The Dermott news., 1917-05-10
INTERNATIONAL
,SUND6YSQIOOL
LESSON
(By f. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Instituted
Copyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR MAY 13
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.
sSON TEST-John 15:l-IS.

iiiS tSSStH i'''"'
that of last Sunday. Christ had risen
with his disciples from the supper Ia
BILE GA :3D. 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.
l. THE ABIDING LIFE wv. 1.D.
Under the figure of the vine Jesus
teaches spiritual truth by natural
analogy The vine is composed OF
roots. stem, branches. tcndrils. 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 IL bear richer fruit
(Moffat's translation). Paul tells us
that mo Christening for the present
Sttlliflll " bt ltH'uS but bit'NVHSs
nevertheless. afterward II yieldcth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
The Word Is the cleansing agent III:
17). Verse four suggests double
abiding-we in him. and he In us
the branch depending upon the vine
for life and the vine depending upon
a.. - s,,.,s
been talking about his approaching
death. and his disciples were fun OF
anxiety He tells them not To be trou-
hled. and by this figure assures them,
that. though he would leave them. he
would still he 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 Ia hold
fellowship with both the root that
twines itself ahont the cross and the
tcndrls which stretch upward to
glory. y. !. Gordon. So long rs we
think Of ourselves. and not ~ Christ,
+ dS tie source III IhiN'l, w NitAit HISS
the secret Of fruitfulneSS.
II. The Fruitful Life wv. 5-S).
r. We abide Ia him we will bring forth
much fruit. Note the progression:
fruit" more fruit" "Inuch fruit" II
the branch does not bear fruit II is III
only for fuel elsa. GID. "If ye abide
In me. aud my words abide In YOU. We
shall ask what We VIII. and II shall he
done unto YOU" ". y. Our first fruit
is 10 glorify God ". -. The vine does
not consume the fruit which II pro-
duces though IL does exist for Its pro
duction. thus glorifying God through
It's fruit bearing function. The Bible
uses many figures 10 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 II" OF verse four. Now ye
are clean through the word which I
have spoken unto you" ". ~. Our
fruit bearing Is for Gods glory be-
cause IL is an expression Of his grace
md power. and II Is made possible
through our Identification with his
lear son. Our fruitfulncss attests our
Christian character. We have not yet
attained perfection in our conduct, but
We are making progress. Progressive
| leliverance from the power OF sin 10
rounterhalanced by corresponding
| fruitfulness.
~. The Permanent Life wv. al3).
Fruit" .'more fruit" much. fruit"
Even rs the life OF Christ has increas-
lngly 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 those
who abide in him. The evidence OF
our abiding Is manifested by our Joy
| in keeping his commandments, just a.
| he delighted In keeping his fathers
commandments. Obedience and JOY
are correlated terms. The fuller tho
obedience the greater the Joy. Bush
nell said: Heaven Is nothing but tho
10y of perfectly harmonized being
| filed with God and his love" Instead
~ 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.
Three things are mentioned as ~
sulting from the abiding life; power
tn bear much fruit: transform lives
and change circumstances through an
swered prayer; aud fullness of joy--a
10y unspeakahle and full OF glory"
| The world with its poor counterfelts
has nothing like II to give. but all Of
these gifts are contingent upon our
abiding" In Christ. the source Of ev-
| cry blessing. The personal pronoun