27th of the 8th month 2020/2021
Shalom to you all
How many of you have done any sort, or some kind, of D.I.Y. projects at home, using wood?
I am sure most of us have dabbled at trying to make something from wood, at some time or another.
Have you ever gone to the hardware store and asked for ‘vine-wood’, in order to do some of those D.I.Y. projects?
I dare you to try it – that is, if you want to get some confused and puzzled look from an eager sales clerk, who is ready to sell you his best quality wood for the required purpose of your project!
No one orders ‘vine-wood’, for any forms of construction or D.I.Y. projects – it is literally a ‘no-good wood’, as you cannot build cabinets from it; nor can you use it for any form of building construction; and you cannot even use it to make small pegs to hang stuff upon it – simply because it is too dry and too brittle and lacks any strength in it, and of itself, it is in actual fact – useless!
Vine wood is only useful for one thing and one thing only and that is to – BEAR GRAPES!
That is precisely how יהוה designed it – to bear fruit as its sole purpose!
As we all know – this is how we too have been designed – to bear much fruit, in Him – the question remains for us all – “Am I bearing fruit or not?” and if I am – is it the right kind of fruit?
In this message, I want us to look at this very concept that יהושע Himself taught on, in a message called:
FRUITFUL OR FRUITLESS – THE PARABLE OF THE VINE
In order to do this, in fully understanding the words of our Messiah, in Yoḥanan/John 15, which we will read, I first want us to look at a short, yet very powerful parable, spoken to Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel, on the ‘fruitless vine’ and the end result of such fruitless living.
Read Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 15
After one goes through the prophets Yeshayahu, Yirmeyahu and Yeḥezqěl, it becomes more clear and evident, as to just how alive the Word of יהוה is for us today, and how we are to guard ourselves against ‘fruitless lifestyles’, which are simply, none other than, a result of lawless living, which will one day face the fierce judgement of a just and righteous Elohim!
Yeḥezqěl, after receiving many visions and signs, announced the soon coming judgement upon Yerushalayim and its inhabitants.
יהוה had made it very clear, in His Word, that if His chosen people rebelled against Him, by forsaking His ways, His commands and right-rulings, and if they neglected to walk in His Torah and turned from following after Him, then He would bring a great and devastating judgement of fire upon them!
And here, as part of this judgement, here in Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 15, we have ‘the parable of the vine’ – or rather, ‘the parable of the fruitless vine’!
This is a parable of judgement that was to come and it is a parable for us too, of what is still to come, as a result of fruitless living!
Yerushalayim had stopped bearing the fruit of righteousness and so, in effect, had now become useless and of no worth, despite the many warnings that they were given to repent and walk in righteousness.
Although they had considered themselves as ‘the vine of יהוה’s blessing’, they did not produce the spiritual fruit that יהוה had designed and intended for them, if they had but simply followed His ways.
Yisra’ĕl had departed from following in, and staying in, the ways of יהוה, by forsaking to walk in His Torah and now, as a result, they were facing great judgement.
The picture of the vine being planted and not yielding the fruit that it should, is echoed in many Scriptures, which in turn should, and must, help us further understand the stern warning of the words of our Messiah, as recorded in Yoḥanan/John 15.
Let us briefly look at some of these passages, from other prophets:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 5:1-7 “Please let me sing to the One I love, a song for my loved One regarding His vineyard: my loved One has a vineyard on a fertile hill. 2 And He dug it up and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a watchtower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it. And He waited for the yielding of grapes, but it yielded rotten ones. 3 “And now, O inhabitant of Yerushalayim and man of Yehuḏah, please judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I waited for the yielding of grapes, did it yield rotten ones? 5 “And now, please let Me inform you what I am doing to My vineyard: To take away its hedge and it shall be burned; to break down its wall and it shall be trampled down; 6 and I lay it waste; it is not pruned or dug and thornbushes and weeds shall come up; and I command the clouds not to rain on it.” 7 For the vineyard of יהוה of hosts is the house of Yisra’ĕl, and the man of Yehuḏah is His pleasant plant. He looked for right-ruling, but see, oppression; for righteousness, but see, weeping.”
