Middletown transcript., 1917-05-12
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNl&SQlO0L
LESSON
(By p. o. SELLERS, Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Institute)
Copyright, 1917. Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR MAY 13
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.

GOLDEN TEXT am the vine. ye arc
the branches.-John 1916.
This lesson chronologically follows
that of last Sunday. Christ had risen
with his disciples from the supper ta-
BILE IA BY, 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.
I. THE ABIDING LIFE wv. LAY.
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 fer the present
seemeth to be joyous but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit Of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
The Word is the cleansing agent Ut:
~. Verse four suggests a double
abiding-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,
that, 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. 1T is given to us to hold
twines itself about the cross and the
tendrils which stretch upward to
glory."-A. ]. Gordon. So long rs we
think of ourselves, and not of Christ,
as the source of power, we shall miss
the secret Of fruitfulness.
II. The Fruitful Life wv. 5-8).
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. q :1D. IF ye abide
in me, and my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you" ". IA Our first fruit
Is to glorify God ". 81. The vine does
not consume the fruit which it pro-
duces, though it does exist for its pro-
duction, thus clarifying 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, I'VE can do nothing" The
"word" Of verse three is equivalent to
the word II" Of verse four. "NOw ye
are clean through the word which l
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
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 increas-
ingly manifested itself through the
ages, so our individual lives are to
increase in the fruitfulness which as
similates 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 o.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
are correlated terms. The fuller the
obedience the greater the JOY. Bush
nell said: "Heaven is nothing but the
Joy of a perfectly harmonized being
filled with God and his love-" Instead
of minute, detailed instructions re-
garding 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, which is
to be a sufficient badge to identify
them in the midst Of it's wickedness
and perversity. The great fact of his
love toward us is to be the source and
measure Of our love toward others.
Only love can fulfil the royal Jaw
"thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
self Games 2:9). "If ye love me, ye
will keep my commandments" said
Jesus (14:15 r. W. The evidence
that we have this love Is in having q
heart for his commandments. Il de- |
light to do thy WILL 0 my Cod" (Psa. |
4O:S) is the language of love-filled
heart. "Greater love hath no man
than this :" said Christ facing the |
tragedy of the cross. He wanted his |
disciples to understand something of |
the measure of that love which was
willing to give itself to the death for
the life of a rebel world. Presently he
laid down his life for his foes (Rom.
5 :6-10). But to his disciples he gave