"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” - Jesus

Hey Church Family:  Can you imagine being in the presence of Jesus when He asked the disciples at His Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6, this question, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).  I am sure you could have heard a pin drop.

What would your answer be?  I believe this question from Jesus is also intended for us.  Jesus asks us today, “Why are you calling upon Me as your Lord, why are you calling upon Me to deliver to you My great benefits and yet you do not do what I have told you to do?”  That is a question from Jesus intended to create within us a desire to evaluate the fruit from our own lives and the lives of fellow believers for assurance and for repentance.

Jesus wants us to understand that we all are producing some kind of fruit.  Jesus simply calls this fruit either “good” or “bad.”  So, what is this spiritual fruit Jesus is referring?  Spiritual fruit is simply the words and deeds that come from our lives.  What you say and what you do is either good fruit or bad fruit.  Fruit grows from the soil of our heart.  The heart is the center of our being, also called our soul.  Jesus very simply says through a horticultural analogy in Luke 6:43-45, that what our soul treasures will produce fruit (words and deeds) and that fruit will reveal to the world what our soul treasures.  Did you get that?  The treasure of our heart is what plants seeds in the soil of our heart.  These treasure seeds will eventually produce fruit for the world to see.  If our soul treasures Jesus we will produce fruit (words and deeds) that is “good.”  If our soul treasures the things of this world we will produce fruit that is “bad.”  That is some very simple “fruit theology.”

God sees faith in the heart but the world can only see the fruit of faith.  That is why Jesus said, “You will recognize them by their fruits”(Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:44).  The world cannot know our heart but they absolutely know the fruit that our heart produces.  Fruit never lies when it comes to revealing the treasures of our heart.  Bad fruit = bad treasure = bad heart.  God fruit = good treasure = good heart.  Jesus really made this simple for us.  He wants us to look at the fruit that we are producing to either get an assurance of treasuring Christ and producing good fruit or an assurance that we are treasuring the world that is leading to a production of bad fruit.  Jesus asks us to repent from the production of bad fruit by telling us to not just be a hearer of the Word but also a doer of His word.  Doing His word produces good fruit.
 
What is your heart treasuring?
What seeds are being planted by what your heart is treasuring?
What fruit is hanging form the spiritual limbs of your life?
Take inventory of your fruit.  Inspect your fruit.
Does your fruit lead you to assurance of repentance?

I look forward to worshipping Jesus Christ with you Sunday as we finish Luke 6.
 
Much love in Christ, Steve