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 2:21 “Yet I had planted you a choice vine, all of it a true seed. How then have you turned before Me into the degenerate plant of a strange vine?”
Hoshěa/Hosea 10:1 “Yisra’ĕl is a degenerate vine, he brings forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he increased the altars. And the better his land, the better they made the pillars.”
Tehillah/Psalm 80:8-18 “You brought a vine out of Mitsrayim; You drove out the nations, and planted it. 9 You cleared a place for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land. 10 Hills were covered with its shadow, and the mighty cedars with its twigs. 11 She spread her branches to the Sea, and her shoots to the River. 12 Why have You broken down her hedges, so that every passer-by plucked her fruit? 13 The boar out of the forest ravages it, and the wild beast of the field devours it. 14 Return, we beg You, O Elohim of hosts; look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine, 15 and the stock which Your right hand has planted, and the Son whom You made strong for Yourself. 16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your face. 17 Let Your hand be upon the One at Your right hand, upon the Son of Aḏam whom You made strong for Yourself, 18 and we shall not backslide from You. Revive us, and let us call upon Your Name. 19 Turn us back, O יהוה Elohim of hosts, and cause Your face to shine, that we might be saved!”
These are just some of many similar passages, that speak about a people, that were chosen and planted by יהוה, who were now, no longer a fruitful vine, but through disobedience and mixed worship, had become a degenerate vine, which had become only useful for one thing – firewood!
If a vine is fruitful, it is beautiful and very valuable and of great worth; however, if it bears no fruit it is utterly worthless and useless!
A fruitless vine cannot even be used to make pegs – and pegs, as we know in Scripture, speak of that which secures, in place, a dwelling for the Most-High!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 22:23-25 “And I shall fasten him like a peg in a steadfast place, and he shall become a throne of esteem to his father’s house. 24 And they shall hang on him all the weight of his father’s house, the offspring and the offshoots, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the jars. 25 ‘In that day,’ declares יהוה of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the steadfast place shall be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it shall be cut off. For יהוה has spoken.”
What יהוה was showing Yeḥezqěl, was the result of disobedience, and a people who had transgressed against Elohim!
Yisra’ĕl was designed, and planted, to bear fruit, which it ceased to do, as it could no longer bear fruit, as they had ceased to stay in the One in whom they were to remain in, in order to bear the right fruit of set-apart living!
Just as a vine is not designed for any other purpose, than to bear fruit, so too was Yisra’ĕl not designed for any other purpose, than to bear fruit of righteousness.
When we understand these parables, in more detail, we begin to realise the very warning we are to heed today – and that is: that if we do not bear the fruit that we are designed and purposed to do, in Messiah, and if we do not fulfil our very calling, in Him – that is: to ‘stay in Him’, then our fate is none other than to be burned and destroyed in the fire of His wrath – for as we know, He is a consuming fire!
יהוה asks Yeḥezqěl a series of rhetorical questions:
1 – Is the wood from the vine better than the trees of the forest?
And the obvious answer was – no!
Although, it should have been, as they were supposed to be the splendid vine that was to be a fruit bearing vine, yet they were useless and even the trees in the forest, that did not bear fruit, could be used for building purposes, while they, as a degenerate vine, had become absolutely useless!
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘tree’ is עֵץ ets – Strong’s H6086 which means, ‘trees, wood, timber, staff’, and is primarily the basic term that is used in Scripture for trees and wood products.
While this is the most common word for trees, we see how the picture of, or reference to, man, as metaphorically referred to as trees, gives us insight into how we, as righteous trees in the field of the world, ought to be praising Elohim and bringing esteem to Him in all we do:
Tehillah/Psalm 96:12-13 “Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Let all the trees of the forest then shout for joy, 13 at the presence of יהוה. For He shall come, for He shall come to judge the earth. He judges the world in righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”
Tehillah/Psalm 104:16 “The trees of יהוה are satisfied, the cedars of Leḇanon which He planted”
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who cling to her:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 3:18 “She is a tree of life to those taking hold of her, and blessed are all who retain her.”
