Fill in the blank: I am . How would you complete that statement? I am…tired. I am…awesome. I am…excited. I am…a husband. I am…a parent. I am…a friend. You could probably complete that sentence in about a million different ways. But if you are going to make one of those claims, you have to be able to back it up. If you say, “I am awesome” then I want to see some of the evidence of your awesomeness. If you say, “I am a parent” you need to have a child. If you say, “I am a top notch student” I would expect to see a top notch report card. So how about this one, “I am a Christian.” How do you back that one up? What does a Christian look like?
This morning, the words of Jesus remind us that being a Christian is so much more than claims, labels, membership in a church, or checking a box on a form or questionnaire. Jesus teaches us that Christian faith is something that is living and active, something that demonstrates itself. To make this point, Jesus uses two pictures or illustrations: a fruit tree and a house.
Jesus says, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit” (Luke 6:43). It’s a pretty simple concept, isn’t it? You look at the fruit of a tree to determine the type and quality of the tree. Good fruit means good tree. Bad fruit means bad tree. Jesus uses that picture to teach us the connection between Christian faith and Christian lives. He says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). Our words demonstrate what is in our hearts.
When I first hear these words of Jesus, they make me a little uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone when I admit that I’ve seen some pretty rotten “fruit” come from this heart of mine. Jesus specifically focuses on what our words, so let’s just focus on that. Think of your conversations with others and about others. Conversations in which we failed to defend someone whose reputation was being attacked. Text messages that included thoughtlessly calling upon the name of our God with the typing of OMG. The words we spoke that appeared so selfless and humble, but were secretly motivated by sinful pride and ego. Stinking, rotten, fruit! What kind of tree, what kind of heart produces that type of “fruit?”
It is the same type of heart that King David recognized he had. He looked at his life, the decisions he had made, the directive he had given which led not merely to the destroying of an innocent man’s reputation, but the ending of his life! David looked at that rotten “fruit” of sin and cried out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin… Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew your steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:1,2,10). The heart of Christian faith is not one that always produces good fruit, that does or says the right things. The heart of a Christian is one that recognizes the rotten fruit of sin for what it actually is – rotten – deserving of God’s punishment both now and for eternity. The heart of a Christian is one that goes to the Lord and trusts him to do something that only the Lord is capable of doing, creating in us a pure heart.
How does God do that? It is through his Son Jesus. Jesus’ heart was free of all sin as was evidenced throughout his life. There was never a slightly rotten or nasty thing that came from his mouth even when people falsely accused him, physically attacked him and finally nailed him to a cross. What DID he say? “Forgive them.” It is there at that cross, where Jesus takes the punishment for all the rotten things that our sinful hearts have produced. Jesus’ disciple John who witnessed the perfect life and innocent death of God’s Son Jesus would write, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9). Aren’t those the most comforting words for us to hear? Jesus purifies our hearts, removing the guilt of our sin, covering us completely – our hearts, our thoughts, our words, our actions, our everything – all are covered in his perfection – so that we are good and pleasing to God. Through faith in Christ you are now the perfect fruit tree.
That truth is not only comforting, but it is also empowering. You see, Christian faith is not merely meant to bring you comfort, but it is meant affect us. Faith in the heart demonstrates itself in the lives that we live. Now think about that. What does the life of Christian faith look like? I wish I could say that it is an easy or a perfect life, but that’s not what the Bible tells us. Christian faith shows itself in struggling against the rotten sins that our sinful nature and the world around us tries to make look so appealing. Christian faith shows itself in our conversations that we have with one another, the things that we choose to say and the things that we choose not to say. Christian faith shows itself in a desire to treat others at the same perfect level of patience, kindness and compassion that Christ has shown to us and to everyone. Yes, Christian faith in the heart produces Christian fruit, evidence of who God has made us.
That leads us to the second illustration that Jesus uses to describe a living Christian faith. He says, “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built” (Luke 6:47,48). Have you ever heard a conversation that went something like this? A husband says to his wife, “I can’t understand why this doesn’t work!” She looks at him and asks, “Did you read the directions?” “Of course, I read the directions – all 25 pages of directions!” he responds. She then asks, “But did you FOLLOW the directions?” The man hesitates a bit, “Yes…well…mostly. There were so many steps that were completely unnecessary...” The man just thought he knew better than the person writing the directions even though in the end it left him with something that did not work.
Jesus introduced his second illustration with this warning, “Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). A living Christian faith is not merely one that reads or hears what Jesus says in the Bible, and then ignores it. A living Christian faith FOLLOWS what Jesus says in the Bible, accepting him as their Lord. Remember what a “lord” is. A “lord” is someone who directs another person and tells them what to do. How does that go over with you? Our sinful nature hates the idea of a having a “lord.” The Bible reminds us, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:7). Are we ever tempted to make ourselves the “lord” of our lives? We hear what the Bible says, but consider it more of an opinion than the authoritative word of God. How quickly we can turn into that man who thought he knew better than the one who wrote the directions. We think we know better than God, depending on ourselves, our own ingenuity, our feelings and strength.
What does Jesus say is the result for the person who hears what Jesus wants, but refuses to do it? It’s much more serious than a non-functioning bike or lawnmower because you didn’t follow the directions. Jesus says, “But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete" (Luke 6:39). When a person knowingly and repeatedly refuses to follow God’s will for them, the Lord is no longer their lord. They do not follow him because they do not trust him. There is no faith. And without the Lord, there is solid foundation of hope for salvation.
But this is exactly where the Lord shows himself to be the best and most reliable lord, someone we can completely rely on, follow and build our foundation for heaven on. Why? This is the Lord our SAVIOR. You know not only what he asks of you, but more importantly, what he has done for you and promises to you. When he asks you to do something, you don’t need to stare him down, wondering if he really has your best interest in mind. You can be sure that he absolutely does because this is the Lord who has rescued you from that eternal devastation and ruin that our sins would have brought upon us. When he promises something to you, you don’t need to wonder if he might change his mind, because this is your Savior who has a perfect track record of faithfulness.
Yes, the heart of Christian faith is one that trusts the Lord enough to humbly and gratefully follow the Lord our Savior. When the storms of this life come, and they most certainly will – disappointment, loss, sadness even death itself – you can be sure that you will stand strong. Why? Not because you are so strong, so smart, or such a good person. No. Because you are a Christian – someone who depends upon Christ your Lord and Savior – someone who has made you better than good, who has made you perfect – someone who has changed your heart, guides your life, directs your words and will one day share his home of heaven with you. That is a living Christian faith. Amen.
