Getting to the Bottom of It
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Luke 6:46-49
Title: Getting to the Bottom of It
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
**Introduction**
The most famous poor foundation in the world is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The tower began to sink after construction progressed to the third floor in 1178. Scientists travel yearly to measure the building's slow descent. They report that the 179-foot tower moves about one-twentieth of an inch a year. The tower threatens to fall onto the nearby ristorante, where scientists now gather to discuss their findings. Quite significantly, the word "pisa" means "marshy land," which gives some clue as to why the tower began to lean even before it was completed. Also--its foundation is only 10 feet deep!
In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons (77 short tons) of earth, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years. All because of a poor foundation!
Building with a foundation makes all the difference in the lifespan of a building. In our passage today, Jesus is making a point about what submitting to Him as Lord truly looks like when lived out. The main idea of today’s message is: Faithfulness that leads to obedience will stand against trial.
Jesus gets to this point by pointing out that Christ followers, obey His Words, and then illustrates by telling a story for two different builders. So that’s how I’m approaching this passage. The first truth we need to look at is:
I. Christ followers obey Christ. (v. 46)
I. Christ followers obey Christ. (v. 46)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
This seems overly simplistic to say. However, because we are often blind to our own behaviors and heart motivations, it must be said again.
To call someone Lord was a term of respect for their teaching authority. To repeat it as Lord, Lord, is a Hebrew method for communicating intimacy. This is to refer to Jesus in a way that conveys an intimate and close relationship, all the while not doing the very things that this person they are supposedly close to has said to do. They talk a good talk about how close and special Jesus is to them but their lives tell a different story because they live their lives with nary a care towards the things that Jesus has taught. You don’t get to claim Jesus as Lord and then not submit your life to His rule. That doesn’t work. He is Lord whether you admit it or not. The question is, will you obey out a faithful heart.
They were no living a good life that comes from a good heart. They weren’t producing good fruit. Jesus had been teaching them about the root and the fruit to show them what their lives said about what was the treasure of their heart. Now, Jesus is warning them to do what He says because of where not obeying leads.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
The scriptures are very clear that obedience is required for Christian discipleship. It’s not a take it or leave it thing. You cannot obey, but you can’t live a life of total disobedience and be a disciple of Christ. Jesus died to save your soul for all eternity. He took the wrath of God that was due to me for my sin and you for your sin. The only appropriate response of faith to this sacrifice is obedience to Jesus’ commands.
J.C. Ryle wrote,
“...obedience is the only sound evidence of saving faith, and the talk of the lips is worse than useless, if it is not accompanied by sanctification of the life.” - J.C. Ryle
Jesus wants to help his audience (the Apostles and other followers) to grow more spiritual fruit instead of simply talking about it.
To do this, He tells them a parable about acting on His words. He’s used an agricultural illustration of trees and fruit and now He uses a construction illustration.
Matthew’s gospel contains a version of this parable as well, however, Matthew’s is about where the men build, either rock or sand. Luke’s version is about HOW one builds, with or without a foundation.
The soil in Israel was hard and difficult to work in. It would have been tempting for a builder to just build right on top of the hard soil and not go to all of the extra time, expense, and work of digging down into the hard rock to set a proper foundation. The hearers would have understood this quite well.
therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
Let’s look at builder #1 who built on a foundation.
II. Builder #1 - Built on a foundation. (v. 47-48)
II. Builder #1 - Built on a foundation. (v. 47-48)
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
I want you to know something important about verse 47. There are three verbs that give us a clear progression of what this process of following Jesus looks like.
1. Come to Jesus.
1. Come to Jesus.
The idea of coming to Jesus here refers tot he way people gather around Jesus. They were coming to be near to Him. Think of when we enter His presence for worship.
2. Hear His Words.
2. Hear His Words.
Hearing - Paying careful attention to what Jesus says. It's concentrating on His Words and meditating on them. It's prayerfully considering the implications of His words upon our lives.
But coming and hearing alone are not enough. We must respond to Jesus in action. This brings us to the third verb in the progression: doing.
3. Do them.
3. Do them.
Doing is going and doing what Jesus has said to go and do.