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is winning lives is wise.”
The goal of our faith is the deliverance of lives and as we walk in righteousness, we are able to bear the fruit of “winning the lost”, as we proclaim and present to them, through our own lives, the pure and true righteousness of our Master, through obedience to the Word!
As ambassadors of the Kingdom to come, we recognise how we are to be firmly planted in His word as strong trees of righteousness.
In Scripture we find many agricultural word pictures that are used to describe man, and Dawiḏ tells us what the faithful, who meditate on the Torah day and night, will be like:
Tehillah/Psalm 1:3 “For he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither, and whatever he does prospers.”
Trees planted by the rivers of water – yielding it s fruit in its season!
This is what we are called to do, and can only do so when we are properly planted in, and stay in, the Master!
The Hebrew root word that is used here for ‘planted’ is שָׁתַל shathal- Strong’s H8362 which means, ‘to transplant, planted’, which, in itself, carries a great picture for us, in understanding the great and mighty work of our Master, who ‘transplants’ us into His Pure root, after having been far off, due to sin!
This word שָׁתַל shathal- Strong’s H8362 is used 10 times in Scripture, and once again pictures for us the effect of being firmly rooted and grounded in love, which is being rooted in Messiah and guarding to do all He commands, as a pure expression of our love for Him!
Tehillah/Psalm 92:13 “Those who are planted in the House of יהוה flourish in the courts of our Elohim.”
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in יהוה, and whose trust is יהוה. 8 “For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and does not see when heat comes. And his leaf shall be green, and in the year of drought he is not anxious, nor does he cease from yielding fruit.”
Our continued trust in יהוה, causes us to be ‘transplanted’ into His satisfying root system, and being planted in Him, we are able to sustain the pressures of the heat of trials that blow across our lives!
Yisra’ĕl was planted in a good land, and was perfectly positioned to bear much fruit and shine the light of the Truth of Elohim, to the nations, yet they failed to do this:
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 17:8 “It was planted in a good field by many waters, to bring forth branches, and to bear fruit, to be a splendid vine.”
This was part of a stern rebuke that was given to a rebellious House that had neglected to stay rooted in love!
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 17:10 “See, it is planted, is it going to thrive? Would it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it – wither in the beds where it grows?”
In יהוה’s loving-commitment to His Covenant, He promises to ‘transplant’ a remnant of the rebellious House that withered under the heat of persecutions, temptations and trials:
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 17:22-23 “Thus said the Master יהוה, “And I shall take of the top of the highest cedar and set it out. And I Myself shall pluck off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Yisra’ĕl I plant it. And it shall bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and become a big cedar. And under it shall dwell birds of every sort, in the shadow of its branches they shall dwell.”
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 19:10 “Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the waters, a bearer of fruit and branching, because of many waters.”
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 19:13 “And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.”
A nation who had been delivered from bondage out of Mitsrayim, and planted in a good land, rebelled and, as a result, were plucked out and planted in the Wilderness!
What we can learn from these passages that I have mentioned, is that we must do our utmost in ensuring that we continue to meditate on the Torah of Elohim, day and night, and walk not in wrong counsels, ensuring that we guard to do all He commands, lest we find ourselves being cut off due to unrighteousness and compromise.
Mattithyahu/Matthew 15:13 “But He answering, said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted.”
This was in response to the hypocritical Pharisees who accused the talmidim (disciples) of Messiah of breaking the traditions of the elders and not washing their hands before eating! יהושע was making it clear here, that those who hold fast to traditions and forsake the commands of Elohim, are those who put on an outward show and draw near to Elohim with their lips, yet their hearts are far from Him, and they teach, as teachings, the commands of men.
