NOTES OF A READING
[p. 205] NOTES OF A READING
V Had the Lord Israel in view here?
CAC I daresay there is a connection. The Lord Himself is the source of all fruit for the Father. It is wonderful that there should be that brought about in men that the Father can recognise as having its source in the Son. How blessed it is to think of this. It is the special interest of the Father to bring that to pass. It is that which marks the present moment.
Ques Would you connect the chastening of Hebrews 12 with this?
CAC Yes. He purges here so that they may bring forth more fruit.
Ques As to a branch being cut off?
CAC Well, it would be removed from the place of privilege where the fruit is possible. It may have a reference to Judas. The great force of the Scripture is that nothing has any value unless it has its source in the Son and flows from Him. “Unless any one abide in me he is cast out as the branch, and is dried up”. It brings before us the absolute worthlessness of anything for the Father if it does not spring from that source — His Son; all else is worthless, only fit to be cast into the fire. We should covet to bear fruit so that the Father may see the fruit of His skill. The peculiar skill of the Father as the husbandman is brought to light by our bearing much fruit. In this chapter all fruit is made to hang on the one thing, “Abide in me”. Here it is the privilege side but to take it up we need affection. In John believing always has in view the believing of affection. If we have heard from the Father we come to the Son of God. It is the effect of the Father’s work and drawing that we come to the Son of God, that is we come under His influence. “Every one that has heard from the Father himself, and has learned of him, comes to me”. Well, abide there.
V. Pruning?
CAC Well, it supposes the presence of something which is not productive of fruit. Take Peter being carried away by his Jewish prejudices so that he could not eat with the Gentiles. Well, that hindered Peter bearing fruit and Paul spoke sharply and withstood him. I think in that way the Father was purging. He was removing in that way what hindered Peter bearing fruit. If we come under the influence of the Son of God there is nothing you would desire more than that you should be fruitful — “Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall come to pass to you”. If you desire it and pray for it it shall come to pass to you. “My words abide in you” is the cleansing effect of being under the influence of Christ. Scripture never contemplated our reaching a state beyond which we do not need purging. The fruit? It is a great exercise as to how far one’s thoughts and feelings and actions and words have their spring and source in the Son of God. Any single thought or feeling of that character is fruit to the Father — it is a true grape. Perfection has come in in the Son of God so He says, “I am the true vine”.
In 1 Corinthians 11 the Lord chastens. There it is in connection with the sphere where the Lord administers and so the Lord deals with us. Here it is the Father’s hand. Here the dealing with what is positive evil is not supposed. It is help. It is not that the vine is naughty, but it is the nature of the thing that it needs care and help and the Father gives it. All this here supposes the soul under the influence of the Son of God. “As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you” — that is love of complacency not the love of sovereignty just as the Father discerned in Him all that was suited to His love so that the Father loved Him — it was the love of [p. 207] complacency — so it is here. The Son would love them with the love of complacency when He formed in them what was suited to His love as having come under His own blessed influence. “As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you: abide in my love”. Everything that has its source in Him is fruit for the Father.
Ques Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 4?
CAC That is fruit regarded as having its source in the Spirit. It is a contrast between flesh and spirit. What has its source in the flesh and then what has its source in the Spirit. Morally it would have the same character of course but in John 15 the fruit is looked at as having its source in the Son of God.
Rem The whole object of the Lord was to leave a company here in which the Father would be glorified.
CAC Well nothing could be more wonderful, our having the Spirit of Christ, the motives and sensibilities of Christ would mark us. Do we take it in so that it might have a divine influence over one?
Ques The Father’s commandments?
CAC Everything He did was in obedience. The laying down of His life was that He might take it again in obedience to the Father.
Ques. My commandments?
CAC “Abide in me” — “Believe in me”, and “Love one another”. These are His commandments. His commandments suppose a company loving Him. John 14 introduces that. He had spoken of His love to a company in chapter 13 and then He suggests in chapter 14 a company loving Him, and then His commandments are not grievous. These things have I spoken unto you that your joy might be full. Well that is something to keep us bright, is it not? Joy is dependent upon the obedience of love — not legal obedience. Every commandment of the Father was treasured in that blessed One and that was the true spring of His obedience.
[p. 208] That is to be the line on which we are to move. The Lord walked in the unbroken joy of the Father’s love. Where we are so hindered is that we admit these things in the abstract and yet when we come to the practical working out of things we are humbled. The Lord says, “Love one another, as I have loved you”. There is where the test comes. The way the Lord’s love worked was that He laid down His life. He sacrificed Himself. At Pentecost there were 5,000 people all laying down their lives for one another. Christianity was introduced not by doctrine but in fact. There were those here who loved one another. It is on the wrong tack to be expecting from others; we are under the obligation to love one another. It is by coming under His personal influence that we are affected by it and we express the effect to others. It is after all only sap from the vine which is expressed in us, if we do love one another. “I am the vine, ye are the branches”.
Rem This is what the apostle John calls walking in the truth?
CAC Yes. Abiding in Him is abiding in the truth of all that has come to light in that Person.
Ques “Ye are already clean by reason of the word which I have spoken to you”?
CAC That is Himself. Look at Peter — “To whom shall we go?” That man was cleansed in his affections, for him there was nothing else. Then in connection with “friends” there is confidence and intelligence. He is on confidential terms with us.
Rem Abraham was called the friend of God.
CAC If we did but understand the pleasure of the Lord to acquaint us with His mind! We often think it is very difficult to get, but it is His pleasure to do so.
Ques How does the Lord communicate the intelligence?
W “The Lord will give thee understanding in all things”.
CAC We get them where the disciples got them, in nearness to Himself. It is a comfort to know that all has started from His side. It did not begin with you, it began with Me. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you”, that ye should go and bring forth fruit. All the ministry of the apostles remains to this day. Then fruit remains and it is delightful to the Father and blessed for us. The end of the chapter goes on to testimony. The Comforter would come and bear witness and He goes on to say and “ye too bear witness” (verse 26). The idea of the fruit is that it is for the Husbandman — the Father. When you come to testimony the Spirit of truth goes forth — “... from with the Father”. He goes forth in the full intelligence of the Father’s thoughts as to the Son. The saints are put in company with the Spirit. They too are to go forth to witness in all. “And ye too bear witness, because ye are with me from the beginning”. That is the apostles, of course, those to whom the Lord was speaking. In the light of this we can understand the apostles saying, “And our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ”.
Ques Do you think if we were more concerned as to fruit for God we should be also as to testimony?
CAC Yes, and the effect of testimony is your colour and character are so diverse to the world that they hate you. It is not our estimate of the world — the crucial test is what does the world think of us. You discover that you are getting adrift by finding that you are approved by unspiritual people. It is a fine thing to be hated by the world. It is one of the best commendations a man could have. I mean on this line. The world’s estimate of us would be that it would not want any contact with us at all. Paul could say not only am I a crucified man to the world but the world is crucified to me. It is separation from it in the best way.