Luke #119
Text: Luke 17:5-10
Date: 6-28-98
Increase Our Faith
(Galatians 2:20 NASB) "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me."
This is a statement that all Christians can take to their lips. "The life that I now live in the flesh I live by FAITH in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." Here is the answer to how the Christian woman loves and respect her husband or the husband his wife. Here is the answer to how we honor and obey an unfair or insensitive employer. Here is how we manage to pray for and speak well of unjust or corrupt public officials. Most importantly here is how we relate to God and His Christ one every level. "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by FAITH in the Son of God!" Faith is the only way a person can relate to the Lord Jesus Christ. But what is faith? For the answer to that question and some clear examples of the effects or power of faith in a person's life we turn to Hebrews chapter eleven.
The passage begins with a definition. (Hebrews 11:1-13 NASB) "Now faith is the assurance ( or confidence) of things hoped for, the conviction (proof or sense of certainty) of things not seen. {2} For by it (by faith) the men of old gained approval. (That is, they found favor with God by faith. It always works this way. When one receives, from God, the internal conviction, confidence, or proof that the Gospel is true, that he is a sinner in need of salvation, and that Jesus is the only Savior of sinners, he flees to Him for the salvation promised. The believing sinner is, therefore, approved by or accepted by God. Salvation is by faith as described in this passage. Not only is salvation by faith but the life of a Christian, from the point of salvation onward, is lived by faith as well. The verses that follow show this clearly.) {3} By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. (How does anyone come to believe that creation by God is how all things have come to be? There is only one way a person can come to this conclusion. He must accept the Genesis account of creation. Genesis tells us that God spoke all things into being over a period of six days. By faith we understand and believe the testimony of the scriptures. This is the only way a person can accept what the Bible has to say about anything.) {4} By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which (faith) he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Adam and Eve, no doubt, taught their two boys, Cain and Abel, what God had taught them concerning appropriate worship, offerings, and sacrifices. Abel believed their report. Therefore, he brought an animal offering. Abel's OBEDIENCE PROVED HIS FAITH and by that faith he was declared righteous by God. Cain also heard his parents instruction but didn't believe. His unbelief was proven by the fact he did not bring an animal offering, he did not obey God and was rejected by Him. Then out of jealousy Cain murdered Abel. Abel was the winner even though his brother killed him. He still sets an example for us today. Abel shows us that it is by faith that one relates properly to God. It is by faith that one obeys God.) {5} By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD .TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. {6} And WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (God has made this promise in the Bible, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Now the question is, "Do you believe in God?" "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" "Do you believe that God means what He says?" "Are you convinced that He will save all who believe in His Son as Savior and Lord?" If you are not fully convinced of these truths you will not be approved, accepted, or saved by God! It is impossible to please God by anything but faith in Him and His Son. It is impossible to please God if you are not fully convinced that He is and is the rewarder of all who seek Him through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the essence of Christianity! It is impossible for sinners to come to God except through faith. When a person really believes God's word he responds to it by trusting in Christ for salvation. Then he goes on to live every day by faith in and obedience to God's word. Consider Mr. Noah.) {7} By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence (to the word of God) prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS ACCORDING TO FAITH. (God said to Noah, "There is going to be a flood build a giant ship for you and your family." This made no human sense. There had never been a flood. No one had ever built a ship. Yet Noah believed God and was saved. His obedience did not save him. Rather, his obedience proved that he really did believe in God.) {8} By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, NOT KNOWING WHERE HE WAS GOING. (Here we see that faith obeys God even when it does not know the end result!) . . . . {11} By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised; (Sarah, Abraham's wife, was well beyond the normal age for child-bearing. Nevertheless she believed God when He told her she would bear a son. By faith she and Abraham began acting as though they were not past their reproductive years. Faith enables one to do the unreasonable.) {12} therefore, also, there was born of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE. {13} All these died in faith, (They died fully convinced of things they had no human reason to believe. They died persuaded, fully convinced, that what God had promised was already theirs even though they had not yet taken possession of it. They died . . ) without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, (by faith) and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."
This, brothers and sisters is what faith does to and for those who possess it. This is how one becomes a Christian and it is how a Christian works out his salvation in his day to day living. We all must declare, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20 NASB)
Once a person understands the place of faith in their Christian walk they can't help but desire more faith than they have. The apostles recognized the weakness of their faith and, in our text for today, asked that it be increased.
(Luke 17:5-10 NASB) And the apostles said to the Lord, "INCREASE OUR FAITH!" {6} And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you."