These hypocrites are not the righteous ones, and they will be uprooted!
The picture of being firmly rooted trees, is a vital and is a very practical lesson for us to understand, in order to ensure that we are guarding our obedience to Elohim.
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘vine’ is גֶּפֶן gephen – Strong’s H1612 and while meaning ‘a vine’ or ‘a vine tree’, it is also used figuratively, in Scripture, as a reference to the nation of Yisra’ĕl, as well as a symbol of prosperity and we also take note here, that the Greek word that is used in the LXX for this word ‘vine’ is ἄμπελος ampelos – Strong’s G288 which we find being used in the words of Messiah who called Himself the True Vine:
Yoḥanan/John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.”
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘branch’ in Yeḥezq’ěl/Ezekiel 15:2 is זְמוֹרָה zemorah – Strong’s H2156 which means, ‘branch, twig, shoot, vine’ and comes from the root verb זָמַר zamar – Strong’s H2168 which means, ‘to prune, trim’.
I find this a fitting image, as we take note that branches that are not bearing fruit are cut off and pruned, highlighting for us the clear warning against being fruitless.
A branch that bears fruit is a wonderful reflection of the Tree that it is rooted in and while Yisra’ěl were supposed to be bearing the fruit of righteousness among the nations, what they were bringing before יהוה, was a corrupted worship that was not pleasing to Him at all, as they had followed the ways of the nations and forsaken loving-commitment to the True Vine!
When יהוה showed Yeḥezq’ěl all the abominations that were being done in the Temple, He made it clear to Yeḥezqěl that the abominations that Yehuḏah were doing, were not resembling pleasant branches, but their assumed presentation of worship angered יהוה, as they were ‘putting their branches to His nose’, and we see this root word זְמוֹרָה zemorah – Strong’s H2156 being used to describe the abominable branch, in:
Yeḥezq’ěl/Ezekiel 8:17-18 “And He said to me, “Have you seen, O son of man? Is it a small matter to the house of Yehuḏah to do the abominations which they have done here? For they have filled the land with violence, and turn back to provoke Me. And see, they are putting the branch to My nose. 18 “Therefore I shall indeed deal in wrath. My eye shall not pardon nor would I spare. And they shall cry in My ears with a loud voice, but I shall not hear them.”
The placing a branch to the nose was a pagan ritual of dedication or worship and was not the way יהוה had instructed to be worshipped.
In fact, He made it abundantly clear that He was not to be worshipped the way that the nations worship their false mighty ones.
This first question that Yeḥezq’ěl was asked, in verse 2, clearly highlighted how wicked Yisra’ěl had become, for they were no better than the ‘forest’, highlighting that they were not being the light to the nations, that they should have been, by bearing the proper fruit of righteousness, but were just as abominable as the trees of the forest, and while they had been planted as a pleasant Vine, cultivated by the Gardener Himself, they had become a degenerate vine that was as wiled and uncultivated as the forest and were now in danger of being cut down and burnt up!!!
2 – Can anything useful be made from the wood taken from the vine?
No! It is not the wood that makes vine worth planting – it is the grapes – that is: the fruit that is to come from them!
This question highlights how useless the wood that is cut off is, as that which is taken from the vine, has no life or ability to produce life.
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘made’ comes from the root word עָשָׂה asah – Strong’s H6213 which means, ‘to do, work, make, produce, ta act with effect, to observe, to bring about, institute’ and can also mean, ‘celebrate’.
The Hebrew root word that is translated in these verses as ‘work’ is מְלָאכָה melaḵah – Strong’s H4399 which means, ‘occupation, work, business, craftsmanship’ and comes from the word מַלְאָךְ malaḵ – Strong’s H4397 meaning, ‘a messenger, ambassador, envoy’.
The reason I am highlighting these words, which are words that may be very familiar to most of you, is to clearly show that, as branches of The Vine, we are not able to do any work, if we do not stay on the Vine, or if we are cut off from the Vine!
