The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-10-28
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
NOVEMBER 1.
Lesson Text: "Christ the True Vine"
John xv., 1-16-Golden Tex:
John xv., S-Com-
mentary.

1. 81 am the true vine, and My Father is
the husbandman." Having arisen to go He
still talks with them. Israel was the vine
yard Of the Lord Of Hosts and the men of
Judah His pleasant plant. He also called
Israel vine which He had brought out of
Egypt lisa. ", s; Ps. Xxx, 81. But Israel
was only type of Him who now spake with
them. The mama, the rock, the water all
is the rock, He is the foundation of living
waters.
2. Every branch in Me that beareth not
fruit He taketh away" Judas had just gone
out little before; he was Of the number of
the twelve but never really one Of them. He
professed to be disciple, AMI was ons out
wardly, but was no plant Of Gods planting
(Math xv., 13.
''And every branch that beareth fruit, He
purgeth it that it may bring forth more
fruit" Now He speaks of the eleven, who
were really His but needed cleansing, that
they might he more fruitful. Anything of
self hinders fruitfulness and all filthiness,
both Of flesh and spirit, must be cleansed.
8. "Now ye are clean through the word
which have spoken unto you" Every one
in Christ is washed, justified, sanctified and
made meet for the inheritance Of the saints
Il Cor. vi, IL; Col. l., IL.
4. III me uuQ III you. AS UQ6
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye
abide in Me-" Being in Him, and therefore
clean by His blood, the great thing is to bear
fruit to the glory Of God. This we cannot
do by thinking OF ourselves or by striving in
our own strength, but only by behoIdlng
Him, believing His love, resting in His fin
ished work, yielding to Him fully; thus, as
the sap flows from the vine into all the
branches producing fruit. so will His life
flow into and through US. producing in us
love, JOY, peace, long suffering. gentieness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
5. II am the vine, ye are the branches. He
that abideth in Ne, and in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit; for without Ne
ye can do nothing We all know that the
grapes are gathered from the branches Of
the vine and not from the stalk, and also
that grapes grow only on the new growth Of
the branches put forth year by year. What
then is this abididg which He makes so much
Of and by which alone we can bear fruit?
What can it be but conscious occupation Of
the heart with Christ; continuous faith in
Christ crucifed, risen. interceding and COM
6. IF man abide not in Me, he is cast
forth as a branch, and is withered; and men
gather them, and cast them into the fire
and they areburned." A believer may be
stripped of his gifts and opportunities which
he failed tu improve, and be thus left as
warning to Others and finally saved as by
! fire Il Cor ill.,, Ills, or if only a nominal
Christian as Judas, he will be finally cast in
to the lake of fire tMath XIV, 4D. This
lesson however, as understand il, refers
chiefly, if not wholly, to true believers and
the energy of self shall be destroyed and
cnly the work Of the spirit shall abide.
{. IF ye abide in Me and My words abide
in YOU, ye shall ask what Ye will, and it
shall be done unto you" What possibilities
Of faith and prayer are here. Compare this
with chapter xiv, 13, IA, and ponder humbly
and prayerfully the Misunderstanding.
asking in His name, and seeking the glory of
God.
s. Herein is NY Father gori6ed, that ye
bear much fruit; so shall ye be My dis
ciples" AS it was His constant aim to glorify
the Father, so it must be ours il we are His
witnesses: an2 little fruit shall not satisfy
us, and will not il we have His Spirit, but
| the words much fruit" will be ever with
us.
Q. "As the Father hath loved Me, so have
loved you continue ye in My love" Here
is the source of all true servics and fruit
bearing-the love of God. Who can estimate
the love Of Goi to His only begotten Som
| And yet that Son says to all who are truly
in Him that His love to us is as the Fathers
| love to Himself-everlastiug unchanging,
| q love that lays down its life for its enemies,
love that bears with such as Peter and
continues to love him through all his wan
derings, boastings and denials.
II. "lf ye keep My commandments ye
snail abide in Ny love; even as I have kept
My Fathers commandments and abide in
| His love-" To love God with all the heart
and soul and our neighbor as ourselves; to
preach the gospel to every creature; and to
aim only to glorify God either by life or
death; these were some of the things COM
1nanded, and lived out in such as Paul and
| Timothy and others. Where Is our love
when compared with Christ's, or even with
that Of Paul or Peter or John?
"These" things have l spoken unto you,
that My joy might remain in you, and that
YOUR ioy might be full" 1t was the delight
| of the Lord Jesus to do the Fathers will; 1t
| was His meat and drink FPS. Il, S; John iv.,
34) This was His joy, and the time will
come when the will of God shall be done on
earth as in heaven. the prospect of this en-
abled Him to endure the cross and disregard
the shame (Heb. xii, /, g.
Il. This is My commandment, that ye
love one another as have loved you" The
only way in which we can show our love to
| God is by our love for one another, for "He
that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he hath NOT
seen" Il John iv., 20).
13. "Greater love hath no man than this,
that man lay down his life for his friends. "
This is the height of human love, to die Tor
friend but see the love Of God, fol- "God
commcndeth His love toward us in that
while we were yet sinners Christ died Tor
U.S." Christ died for the ungodly" from. ",
6-N.
IA. aye are Ny friends if ye do whatso-
ever I command you." And how can we be
His friends if we do not? Abraham believed
God and it was imputed unto Him for right
| eousness and he was called the friend OF
| God" JAS. H., 23). "Whosoever shall do the
will of NV Father which is in heaven, the
same is Ny brother and sister, and mother y
(Math. xii, 50.
Is. "Hanceforth call you not servants,
for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth." Paul took pleasure in calling him
self the servant of the Lord Jesus, meaning
by that his very bond slave, as one whom
Jesus has taken captive from the enemy, but
he rejoiced to be the servant OF Jesus be-
cause he had been set free from the bondage
of sin and Satan, and hs knew it and was
fully persuaded Of il. :,
But have called you friends. fo7 all
things that l have heard of My Father
have made known unto YOU just as we
tell our secrets only to our most intimate
friends. so Jesus rev sa.s Himself fully only
to those who prove themselves His friends
by keeping His words.
16. ':Ye have not. chosen Ma but / have
chosen you and ordained you, that ye should
20 and bring forth fruit. and that your fruit
should remain" In Eph. L.. 4, it says that
we were chosen in Christ before the founda-
tion of the world. But it is also written IN
the same connection that we were chosen to
be holy and without blame before HIN IN