Luke 6:43-49 - True faith

What our lives produce is a result of what is in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to guard our hearts, for everything else flows from it. This is essentially what Jesus is saying here, and is another illustration that Jesus was effectively just teaching what the Old Testament had already said. Our tendency is to focus on the outside, on the results. We do this religiously when we focus on outward form, as the Pharisees did. We see it in society. Whenever there is a major failing, scandal or disaster there are always new rules and regulations put in place to "solve" the problem. What happens? A few months or a year or two later another scandal occurs. Why? Because the root of the problem lies in the human heart, and rules do nothing to change that. Jesus came to change the heart of man. And what is in our hearts comes out in what we say as well.

Next we come to the famous parable of the wise and foolish builders. Why do we focus on the outside? Because we can see it, we can see that "something has been done" (even if nothing has really changed). Anyone can say there heart has changed. However, it is the heart that needs to change, but this parable makes it absolutely clear that a true change in heart will result in action. It is no use calling Jesus "Lord, Lord" if it results in no change in our lives. The change of heart that we need is a heart that is committed to doing God's will, to obeying God. By the way, heart here does not just mean emotions, it includes our mind and our will as well.

Obedience to God is the best foundation for life, indeed the only foundation. If our "religion" is outward only then when trouble comes we will not be able to stand. But if we do live a life of obedience we will be able to withstand any storms that come. Hearing Jesus' words is not enough, we need to do them.

I am going to do Luke in sections, so we will now take a break from Luke for a couple of weeks or so and do some Old Testament stuff.