It is our Master who has made us, and if we do not guard to do what He has commanded us to do, then being taken from the Vine, which is clear judgement language, have no ability to be an ambassador of His reign to come.
When one does not bear fruit, one is cut off and unable to be a true messenger of The Good News. There are many people today, who are not guarding the Torah of Elohim, yet they think that they are being fruitful branches, while their vain attempt at an assumed worship, is nothing more that an abominable waving of the branch to the nose of Elohim, which He hates!
This question highlights that without The Master we can do nothing!
Yoḥanan/John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!”
3 – Can you even make pegs from the wood from the vine?
No! It lacks the strength to hang things upon – when the branch is cut off and is no longer ‘in the vine’, it cannot hold anything up – yet, while it is part of the True Vine – it can carry the weight of the esteem of יהוה – by bearing the fruit of righteousness!
We, as branches of The True Vine, are to reflect the clear character and likeness of our Master and Elohim, and when branches are taken from the vine, they no longer are able to be a trustworthy witness of that which they are supposed to be grafted in to.
The Hebrew word that is used for ‘pegs’ comes from the root word יָתֵד yatheḏ – Strong’s H3489 which means, ‘peg, tent peg, take, pin’ and is a word that symbolizes the securing of the Covenants of Promise for the House that יהוה builds!
The tent pegs of the Tabernacle were made of bronze and are symbolic of our Master’s complete work for us, in that the pegs would be half in the ground and half out – showing us that He has in fact defeated death and the grave and has conquered sin, as He was led as a Lamb to the slaughtering.
What is also a very powerful and significant picture for us, in regards to tent pegs, is that we read in Ezra how יהוה left a tent peg as a remnant:
Ezra 9:7-8 “Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our crookednesses we, our sovereigns, and our priests have been given into the hand of the sovereigns of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to plunder, and to shame of faces, as it is this day. 8 “But now, for a short while, favour has been shown from יהוה our Elohim, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His set-apart place, that our Elohim might enlighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage.”
A peg in His Set-Apart Place! As we are discovering more and more about how we too have been found to be guilty of our crookednesses as we had fallen prey to the inherited lies of tradition; we recognise that in His great mercy יהוה has left us a peg as a remnant to escape the lies of traditions in order that our eyes may be opened as we turn to the Messiah, for when one turns to the True Messiah יהושע, then the veil is lifted.
That ‘peg’ that He has left us, as a remnant, is sufficient for us to be about rebuilding His Tabernacle, as we build on the Chief Cornerstone, The Rock of our Salvation – יהושע Messiah!
Once again, when the branch is taken from the vine, you cannot even make a useful peg.
When we stay in Messiah, we are able to be strengthened in our ability to witness His Truth, as we hold up the clear joy of serving Him in Spirit and Truth!
4 – Is the wood useful for anything after it has been burned?
No! It is even more useless than before!
This was a very stern parable that was given to Yeḥezqěl – as this was the announced judgement that was coming!
And it is when this happens, יהוה says, that Yeḥezqěl would know that He is יהוה.
Sadly, for many today, they will only know who יהוה is, when it is too late; which is at the time when He will set His face against the lawlessness of man and send forth His wrath of displeasure.
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 12:29 tells us that He is a consuming fire!
‘Fire’, in Scripture, is often used as a clear picture of His coming judgement and we see that both ends will be burned and then the middle will be scorched.
I see this also as a picture of the two-thirds being destroyed, through pestilence, scarcity of food, and sword, while the other third will be scattered and a sword be drawn out against them:
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 5:12 “One-third of you shall die of pestilence, and be consumed with scarcity of food in your midst. And one-third shall fall by the sword all around you. And I shall scatter another third to all the winds, and draw out a sword after them.”
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 12:16 “But I shall let a few of their men escape from the sword, from scarcity of food, and from pestilence, so that they recount all their abominations among the gentiles wherever they go. And they shall know that I am יהוה.”
