Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-05-10
LESSON FOR MAY 10
JESUS THE TRUE VINE.
ON TExT-John 1871 10.

GOLDEN TEXT am the vine, ye are
the branches.-John 1876.
This lesson chronologically follows
that of last Sunday. Christ had risen
with his disciples from the supper ia
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 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 'no Christening for the present
seemeth to be joyous but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward 1t yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby"
The Word is the cleansing agent III:
~. 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. at 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. ]. 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. 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 :11). "If ye abide
In me, and my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what We WILL and it shall be
done unto you ". y. 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
IFS fruit-bearing fur ction. The Bible
uses many figures to illustrate the in
innate relationship between root and
fruit. without me-" emphasizes
Christ, Eye can do nothing" The
word" of verse three is equivalent to
,, the word "I' 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 vet
; attained perfection in our conduct, but
{ we are making progress. Progressive
l deliverance from the power of sin is
! counterbalanced by corresponding
: fruitfulness.
III. The Permanent Life wv. 9-13).
: "Fruit," "more fruit" "much fruit"
1 Even as the life of Christ has increas-
. ingly manifested itself through the
3 ages, so our individual lives are to
= increase in the fruitfulness which as
= Stimulates them to his character and
t 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
g our abiding is manifested by our joy
a IN keeping his commandments, just as
/. ne delighted in keeping his fathers
/, commandments. Obedience and JOY
are correlated terms. The fuller the
/. obedience the greater the joy. Bush
d nell said: "Heaven is nothing but the
Il JOY of a perfectly harmonized being
l. filed with God and his love-" Instead
e of minute, detailed instructions re
u garding their conduct, the disciples
II are here presented with love, the gov
ie erning principle. Love was to be the
Il one sufficient impulse for both divine
n and human relationships. Our Lore
y would hare the world know his sery
II ants by the fruit they bear.
Is