October, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
392
There are always some who are sick or who are poor. The Bible says that the church is to take this as part of its work, too. Men of the church are to be appointed to help these people. They are to be wise men who are filled with the Holy Spirit. This may not seem to be as important a job as that of being a preacher, but to God all things are equally important, and we are to. do them because we love the Lord Jesus and want to obey Him. Object Lesson D ad and L ad Objects: Tw o candles—one burned low, and the other tall. Lesson: I brought a Dad and lad with me this morning. I wonder whether you can guess what their family name is. Here they are: Mr. Candle and his son Carl. Can you guess which is the Dad and which is the lad? “The tall one is Mr. Candle.” How many think that the tall one is the Dad? If you do, you are all wrong. You have forgotten that candles are not like people in one way—they grow small instead of tall, the longer they shine. If you were to light both of these can dles and let them shine until they burned out, you would find that Mr. Candle would go out much sooner than Carl Would. In most cases in life, the boy is still living after the father has died. In thinking of candles, let us remember the words of Christ: “Ye are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine be Golden Text: “ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). Outline and Exposition I. P reparation for F ruit -B earing (1-7) T HIS passage has been the ground of considerable difference of opinion among brethren. The passage treats of fruit-bearing, or service, rather than of the way of salvation. In these verses, we are not told how to be saved, but we are told how to serve after we have been saved. The Christian is saved for the pur pose of bearing fruit unto God. The first requisite for fruit-bearing is union with Christ, the Vine (vs. 1, 2). The branch does not produce the fruit. The function of the branch is to receive life from the vine; and from that which is thus re ceived, fruit is formed and is displayed by means of the branch. When the passage speaks of the taking away of fruitless branches, it does not imply the loss of salvation, but it means the removal of the opportunity for service (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25-27). In the Christian’s experience of fruit bearing, after union with Christ has been established, cleansing by Him must be given (v. 3). The cleansing comes as the Word is applied. T o the extent that the Christian permits the. Word to operate in
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fore men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14, 16). Christ was, of course, speaking of Christians. It was His desire that they, having received Him, should let Him shine out of their lives. In looking at Mr. Candle and Carl, I am reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy may have been in danger of thinking that he, being young, could not serve God acceptably. But Timothy had something that an older person did not have—he had time and the strength of youth with which to serve Christ. Paul was an older man, and he did not have long to live. It is wonderful to be young, if youth is given to Christ for service. When an old man gives his life to Christ, he has only a short time to shine for Christ, but when a young person is saved, he has a whole life to give in service to the Master. his life, he is enabled to fulfill Christ’s purpose for him (cf. Eph. 5:25-27). Moreover, the believer must abide in Christ (ys. 4-7). Abiding in Him brings power for life and service. Separated from Christ, the Vine, the branch cannot bear fruit (vs. 4, 5). One evidence of the abid ing life is the manifestation of power in prayer (v. 7). Verse 7 should not be wrested from its context; by doing so, one may be led astray in the matter of prayer. The passage is concerned with fruit-bear ing, and the prayer referred to here is concerned specifically with that subject. II. S ome R esults O f F ruit -B earing (8-13) The first result of fruit-bearing will be that the Father is glorified (v. 8). This BLACKBOARD LESSON
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NOVEMBER 28, 1937 CHRISTIAN FRUITFULNESS J ohn 15:1-16
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