Zeḵaryah/Zechariah 13: 8-9 “And it shall be throughout all the soil,” declares יהוה, “that two thirds therein are cut off and die, and one third is left therein. 9 “And I shall bring the third into fire, and refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My Name, and I shall answer them. I shall say, ‘This is My people,’ while they say, ‘יהוה is my Elohim.’”
What we see from all these passages, is simply this: just as יהוה sent forth pestilence, famine and sword back then, and scattered His sheep back then, in the recorded events of the Ashshurian and Baḇelonian attacks, so too is His wrath, and displeasure, once again, going to be poured out upon the earth, where He will bring His winnowing fork, to gather His wheat and burn up the chaff:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He shall thoroughly cleanse His threshing-floor, and gather His wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff He shall burn with unquenchable fire.”
The ‘chaff’ is the useless branches that are cut off and separated for judgment, through fire!
Let us, with these very stern words that we have just read, look at the words of our King and Redeemer, יהושע Messiah
Read Yoḥanan/John 15: 1-6
The words of our Messiah have not changed – for His Word does not change!
This is a clear repetition of His warning that was given to Yeḥezqěl – a warning that has sadly been romanticized by the church today, without having the clarity of understanding that this intense warning is, to all who do not stay in Him!
יהושע says that He is the True Vine!
In other words, there are other false vines; vines that are not bearing the True fruit of righteousness.
The sad condition, and consequences, of a fruitless degenerate vine, with its no-good wood, refers not only to unbelieving and disobedient Yisra’ĕl back then, but also to the fruitless believers today, who claim to have been grafted in to His Covenants of Promise, while their lives are bearing no fruit of righteousness whatsoever, as they clearly have not remained in The Master at all!
Branches of the True Vine are expected to bear fruit!
Now, we know that Sha’ul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, and self-control, but what we are to understand, is that the ability to bear this fruit, and to continually bear fruit of righteousness, is the result of our much needed ability to stay ‘in’ Messiah; and this fruit, of walking in the Spirit, can only be produced as one walks ‘in’ Messiah, by following His commands and walking in His instructions.
And so, we learn to bear fruit, as we learn and apply His Torah in our lives – without Him, the Living Torah, we can bear no fruit and, if we are fruitless our end is but fire!
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 3:24 “And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He stays in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.”
Romiyim/Romans 7:7-9 “Because the mind of the flesh is enmity towards Elohim, for it does not subject itself to the Torah of Elohim, neither indeed is it able, 8 and those who are in the flesh are unable to please Elohim. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of Elohim dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, this one is not His.”
We are able to see very clearly, that those who reject the Torah of Elohim, are walking in the flesh, despite their desperate attempt at claiming to walk in the Spirit, as they are, in fact, walking in the flesh, and, as we know, all flesh will be destroyed – for no works of Torah can save the flesh. If it could, why would people still die today? (Romiyim/Romans 3)!
Sha’ul is right – no amount of works of Torah can save the flesh – the flesh will die!
The Torah is spiritual and so, we faithfully do the works of Torah, in our daily walk of obedience – not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.
Sha’ul tells us that Messiah is the goal of Torah unto righteousness and this does not mean a termination, but rather, the end purpose and he continues, in Romiyim/Romans 10, to quote from the Torah, telling us that our Master’s Torah is upon our hearts and in our mouths to do it!
And it is this very belief that we are proclaiming – we do not proclaim a falsely taught ‘faith-righteousness’, as has been labeled by many today – we proclaim a righteousness by a belief that works – that is, to walk in Him and stay in Him, aměn!
