Luke 6:43-45 (3)
Notes
Transcript
********** Start Timer **********
Please Turn back to Luke 6.
We’ve come to verse 43...
And we’re almost done with our study of the S.O.M.
But, let me caution you against celebrating...
too much
too soon...
And that’s because in these final two sections...
…we find the words of the author of Hebrews ringing very true, that:
Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
12...the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
These verses are painfully revealing.
But, they can be helpfully revealing, as well.
They have the ability...
(if we respond to them appropriately)
…to bring us to a:
repentant,
saving faith!
…and/or to prod us:
to pursue a deeper sanctification!
-And as hard as they are...
…we need to remember that they are God’s gift to us.
Let’s read them together
Luke 6:43–45 (ESV)
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
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Verse 43:
-Let me draw your attention back to verse 43.
And notice how it begins...
Or, rather, what it begins with:
Luke 6:43 (ESV)
43 “For...”
an explanatory conjunction.
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What that means in English...
…is that the illustration that he’s about to give...
…was meant to explain the content of the previous verses.
Remember what that content was.
Essentially, it was Jesus:
Rebuking the Pharisees...
Or at least, making an indictment against Pharisee-ism
Warning His followers...
not to follow their example...
…of self-righteous hypocrisy.
Remember, that they obsessed over:
External religious conformity...
But they appeared to have no concern over:
The health of the inner man.
Hence, we see Jesus employing the agricultural analogy...
…that’s found in our first two verses.
(And please notice, that he goes deeper and further...
…than could ever be attained by external means.)
He says:
Luke 6:43 (ESV)
43 “...no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
Matthew’s account gives a more vivid illustration...
...of the analogy .
Matthew 7:17–18 (ESV)
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Do you see his point?
He’s saying, that:
The fruit that a tree bears...
…is indicative of the health of the tree.
If the tree is healthy on the inside...
It’s going to produce healthy fruit!
If it isn’t actually (internally) healthy...
(regardless of what the bark and the leaves look like)
…it isn’t going to produce healthy fruit.
Already, we can see that the over-arching theme of these verses...
…is going to be that:
The reality of what something truly is...
…is going to be seen in what it produces.
Or, you could say it like Jesus does in Verse 44:
Luke 6:44 (ESV)
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit...
Do you see how the analogy deepened right there?
He went from saying that:
The fruit is indicative of the health of a tree...
...To saying that:
The fruit is indicative of the fundamental nature of the Tree!
That’s a BIG jump!
And, one that we mustn’t overlook.
-Let me show you the way Matthew had introduced this section.
It’s helpful in a similar way.
He introduces these same sayings like this:
Matthew 7:15–16 (ESV)
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruits...
So, outwardly, they appear:
Innocent
Pure
To belong in the Fold...
But, inwardly, they are:
Evil
Bloodthirsty
Impostors.
So, how do you know?
Not by how they look...
But, by what they do!
And, brethren, the correlation between the two...
What you are
What you do...
…is absolutely inevitable.
Both gospel writers double down on that point in their next illustration.
Luke 6:44 (ESV)
44 ...For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
Why?
Because it isn’t in their DNA!
Because it’s simply. not. what. they are.
And (contrary to popular belief)...
…you cannot be what you are not!
-Jesus told the Pharisees this...
…after He had warned them about ...
…their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit...
…in their attributing his attesting signs...
…to the power of Beelzebul...
He told them:
Matthew 12:33–34 (ESV)
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? . . .
Do you remember when John the Baptist...
...had recognized the same thing about them?
Matthew 3:5–7 (ESV)
5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Do you remember what he told them?
Matthew 3:8 (ESV)
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
This is the exact. same. principle!
Bear fruit that proves the reality of:
True, inner...
...repentance toward God
…faith in Jesus Christ!
And He warned them to NOT presume upon...
…nor place their confidence in...
...their external identity as God’s people:
Matthew 3:9 (ESV)r
9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
He also gave them this warning...
A warning that Jesus (himself) would reinforce many times after:
Matthew 3:10–11 (ESV)
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
I hope you can see where this is going.
Jesus gave this same warning...
...in the parallel account of our text in Matthew 7.
Remember, that it is an agricultural metaphor:
Matthew 7:18–19 (ESV)
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Why?
Because it doesn’t belong in the Orchard
Because it doesn’t serve the Master’s purposes.
