You Know Them by Their Fruit

You Know Them by Their Fruit

Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:16-20 TS2009

[16] “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 – "

Has not authority been given to the brethren to judge righteously? Does this take the place of the Eternal Elohim, Who is the Ultimate Judge of all? Will you look the other way and let a brother or sister's house burn down?

According to Scripture, we are to judge righteously (John 7:24), not hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-5).

There is a difference between judging a person's fruit, whether good or bad, and placing condemnation on that individual. We, in the body of Messiah, do not have that authority but only YHWH Elohim. We are required, though, to warn the brethren when one is putting forth unrighteous deeds.

Ezekiel 3:18 "When I tell the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life, that same wicked man will die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand."

Now, let me ask you; do you believe judging someone's fruit is not your place? Do you believe it means the person judging is being narcissistic and prideful? Or perhaps it is because giving or receiving correction is offensive to you?

When we do not speak up in love to warn a brother or a sister who is in sin, we are not truly loving them but allowing the enemy to continue deceiving them. By remaining silent, YHWH will require their blood be on our hands then will we also be found guilty in His eyes because saying or doing nothing does not show love for another.

Luke 15:10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of Elohim over one sinner who repents.”

So when we see a tree that yields good fruit, we know this one is of Elohim, but a tree that yields rotten fruit is of the wicked one. 

No one who is born of Elohim will continue to sin but the one who willfully defies the Master is like a tree yielding rotten fruit; this one will be cut down and burned.

Love YHWH and Love Your Neighbor = Torah

Matthew 22:36–40, Yahshua was asked:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?”

He replied:

“You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

“And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)

Then He said:

“On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the Prophets.”

Yahshua wasn’t giving something new; He was quoting the heart of Torah. Torah was always about relationship, with YHWH and with others.

📜 If you love your neighbor… you obey Torah.

You don’t steal (Exodus 20:15)

You don’t lie about them (Exodus 20:16)

You don’t covet what they have (Exodus 20:17)

You help them if their animal is in distress (Exodus 23:4–5)

You pay fair wages and don’t oppress (Leviticus 19:13)

You leave portions of your field for them (Leviticus 19:9–10)

📜 If you love YHWH… you obey His Torah.

You keep His commandments (Deuteronomy 11:1)

You walk in all His ways (Deuteronomy 10:12)

You worship Him alone—no idols, no mixing (Exodus 20:3–5)

You remember and guard the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8–11)

You teach His words to your children (Deuteronomy 6:6–7)

You cling to Him and trust Him fully (Deuteronomy 10:20; 6:5)

Fruit of the Spirit

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things." Galatians 5:22

The only way to produce the Fruit of the Spirit is to have the Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit dwell in you. Paul used the term, "fruit” to help us understand the product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. This happens when we believe and put our trust in the Messiah (Ephesians 1:13-14). 

If a person does not have the Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit, that person does not belong to Elohim (Romans 8:9); therefore, making it impossible to grow the fruit of the Spirit in his/her life. 

We receive the Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, when we make a conscious decision to follow Messiah and let Him be the Master of our lives.

But just like seeds that must be planted, watered, and nurtured, our spiritual growth takes time before it can produce good fruit. The Ruach Hakodesh/Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject old sinful desires and constantly works to rid our lives of the “acts of the sinful nature” (Gal. 5:19) and display His fruit instead.

As we give the Spirit more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do - to shape us and grow us into the same likeness of YHWH (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Therefore, the presence of the “fruit of the Spirit” is evidence that our character is becoming more like YHWH, the Spirit.

The Good and Faithful Servant

Each one of us, as followers of Messiah, have been called to do Kingdom work of YHWH Elohim. 

We have been gifted and filled with His Set-Apart Spirit to be able to do marvelous works for the Kingdom, as we are the living stones that build up a spiritual house of YHWH. This means that our bodies are the dwelling place of the Set-Apart Spirit who is in us and empowers us to do His will.

In John 14:12, Yahshua makes a profound declaration to His followers. He states that those who believe in Him will not only perform the works He has done but will also do "greater things than these." This statement is significant as it emphasizes the potential for believers to impact the world in ways that extend beyond His earthly ministry.

In order to be able to fulfill righteous deeds of YHWH, we must be humble and walk in meekness and patience as He prepares us in perfection to do His calling. Each one of us have spiritual gifts given to us as tools for the benefit of doing for others. (Ephesians 4:1-12)

To hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” we must imitate Him and walk in His ways by learning from Him in Torah obedience and apply His teachings when discipling others. Take, for example, the parable of the sower who went out to sow his seed. (Luke 8:5) The seed is the Word of YHWH. Those having heard the Word with a noble and sincere heart retain it and bear fruit with endurance; in other words, we are to share what the Set-Apart Spirit has revealed to us and share it with others.

“For whatever is hidden shall be revealed , and whatever is secret shall be known and come to light; therefore, take heed how you hear. For whoever possesses, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not possess, even what he thinks he possesses shall be taken from him.” (Luke 8:17-18)

The one that does nothing for the Kingdom of YHWH is a worthless servant who will be thrown into outer darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)

We will all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:10) and give an account of our deeds. For those of us who follow Messiah Yahshua and walk in His ways, we are anointed to proclaim the Good News to every creature. HalleluYAH!

