INCREASING SPIRITUAL MUSCLE
Luke 17:5
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Dog Applicant
1. A police dog responded to an ad for work with the FBI. "Well," says the personnel director, "you'll have to meet some strict requirements.
2. First, you must type at least 60 words per minute."
Sitting down at the typewriter, the dog types out 80 words per minute.
3. "Also," says the director, "you must pass a physical and complete the obstacle course." This perfect dog specimen finishes the course in record time.
4. "There's one last requirement," the director continues; "you must be bilingual." With confidence, the dog looks up at him and says, "Meow!"
B. TEXT
“And the Apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith’”
Luke 17:5.
C. THESIS
1. If the Apostles were convinced THEY needed their faith strengthened, then ALL of us need to make this request! Let your prayer be, “Lord, Increase our faith!”
2. We see 3 things here: a). The subject of their request; b). their desire to “Increase their faith;” and c). the means they depended on to strengthen their faith—Jesus.
3. The title of this message is “Increasing Spiritual Muscle.”
I. THE SUBJECT OF THEIR REQUEST WAS THEIR FAITH
All of us ought to be deeply anxious as to whether we have a real vital faith that the first believers possessed. WHY? BECAUSE…
A. BECAUSE OUR SALVATION DEPENDS ON IT
1. We are not saved by love, nor by courage, nor by patience. We are saved by faith. It is nowhere written—he that loves shall be saved, but “he that believes…shall be saved.”
2. Faith is the vital part of salvation. If a man lacks faith, he lacks everything. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” If a man has true faith—that man is safe.
3. But suppose a person possesses every virtue in the world, but not faith; would that help him/her at all? No!
4. You can be sincere, diligent, etc., but “without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
5. There are a thousand shams in the world—a thousand imitations of faith. Faith must be in the correct object – the Person of Jesus Christ.
6. ILLUSTRATION
a. Matt Emmons was the gold medal finalist in the 2004 Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn't even need a bull's-eye to win.
b. His final shot would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal, except for one thing: Emmons fired at the wrong target.
c. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. (David Mordkoff, American Emmons Misses Out on Gold by Firing at Wrong Target, www.Sports.Yahoo.com, 8-22-04). Same w/ faith in Christ!
7. Are you in vital, living contact with the Man from Galilee? Do you know the Son of God, whose eyes are as blazing fire, and His feet as burnished bronze?
8. Have you heard His voice? Have you seen the dim outline of His face in prayer? Have you felt the rumble of His power? Is He a living Being to you, who directs your life and to whom you give account regularly?
B. ALL GRACES PROCEED FROM FAITH
1. Faith is the root of Grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no
one can boast” Eph. 2:8-9.
2. This means that all the “fruit” of the Spirit (mentioned in Gal. 5:22-23, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”) are outgrowths of the life of Christ flowing in the believer through faith.
3. Likewise the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:8-10) also are exercised by faith. Truth: “the Just shall live by faith.”
C. BECAUSE GOD CALLS IT “PRECIOUS”
1. There are 3 things in the N. T. which are called “precious:” a). the precious blood of Christ; b). the exceedingly great and precious promises; and c). “like precious faith.”
2. LOOK AT THE POWER OF FAITH:
a. Jesus says, “your faith has saved you.” Now we know that it’s not faith that saves—it’s Christ that saves.
b. He said, “Your faith has healed you.” Now faith didn’t heal; it was Christ that healed, but Christ gives it a special recognition.
c. “We are justified by faith.” Justification is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are justified by Christ, but Christ arrays faith in His own royal robes and speaks of its primacy.
D. CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE OBTAINS BLESSINGS
1. Since Faith is the ladder on which my soul must climb to ascend to Heaven, that ladder must be kept in good repair.
2. Faith is the cell tower or the satellite that relays my prayer to God. We call, He answers. We’re in trouble, He sends help. If we’re being attacked, God sends supernatural aid.
3. Faith gives me courage to defy the hosts of Hell. It makes me march triumphant over my enemies. But without faith how can I receive anything of the Lord?
4. Christian, with faith you can win, but without it you can’t obtain anything. Midas had the power to turn everything into gold by the touch of his hand. It is true of faith—it can turn everything into gold.
E. KEEP FAITH SHARP, BECAUSE OF ENEMIES
1. Faith is required when you deal with your enemies. The old warrior, Paul, took the Ephesians into the armory and showed them all the spiritual armor of faith.
2. One of them was “the shield of faith by which you shall quench all the fiery darts of the Wicked One.”
3. Faith has enabled the martyr to sing when the flames have engulfed him. It has “quenched the violence of the flames, shut the mouth of lions,” and, “out of weakness was made strong.” By it the Red Sea was divided.
4. Without faith Peter trembled before a little maid and denied his Master; but with faith Peter rebuked a threatening Sanhedrin!
5. ILLUS/HUMOR: VALUE OF THE NECKLACE
a. A tourist visited a jungle area where he talked with some natives. He noticed one wearing a unique looking necklace, and being curious, asked, "What’s it made of?"
b. "Alligator's teeth," he replied. "Oh," I said. "I suppose they mean as much to you as pearls do to us."
c. "Oh no," he objected; "Anybody can open an oyster."
F. FAITH TURNS TROUBLE INTO OPPORTUNITY
1. Little faith can’t do great things. Little faith sees troubles as impossibilities. It often runs and hides when battles come.
2. But great faith is confident in troubles. It attempts great things, because all God’s resources power and omniscience are available.
