Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-05-11
LESSON FOR MAY 13
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.

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.
I. 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 it's 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 it bear richer fruit
(Moffats translation). Paul tells US
that mo Christening for 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 Q7:
10. 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
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. "It is given to US to hold
fellowship with both the root that
twines itself about the cross and the
tendrils which stretch upward to
gIory."-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.
II. The Fruitful Life wv. $50.
| 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. 81 :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" ". y. Our first fruit
| ;e +o CoI fy Tho Dino docs
not consume the fruit which it pro-
duces, though it does exist for its pro-
duction, thus clarifying 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, ''ye can do nothing" The
"word" of verse three is equivalent to
the word 'I'' of verse four. snow 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 it is made possible
through our Identification with his
dear son. Our fruitfulness attests our
| OnTlSlldH
attained perfection in our conduct, but
we are making progress. Progressive
deliverance from the power of sin is
counterbalanced by corresponding
fruitfulness.
Ill. The Permanent Life wv. 9-13).
''Fruit," ''more fruit" "much fruit.
Even as the life of Christ has increas
, ipgly manifested itself through the
ages, so our individual lives. are to
increase in the fruitfulness which as
similates them to his character ano
expresses his graces. AS the Father
has loved him, so has he loved US, anC
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
are correlated terms. The fuller thu
obedience the greater the joy. Bush
nell said: Heaven is nothing but the
Joy of a perfectly harmonized beins
filed 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 th'
: one sufficient impulse for both divin
and human relationships. Our Lore
would have the world know his serv
ants by the fruit they bear, which i
: TO be sufficient badge to identif
' them in the midst of it's wickednes
: and perversity. The great fact Of hi
love toward us is to be the source AM
: measure of our love toward Others
= Only love can fulfil the royal law
: Chou shalt love thy neighbOr as thy
self (James 2:S). "If ye love me, y
. will keep my commandments" sail
: Jesus 14:15 r. W. The evidenc
that we have this love is in having
heart for his commandments. Il de
light to do thy will, o my God" Psa
. 40:S) is the language of a love-ille
= heart. "Greater love hath no ma
than this - said Christ facing tn
: tragedy of the cross. He wanted hi
Gie~inles to understand something @
the measure of that love which wa
: willing to give itself to the death fo
) the life of a rebel world. Presently h
: laid down his life for his foes (Ron
y 5:6-lO). But to his disciples he CAV
y the pledge of his continued friendshi
= in his resurrection life to cOmfol
= them in the trials which he foresa'
:, would test them. He called thel
"Iripnds," even as he had calle
Lazarus 'Our friend" Q1-11). II
never calls them slaves because
slave ''knows not what his Lor
~ doeth,'
Three things are mentioned as r
- sulting from the abiding life; powt
- to bear much fruit; transform live
- and change circumstances through al
. swered prayer; and fullness of joy
"a ''joy unspeakable and full of glory
=, The world with its poor cOunterfe1
- has nothing like it to give, but all I
these gifts are contingent upon OF
abiding in Christ, the source of e
cry blessing. The personal pronoJ
- suggests peculiarly intimate relatio