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permits doubt concerning the, love' of Christ to creep into his heart is there by robbed of power for fruit-bearing and is driven to thinking of self and self’s position before God. Occupation with self r u i n s the possibility of bearing fruit; occupation with Christ results in the unconscious but plentiful bearing of fruit to the Father’s glory. Occupation with Christ is manifested by the keeping of His commandments. The Lord Himself is the One who could say, concerning His Father, “I do al ways those things that please him.” This ability to please Him was the re sult of something more than slavish obe dience to the law Of Moses; it was the understanding of the will of God through close association with God and the ful filling of that will by joyous obedience to God. The Lord Jesus has set for us a perfect example. The “ abiding” of Christ—that is, His oneness with the Father—was always constant; and the believer’s abiding like wise can be constant. There was very little fruit of the life of the Lord Jesus that could be seen when Christ died on the cross; but His fruit continues to be produced through and by the branches united to Him, and whatever fruit there is or ever will be belongs to Him, for He is the true vine.' He uses the branches to receive supply from Him and to bear •fruit for Him, Points and Problems 1. “The true vine” (John 15:1); The word “true” should be understood here in the sense of genuine. The order and emphasis of the G r e e k expression is something like this: “I am the Vine— the genuine Vine.” 2. “ I am the true, vine” (v. 1). The meaning of this remarkable statement must be understood against the back ground of the Old Testament, where Is rael was often pictured as a vineyard or a Vine (see Isa. 5:1 ff., Ezek. 19:10 ff., Psa. 80:8 ff.). The great scholar Delitzsch also claims that among the Jews the' vine was a well-recognized symbol of the Messiah. This would be in harmony with Old Testament usage, where both Israel and Messiah are often closely identified as God’s “son” . and “servant.” Therefore, in claiming to be the true vine, our Lord is claiming that all of Israel’s hopes are both grounded and fulfilled, in Him—an astounding claim. 3. “.Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away” (v. 2). If we keep in mind the Jewish symbolism in the background, we shall not have dif ficulty with the statement that branches which are gaid to be “in” Christ may be taken away and burned (v. 6). The en tire natipn of Israel c o m p o s e d the “vine,” and in that sense they were in Christ, both good and bad. But the bad are to be cast out, and the good are to be made better. It is also true, as Dr. Strong and Dr. Robertson have
9 A s tlie F a th e r hath loved m e, ao h a v e 1 loved j o a t con tin u e y e in m y love. 10 I f ye k eep m y com m an dm en ts, ye sh a ll abide in m y lo v e } even as I ha ve k ep t m y F a th e r’s com m an dm en ts, and a bid e in h is Jiove. LESSOR T E X T t J oh n 15il-1 0 . GOLDEN T E X T t «A b id e in m e, and 1 in y o n ” (J o h n ' 15:4). D E VO T ION A L R E A D IN G : E ph. 3:14-21. Outline and Exposition ^ I. T he P osition in C hrist (1, 2a). S HE SOURCE of all fruit-bearing' is the relation between the vine and the branch. Non-fruit-bear- ing branches are taken away. In a fruit tree, some branches may be fruitful and others barren, depending upon whether Or not there is a vital connection between the branch and the life-giving root. Thus it is also in the spiritual sense. A believer may be joined to Christ through the work of regeneration, but it is only when he allows the life of Christ to flow unhin- .dered through his own being that he can bear fruit. The expression, “ t a k e t h away,” does not mean taken to eternal doom, for that could never befall a born- again believer. It' means, rather, the withdrawal of the-fruitless one from the sphere of fruit-bearing. II. T he P urpose of C hrist (2b-8) The whole purpose of the branch is to bear fruit for Christ. The function of the branch is to receive from the source of supply and to give again that which has been received—this time in the form of fruit. Hence the fruit-bear ing branch is continually “purged,” that is, continually cleansed, in order that it may bring forth more fruit. The, ' cleansing agent is the Word of God. . As the Word cleanses, the believer is enabled to “abide” in Christ, and with out that abiding there can be no fruit borne. No branch bears fruit of itself; only as it abides—continues—in the vine will the life of the vine be manifest in the fruit of the branch. "Without me ye can do nothing,” or, “Apart from me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5, R. V.). But the branch has nothing to do with propagating itself, or giving itself any place in the vine. The fulfillment of the promise, “Ask what ye will, and it shall be done,” lies within the limits of the fruit-bearing. This verse cannot be lifted out of its context and pleaded in prayer as a basis for receiving anything that is de sired. It has to do with fruit-bearing, and the purpose of fruit-bearing is the glory of the Father. The asking can be limitless, within the limits of this pur pose. HI. THfc P ractice for C hrist (9, 10) The praetioe of the fruit-bearing Christian will be a continuance in the love of Christ. The Father loves Christ, and with the same manner of love Christ loves the believer. The Christian who
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pointed out, that the entire world of men sustains a certain cosmic relation ship to Christ by virtue of creation, which is described by the words "in him”’ See Colossians 1:16, “In him were all things created” (R. V.). To “abide” in Christ describes a closer and spiritual relationship which is true only of those who are bom of God. 4. “He taketh away . . . he purgeth it” (v. 2). Both of these statements doubtless speak of the work of pruning. In the case of the branch which fails to abide in the vine, that is, fails to ,make any spiritual connection, the Vine- Dresser cuts away the entire branch. In the case of the branch which gives evidence pf its vital connection by fruit bearing, He “purgeth” this one by cut ting it back and pruning off the shoots that would waste its fruit-bearing ener gy. Golden Text Illustration ; J ohn 15:4 An aged Christian spoke with so much confidence of her salvation that a friend thought to chide her a little for over- confidence. He said: “What would you think if you were to slip through the fingers of Christ, after all?” “Oh, I cannot,” ’she said. . “I am one pf His fingers.” That was Scriptural: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally mem bers thereof” (1 Cor. 12:27, R. V.). He has constituted Himself our very selves, even including tjiis body of ours; for, “ Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?’.’ (1 Cor. 6:15). How even our physical bodies, together with our whole being, can he joined in literal pinion with the eternal Christ, we cannot understand; but He plainly would have us accept this by faith. I am not a ma terial instrument He can lay aside or let
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