A RISEN SAVIOUR by L. A. Hoopes

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 29, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 13.

A RISEN SAVIOUR.

By L. A. Hoopes

"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." This question was asked the women who came to the sepulcher to anoint the body of Jesus. The mighty angel from the heavenly courts had, a short time prior to this, rolled away the stone from the sepulcher. Now, in company with another angel, he converses with the women. These angels are come on a mission of peace and good cheer. When they appeared to the shepherds on the hills around Bethlehem, some thirty-one years before this, they announced "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people," "a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men." Now they come to announce that Jesus is not in the tomb, but "is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him." This announcement filled their hearts with gladness, for it is said, "They departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy."

What a comforting message there is in these words to every trembling, troubled heart that is yearning for such comfort as only Christ can give! What soul satisfaction to hear the glad announcement that they have a risen Saviour, not one who is shut up in Joseph's new tomb, with a Roman seal upon it! He is not dead, but lives. He does not call us to weep and mourn over Him, for He is the mighty Helper who dispels all our grief and sorrow. He does not call us to the grave to find comfort in desolation, for He is the mighty Conqueror over death and the grave.

No message ever carried with it so much assurance of hope and good cheer to the sorrowing disciples as did this one that gave conviction that they had a living Saviour. The same is true in all the world. Jesus lives to make intercession for every one. The One who has conquered death and the grave, is able to conquer every temptation and trial that comes to any one; so that it matters not what the temptation is, He will with the temptation make a way of escape.

Christ took on Himself the seed of Abraham. "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." Heb. 2:17, 18.

A risen Saviour was the key of the prophet's visions (Hosea 6:1, 2) and the shepherd's psalms (Ps. 16:10; 23:1-6). David would have us know that the grave could not hold the Son of God, and that when He came to pass through the dark valley, He had a Companion who was acquainted with the road. Hosea would point us to the "third day," when He should be raised up, and heal that which is torn, and bind up that which is smitten.

Daniel, the beloved of Heaven, sees in prophetic vision the Messiah the Prince, the Anointed of God. He is the one who ratifies the everlasting covenant with His own blood, and yet lives, "the great Prince who stands up" for the people of God when there is "the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation."

It is the time when the dead are raised from their graves and delivered. The prophet does not base his hope on the fact that the Messiah was to be cut off, but that He lives, as Michael, the Prince of the covenant, the "One like the Son of man." He sees Him coming to the Ancient of Days to receive "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Jesus, while conversing with the two disciples on the day of His resurrection, exclaimed: "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:25-27.

Again, as He meets with the disciples in the upper chamber, He brings to them the comforting message, "Peace be unto you." The disciples were not prepared to receive it as a communication of peace. They must be convinced that it is their risen Lord. "And as they thus spoke, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them. And He said unto them, Those are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me."

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." This last sentence is specifically for every one who is a new creature in Christ Jesus. On the day of Pentecost Peter said, "We all are witnesses." Again, He attributes the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, to faith in the name of a risen Saviour, "whereof we are witnesses." "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." This is the work of salvation that is brought to every soul. "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

We must be ready with the apostle to say, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Paul believed in a risen Saviour. So must we. We must come to the point where we can say, "But Christ liveth in me." He is not dead, but alive, hence we must "reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is the mainspring of Christianity. It is the secret of a successful experience in the things of God. This knowledge must be inwrought into our very souls. No other knowledge brings with it such satisfaction as does this. To the child of God it is the distinction of the Spirit of God from the spirit of anti-christ. 1 John 4:3. To both Christian and infidel it is the mystery of godliness that is working mightily to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. It is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

What power, what peace, what rest, what comfort, what assurance, is couched in these words! Truly we can say, with Adam, Christ is the seed of the woman that is to bruise the head of the serpent. No power can stand against Him. Like Abraham, we may find in Him the King of Salem, King of Peace. His peace comes, not as the world gives, but like the calm, deep moving of a mighty river. Trouble may come to us, but He bears it all.

He is the Shiloh to our souls. We may be weary and heavy-laden, but He lives, and bids us to come unto Him and find rest. With Isaiah, we may say, Immanuel, "Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace;" or, with Jeremiah, "The Lord our righteousness."

L. A. Hoopes.