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Wherein we have —

1. A concession. He grants they made a fair profession; they called Him Lord, their Lord.

2. A charge. He charges them with nothing like this in their practice. Though they called Him their Lord, they carried not themselves at all as His subjects and servants.

3. An expostulation. He puts them to consider the inconsistency of these things, and the unaccountableness of yoking together a profession and a practice that destroyed one another. Why will ye plead the relation and yet throw off the duty of the relation? "If ye call Me your Lord, why do ye not what I say or bid you? If you will not do what I say or bid you, why do ye call Me your Lord?" Two doctrines are deducible from the text thus explained.

I. There are who call Christ their Lord, owning His authority over them, and looking for benefit by Him, who yet make not conscience of doing the things which He as a Lord says to them, and requires of them. In discoursing this doctrine I shall —

I. Consider men's calling Christ their Lord.

II. Consider their not doing the things which He says, notwithstanding of their calling Him their Lord.

III. Show how it comes to pass that people call Christ Lord, and their Lord, and yet make not conscience of doing what He says.

IV. Apply the doctrine.

I. I will consider MEN'S CALLING CHRIST THEIR LORD. Under this head, I will show —

1. How men call Christ their Lord.

2. What they do call Christ, that call Him their Lord.

3. What is the import of their calling Him Lord.

1. I will show how men call Christ their Lord. Men call Him their Lord —

(1) Professing Christianity. Christians is the name of Christ's disciples who owned Him for their Lord and Master — "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch" (Acts 11:26). "One is your Master, even Christ" (Matthew 23:10). Nay, at that rate ye take the name, and throw off the thing.

(2) Being baptized in His name (Matthew 28:19). They are thereby externally marked for His subjects and servants, and renounce the devil, the world, and the flesh.

(3) Praying unto Him, or to God in His name (Acts 7:59; Daniel 9:17).

(4) Attending the assemblies of His people to hear His word (Ezekiel 23:31).

(5) Consenting personally to the covenant (Isaiah 44:5). Thereby they say, He is, and shall be for ever their Lord, and that they shall be His only, wholly, and for ever.

(6) Lastly, Partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's supper. The very name of that ordinance bears the partakers to call Him so (1 Corinthians 11:23, 26).

2. I will show what they do call Christ, that call Him their Lord.

(1) They call Him their Lord God; as Thomas did — "My Lord, and my God" (John 20:28).

(2) Their Lord Proprietor, Master, and Owner, however little regard they show to the will of His providence and precepts (Romans 14:9).

(3) Their Lord Redeemer (Exodus 20:2), however unsuitably they walk to the redemption purchased by Him.

(4) Their Lord Husband, however refractory and disobedient they prove to Him (Jeremiah 3:14).

(5) Their Lord King, however rebellious they be — "The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us" (Isaiah 33:22).

3. What is the import of their calling Him Lord? Men calling Him so, do in effect own, acknowledge, and profess —

(1) His undoubted authority to command and prescribe duty to them: owning Him as their Lord Husband, King, and God, they cannot deny but He has authority to bind them with laws.

(2) The justice and equity of His commands — "The law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12).

(3) Our absolute obligation to obey Him. As the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are we in His. The potsherds of the earth may strive with one another, but shall they strive with their Maker?

(4) The strongest ties upon us to be for Him. If He is our Proprietor and Redeemer, are we not bound by all the ties of honour and gratitude to be wholly His?

(5) The expectation of happiness from Him. Calling Him our Lord, we expect from Him and by Him the pardon of our sin, the favour of God, and a part in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21).

II. I will consider MEN'S NOT DOING THE THINGS WHICH HE SAYS, NOTWITHSTANDING ALL THIS. We may take it up in three things.

1. Christ as a Lord prescribes duty to His subjects. He has not an empty title of lordship and dominion, but is a Lawgiver — "He is our Lawgiver" (Isaiah 33:22). And the law of the ten commands, in their spirituality and extent, is His law, binding by His authority on all that call Him Lord (Exodus 20:2, 3, &c.).

2. He intimates His will to them as to their duty. He says what He would have them to do. We have His written laws in the Bible, which is God's Word to every one into whose hand it comes.

3. Yet men neglect it, and regard it not in their practice. They plead the relation to Him, but make no conscience of the duty of it.

(1) They have no due sense of their being absolutely bound up to His will, but fancy themselves to be at some liberty to walk according to their own, as if the government were divided betwixt Christ and themselves (Psalm 12:4). They do not feel the tie of the yoke of Christ always upon them, but are like bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke, skipping at ease according to their own pleasure.

(2) They frame not their life according to His will.

(3) They never set themselves to do all that He says; contrary to what the Psalmist did (Psalm 119:6), who "had respect unto all God's commandments."(4) They habitually do against what He says, making their own lusts and inclinations their law; like those who said, "I have loved strangers, and after them will I go" (Jeremiah 2:25) They call him their Lord; but Satan and their lusts are really their lords, to whom they yield their obedience, being captives at their pleasure.

(5) They do nothing purely because He says it, else they would endeavour to do all. In what they do, they have other ends than to please Him: they do it to please themselves, for their own profit, pleasure, or safety.

