The Elbert County tribune., 1917-05-11
INTERNATIONAL.
SlINlMSClOG
LESSON
By z. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Institute.)
Copyright. 1917, Western Newspaper Union. }
LESSON FOR MAY 10
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.

'o-%-@
This lesson chronologically follows
that of last Sunday. Christ had risen
with his disciples from the supper ta-
BILE IA :31), and the remainder Of his
discourse may have occurred In an up
per room, or In the courtyard of the
house before they left the city, or on
the way to the garden of Gethsemane
!. THE ABIDING LIFE wv. 1.4,.
Under the figure of the vine Jesus
teaches spiritual truth by natural
analogy. The vine is composed of
roots, stem, branches, tendrils, and
fruit. There is no separate life: the
branches are one with the vine. Christ
Is the head of that body which Is the
church to its least member. The life
lived by the Christian is Christ's life
humanized, the purpose of which IS
fruit bearing. Discipline is in order
to fruitfulness. "He (My Father, the
vine-dresser) cuts away any branch on
me which is not bearing fruit, and
cleans every branch which does bear
fruit, to make 1t bear richer fruit
(Moffat's translation). Paul tells us
that mo Christening for the present
seemeth to be joyous but grievous:
nevertheless. afterward 1t yieldeth the
peacenbIe fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
The Word is the cleansing agent III:
I'D. Verse four suggests a double
nbiding-we In him, and he in us
the branch depending upon the vine
for life, and the vine depending upon
the branch for fruit. Jesus had just
been talking about his approaching
death, and his disciples were full of
anxiety. He tells them not to be trou-
bled, and by this figure assures them,
thnt, though he would leave them, he
would still be Joined to them. AL
though they had been made clean,
they are taught that the only way to
keep clean is by abiding" which is
to be continued through the eternal
spirit after his decease and ascent to
the Father. ut is given to us to hold
fellowship with both the root that
twines itself about the cross and the
tendrils which stretch upward to
glory."-A. J. Gordon. SO long as we
think of ourselves, and not of Christ
as the source of power, we shall miss
the secret of fruitfulness.
IL. The Fruitful Life (vv. 5-S).
If we abide in him we will bring forth
much fruit Note the progression:
'fruit," more fruit" "much fruit" If
the branch does not bear fruit 1t is fit
only for fuel Elsa. 81 I'D. "If ye abide
In me, and my words abide In you, We
shall ask what ye will, and 1t shall be
done unto you' ". y. Our first fruit
is to glorify God ". 81. The vine does
not consume the fruit which 1t pro-
duces, though it does exist for its pro-
duction, thus glorifying God through
Its fruit-bearing function. The Bible
uses many figures to Illustrate the in
innate relationship between root and
fruit "without me-" emphasizes
Christ, "ye can do nothing" The
"word' of verse three is equivalent to
the word "'I'' of verse four. Nov ye
are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you" ". 81. Our
fruit bearing is for Gods glory be-
cause 1t is an expression of his grace
and power, and 1t is made possible
through our Identification with his
dear son. Our fruitfulness attests our
Christian character. We have not yet
attained perfection in our conduct, but
we are making progress. Progressive
deliverance from the power of sin Is
counterbalanced by corresponding
fruitfulness.
III. The Permanent Life wv. 9-13).
''Fruit," more fruit" much fruit"
Even as the life of Christ has lncreas-
ingly manifested itself through the
ages, so our individual lives are to
increase in the fruitfulness which as
Stimulates them to his character and
expresses his graces. AS the Father
has loved him, so has he loved us, and
this love he communicates to those
who abide in him. The evidence of
our abiding is manifested by our joy
In keeping his commandments, just as
he delighted in keeping his fathers
commandments. Obedience and joy
nre correlated terms. The fuller the
obedience the greater the joy. Bush
nell said: Heaven is nothing but the
| Joy of a perfectly harmonic being
filed with God and his love" Instead
of minute, detailed instructions re-
| gnrding their conduct, the disciples
are here presented with love, the gov
erning principle. Love was to be the
one sufficient impulse for both divine
and human relationships. Our Lord
would have the world know his serv-
ants by the fruit they bear.
Three things are mentioned as re-
sulting from the abiding life; power
to bear much fruit; transform lives
and change circumstances through an
swered prayer; and fullness of joy-a
10y unspeakable and full of glory"
The world with its poor counterfeits
has nothing like it to give, but all of
these gifts are contingent upon our