'You're not listening' - Luke 6:46-49

Luke 6:46-49 – ‘You’re not listening’.

What do you look for to tell if someone really knows God? What do you look for to assure yourself if you are really safe in Jesus?

1. How do we know we really know Jesus?

We can know details about a person without knowing them. We can even know something of their personality without knowing them. Knowing facts about Jesus, even true and orthodox ones, isn’t enough. Responding to Jesus with intense emotion isn’t enough either.

2. How do we know if we’ve really found our safety in Jesus?

In Jesus’ story two men build homes. Jesus doesn’t emphasise the difficulty in building either home. Jesus doesn’t focus on their location. Both men build homes, and both homes are struck by a flood. The difference in the men is that one digs a good foundation, so his house survives the flood. The other does not.

Do you have the right foundation that will withstand the storm of God’s judgment? How can we know if we are really safe?

3. How do we respond to Jesus’ words?

What distinguishes the two men is one hears Jesus’ words and puts them into practise. The other does not. It’s not enough to be able to pass a test on Jesus’ words. It’s not even enough to respond to Jesus’ words with intense emotion. Both are important, but only when we do what Jesus says are we truly know him. If we see how we have put into practise Jesus’ words, then we can rest assured we are safe in him.

Questions for us: What do you look for as the marks of a mature Christian? How important is knowing the truth about Jesus? How important is responding rightly to him in our hearts? What is the difference between the two builders? Why is it significant both face the flood? What does Jesus say is essential to following him truly? Can you think of an area in your life where you are putting into practise Jesus’ words? Can you thin of areas of you life where you are not? Has this assured you that you are safe because you have built on the foundation of Jesus’ words?