see Christ as our great representative in God's sight. He does not say, "I am the cause of the Resurrection," but "I am the Resurrection;" in Me all rise-all have life, 1 Cor. xv. 22. If a body lies horizontally on the ground, when once the head begins to rise, all the other members rise with it. So with Christ and the members of His body, Rom. vi. 4, 5; Gal. ii. 19, 20; Eph. ii. 5, 6; Gal. iii. 1; and thus He says "I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Let us then try, "by God's special grace preventing us," this Easter morning to enter into a full realisation of this truth concerning Jesus. Are we so united with Him by faith that, having died, we have also risen with Him? Eph. i. 19, 20. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above." First Sunday after Easter. "OUR PEACE." Learn, Eph. ii. 14-18. Passages to be referred to,—Isa. lix.; Luke i. 68-79; John xiv. 27, xvi. 33, xx. 19-23; Eph. ii. 13-22. To have a WHAT a very blessed thing is peace. heart and conscience tranquil in looking to God. It is the quelling of the storm and tempest, Mark iv. 39. It is the healing of the longstanding disease, Luke viii. 48. It is the satisfying conscience, 2 Kings v. 19. It is the blessing of forgiveness, Luke vii. 50. To be spiritually-minded is peace, Rom. viii. 6. To be a partaker of the kingdom of God is peace, Rom. xiv. 17. This is just the subject for today. Peace follows on the Resurrection of Jesus. "He was raised again for our justification" (explain), Rom. iv. 25, and "being justified we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. v. 1. All, therefore, is wrapt up in Him. Of old He had Peace," Isa. ix. 6. His birth, Luke ii. He is " our Peace." been named "the Prince of Peace was the key-note of 14. Peace was also con nected with His death. It was one of the bequests in His legacy to His people, John The will could not be proved till after But the God of xiv. 27. His decease, Heb. ix. 16, 17. Peace brought Him again from the dead, Heb. xiii. 20; and He was His own executor, John xx. 19, 21. But we shall find that, in three distinct ways, Jesus is our Peace. I. He established our peace with God. Sin had separated between us and God, Isa. lix. 2. He could have nothing to do with what is sinful, Hab. i. 13. But Christ has come in between, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. He is the propitiatory or mercy-seat, 2 Cor. v. 21; Isa. liii. 5. Thus, when enemies, we were reconciled to God by His death, Rom. v. 10. II. He established our peace with conscience. There has been trouble with conscience ever since man's first sin, Gen. iii. 10; Rom. ii. 15. It makes us try to escape God's presence; but the Spirit, in convincing of sin, shows the sinbearer, John i. 29. He applies the blood of Jesus to the conscience, Heb. xi. 14, and gives the assurance of pardon, 1 John ii. 12. III. He established our peace with one another. In Christ alone there is a real union, John xvii. 21-23; there is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Eph. iv. 3. There are many things to separate us naturally-different tempers, habits, dispositions, &c.; but as we all |