Sermon on the Plain: When a Flood Arose - a podcast by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Sermon preached on Luke 6:43-49 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/24/2021 in Novato, CA.















Sermon Manuscript















Today we conclude working through the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. In this conclusion to Jesus’ memorable sermon, we are pointed to the need to follow Jesus and actually heed his word. This is a fitting follow-up from last week’s passage where we saw him speaking against would-be religious teachers who were really just blind guides. Unlike the scribes and the Pharisees of the day, Jesus could lead the people in the light of truth that they and us so desperately need. Yet, as we conclude this sermon, we are also reminded here that the kind of following Jesus’ calls his disciples to is one that comes from the heart. True disciples of Christ will follow Jesus from the heart. Let us then dig into today’s passage.







Let us begin by looking at verses 46-49. There we find Jesus asking a question to those who would call him Lord but not actually obey him as Lord. He asks them why they would do that, and surely it is meant rhetorically. But he uses that to expose the inherent contradiction to someone who claims Jesus as Lord but doesn’t actually look to obey Jesus. You might call Jesus Lord, but if you don’t look to obey him, you aren’t actually acting like he is your lord.







Jesus then gives a parable to illustrate the ramifications of this. This is Jesus’ classic parable of building your house on the rock or not. Verses 47-48 gives the part of the parable that speaks of building a firm foundation on the rock. Verse 49 gives the part that speaks of not building such a firm foundation. Let’s walk through both. In verse 47 Jesus speaks about those people who come to him, hear his words, his teachings, and then does what Jesus says to do. He’s describing those disciples of Jesus who are actually looking to heed what Jesus says. This is what all disciples of Christ should be doing. So then in verse 48 he gives the analogy that those people are like the people who build a house but they dig deep until they get to solid rock, and they build a foundation first on that solid rock. That way, should a flood arise, should a huge storm come, their house will be safe and secure because it is built upon the solid rock. As it says, such a house is well built. Jesus says if you actually do what Jesus says to do, then you will be like the one who doesn’t just build a house, but builds a well-built house.







In contrast, Jesus says in verse 48 that there is the disciple who hears Jesus, who listens to his words, to his teachings, but doesn’t look to do what Jesus says to do. Jesus’ words are heard but ultimately ignored. Jesus’ words fall on deaf ears for such a disciple. That person is a disciple in name only, because he is not really learning anything from Jesus. Jesus’ words are not just for some academic knowledge that he wants you to have. They are supposed to be affecting you. They are to correct you where you need to be corrected. They are to direct you and guide you on how to live, think, and speak. So, Jesus’ parable about such a person in verse 48 is that he’s like someone who doesn’t build a foundation for their house. This is a helpful complement to Matthew’s account of this imagery. Matthew reports Jesus speaking of one who build on the sand. But here Jesus is recorded as describing someone who doesn’t dig deep until he gets to the rock. He just doesn’t build any real foundation at all. He just builds on the top of the ground. This is not a well-built house, because as Jesus says, when the storm eventually comes, when a stream of a flood arrives, the house will immediately make it fall down. And it says that the house will be in great ruin.

Further episodes of Reformed Sermons and Sunday Schools at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA

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