God requires a believing response from us if we are to follow Him. This believing response is active:
It's actively trusting Jesus for salvation.
Giving our whole lives to worship Him and His glory.
It's giving ourselves in sacrificial service to others for His glory.
It's reaching out to those who don't know Jesus with the hope of the gospel that is the only power that can change their lives.
It's actively doing the things from the rest of Luke chapter 6.
The words of Jesus are to be the foundation for our lives. Jesus suggesting His words are the foundation for our lives to be built upon is a claim of deity.
In Luke 4, towards the beginning of His ministry, Jesus had applied a prophecy of the Lord’s Annointed in Isaiah to Himself and here at the end of the Sermon on the Plain, we have Him seeming to apply the sure foundation from Isaiah 28:16 to Himself as well.
Only those built on the foundation of Jesus can stand against the flood. Those who build on the foundation of His words will not be shaken.
The flood here is not like a flash flood in a wadi during a storm but signifies a body of water bursting its banks.
Jesus goes onto to describe the second builder and ends with a sharp warning.
III. Builder #2 - Built without a foundation. (v.49)
III. Builder #2 - Built without a foundation. (v.49)
1. Hears Jesus’ words
1. Hears Jesus’ words
2. Does not do them
2. Does not do them
-no foundation
-no rock
-can not stand against the flood
Immediately falls - ruinous to it...
Greek word - It’s to collapse or implode.
It signifies total destruction.
The point is this man has built without a foundation and has lost everything. Total ruin of his life and eternity. And Jesus doesn’t do the preacher thing by wrapping it up with a happy or comforting ending. He just lets the audience sit with it.
How tragic is the state of the second man! It’s the waste of a life because it was built with no foundation.
**Application**
Friends, listen closely.
Confession of who Jesus is without obedience is worthless.
You may call Him Lord, Lord, but if you fail to do what He has said, your actions betray where your heart truly lies.
Spiritual change can only happen when we have a total transformation at the heart level. This only happens by the world of the Spirit through our hearing and understanding and trusting of the Gospel.
The point is to stress obedience as a response to what we hear in the Word. If your heart belongs to Jesus, you will want to do what He says and you will do it. Of course not perfectly, and that’s not what we are expecting. He knows you will jack it all up. That’s why He came and lived a perfect life in your place because you couldn’t. So He fulfilled all of that and then gave that life in your place and took the punishment for your sin. You are saved by God from the wrath of God for the service and glorification of God. And there is NOTHING better in this or any world! There is no better news and nothing else more worthy of submitting your life to!
How are you going to build your life?
Bad fruit comes from a bad root and leads to your life going capuit.
Not legalist to obey the commands of Jesus.
Only two ways to live. Only one way to serve God and live safely. All other ways lead to ruin.
Talkative from Pilgrim’s Progress
One of the most enduring classics of Chrisitian literature, or any literature for that matter, is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The story is allegorical of the Christian life. We follow the characters, Christian and Faithful as they journey to the Celestial City. Along the way, they meet a man named Talkative. This man always talks about spiritual things, but isn’t living the Christian life. He was talking a talk that didn’t include a walk that matched. Christian warns Faithful about this by saying,
“He talketh of prayer, of repentance, of faith, and of the new birth; but he knows but only to talk of them.… The soul of religion is the practice part.… This Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian, and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life, and let us assure ourselves that at the day of doom, men shall be judged according to their fruits.… The end of the world is compared to our harvest, and you know men at harvest regard nothing but fruit, not that anything can be accepted that is not of faith.”
Digging into the rock to lay a foundation cost the builder something.
If you aren’t actively serving Jesus, is there evidence that you truly know Him? Are you living life submitted to His Words or have you chosen your own way?
Keys from the Sermon on the Plain - connect here
Blessedness in God’s Kingdom, happy privilege of being in God’s Kingdom and escape of divine judgement depend on how we respond to Jesus.
The issue is FAITHFULNESS to our Lord and not a matter of rule keeping. It’s submitting to the authority of the King.
A relationship with Jesus is the base, the starting point of faithfulness. It starts there with a radical heart change because of belief in the gospel and repentance from sin.