The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1960-06-18
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
By Rev. Geo "A. Harper
Greenwood, Miss.


Lesson Text, Matthew tbs
%; 25:31-46; Luke 1869.
MEMOIR Selection: Abide
in me land l in you. AS the
branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the
vine; no more can We, except
We abide in me. John 15:4).
Those who are come to Christ
must abide in him: "Abide in
me, by faith: and I in your;
for the communion between
Christ and believers never
fails on his side. We must a.
bide in Christ's word by a re-
gard to it, and it in us as
light to our feet. The knot of
the branch abides in the vine
and the sap of the vine abideS
In the branch, and so there is
constant communication De-
tween them. The necessity of
our abiding in Christ, in ord
er to our fruitfulneSs, "You
cannot bring forth fruit, ex-
cept you abide in me; but, if
you do, you bring forth much
fruit; for in short, without me,
or separate from me, you can
do nothing" He that is con-
slant in the exercise of faith
in Christ and love to him, that
lives upon his promises and is
led by his Spirit, bringeth
forth much fruit. Without me
you can do nothing, not only
no great thing, heal the sick,
or raise the dead, but moth
ing" Without Christ we can
do nothing Alright, nothing
pleasing to God or profitable
to ourselves.
THE TEST OF FRUIT: "Be-
ware of false prophets finch
come to you in sleeps cloth
ing, but inwardly they are ra-
vening wolves" The false pro
phet is a very dangerous per
son. He is dangerous because
he is not easily detected by
the common mind which does
not make sufficient effort to
apply the test which Jesus
recommended. Jesus warns
that we ought to be able to
detect such people and to be-
ware of, keep away from,
them.
aye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thornes, or figs of
thistles." Trees have the ma
ture of bearing the kind of
fruit they were intended to
bear, and they 60 on doing
this regularly year after year
as long as they are capable of
bearing fruit at all.
even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but
a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit" By the same tok-
en-, when the tree is healthy
it brings forth good or heal
thy fruit. ga good tree can
not bring forth evil fruit, nei-
Their can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit" On the 9TH
er hand, there is nothing that
can be done to produce good
fruit from a bad tree, for the
background, or source, was
corrupted from the beginning.
Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down
and cast into the fire"
That is the wisdom of Jesus
statement that every tree
which does not bring forth
good fruit is hewn down and
cast into the fire. If it is not
fit for fruit it can at least
provide fuel. So it is with
those who are among false
and the pretenders: if they do
not produce works which will
stand the test of sincerity and
genuineness, they will be de-
stroyed. Wherefore by their
fruits We shall know them"
In other words, Jesus is say
Ing that the best way to tell
the condition of a tree is by
the kind of fruit it bears. and
the best way to discern what
a person really is by the deeds
he performs.
FALSE PROPHETS DIS
OWNED: mot every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father which
Is in heaven"
Obedience is essential to
the kingdom of God because
the kingdom is the reign of