A Name Is Not Enough

A NAME IS NOT ENOUGH

Luke 6: 43-49

I have to share with you something I find rather humourous. This week, Pam and I

were at a Teacher’s Conference which was held at a very large church. On the last day of

the conference, later in the day, I noticed a sign that someone from the church had put

up. It was obviously an announcement cancelling some exercise classes, possibly due to the

bad weather. But this is what the sign said, “FIRM BELIEVERS -- CANCELLED

TONIGHT!”

Do you detect the irony in that statement? FIRM Believers! Cancelled tonight.

Now I don’t mean to sound belittling to the Firm Believers (and I’m sure that they

probably had some very good reasons for cancelling their meeting) but that sign reminded

me of a great truth that we find in Scripture. The truth is this. A name isn’t everything.

Or as the old expression goes, “Just because you call a thing a thing doesn’t make that

thing a thing!” Sometimes, a name is not enough.

Such is especially true when it comes to Christianity. You can call yourself a Christian

all day long, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are a Christian. Calling yourself a

Christian does not make you a Christian, believing in Christ and living in Christ does!

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus discusses the difference between PROFESSION

and PRACTICE. The premise is this. Following Jesus is not determined by our profession,

but by our practice. The true evidence of conversion and faith in Christ IS THE WAY WE

LIVE! Jesus makes this point clear by 3 examples or evidences. If we have these 3 areas

evidenced in our lives, then, and only then, do we have the right to call ourselves true

disciples of Jesus Christ.

I OUR FRUIT v 43-45

A Illustration. One of our silk trees with a sign on it. It says, “APPLE TREE”.

1. Did you notice this tree that claims to be an apple tree?

2. Does having a sign on it somehow magically turn it into an apple tree? NO.

3. How can you detect an apple tree? IT SHOULD PRODUCE APPLES!!

4. Jesus says here, “For every tree is known BY IT’S FRUIT”

B Illustration. Tape a few apples onto the tree.

1. Now then, this tree has some apples on it? Is it NOW an apple tree?

2. Of course not, because although it contains some good fruit, it does not produce

the good fruit!

3. Religion in this world is a lot like that. It has some degree of goodness to it,

but it doesn’t produce real fruit of it’s own because it’s not tapped into Christ!

C Jesus said, in John 15:4 “...As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it

abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

D So what is God teaching us here? He is teaching us that IF WE ARE TRULY

BORN AGAIN, we will produce EVIDENCE of that fact.

E Can you see the evidences of SPIRITUAL fruit in your life? Galatians 5:22-25

II OUR FAITHFULNESS

A Jesus then moves on. He has made the point quite clear that a name for ourselves

is not enough. We must provide evidence for that name. Then, He asks a very

brash and startling question (in verse 46):

1. “And why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?”

2. What He is saying in essence is this. “Just because you call me Lord, just

because you give me the name of LORD, doesn’t make me your Lord!”

B Illustration: Picture a master and a servant. The master commands the servant to

go perfom a task, to which the servant agrees but does nothing. VISUAL:

Command Rachel (a servant) to get some water, but she won’t do it!

C Do you see the point here?

D There are multitudes of people in this world who are CALLED Christians. But they

are not. They are not because they do not follow the Lord. And the reason they

will not follow the Lord is because THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE LORD!

E Listen to the very words of Christ!

1. John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

2. John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I

have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.”

F The Apostle John said it even more harshly (I John 2:4) “He that says, I know

Him, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

G Now, does that mean you aren’t a Christian if you sin? No. We will sin as long as we

live in sinful bodies. But the idea here is that IF WE HAVE TRULY BEEN