The Lord’s Messages
- 10/12/2025
The Lord’s Message: Questions that Jesus Asked: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
and do not do what I say?
Date: October 12, 2025
Where: Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference: Luke 6:46-49How many of you have ever tried to put something together without the instructions? If you have never put together this object in the first place, it is sometimes trying enough with the instructions. Now once you have done it several times, it becomes old hat. You may not need the instructions.
Unfortunately, I see this complacency being played out in people’s walk with Christ. Why do I need the church? I went to Sunday School. I know the stories by heart. I think this is where the church has failed. We have told the Biblical stories so much that we have not told the meaning behind those stories. Yes, David killed Goliath with a sling shot and a stone, that is true. But David faced his enemy and with God’s help conquered his enemy. When we face our enemy, we need to rely on God to overcome that enemy. It is great to know the Biblical story, but we need to apply the knowledge gained from the story to our lives. It is great to have the instructions, but we need to follow the instructions to construct an object correctly. If we read the Bible, God’s instructions, in order to apply them to our daily lives, what difference would that make in our lives?
Let us pray.
In the scripture, that Larry just read, Jesus is concluding His sermon called the Sermon on the Plain. You have probably heard about the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. The location for the Sermon on the Mount is on a hill in Northern Galilee that is now named the Mount of the Beatitudes. This hill overlooks the Sea of Galilee. Jesus goes to the top of the hill and sits down and preaches to the people in the valley. Just the opposite happens in the Sermon on the Plain. The location is on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people sit down on the hillside and Jesus stands in the valley and is preaching to the people, Luke 6:17. Jesus begins both of these sermons with the Beatitudes and He ends both of them with this example of wise and foolish builders.
Jesus is the greatest preacher there ever was. I do not in any way measure up to Him. However, sometimes my humanness comes out, and I wonder after I have finished preaching, did I accomplish two tasks in preaching God’s Message. First, did I preach what God wanted me to preach. Second, did I preach in such a way as those hearing it are able to put it into practice in their daily lives. I remember a good friend of mine told me he stopped going to church, because when he came out of church, his son asked him, “What did the preacher say?” He could not tell him. If I have failed on the first, then I want God to tell me. If I have failed on the second, then I want any of you to tell me. Now, the third part is yours. Were you actively listening to what God had to say to you? Jesus would often say, “Let those who have ears hear!” In these verses, Jesus takes this one step further. Let us observe in detail what Jesus is saying.
First off Jesus starts out with saying “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord.” Jesus is asking the people who have the authority of your life. Look at how people will try to drop names to make themselves seem to be important or to impress others. I have Cal Ripken’s signature. My wife rode in an elevator with Joe Paterno. Some of you met Ronald Reagan when he came to Tilghman Island. I am sure that some of you could tell us of important people that you have met or came into contact with. But can you say that you have a relationship with them?
Jesus takes this a bit farther for us in Matthew 7:21-23. You cannot be assured that you are going to heaven just by saying Jesus is Lord. You can not be assured that you are going to heaven just by doing good things for others. You can not be assured that you are going to heaven by giving to religious causes. You can not be assured that you are going to heaven by just attending church. You can only be assured that you are going to heaven by having a relationship with Jesus and then doing what Jesus tells you to do. You cannot put the cart before the horse. You start not by doing good things, but by having a relationship with Jesus.
Once you have a relationship with Jesus then you need to become a disciple of His. Jesus says in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? Your faith is not passive, but active. You need to do what Jesus asks you to do. I remember my professor from college told us that you need to understand the theory of electronics, so that you can put into practice how electronic devices work. Education is great, but there also must be application. We can say we have faith, but if we do not apply our faith to our daily lives, do we really have faith? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? How do you show it? Do you love your enemies and pray for them? How do you show it? Do you love God and Jesus? How do you show them? By putting your faith in action and doing what they say to do.
Starting in Luke 6:47, Jesus gives us two examples of the result of those who are His disciples and have put their faith into action and those who are only giving lip service to Jesus.
The first example is of a wise builder of faith. The wise builder starts with the foundation to build their house of faith. Paul tells us plainly on who our foundation of faith is to build on in 1 Corinthians 3:11. In Luke 6:48a, the wise builder lays her or his foundation of faith on the rock, Jesus Christ. This person listened to God and applied what God said to their daily living.
Notice that last part of this verse, Luke 6:48b. “When a flood came.” Notice the Bible does not say “If” but “When.” God knows that we are going to have trials and temptations in this world. God is not going to remove the trials and temptations, but God is going to walk with us through those trials and temptations. These are going to happen, but God will be with us when they do.
“The torrent struck that house.” The trials and temptations came. The result was that house be shaken “because it was well built”. Who was the foundation built on? The rock, Jesus Christ!
In comparison, let us look at the foolish builder. The foolish builder is a person who hears the word of God, but does not apply it to their daily lives, Luke 6:49a. The person does not use a firm foundation to build their house of faith on. They might say Jesus is Lord, but there is no relationship. They are also not following what Jesus commands. The results of their lives are, Luke 6:49b. Their house of faith collapses as soon as the trials and temptations come. It is utterly destroyed.
Looking at our house of faith, do we have a firm foundation? On whom or what is that foundation built? If we say that Jesus is our foundation, then are we following Jesus’ commands? Is Jesus asking us: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” Amen.