Sermon on the Plain: True Discipleship Luke 6:43-49

43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

From the Heart

Jesus begins here by using an example that would have been familiar to his audience.

In an agrarian society, people would immediately relate to what Jesus is saying.

Now obviously Jesus is talking about more than simple fruit.

The root of the fruit determines the type of fruit you will receive.

I know it’s simple.

But sometimes that’s what we need simple.

Good fruit comes from good roots.

Bad fruit comes from bad roots.

Oranges come from orange trees.

Apples come from apple trees.

Honestly, I know that there are some people in our congregation who could walk up to a random tree and say, That’s a apple tree, that’s a pecan tree, that’s an oak tree.

But my mind looks at trees and can’t tell the difference, until I see the fruit that it produces.

And the same thing is true of Jesus’ disciples.

They may all look like or even call themselves Christians, but in order to tell who they truly are, we must see their fruit.

And The simplicity of Jesus’ teaching should rock us to our very core.

If we are rooted in Jesus then we should produce the fruit that looks like Jesus.

Our words, actions, thoughts, and behaviors should resemble the root we are connected to.

My momma used to use this phrase, she would say, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, then its a duck.

All our actions.

Every interaction flows from one place according to Jesus.

This all flows from the heart v. 45.

Whether we have a good or evil heart, it will be seen in the fruit we produce.

The Fruit is not a work.

I don't need to go do some stuff to prove to be his disciple.

Doing good deeds is not the same as producing good fruit.

I need us to see that there is some nuance to this.

If you rooted in the good tree.

The tree of Jesus.

You can’t help but do good.

B/c your heart has been changed.

And the treasure of your heart is Jesus.

Having Jesus as your treasure stores up good in our hearts.

Then the good fruit is produced.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say there is a guy who is at church every time the doors are open.

He never misses an opportunity to go to church.

We would say that’s a good thing.

But what if that he is hateful to all the other people he comes in contact with.

They see him as a hateful, rude, or uncompassionate person.

His Social media feed is all about hating a certain political party.

Or calling someone stupid or ignorant for what they believe, is that the heart of Jesus?

If the service staff at a gas station or restaurant tremble in fear every time he walks through a door does he demonstrate Jesus’ character?

If his kids hate him and his spouse is afraid of him, does he have the heart of Jesus?

What is his fruit?

I would argue that he doesn’t have good stored up in his heart.

He does a good thing.

He is involved in church, but he isn’t producing fruit.

Instead, he is like the foolish man who walks up to the apple tree and staples an orange to it and says that it’s now an orange tree.

So his identity as a good man is only demonstrated by his authentic fruit.

So what needs to happen to this man?

It’s the same thing that needs to happen to all Jesus’ disciples.

He needs a heart transplant.

Jesus’ example of fruit tells us that the fruit comes from the heart.

So we need to have the right heart.

And in having the right heart we will bear fruit.

We aren’t stapling an orange to an apple tree.

And pretending to be something we aren’t.

Rather we need a change of nature.

Our heart needs to be transformed.

Who we are at our core is reflected in our hearts.

I’m talking a lot about the heart, but how does Scripture define what the heart is?

Heart in Scripture is the control center for the Christian life.

The heart controls our actions, it demonstrates our love.

And we need a new heart.

That new heart is granted to us when we repent of our sins and turn toward Jesus.

Jesus is the one who gives us this new heart.

It's a promise from the OT scriptures.

Ezek. tells us that God is going to take the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh.

And it's through commitment to Jesus that we get this new heart.

And Jesus calls this new heart good.

From this renewed good heart we produce good fruit.

Now, what kind of fruit is Jesus talking about here?

Well a lot of it is linked back to the previous passages we have studied.

We will persevere and rejoice when we face hardships in this life.

We will love our enemies.

We will offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us.

We will be generous with mercy and grace.

We won't be judgmental.

In short, this new heart that Jesus gives us will have us reflecting him.

To take it a step further we will also produce the fruit of the spirit that Paul talks about in Gal 5.

I want to take a moment to read what he says, but Paul here in Gal 5, lays it out on the line. b

Galatians 5:16–25 CSB

16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice 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, and self-control. The law is not against such things. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

So in this passage Paul is contrasting the works flesh and fruit the spirit.

Works of the flesh are evident.

We can look out and see people who live according to their flesh.

This is even true for those who call themselves Christians.

We can look at their lives and see if they are living under the works of the flesh or if they are producing the fruit of the Spirit.

Last week we talked about the difference between being judgmental and making right judgments.

Observing if someone is bearing fruit or walking in the flesh isn’t judgmental.

It’s making a right judgment.

We aren’t basing their worth or propping ourselves up.

Rather we are simply observing and asking the question.

Do these men and women have the fruit of the spirit or are they obviously walking according to their flesh?

