Luke 6:46-49-46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 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. 49 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.”
Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? Jesus asked a pretty direct question here. To help His listeners understand what He was asking, He told a story where He compared two different men, two builders. They could very well have built the exact same house to all of the same specifications. The two houses could have even looked identical. The difference that Jesus was pointing to was their foundation.
He likened the guy who built his house on the rock to the person who would hear Jesus’ words AND put them into practice. He likened the guy who built his house on the sand to the person who would hear Jesus’ words but NOT put them into practice. Both built houses. Both went through storms, but because of the difference in their foundation, only the one who built on the rock, representing the one who hears Jesus’ words and obeys them, only that guy’s house was left untouched by the storm. Jesus said that house, the one on the rock, was well built. The person who built on the sand chose the wrong foundation, and when the storm came, his house was totally decimated.
If you want the building to endure, the foundation has to be right and that can be a costly endeavor. It can slow the building process down, taking more time. It requires extra effort. Getting impatient and settling for any foundation will get a builder into a lot of trouble in a hurry.
The foolish builder didn’t want to have to figure out how to get down to the rock level. He preferred the sand. It was easier to dig there. It was something he knew he could do and with less workers. He either saw it as a shortcut, or he simply wasn’t thinking ahead. Maybe he wasn’t building it for himself, but he was building it for other people. Perhaps he was living for the paycheck. The faster he could build the house, the quicker he could get paid.
The wise builder knew that even if it cost more and took longer, the building would endure if he was able to get the foundation securely on the rock. He was building something with the desire to see it last.
This parable about the wise and foolish builder is really a parable about Lordship. Who or what is the Lord of your life? What controls you? Who or what dictates the way you live? Who is your authority? On what kind of foundation have you built your life?
Look at verse 47 again: As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.
Those who come to Jesus, who listen to what He says, and who put His words into practice, they are not only wise builders, building on a sure foundation, but they are demonstrating that Jesus Christ is the Lord of their life. Hearing and doing are two different things. Why do people call Jesus Lord and not do what He says? It’s because they have a Lordship problem. Christ isn’t the Lord of the person’s life who doesn’t do what He says.
Lordship means that we yield every area of our lives to Jesus. Adrian Rogers said this about Lordship, “When you gave your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, that was the last independent decision you ever made.”
And God is to be more than our Consultant. He is to be the One who sets the parameters for our lives. He is the One who makes the rules and sets the standards. And we struggle, don’t we? To give Him total control is a daily sacrifice of our will. It is an act of consecration. Like Paul, we must “die daily” to ourselves. (I Cor. 15:31)
“But it’s my money. I can do what I want with it.” Nope. God owns everything we have. We are simply stewards of what He has allowed us to receive. Yes, we have worked, but who has given us the strength and the talent to do what we do? God. God has the right to have expectations for us about our money. Jesus talked a lot about money because He knew about the seductive power of money. He knew it could cause us all kinds of calamities if we worshiped it. 16 out of 38 of Jesus’ parables deal with money and possessions. There are more than 2,000 scriptures on tithing, money, and possessions in the Bible, which is twice as many as faith and prayer combined. If Jesus isn’t Lord of our money and resources, He isn’t the Lord of our lives.
“But it’s my body. I can do what I want.” Nope. Christ has purchased your salvation through His death on the cross and has made His home inside of you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Your body belongs to Him. I Corinthians 6:19-20 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. If Jesus isn’t the Lord of our bodies, He isn’t the Lord of our lives.
“But it’s my time. I’ll spend it the way I want to.” Nope. The breath you just took was a gift from God. He holds the number of your days, the minutes and seconds of your life in His hands, Psalm 39:4-5. How you spend those seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months and years is of great importance to the One who has given them to you, not only to enjoy, but to accomplish His purposes.
Lordship. When the lordship of Jesus is settled in a believer’s life, the foundation will be secure. When the lordship of Jesus is settled in a believer’s life, all other issues will be settled. When the lordship of Jesus is settled in a believer’s life, we will both hear Jesus’ words AND do what He says.
Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and you don’t do what I say? Is your obedience up to date, Christians? Is there an area or two or three where you have closed a door, locked a key and not given Jesus access?
I ran across these stunning words by a man named John Bisagno. He said: We focus on a baby in a manager. But Jesus, though He died on the cross, didn’t just come to stand in a corner. He came to sit on a throne. He didn’t just come to die here. He came to dictate here. He didn’t come to take part. He came to take over. He didn’t just come to board here. He came to be boss. He didn’t just come to be a resident. He came to be president. He was and He will be.
He went on to say: “I’m the King and you are the servants. I am the shepherd, and you are the sheep.” He’s the captain and we’re the soldiers. He’s the master and we are the servants. What is consistent in all of those analogizes? It is obvious that somebody is in control, and someone is subject to their control. As Lord of our lives, we need to understand very simply that He is in charge. Jesus Christ tells us “No” sometimes. “Don’t say that. Don’t do this. Don’t go in there. Don’t make that decision.” We need to ask ourselves, “What part of “no” do we don’t understand?”
“He didn’t come to just take part. He came to take over.” Yes! Jesus Christ didn’t give His life to just keep us out of Hell. He came to rule in the world, to rule in the church and to rule us personally in our lives. Lordship boils down to one thing. Just do what He says.
Jesus said it most succinctly in Matthew 7:21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Not everyone who calls Christ “Lord” here on earth will be in Heaven. Only those who from their hearts have received Him as the Lord of our lives will be. It is about more than words. It is about our will to submit to His Lordship. We cannot claim Christ as Lord and then disobey His Word. We cannot claim Christ as Lord and live the way we deem best. “No,” and “Lord” cannot be uttered in the same sentence. “No,” and “Lord” cannot reside in the heart of a true Christ follower? Our response must only be, “Yes, Lord” if we want the foundation that will enable us to build a house that will last, a house the will endure the storms of life.
Is Jesus asking you the question He asked in Luke 6:46? 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? How would you answer that question?