Here we learn that the Christian is not in need of more faith. Rather, it is an issue of young verses grown up faith, weak verses strong faith. Faith is like the mustard seed. It is tiny in the first place but under the right circumstances it will grow and produce much fruit. The mustard seed must be put in the soil and watered if one hopes to someday have a mature mustard plant. If the seed does not abide in the soil it will not grow. So it is with the Christian and his faith. Hear the words of our Lord.
(John 15:4-5 NASB) "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. (Jesus is to us what the soil is to the mustard seed. He provides us with all the spiritual nutrients necessary for our spiritual growth. When we are first saved our faith is like the mustard seed, it is small, immature, and weak. However, if we abide or stay in close contact with God and His Christ it will grow and we will bear much fruit.) {5} "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing," just as a mustard seed, kept out of the soil, will never grow or produce fruit. This is the lesson intended by Jesus. "If you will just continue abiding with Me you will find that the faith you have will grow and enable you to do all things necessary to your ministry and walk with Me."
What do you suppose prompted the apostles to ask for an increase of faith at this time? I believe it had to do with our Lord's recent teaching which revealed to them the difficulty of living the Christian life and the enormity of their ministry. The apostles saw clearly that the life they must live and the work that faced them could only be accomplished supernaturally, by faith.
If we go back as far as chapter fifteen we find some pretty heavy things being taught by our Lord. In the parable of the Lost Sheep or the Seeking Savior Jesus shows what His love for the lost is like. He seeks out and saves all the lost sheep of God. He has a love for them that will not let them go to hell. By this parable He intends to expose the Pharisees as unconcerned self-serving charlatans as oppose to good shepherds of the sheep. But at the same time He reveals to all the love for the lost which all Christians should have in their hearts. The parable of the Lost Coin serves the same purpose. We are to mimic Jesus in all things and His love for the lost sheep of God is no exception. Do we love and seek the lost as Jesus did? That is a hard thing to do.
Then there is the parable of the Prodigal Son which again emphasizes the Father's love for His lost Children. It shows His patience and longsuffering with rebellious children. It emphasizes His willingness to receive the repentant, believing sinner. Then in chapter sixteen we have the parable of the Unjust Steward. The point of the parable has to do with the proper treatment and use of gifts and responsibilities entrusted to us by our Master, God the Father. It has to do with undivided devotion to God. No servant, says our Lord, can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money! One cannot follow Jesus with a divided heart. What does this say about millions who call themselves Christian?
Next there is the awful passage in chapter sixteen verses nineteen through thirty-one. This parable brings to our attention the realities of heaven and hell. All humans will live forever in one or the other. The apostles had been intrusted with this Gospel message. They would have to take the bad the good news to the world while, at the same time, they struggled to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. They were to be example to, teachers of, and fishers of men.
Finally, in chapter seventeen, Christ warns them and us against becoming a stumbling block to our brother or sister. We are to avoid sinning against them and are not to allow their sin to damage us. We must confess our sin and confront others about their sin while we practice forgiveness without end. Surely an appropriate question to ask at this point is, "Who is sufficient for these things?" How can I ever hope to conform, in attitude and practice, to standards such as these? Humanly speaking, it is impossible. THESE THINGS CAN ONLY BE DONE BY FAITH. That is why the apostles prayed to Jesus saying, "Increase our faith."
They were wise to ask Jesus to increase their faith. For Hebrews twelve and verse two tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." But how does Jesus create faith in us in the first place and how does He bring our faith to maturity? We will know the answer to both questions if we find out how faith begins. Hear the word of the Lord.
(Romans 10:11-18 NASB) For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." {12} For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; {13} for "WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." {14} How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? {15} And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" {16} However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" {17} SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF CHRIST. {18} But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."
Faith begins when one hears the Gospel and has it applied to his heart by God the Holy Spirit. Faith grows in the same way. We read, study, hear the word of God, it is applied to our hearts, our faith is increased and our daily walk is improved. The apprehension, application and practice of God's truth is what grows our faith from little to great faith. By abiding in Christ, His word, we move from faith, to increased faith, to increased faith. In the remaining portion of our text Jesus makes a statement that, when understood correctly, will cause our faith to grow.
(Luke 17:7-10 NASB) {7} "But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'? {8} "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink'? {9} "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? {10} "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"
This is a difficult statement. At first glance it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the apostles request for more faith. But there must be a connection, for this is Christ's answer to their prayer. What do our Lord's words have to do with growing ones faith?
First lets consider some of the overall lessons. The first is this, God has absolute authority over His children. He is God and we are not. The Bible tells us that He made us and then bought us out of slavery to sin that we might become slaves of righteousness. We are not our own we have been bought with the price of the blood of Jesus. The purchased slave has no rights that the Master does not give him. The slave has no possessions. For all things belong to the Master. What a blessing it is to be called, "A slave of Jesus Christ." We need to understand and remember this wonderful truth. God is not our servant we are His.