Turn with me to Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 33: 13-20:
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 33: 13-20 “When I say to the righteous that he shall live, and he has trusted in his righteousness, and shall do unrighteousness, none of his righteousness shall be remembered, but because of his unrighteousness that he has done, he shall die. 14 “Again, when I say to the wrong, ‘You shall certainly die,’ if he turns from his sin and does right and righteousness, 15 if the wrong restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the laws of life without doing crookedness, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 16 “None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him – he has done right and righteousness; he shall certainly live. 17 “And the children of your people have said, ‘The way of יהוה is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! 18 “When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does unrighteousness, he shall die because of it. 19 “But when the wrong turns from his wrongness and does right and righteousness, he shall live because of it. 20 “And you have said, ‘The way of יהוה is not fair.’ O house of Yisra’ĕl, I shall judge every one of you according to his own ways.”
Walking in, and staying in, Him, is to walk in and stay in righteousness – bearing the abundant fruit of set-apart living.
Those who refuse to walk in the Torah (which is to walk in Righteousness) and are fruitless, will easily come up with sayings that try to claim that He is not fair – and as we can see, the excuses have not changed!
Fruitless branches are those who falsely claim a right and position in Messiah, yet are living lawless lives. They are the dead branches that will be thrown away and dry up, only to be gathered later, in order to be thrown into the fire!
Hear, once again, the words of our Master, יהושע:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 7: 16-23 “By their fruits you shall know them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 “So every good tree yields good fruit, but a rotten tree yields wicked fruit. 18 “A good tree is unable to yield wicked fruit, and a rotten tree to yield good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, by their fruits you shall know them – 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. 22 “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ 23 “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’”
Notice how יהושע says that He never knew those who work lawlessness – think about it for a moment – so many today, want to label our ‘obedience to the Torah’, in living a set-apart life of obedience by walking in and staying in True righteousness, as ‘works of Torah’ or, they will say that they are not under ‘law’.
Well, the fact is, that you either have works of Torah (Righteousness) or works of lawlessness – and when one declares that they are no longer under law – they are, in fact, by their own admission, saying that they are lawless and when one is lawless, then you will be of those who work lawlessness.
Those who so easily disregard the Torah, are walking in the flesh. And at the same time, by declaring that they have no need for the Torah, as they claim that they are no longer under the law, then, by rights, they are declaring that they do not need a Ruler/ King!
For, if there is no law, what use would there be for a Ruler/King, if there are no rules or laws to enforce and establish, as a way of life!!!
This is none other than the babbling of the drunken and rebellious, disobedient and fruitless branches that, if they do not repent and live – will face the coming wrath of our King’s fire!
As we consider the words of יהושע, both here in Yeḥezq’ěl/Ezekiel 15, and in Yoḥanan/John 15, may we recognize the severity of this admonition, to remain in the True Vine, and no longer romanticize this, in a false interpretative way, that excuses away lawless living, as a standard that is so easily accepted by Christianity at large, but rather, let us do our utmost to do that which we are designed to do. And that is: to bear the fruit of righteous living, as we stay in Him, the True Vine, The Living Torah who now lives in us, aměn!
The prophet’s word, is a fire from יהוה that is meant to burn away what is useless in us; however, if we are offended by these words, and run away from, them then it will be like the proverbial, “out of the frying pan and into the fire”.
It is very clear from both Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 15 and Yoḥanan/John 15, that a clear point is being made, which is the following:
יהוה desires, and expects and commands, to see spiritual fruit, in the lives of His called-out, chosen ones, and so, just as fruitless branches of a vine are useless and must be removed, so too will those who are found to be fruitless in Messiah, be removed and burned, reaping the consequences of a ‘dead, lawless faith’.
יהוה has no room for “no-good wood” and He wants to produce a harvest of righteousness:
With this in mind, I will make mention of one of my favourite verses:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 6:25 “And it is righteousness for us when we guard to do all this command before יהוה our Elohim, as He has commanded us.”
This is a clear definition of what righteousness is!!!
Guard TO DO ALL He has commanded us!!!
How fruitful is your life?
Is there the manufactured plastic fruit, that cannot be eaten and is simply used for display work, just as so many have this false display being evident in their life, as they claim to live in Him, yet do not walk as He did; or, is there true fruit that is being birthed each and every day, as you allow the Torah to be cultivated, and sown, into the soil of your heart, that is prepared to receive the good Word.