If they are being led by their flesh, then we should call them to repentance.

We should encourage them to turn to Jesus and follow after him.

Now we do need to be careful lest we fall into a judgmental attitude.

To judge a tree’s fruit, we don’t look at one particular moment but at a period of production.

Why is that?

B/c we all have seasons of crop failure.

We all have times when we under produce.

So we need to have grace and mercy on those who are struggling.

We need to point them to the savior and help them grow in a deeper and fuller relationship with him.

And through a richer love and devotion to Jesus they will produce more fruit.

B/c Jesus will be the treasure of their heart.

I want us to see that Jesus is after our heart.

He wants our affections.

And the fruit we produce is born out of those affections we have for Jesus.

One of the ways that Jesus tells us here in v.45 that we can take the temperature on our heart is through the words we speak.

“…for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.”

Obviously Jesus here is referring to the man with the evil heart.

But we could just as easily port that over to the heart of the good man.

What we say and even how we say can demonstrate where our heart is.

Ungodly conversation is graceless.

However, words from the lips of a man with a changed heart give life.

Proverbs 18:21 “21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Examining someone’s speech will give you and I a good indicator if they have recieved a new heart from Jesus or if they are still living with the heart of stone from sin and rejection of God.

Jesus then shifts gears in the next section to tell us that its not just a change of heart that happens when we come to him, but there’s also a change of actions.

Luke 6:46–49 CSB

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”

Obedience

So Jesus throughout this sermon has been telling his disciples what it looks like to follow him.

What it looks like to walk in his footsteps.

So he begins this final section with what a call to follow him will look like.

But he begins it with a question.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and don’t do the things I say.

Theres a lot going on here, but I want to point out just a few.

First, Jesus is saying that there are people coming to him and declaring that he is Lord.

What does it mean to be Lord?

Why is this title so important.

During Jesus’ time this was the same title that someone would use to address those who are in charge.

Could be an overseer or even the Caesar.

Calling someone Lord was a recognition that they held authority over you.

Meaning that if they instructed you do to something you then do that thing.

You didn’t ask questions.

You didn’t hesitate.

You obeyed.

Any sense of a lack of obedience caused there to be a question of allegiance.

The Lordship of Jesus does something else though too.

It presents what is Called “high Christology”

What High Christology means is the there is a recognition that Jesus is God.

Before Jesus’ time the OT was translated into Greek so that it would be more accessible for those who didn’t speak Hebrew to read.

This translation is known as the Septuagint.

In the LXX, whenever the Title of God would be used in reference to YHWY, they would substitute the Greek word for “Lord”.

So Jesus is being recognized by those approaching him not just as more authoritative, but also as the God of the cosmos.

So Jesus’ question is pointed.

If you believe that I am God.

You believe that I have authority.

And you want to follow after me.

Why don’t you do the things I have commanded you to do.

The parallel passage to this is found in Matthew 7:21 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

But it’s also found in Luke 8:21 “21 But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.””

Luke 11:28 “28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.””

Here’s the thing, if we truly see Jesus as our Lord.

If we are truly wanting to follow after him.

If we are truly committed to his life and teaching, then we must also obey his commands.

We must do what he has instructed.

Now listen, what I want us to understand is that obedience isn’t a matter of rule keeping.

Making sure that we dot our i’s and cross our t’s.

Obedience is faithfulness.

How could we recognize Jesus as Lord and not follow through on the commitment to walk with him?

This is one of the issues with many in the modern church.

We confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

But really the only part we want is the salvation.

We don’t want the Lordship part.

We don’t want to listen and obey his commands we just want to avoid hell.

We don’t want judgement.

But the truth is Jesus is both Lord and savior.

We can’t have it one way without the other.

If he is our savior then he is also our lord.

And if he is Lord then we must do what he has commanded us to do.

And we are obedient out of gratitude for our salvation.

Not only that but, The failure to obey contradicts the claim that Jesus is Lord. On the other hand, those who come to Jesus, listen to what he says, and obey him reveal that Jesus is truly their Lord.

Listen, it’s possible to claim to be a follower of Jesus and not be a doer of his word.

That is possible.

But this is a sobering reality.

It doesn’t matter what we say if we aren’t actually submitted to his authority.

B/c if our words don’t match up with Jesus’ expectations for our transformed life, then he doesn’t recognize us as his disciple.

If we want to follow Jesus.

If our desire is to be like him, then we will do what he says.

However if our only desire is to avoid hell, we can have the best intentions, but completely miss God’s grace on our lives.

Jesus then lays it all out for us.

He says in v. 47.

Luke 6:47 “47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them:”

The first thing we must do if we want to be Jesus’ disciple is that we must come to him.

That means that we must leave everything else behind.

We can’t have Jesus plus anything else.

