“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good,
And the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil,
For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
And why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say?”
Jesus then points out that our hearts are like a treasure store. If we are Christians God had filled us with His treasures. He has put His Holy Spirit within us. He has created within us a new heart (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has filled our hearts with His love (Romans 5:5). And the truly good man, the true Christian, whose heart is thus full of good treasure, will bring that forth to the world. He brings forth what is good. All that he brings forth is a blessing. But the non-good only have evil treasures in their hearts. When they reach into their hearts and lives they only bring forth what is harmful, and unhelpful, and evil. (There really is no argument from this to support the idea that a man can be a Christian but not change. Such a view is an insult to Christ and to God).
For in the end it is what is in the heart that will come from the mouth. We speak as we are, and reveal what we are by our words. Do we want to know what a man's heart is like? Listen to what he says. He cannot keep it hidden for long. For out of the abundance that is in the heart (or otherwise) the mouth speaks.
Jesus then applies the lesson practically. Here are words that can so easily come from the mouth, ‘Lord, Lord.' But the test of their genuineness is whether we do what He says. This is not, however, contradicting the previous line, for eventually the mouth will reveal whether Jesus is Lord or not. It is rather emphasising the same truth from a different viewpoint.
‘Lord, Lord.' The repetition stresses the depth of the profession (compare Genesis 22:11; Genesis 46:2; Exodus 3:4; 1 Samuel 3:10). This person is making a great outward show of his submission. He is trying to make a huge impression, both in the eyes of Jesus and in the eyes of man. But Jesus is saying that such submission is worse than no submission if we do not do what He says. It is only obedience which really shows that He is our Lord. Otherwise we are simply emphasising our own hypocrisy.
The question here is not as to whether ‘we have made Jesus Lord of our lives'. God does not humble Himself to a position where He leaves such a choice to us. For the fact is that if we are Christians we profess Jesus as Lord, and God and Creator, to Whom we are responsible in all things. He is therefore our Lord. And the point here is that if we call Him ‘Lord, Lord' and do not do what He says we are hypocrites and fools. We can only expect destruction, as the following illustration makes clear.
The Security Of The One Who Hears The Words Of Jesus And Does Them (Luke 6:47-48).
Jesus now ends His message with a forceful parable. He likens all who claim to be disciples to compare themselves with two men who set about building themselves a house. One built firmly on a rock. He was like the man who hears Jesus' words and does them. The other built directly onto the earth with no foundations. He was like a man who hears Jesus' words and does not do them.