A Study of the Book of Luke
Sermon # 14
“The Life of a True Disciple”
Luke 6:39-49
In the previous section (6:27-38) the Lord has instructed his followers on how they should respond when men hate them, curse them and mistreat them for the sake of what they believe.
Jesus has also been explaining the necessity of His followers “marching to the beat of a different drum,” they are to live life by a higher standard, their practice is to be better than others.
Now the Lord points out the differences between what he is teaching and what the Pharisees are teaching. In this text we find Seven great principles for a true disciple to remember.
1. We must be sure that we see clearly enough to guide others in their spiritual walk. (v. 39)
“And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?
Legalism can so blind people that all they look for and see in others are the minor imperfections all the while they are blind to their own major faults.
2. We cannot lead others where we have not been. (v. 40)
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
3. We must be sure that there is nothing that clouds our vision, before we attempt to help our brother. (vv. 41-42)
“ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? (42) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
The speck of dust is the symbol of the smallest infringement of the traditions and practices of men which the Pharisees have elevated to equal with the law of God. These traditions and practices have keep kept the nation is spiritual bondage. The Pharisees are so busy looking for minor infractions of the rules that they have considered the huge inconsistencies in their own lives.
Jesus calls those “hypocrites” who are blinded by their own faults, not just the Pharisees but anyone who is a “pretender” which is what the term means.
4. The fruit is always true to character. (vv. 43-44)
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. (44) For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.”
The nature of the tree determines what kind of fruit one can expect from it. Jesus said that a bad tree brings forth bad fruit because the tree is bad. A thorn or bramble bush cannot produce figs or grapes. Applied to people, the point is that the same one Jesus taught to Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” To bring forth good fruit there must be a change in a person’s nature. Reform is not good enough. Rebirth is essential.
5. What comes out of the lips depends on what is inside the heart. (v. 45) “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Just as the fruit of a tree is an unfailing indication of the nature of the tree, likewise, a man’s actions, his words and his attitudes are an unfailing indication of the state of his heart. If someone were to evaluate our faith on the basis of the tone and character of our daily speech what conclusion would they draw? As James later testifies we need to learn to control our tongues (3:1-12).
6. Obedience is the final test of Commitment (v. 46)
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
People who called him Lord surrounded Jesus on every side; but to call Jesus “Lord” is not the test of being a genuine disciple. The test comes when a person hears God’s word and acts upon it. The real test of discipleship is not in the arena of what we say but in what we do.
7. A Building Is Only As Sound As the Foundation It is Built On. (47)
“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:”
Verse 47 is key to understanding this parable. Jesus in effect explains that everyone who comes, hears and does His words is a disciple who can endure the assailing floods of adversity.
Coming
Obviously true discipleship begins by coming to Christ. As Jesus preached this sermon the people were in every widening circles from where he stood. At his feet stood the twelve that he has just chosen as special messengers. Around them where a “large crowd of disciples” (v. 17) and beyond them “ a great number of people” from all over the area. This large group had come to hear the Word of God.
Hearing
How does this apply to our situation? Today many who attend church listen to God’s word the same way they listen to the flight attendant’s explanation of an aircraft’s safety features – they “tune out.” One flight attendant, exasperated by the inattention, altered the wording to “When the mask drops down, place it over your navel and continue to breathe normally” – and no one noticed! [ R. Kent Hughes. Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Vol 1 (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1998) p. 249]
We have to understand that really listening requires discipline. Listening is work. But there are things that we can do to be better listeners. 1. Come prepared to listen. The will to concentrate is fundamental. 2. Keep your Bible open to the text and turn to the other passages that are cited. 3. Take notes, true hearing requires reflection and application.
Doing
The first aspect of discipleship is coming to Christ, the next is hearing his words and the final is doing his word, that is putting what we have heard into practice. “Every time we really hear the Word of God and are genuinely moved, we must resolve to act upon it. Most of the time this resolution will not be dramatic or grand, but what seems to be some small action. Perhaps it will be a note written, an adjustment at work, an apology, a gift, a few words of witness, a commitment, a kind word, a subtle change in attitude. But the key is, do it’ [Hughes p. 250]
These words are not spoken to those who have outright rejected the Lord and his teachings but to those who had listened and made a profession of faith. These words are addressed to those who have heard what is right, have acknowledged that it is right and profess to be following it, but who do not put into effective the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus both warns them and instructs them about what they are to do. The warning is pictured in the extreme difference in which two houses stand up to the storm; one stands and one totally collapses.
The Wise Man Built On the Rock (v. 48)
“He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”
The Lord uses the example of a house to represent a person’s life. Everyone chooses in life the foundation that they will build their lives upon. The permanence of any building depends on its foundation. The wise man built his house upon the rock. This took time, planning and effort to dig deeply enough to attach the building to the rock foundations. The Jewish audience understood what the rock symbolized in their history, for all the prophets has spoke of it. Jehovah is that rock. Isaiah writes , (28:16) “… Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;…” . The Apostle Paul declares, in Ephesians 2:20, that believers are “… built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
We sing in the hymn,
“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness;\
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.”
The storm here in it primary application is the test of life that come in the lives of every Christian. The storms will come – the blast of temptation, sorrow and the cares of life.
The Foolish Man Built On the Sand (v. 49)
“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” The two houses would have externally looked a lot alike, on the surface everything seems to be quite well with them. They profess all the right things. They associate with real believers. It was the storm that revealed the difference. There are many who are members of churches, when come to the church services with some regularity, but who have no foundation in their lives.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, great preacher of the 19th century spoke these people in this way; “ The common temptation is, instead of really repenting, to talk about repentance; instead of heartily believing to say, ‘I believe’ without believing; instead of truly loving, to talk of love without loving; instead of coming to Christ, to speak about coming to Christ, and profess to come to Christ and yet not come at all.” [ Charles Haddon Spurgeon. “On Laying Foundations.” In Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vv 28-37 (London: Banner of Truth, 1971), p 29:51]
When difficulties come instead of turning to the Lord they desert Him and the house of their testimony collapses.
The man who hears the words of the Master and does not act upon them is a fool. He has wasted his time. He is deceiving himself if he thinks hearing is enough. He goes through the motions of being a follower of Jesus, but the one thing necessary – obedience. Jesus concludes with the observation “the ruin of that house was great.” (v. 49)
Conclusion
It is foolish to build a house without a foundation. Likewise it is foolish not to listen to Jesus. Every person is building a life, and the question is, “Does it have a proper foundation?” The final test comes at judgment day when it is the foundation of our life is built on that matters. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Are you a good listener? Do you really hear what the Lord says? If you are not a good listener, make the decision to become one now. Then begin to put in practice what you hear. And so doing you will prove that you are a authentic disciple.