It must be us coming to Jesus alone.

We must be willing to lay aside anything that might hinder our following after Jesus.

We must recognize that our hearts are wicked.

That we have sinned and now we are choosing to repent and follow him alone.

Second, when we come to Jesus we are then able to hear his words.

Coming to Jesus enables our hearing.

I want us to see that hearing Jesus is different than listening to Jesus.

Listening is a passive activity.

While hearing Jesus is active.

I like this example.

If you’ve ever flown on a commercial plane.

Something that is often said but never heard are the instructions from the flight attendant.

They are often tuned out by the passengers.

Why is that?

B/c we all know what they are going to say.

We assume that their words will have no impact on our lives.

And unfortunate we treat Jesus like this often.

We know what he said, but we don’t hear what he said.

But if we want to be Jesus’ disciples, we must listen to and hear the words that Jesus speaks.

But that’s not where it ends.

Jesus tells us that we must put what we hear into practice.

Simply knowing what Jesus says does not change us.

Doing what Jesus said does.

Information alone doesn’t bring about transformation.

We must take what we hear and do it.

Can I tell you something.

It’s easy for us to listen to what Jesus says and never put it into practice.

However, if we are following Jesus we let him lead.

We do what he did.

And by doing what he did then we will live out what he commanded

In addition when we do what he’s commanded us to do two things happen.

First, we grow closer to him,

And second, obedience becomes easier.

I read a story this week about a missionary in Korea who was approached by a young man after leading him to Christ.

The young man told the missionary the reason for his visit was to tell him that he had been memorizing some verses of the Bible.

The young Korean man wanted to quote them for the missionary.

And he said them perfectly, the missionary then said “don’t just memorize go and do what Jesus taught”

He need to practice what he had learned.

Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Doing

The man responded, “Oh, that is the way I learned them. I tried to memorize them, but they wouldn’t stick, so I made a plan. First, I would learn a verse. Then I would do it to a neighbor. After that, I found that I could remember it.”

That’s what true authentic discipleship looks like.

Going and doing the words the Jesus teaches.

Jesus tells us in v. 48-49 a short parable about the difference between someone who comes to him, hears his words, and then does what he teaches and someone who doesn’t act on Jesus’ teaching.

Luke 6:48–49 “48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.””

The man who does what Jesus teaches has a firm foundation.

He has a solid rock.

He knows that doing what Jesus commands leads to a fuller life of fellowship with the Father.

He isn’t incapacitated by the trappings of this world.

When things are chaotic around him, he knows where he stands.

When the troubles of life arrive at his doorstep he stands firm.

When the world shakes around him, he knows the truth and knows how to act in the face of difficulty.

Contrast that with the man who doesn’t act on what Jesus teaches.

His foundation doesn’t exist.

He knows about Jesus.

Even knows some of Jesus’ teaching but b/c he never lived them out he gets thrown off by the things of this world.

He gets distracted and overwhelmed then finally gives way to destruction.

Here’s a real life example that many of us have witnessed.

It has to do with homosexuality and other acts of sexual immorality.

We have seen around our country and throughout the world those who have abandoned the truth of God b/c they would rather give into the kindness of the world.

They weren’t built on the truth of God and so their foundation was shaken and they’ve given up on following Jesus.

Here’s the thing if we just know the words of Jesus without putting them into practice then we are susceptible to giving into our own fleshly desires.

I don’t want to build a strawman against those who we disagree with theologically.

This also happens within those who are in a solid church.

If they aren’t living a life of sacrifice.

If they aren’t laying it all down for Jesus.

Then when tragedy strikes, they too will walk away.

Hearing the words of Jesus is good.

But it’s empty if we don’t put it into practice.

If we don’t walk along the path of discipleship then we are inevitably building a house that will be destroyed.

We need to be both hearers and doers of God’s word.

I want you to hear what James, Jesus’ brother tells us.

James 2:14–20 CSB

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder. 20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

So here’s what I ask of you.

Do some self evaluation.

Are you putting into practice what Jesus taught?

Are you living a life of loving sacrifice.

Are you forgiving those who have hurt you.

Are you praying for those who seek you harm.

Are you giving grace and mercy to others.

Are you producing good fruit?

Are you listening to Jesus and doing what he commands or are you living life hoping to just skate by and eventually you’ll get to heaven.

Is Jesus your Lord?

That’s the final question.

B/c if he’s your Lord then you will willingly submit to him and do what he’s commanded.

Now if he isn’t your Lord.

You should submit to him.

B/c there will be a day when Judgment comes.

And if you aren’t living for Jesus then you will face God’s wrath.

I saw a quote earlier this week from a pretty well known preacher.

and it said “You don’t make Jesus Lord, he’s already Lord.”

And either you bow down and worship him as such or you will eventually be made to bow down in fear and judgement.

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