The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1917-05-10
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LESSON
CBy E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director Of.
the Sunday School Course Of the Moody
Bible Institute.)
eCopyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Unon)
LESSON FOR MAY 13
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.

This lesson chronOlogically follows
that Of last Sunday Christ had risen
with his disciples from the supper ta-
BILE GA :31), and the remainder Of his
discourse may have occurred in an up
D. room, or in the courtyard of the
f~,i.se before they left the city, or on
the way to the garden Of Gethsemane.
|. THE ABIDING LIFE wv. LAY.
Unoer 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 DO 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-drcsscr) cuts away any branch on
cleans every branch which does bear
fruit, to make it bear richer fruit"
(Moffat's translation). Paul tells us
that ''no Christening for the present
seemeth to be joyous but .grlevous:
nevertheless. afterward 1t yieldeth the
Dcaceable fruit Of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
The Word is the cleansing agent az:
1O. Verse four suggests 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
H. x,l> 1,i, Lat
death, and his disciples were full OF
anxiety. He tells them not to be trou-
blcd, and by this figure assures them,
that, though he would leave them, he
would still be Joined to them. AL
though thcy 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 dccense and ascent to
the Father. "It is given to us to hold
/ fellowship with both the root that
twines itself about the cross and the
tendrls 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 fruitfuneSs
~. ne FRUITFUL LIE wv. 0-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 it is fit
only for fuel Elsa. 27:1D. "If yc abide
In me, ant. my words abide in YOU, We
shall ask what We will, and 1t Shall be
done unto you" ". y. Our first fruit
is to glorify God (v. 81. The vine does
not consume the fruit which 1t pro-
duces, though it does exist for It's pro-
duction. thus glorifying God through
It's fruit-bearing function. The Bible
|, uses many figures to illustrate the in
innate relationship between root and
fruit. without me-" emphasizes
: Christ, I'VE can do nothing" The
, "word" Of verse three IS equivalent to
the word 81" Of verse four. "Now We
are clean through the word which 1
have spoken unto you" ". 81. Our
fruit bearing is for Gods glory be-
cause it 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
delivernnce from the power Of sin Is
counterbalanced by corresponding
:, fruitfulness.
~. The Permanent Life wv. 9-13)
"Fruit," "more fruit" "much fruit
Even as the life Of Christ has incrcns
ingly manifested itself through the
ages, so our individual lives are tC
i, increase in the frultfuness which as
similates them to his character ant
expresses his graces. AS the Father
has loved him, so has he loved us, ant
!, this love he communicates to those
who abide in him. The evidence o1
our abiding Is manifested by our jo!
. in keeping his commandments, just q:
he delighted in keeping his father:
commandments. Obedience and 10!
are correlated terms. The fuller tn.
> obedience the greater the JOY. Bush
nell said: "Heaven Is nothing but tn,
joy Of perfectly harmonized beinl
filed with God and his love-" Insteat
Of minute, detailed Instructions re
. garding their conduct, the disciple.
are here presented with love. the gov
erning principle. Love was to be thu
one sufficient impulse for both divine
and human relationships. Our Lore
would have the world know his serv
ants by the fruit they bear.
Three things are mentioned as re
sultlng from the abiding life; power
to bear much fruit; transform lives
and change circumstances through an
swered prayer; and fullness Of joy--a
"joy unspeakable and full Of glory
The world with Its poor counterfelts
, has nothing like 1t to give, but all OF