Luke 6:43-49 – A Tree and Its Fruit

Luke 6:43-44

1. There are many different types of trees, all of which produce different fruit, but when a fruit tree bears bad fruit, it is of no use.
2. For the sinner it is not strange to bear sinful fruit, but for the forgiven disciple it should be natural to be loving, to speak well of others, to be generous, to bear witness to Jesus, etc.

Luke 6:45

1. It is important not to try to impose change from the outside, as this can easily become a doctrine of action. So you shouldn’t try to change your heart by forcing yourself to just talk good, but on the contrary pray to God for a changed heart and it will lead you to talk good.
   1. It is not good deeds that create faith, but on the contrary, faith that creates good deeds.

Luke 6:46

1. A disciple needs to confess his faith both in word and deed.
   1. Just doing good but not confessing Jesus as Lord does not lead to salvation, but just confessing Jesus as Lord without doing good does not make you a disciple, even though you may be saved.

Luke 6:47

1. Anyone who wants to become a disciple of Jesus should 1) come to Jesus, 2) listen to Jesus, and 3) act on Jesus’ words.
   1. Those who have only made it to step 1 are those who have been saved but never go to church or even read their Bible.
   1. Those who have reached stage 2 are the church’s pew sitters who have been saved and who attend services by tradition, but who never make anything of their faith.
   1. Those who have come to stage 3 are the disciples of Jesus. They have met Jesus, are actively reading their Bible and trying to put Jesus’ message into practice.

Luke 6:48-49

1. From the outside, the two houses looked the same, but when the river came, the difference became apparent.
2. All human beings suffer from worries and trials, it is rather difficult to avoid. But when we are tested, we also find that faith holds! The one who has built his life on the rock, Jesus, will withstand all the storms, floods and storms that he will face in life.
   1. If you’re not sure if you’ve built your life on the rock, you should check if your house will hold up before the inevitable storm hits. Jesus’ parable should make us reflect on our lives and evaluate our potential discipleship. Anyone who hears Jesus’ words of warning but does not care will not be able to cope once the flood comes.