Because its disease is apt to spread to the other trees!
Then he concludes (Matthew’s account) by saying:
Matthew 7:20 (ESV)
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
-Now, in our text (in Verse 45)...
…Jesus moves beyond metaphor...
…and states the matter clearly:
Luke 6:45 (ESV)
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil...
Philip Ryken explains this powerfully:
Every person is like a tree, and according to the divine laws of spiritual horticulture, we all produce the kind of fruit that is in our hearts to grow.
The heart is the center of a person’s being—the real you as you really are.
Jesus said that a good life comes from a good heart, whereas an evil heart inevitably produces an evil life.
There is a living, organic connection between the people we are on the inside and the lives that we lead out in the world. Whatever fruit we produce—whether good or evil—is rooted in the true condition of our souls.
We can only produce the kind of spiritual fruit that it is our nature to produce.
The reason we say the things we say and do the things we do is that we are the people we are. — Reformed Expository Commentary
Paul enforces the principle in:
Galatians 5:19–23 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control...
-Now, notice the final thing Jesus says in our text.
Luke 6:45 (ESV)
45 ...for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Did you notice what he did there?
He took the broad spectrum of evidential fruit...
…and reduced it down to speech!
To what you say!
The implication is, brethren...
…that the best indicator of the reality of one’s heart...
…is his mouth!
Back in Matthew 12, Jesus gave those blaspheming Pharisees...
…this warning:
Matthew 12:34–37 (ESV)
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Does that sound serious?
It is!
It’s Judgment Day Serious
But, let’s be clear about what He’s saying...
He’s not saying that if you:
Say the right words,
Pray the right prayer...
…that you’ll be saved...
And, that if you:
Accidentally misspeak
Voice the wrong sounds
Don’t pray the right prayer...
…then you’ll be condemned.
No, you’re going to be Judged for who you are!
But He’s warning us that:
The content of our hearts...
…is made manifest through our speech.
That’s the point.
-James, gave this warning about our speech:
James 3:5–12 (ESV)
5...the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?
12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
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Do you see what the problem is?
It’s your heart
It’s your nature
You don’t need speech therapy...
You need a heart transplant!
You need some new DNA!
You don’t need therapeutic care...
You need transformation at a fundamental level.
You need:
A new heart
A new spirit
A New Life!
This is what Christ has provided for you...
…through His work of redemption at the Cross!
-It was foretold that God would do this for His People:
I believe He has done it in Christ!
Ezekiel 36:25–27 (ESV)
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
I believe that this is what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus in:
John 3:3–8 (ESV)
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes...
You can’t see the wind, can you?
Neither can you visibly behold the Spirit’s work of Regeneration!
But, can you see the effects of the wind?
Can you hear its sound?
Can you see its power?
John 3:8 (ESV)
8 ...So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Paul shows us what:.
The Spirit “Breath” of God produces when He moves on a person:
Are some observable signs that he has circumcised your heart.
Titus 2:11–13 (ESV)
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
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Repentance and Faith!
That’s what the Holy Spirit produces within you!
-Brethren, This is the great superiority...
…of the Covenant which Christ mediates...
…to that which was formerly mediated by Moses
And the Lord’s Supper is a perpetual reminder to us, of this...
greater
more replete...
…work, that Christ has accomplished.
The author of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 8:6 (ESV)
6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Brethren, the things we’ve been looking at today...
ARE THOSE PROMISES!
Here they are again:
Hebrews 8:10–12 (ESV)
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
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The elements that are before us...
…remind us of the means through which...
He CAN
He HAS...
…done so!
This is the meal of the New Covenant.
It reminds those who have experienced inward transformation...
(The New Birth)
…of the work of substitution that Christ has undertook...
…in order to present them spotless before His Father in love.
If you are in this Covenant through...
Repentance toward God
Faith in Jesus Christ
…And have professed that repentance and faith, publicly...
…through the waters of baptism, then...
(regardless of whether or not you’re covenanted with this local church)
…we invite you to partake in the remembrance of Him with us!
Ask Brothers to come up.
Go down.
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Paul said:
1 Corinthians 11:23–24 (ESV)
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Pray
Partake
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And then he reminds us of the other function of the Supper.
It isn’t only Remembrance...
It’s also Proclamation:
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Pray
Partake
Amen!
Let’s continue to worship!