May we take heed to these words that we have heard together today, and know that there certainly is a judgment coming upon the fruitless!
As we have been through this parable of the Vine – the choice is yours – be fruitful or fruitless – you know the result of either, as it has been declared – His Word will not return void – as life and death are clearly being set before you this day!
CHOOSE LIFE AND BE FRUITFUL!
That is: be rooted and secure in the True Vine, being completely nourished through His Life-Giving Torah and bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness, having been trained through the discipline of our Master!
Perhaps there have been some degenerating going on in your life – then, hear what the Spirit says and repent and be grafted, fully, into Messiah, through His Blood, being cleansed of unrighteousness and being properly enabled and equipped to bear much fruit, as you learn through the guidance and leading of His Spirit, in the Truth of His Word!
Spirit and Truth – let us be True Worshippers and humbly submit to His instructions, for daily fruit bearing lives, that we may bear the weight of His esteem, shining forth as a light in this dark world.
In Him, we have the promise of fruitfulness and an abundant life!
Without Him, we will become a mere wasteland!
So, here the clear call to stay in Him!
For this is the clear call being given from our Creator, as given through Yeḥezqěl, whose name means, ‘strengthened by Elohim’, and was then spoken again, by Messiah Himself, in the flesh, before He paid the price for our fruitless/lawless living, in order that we may once again be able to bear that which we were made for – to be the Fruitful Vine of יהוה.
The Greek word that translated as ‘stay’ in Yoḥanan/John 15 is μένω menō – Strong’s G3306 and means, ‘to stay, abide, remain, stand, kept continually, endure’, and can also be understood as having the meaning, ‘remain as one, not to become another or different’.
The Greek word that is translated as ‘in’ is ἐν en – Strong’s G1722 which is a primary preposition denoting a fixed position (in place, time or state) meaning, ‘in or on, with, by’.
In other words, when we truly ‘stay in’ The Master, we do not change our commitment to bearing fruit of set-apartness, and we do not shrink back from standing firm in the Truth, but rather remain firm in our fervent stand of faith!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘fruit’ is καρπός karpos – Strong’s G2590 which means, ‘fruit, benefit, gain, harvest, produce’ and typically refers to fruit that has been plucked, rendering the figurative meaning of the labours, works or acts of those who have fitted themselves with every good work unto everlasting life.
What we can therefore clearly understand and establish, is that our works of righteousness are vital in being evident in our lives, as we continue to produce much fruit, as a people who are living pure and undefiled set-apart lives.
Romiyim/Romans 6:20-22 “For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit, therefore, were you having then, over which you are now ashamed? For the end thereof is death. 22 But now, having been set free from sin, and having become servants of Elohim, you have your fruit resulting in set-apartness, and the end, everlasting life.”
יהושע Messiah tells us that we are known, or rather, shall be known by our fruit, and while we might think of fruit being very ripe and delicious, we must realise that there is often fruit that is rotten or spoilt, due to lawlessness and the clear disregard for obeying his instructions for fruitful, set-apart living.
Discipline yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who submit to it and follow in it!
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 12:11 “And indeed, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but grievous, but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Is your life completely submitted to walking in complete set-apartness?
Are you continually bearing good fruit, or has there been some rotten fruit of hatred, malice, unforgiveness, bitterness, envy, pride, lust, or uncleanness, greed of gain, displeasure, wrath, evil, blasphemy, or filthy talk from your mouth?
This kind of fruit is rotten and will be gathered with the rotten!
Eph’siyim/Ephesians 5:8-10 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Master. Walk as children of light – 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth – 10 proving what is well-pleasing to the Master.”
FRUITFUL OR FRUITLESS – THE PARABLE OF THE VINE!
He who has ears, hear what the Spirit says…!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face upon you and give you shalom!