Second we see that the Christian's duty never ends. When we have worked all day in the field there is yet more work to do when we get home. There is never a time when, as a child of God, I am off duty or retired. There is never a time, no matter how tired I might be, that I can say, "I will not do my Master's bidding." There is never a time for us to put our wants or feelings before God's. The work is never done. I must serve my Lord day and night, night and day, for life. Though the work is hard and difficult, even humanly impossible, we are on duty, without a break or vacation, for life. The apostles must not think for a moment that the difficulty of the job was going to go away because it would not. The reward for work would be more work. This is the life of a servant. This is the duty of a servant. This was to be the life and duty of the apostles and of us. As Christians we are slaves of the great Master, our Father and our God. What a privilege it is to be in constant service to Him. We must refuse to think that something is wrong because the work and difficulty of living for God never goes away. This is the truth about the Christian's existence, convince yourself of it, accept it by faith, rejoice in the privilege of serving your Master.
Third we come to what I believe is the most critical part of our Lord's statement. After a lifetime of devotion and labor on the part of the slave what does the Master do? {9} "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? {10} "So you (the apostles and all Christians) too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"
Here is the part of Christ's lesson that if blessed by God will cause your faith grow. Verses nine and ten reveal to us the sinful mind-set of this slave. He, like many of us, was not content to do his duty with gratitude. He needed and expected to be patted on the back or rewarded for his good service. Yet no "thank you" came from the Master. This slave looked at all the work he did day and night year after year and thought it ought to be worth at least a thank you. In his mind he was very valuable to the Master. But Jesus says, "The Master did not even thank him for his work." The Master was not impressed! For the slave had only done what he was responsible to do in the first place. What was the slave to do. Jesus declares, that he should say with his own lips, "I have been an unprofitable, unworthy servant, and have done only that which I should have done." Ouch!
What do these words have to do with increasing our faith? Christ's intent by this parable is to beat down every trace of self-confidence in the apostles and in us. We must never believe that our relationship to God and His Christ is based on merit but only grace through faith. No matter how obedient or good we might become in this life we still have no claim on God. He will never be indebted to us because of our works! We must wash from our minds all notions of merit in our dealings with God.
The apostles had done much good and would go on to accomplish much good for the kingdom. They would suffer a great deal, many would be killed for the faith. But they must never believe for one moment that such faithful obedience added to their acceptance with God beyond that which faith in Jesus had already established. We have, brothers and sisters, no righteousness of our own and we never will. We have only that righteousness which is ours by faith in Jesus.
I found a helpful paragraph written by Alexander Maclaren on this very passage. He wrote, "So you see, the way to increased faith is not by any magical communication from Christ, as the apostles thought. It is rather, by taking into our hearts, and making operative in our lives, the great truth that IN US THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN MAKE A CLAIM UPON GOD. We must cast ourselves, as deserving nothing, wholly into His merciful hands, and find ourselves held up by His great UNMERITED love. GET THE BITTER POISON ROOT OF SELF-TRUST OUT OF YOU! Then there is some chance of getting the wholesome emotion of absolute reliance on Him into you. . . One way to increase our faith is to be rooted and grounded in the assurance that duty is never ending and that our own righteousness (the performance of that duty) establishes no claim whatever upon God." (End Quote.)
Brothers and sisters. When we have been emptied of all self confidence and pride we will feel ourselves sinking into the stormy waves of human weakness. We will know that we have never helped ourselves and will never help ourselves. We will understand that never in a million years could we ever do anything deserving of God's favor or thanks. When we have thus come to our senses we will cry out of our weakness to Him who is our strength and then we will be able to stand against the storm. Here is faith matured. Here is great faith and great internal peace. Here is a person who will never again try to earn the favor of God by his own good works. For in him he knows there is no good thing. This person has learned to rest for acceptance with God in Jesus Christ the Lord. He does continue to do his duty but it is not to impress his Master or to earn his favor, it is because he loves his God. This kind of slave does not begrudge his never ending duties or dread the coming of his Master but cranes his neck in expectation of His blessed coming.
(Luke 12:37 NASB) "Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that HE WILL GIRD HIMSELF TO SERVE, AND HAVE THEM RECLINE AT THE TABLE, AND WILL COME UP AND WAIT ON THEM." What wonderful thing is this? The Divine serving the redeemed. Wow!
Might we altogether pray, "Lord, increase our faith, that we may serve you well on earth, and then be served by Thee in heaven." What an indescribable blessing that will be!