"We Give What We Have Stored Up"(Luke 6:43-45)

Luke 6:43-45

The original title for this sermon was "The Fruit We Produce Comes from the Treasures We Store"; however, my fourth grade teacher would never approve of such a mixed metaphor. A better title would be "We Give What We Have Stored Up." Jesus gives much wisdom about our hearts and our actions in Luke 6:43-45

43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Jesus tells us that our hearts are what really determines what will come out of our mouths and what are results will be. But what does Jesus mean by the heart?

In the Biblical definition from The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “Heart (Heb. Mostly léb; Greek.  Kardia). According to thorough investigation and evidence of Scriptures in all its parts, the heart is the innermost center of the natural condition of man. …It is the center of the entire man, the very hearth of life’s impulse.” The heart which reflects us profoundly is also a house in which Jesus lives (John 14:23) and we store in our heart those things we treasure. If we treasure Jesus and fill our heart with the Holy Spirit, we will act like Jesus and produce good works like Jesus whereas if we fill our heart with self and worldly things, we will disappoint ourselves and others.

As Christians we are called to produce fruit (John 15:16) and depending on what we fill our hearts with and what we follow, we will produce bad fruit or good fruit (Galatians 5:19-23). As Jesus says, “For figs are not gathered from thornbushes…”. How many of us in the church are thornbushes, prickly with impatience, bitterness and anger when we should be plumb sweet figs of patience, kindness and gentleness. Jesus wants us to attract others and sustain each other with the good fruit of our works.

Even modern medicine tells us that our state of mind and our emotions affect our physical health. We need to sow the positive seeds of joy, forgiveness, understanding and compassion to have healthy fruit which we and others can enjoy. Yet so many of us continue to reap harvests of bad fruit because we dwell on the lustful, vengeful thoughts which satisfy self.

Much the same what we store in our heart as treasure will also be given to others and define who we are. The man who found the treasure and bought the field to own it sold all that he had to legally own the treasure (Matt 13:44). Jesus makes it clear if you want Him as your treasure you need to give everything. By everything, Jesus meant even yourself had to be given up. It is only when Jesus is our only treasure that we will become like Jesus and our hearts so filled with God that we will speak like God.

Through honest prayer and workings of the Holy Spirit we will become what Jesus has always intended us to become.