III. The third general head is, to SHOW HOW IT COMES TO PASS, TEXT PEOPLE CALL CHRIST LORD, AND THEIR LORD, AND YET MAKE NOT CONSCIENCE OF DOING WHAT HE SAYS. The springs of this ruining practice, that so prevails, are many: as —

1. The want of a thorough change in their nature: "A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit: neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit " (Luke 6:43, 44).

(1) Good education and religious company embalms some dead souls; but still they want the principle of the Spirit of life; like those of whom the apostle says (Jude 1:19).

(2) The gospel being new to some, makes a reel among their affections; as it did among the stony-ground hearers (Matthew 13:20, 21).

(3) They get some new light into their heads, but no new life into their hearts.

(4) Many get awakening grace, that never get converting grace.

2. Entertaining wrong notions of religion. They form to themselves such notions of religion, as leave them at liberty in the course of their walk.

(1) They think that is religion to call Christ Lord in performing duties of worship, praying, &c., and consider not that the substance of religion lies in holy, tender walking (Titus 2:11, 12).

(2) They think that faith will save them, though it be dead, idle, and inactive; contrary to what the apostle saith: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14.) "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (ver. 26). They do not consider that that faith is not saving faith which is so.

3. Reigning unbelief. Of this our Lord complained: "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).

4. Want of consideration (Luke 15:17).

5. The natural enmity of the heart prevailing against conviction (Romans 8:7).

6. Unmortified lusts still keeping the rule and dominion over the soul, though Christ has the name of their Lord. Doctrine

II. It lies on men's consciences before the Lord, to take it home to themselves, to consider and answer it, how they come to call Christ their Lord, and yet not make conscience of doing the things which He as a Lord says to them, and requires of them. In discoursing this doctrine, I shall only show the import of the expostulation in the text, and then conclude with a word of application. I will show the import of this expostulation. It imports —

1. That Christ is in earnest for our obedience. He is not indifferent what regard we show to what He says as our Lord (Psalm 119:4).

(1) The evidence of our belonging to Christ, in a saving relation, lies upon it. "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14).

(2) The evidence of your right to heaven lies on it. "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they might have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).

2. It is possible for us in this life to get the things that Christ says, done acceptably, in all the parts thereof. If it were not so, then, by the text, nobody at all would be allowed to call Him Lord; which is certainly false (Matthew 7:21). So there are two sorts that call Him Lord; some that do, some that do not what He says; the former allowed, the other rejected. The doctrine of the imperfection of the saint's obedience is a stone of stumbling to many a blind soul. To prevent your stumbling —

(1) Distinguish between doing the will of Christ in all its parts, and in all its degrees. A whole family hears so many particular pieces of work prescribed to them all by the father and master of the family. His grown children do them all exactly to his mind; the younger children, who are but learning to work, put hand to every one of them, and baulk none of the pieces; but they do none of them exactly. Refractory servants do some of them, but others of them they never notice. Just so it is with the saints in heaven, true believers on earth, and hypocrites.

(2) Distinguish between doing the will of Christ perfectly, and acceptably. No man in this life can do the former (Philippians 3:12). But every true believer does the later (Acts 10:25).

(3) Distinguish between ability in ourselves to do the will of Christ acceptably, and ability for it in Christ, offered to us in the gospel, and to be brought in by faith. No man, saint nor sinner, has the former. "We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves" (2 Corinthians 3:5). But all true believers do get the latter (Philippians 4:13).

3. Notwithstanding the things that Christ says may be got done acceptably, yet many that call Him Lord will not do them. "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him," &c. (Titus 1:16).

(1) Obedience to sin, and disobedience to Christ, is their choice.

(2) They have neither heart nor use for the grace and strength that is in Christ Jesus (John 5:40; Psalm 81:11).

4. Christ is highly displeased with the disobedience of those that call Him Lord, who will not do what He says (Psalm 50:16-22). But to persuade you of it, consider —

(1) His infinite purity and holiness (Isaiah 6:3). He is the Holy One of Israel.

(2) The dreadful strokes He has brought on such as called Him Lord, for not doing the things that He says.

(3) Does he not refuse communion with such persons in holy ordinances, and thereby testify his displeasure against them? "I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face" (Hosea 5:15). Lastly, Consider how He will treat them at the last day (Luke 19:27).

5. There is a great evil in calling Christ Lord, and not doing what He says; an evil that highly provokes Him, as casting dishonour on Him in a very special manner.

(1) Their sins and looseness of life reflect a peculiar dishonour on Him, as pretending a relation to Him (Romans 2:24).

(2) They do Satan a peculiar pleasure.

(3) They wound the heart of the real children of God, and make the whole family sigh more heavily than the sins of others would do (Psalm Iv. 12). But there are three things they do not consider.

(1) What inconsistency is in this course: "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Corinthians 6:14, 15).

(2) How heinously the Lord Christ takes it, that men should yoke Satan's service with His (2 Coritnthains 6:15, forecited).

(8) What the end of such a course will be, what it will issue in at length. "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" (Deuteronomy 32:29).

6. People ought to consider it, see what account they can make of it, and how they will answer it. And —

(1) How they will answer it to their own consciences.

(2) How they will answer it to the Lord Christ in the judgment.

(T. Boston, D. D.)

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KJV: And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

WEB: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say?