Found Blameless on the Sabbath

Found Blameless on the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-12 

At that time. the Messiah went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples/talmidim were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples/Talmidim are doing what is UNLAWFUL on the Sabbath."

Yahshua replied. "Have you not read what David/Dawid did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the House of YHWH, and he and his companions ate the dedicated showbread which was NOT LAWFUL for them to eat but ONLY for the Priests.

Or haven't you read in the TORAH that on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath and yet are blameless? But I tell you that SOMETHING GREATER than the Temple IS HERE.

If only you had known the meaning of 'I DESIRE MERCY, NOT sacrifice, you WOULD NOT have condemned the BLAMELESS. For the Son of Man is MASTER of the SABBATH."

Moving on from there, Yahshua entered their Assembly, and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Yahshua, they asked Him, "IS IT LAWFUL TO HEAL ON THE SABBATH?"

How much more worth is a man than a sheep! So it is right to DO GOOD on the Sabbath.

Grace

By Grace, which is conviction in our hearts, we have been given the favor (mercy) to repent of our former lawlessness and turn to obedience to YHWH's instructions, His Torah. Not by anything we have done are we given this gift to repent but by YHWH’s Grace.

Romans 10:9 says, ”If you confess with your mouth that ‘Yahshua is the Messiah’ and believe in your heart that Elohim raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

It continues on to read…

“For with the heart one BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, and one confesses with the mouth, and so is saved."

Many people in religion think that by just believing in “Jesus” that they are saved and that they do not need to do anything else on their part and continue to live in sin. The demons also “believe.” 

What is “sin”?

1 John 3:4 CJB

"Everyone who keeps sinning is violating TORAH — indeed, sin is violation of TORAH." 

Just mentally acknowledging that “Jesus is the Christ” without any fruits of righteousness is not sufficient. Grace is not a license to sin.

Anyone who continues to sin is under the false assumption that being “saved by Grace” allows them to do so, but the reality is, they are essentially scorning the Spirit of Grace, which is the same as “blaspheming the Set-Apart Spirit of YHWH." There is no forgiveness for this type of sin, as per Numbers 15:29-31 and Deuteronomy 17:12-13.}

It is our faith and belief that produce righteous acts of obedience. To obey YHWH and His Torah is to love Him. This is the fruit of our salvation.

Titus 2:11-14

For the Grace (turning to the Torah instruction) of YHWH has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

We are not justified and saved by the works of the Torah alone, but by faith in Yahshua Messiah. Faith brings us salvation and obedience brings us blessings.

2 Peter 3:18

Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master and Savior, Yahshua Messiah. To Him be the glory, both now and forever! Amein.

Are You A Wheat or A Tare?

Are you a wheat or a tare?

We are to sow the seed of the Kingdom and bear fruit for the Kingdom.

24 "Another parable He [Yahshua] put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:24-30 describes Yahshua’s parable about a man who planted a field only to have an enemy come in and sow tares among his wheat. Tares are a useless weed, but they appear nearly identical to wheat plants until the heads of grain reveal themselves. They are a counterfeit. This also describes people who have an outward appearance of holiness before men but within are evil and corrupt. Tares are about self, not willing to be humbled nor bow to the will of YHWH in humility. This shows a picture of those who serve the true Messiah and those among them who do not.

Are you a wheat among a field of tares? There are those who profess and act like true followers of Yahshua, but in reality, they are religious people who have no actual interest in obeying the Word of YHWH. In words, they profess religion and godliness, “the fear of God,” and the pure worship of Him; yet, in works, they deny all. 

A majority of people you know may be trapped in modern religion, but your commitment to Truth (Psalms 119:142) may cause them to wake up out of their religious deception and see the error of their ways.

The Parable of the Tares Explained:

37 "He [Yahshua] answered and said to them: 'He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!'” Matthew 13:37-43

1. YAH's true covenant people, Israel, are scattered all over the world. Wherever His people respond to His gospel, there, will grow the good wheat of the Kingdom. Our job is to go plant the seed in good soil and wait until harvest time for the gathering.

2. There are pretenders, aka hypocrites, in the assembly.  They are people who do not have a circumcised and repentant heart whatsoever, but have blended in disguise as “wheat” and are really tares, although, they may not even know it. They carry their own agenda, living a lifestyle of sin. It is a sign that the lawless one is at work.

3. No one will escape judgment.  Yahshua assures that at the end, all those who do not belong in the Kingdom will be rooted out, judged, and punished. Only those who truly belong to Him will remain.

Moral of the story: Yahshua’s sheep will not be offended by His voice. They will follow Him wherever He goes. We must be a body of believers that are committed to following the whole counsel of Scripture. 

The Master is in the process of separating the wheat from the tares; the sheep from the goats. Continue in prayer and seek His ways. The light will overcome darkness. 

Shalom.