Luke 6:46
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Now this verse comes in the middle of two parables.
The first parable we find Jesus is speaking about fruit bearing and how good trees bear good fruit.
Look at these verses.
“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.
“For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
On the other hand bad trees bears bad fruit or no fruit.
So, in the verses leading up this verse where Jesus asks a pointed question-
its this picture of the outward acts and actions of a person determining what is inside them.
In other words, what the person or individual does flows from who they are at their core.
In this sense, the most important thing about someone is not what they say about themselves, but according to Jesus its what they do.
Their actions are the fruit that exposes the root of who they are.
In fact, Its the overall actions of their life that proves or disproves what they say they are.
At this point, we have to ask ourselves.
What do our actions prove? What does my daily speech prove? What does my heart toward worship and giving prove?
Do these things prove what I would claim to be?
Because by all means, if someone were to ask me: Are you a Christian? I would say, “Well of course I am. Jesus is my Lord and Savior!”
But do my actions prove that or call it into question?
What about when no one is around to observe my behavior?
Is Jesus my Lord and Savior then?
Or what about when I’m around those who obviously are not Christians?
Is Jesus my Lord and Savior then?
I love this metaphor of the tree and it fruit bearing because it is so relevant and easily applied.
Lets think through this a moment.
If you plant an apple tree, and lets say for the sake of argument, it is a successful plant and it grows and bears fruit, that tree will be an apple tree and it will bear apple regardless of where you plant it.
If you plant it out on its own in the middle of a field all by itself, it will bears apples. Why? Because its an apple tree.
If you plant it in the middle of an apple orchard, it will bears apples. Why? it is still an apple tree.
And if you plant it in the middle of orange trees, pine trees, and Grape vines, it will bear apples. Why? Because it is still an apple tree.
Its environment doesn’t change what kind of tree it is.
It is what it is.
(Golf with a friend who said he was better than he was.)
He was obviously not what he said he was.
He actions proved what he said he was to be untrue.
Jesus says in verse 46
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
To call Jesus Lord is one thing. To be surrendered to him as Lord is quite another.
In verse 46, Jesus implies that claiming Jesus as Lord at the very least means that we do what he says to do.
Being Lord means he is the boss.
And he is rightfully Lord.
As Creator and Sustainer of Creation, we ought to submit to Him.
But to call Him Lord and then disobey him, is foolishness. And its ultimately a lie.
Because if I call Jesus Lord, and then do what I want to do, then effectively and practically, I’m trying to be Lord of my own life.
if I call Jesus Lord, and then do what culture wants me to do, then effectively and practically, I’m submitting to culture as Lord of my life.
Fill in the blank with any other thing, but if Jesus is Lord, then I will obey Him.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
To live in disobedience to the one you call Lord, is to live a lie. Its senseless.
I wonder how many people fit the rebuke of verse 46.
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
How many people would acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over their lives while at the same time living in complete rebellion against him?
Thats not how it works.
For too long there has been an easy believeism preached where my generation was taught, say this prayer, sign this card, let us dunk you and report that baptism to the convention, and you are good.
But genuine salvation involves submission to Jesus as Lord.
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
You were once slaves to sin, now you are slaves of righteousness.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
By this we know. Not because a preacher said so.
Not because the Bible you got as a child when you got baptized said so.
Are you keeping his commandments?
Do you have a genuine desire to do his will?
The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
That puts it plainly.
There needs to be observable evidence- or fruit- in the believers life.
One problem that is rampant in the church is the reality of
Unconverted church members.
Easy Believeism may have produced more church members (an inflated church roll), but it may not have produced more genuinely saved people.
This is a problem, because being a church member means that someone has professed Christ. They’ve been baptized. They’ve been recognized by the church and affirmed in their profession. and then they live lives in complete rebellion to Christ.
The church has been lax in calling these people to repent.
The church has been lax in guarding the membership of the church by church discipline.
Explain church discipline.
This is important because there are eternal consequences if we don’t.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
My prayer tonight is that Jesus would not have to rebuke us with the words of verse 46.
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
We must obey him. Submit to Him. and honor him as Lord.