3. What a difference between little and great faith!
4. That’s why we need strongER faith, so that we aren’t overthrown by the devil’s schemes.
II. THE HEART’S DESIRE OF THE APOSTLES
1. They didn’t say, “Lord, just keep my faith alive(sustain),” but, “Increase our faith.”
2. Napoleon once said, “I must fight battles and I must win them—conquest has made me what I am and conquest must maintain me.”
3. If you will ever amount to a hill of beans as a
Christian, it will be because you do spiritual battles, and win some of them.
A. INCREASE: AS TO EXTENT
1. Many Christians haven’t gone much farther than saving faith. 20 years ago they learned five or six truths from the Word and have never grown since.
2. We must break out of our confinement, climb out of the boat, and try walking on the water with Jesus! Let your faith go beyond personal salvation and begin to include the miraculous.
3. HUMOR: POSITIVE ATTITUDE
a. Stanley and Melvyn live in a retirement home. One day, as they were sitting on a bench under a tree, Stanley turned to Melvyn and said, "Melvyn, I'm 85 years old and I'm full of aches and pains. You're about my age. How do you feel?"
b. Melvyn replies, "I feel just like a new-born baby."
"Really? Like a baby?"
c. "Yes," replies Melvyn, "No hair, no teeth and I think I just wet myself." That’s not the right POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
B. INCREASE: IN ITS INTENSITY
1. Not only should faith grow in extent, but in intensity.
2. When you first start a fire, you have to carefully feed the fire more fuel. It’s easy to smother out a new flame. This is because the temperature is still low.
3. But when a fire gets larger and its temperature rises, begins to feed itself on any fuel in its vicinity.
4. If unlimited fuel and oxygen are available, the temperature can swell to 4000 degrees and it becomes an all consuming fire!
5. It’s the same with faith. At first it must be carefully fed, but if the believer learns how to assimilate the sources of fuel, their fire/ faith should become a self-perpetuating, victorious entity that devours the kingdom of darkness.
6. Pray, “Lord, Increase my faith” until its power seizes my generation and causes a breakthrough of the Kingdom of God that sets our people free!
III. “MEANS” GOD’S GIVES TO INCREASE FAITH?
A. PRAYER TO JESUS
1. When the Apostles said, “Increase our faith!”, they went to the right Person.
a. They didn’t say it to themselves, “I will increase my faith.”
b. They didn’t tell the Pastor, “Preach a sermon that will increase my faith.”
c. NO, they said to Jesus, “Increase our faith.”
2. Jesus ALONE is the “Author and Finisher of our Faith!” He’s the only One who can increase it! Communion in prayer & worship with Jesus strengthens faith.
3. Sometimes we find that Satan has put up a barrier to hinder our relationship with God. You can't see it, but you know it's there. Our prayers seem to stop at the ceiling.
4. The key is not just to “pray through” the hindrance, but, like a homing pigeon, to “home” in on Jesus. He is the real source of help. Get to Him and you’ll find victory.
B. THE WORD OF GOD
1. Romans 10:17; "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." God’s Word is not like any other book; it is ALIVE and has creative power in it.
2. As we read it, it’s life is absorbed into our spirits, but it’s also processed in our minds, where it causes a recreating of God’s thoughts -- the ‘renewing of your mind’ (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23) and renewing of His image.
3. Having “the great and precious promises” from God that we can stand on them in times of uncertainty.
4. These promises give us the grounds to appeal to God, that is, to reverently attempt to persuade God to alter the course of events as they now stand.
5. God’s Promises are His expressed will. We only ask Him to do what He’s already promised. Other Promises confirm to us that we have the right to approach God and ask for a different outcome.
C. EXERCISE THE FAITH YOU HAVE/OBEY
1. We pay good money to get to go to the gym and work out. The purpose is to get stronger and be healthier. We have SPIRITUAL MUSCLES too – FAITH! Faith must be exercised to get stronger.
2. We’ve all heard the story of the row boat that had two oars; one called “faith” and the other “works.” Both were required for the boat to go forward; only one & you’d circle.
3. James said, "Faith without works [obedience] is dead" 2:17, 20, 26. Even the demons “believe and tremble;” but that doesn’t save them.
4. ILLUS. A woman was showing a large piece of family silver. She apologized for its tarnished appearance. "I’m so sorry; I can't keep it bright unless I use it!" That’s as true of faith as it is of silver. (Knights, Master Book, p. 193; "How to keep faith bright.")
D. TESTIMONIES
1. The testimonies of other people encourage us. There are great Christians whose lives can inspire you; George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, John Wesley, Charles Finney, Smith Wigglesworth, etc.
2. Other people's testimonies are important because, if God did it for them, He'll do it for you!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: FAITH FOR FRUIT
1. For 10 years missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat labored faithfully in Botswana without one single convert. The mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work.
2. But the thought of leaving their post brought great grief to the Moffats, for they felt sure that God would bring salvation in due season. They stayed 2 more years; darkness reigned.
3. Then a friend in England sent a letter to Mary Moffat saying that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Believing God would bless their work, Mary Moffat replied, "Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed."
4. God honored her faith. That year the Holy Spirit moved among the villagers and soon six converts were won to form the first Christian church in that land.
5. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail, but on the very day before the first Lord's Supper in Botswana, the set arrived. Unknown
B. THE CALL
1. Let’s go to God tonight and cry “Lord, increase my faith!”
2. “And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” Dan. 11:32.
3. Everyone else may cower and whimper, but God calls us to stand up and defy the forces of hell. Join me -- stand up and defy the world’s current!
4. Faith gives eyes to the soul. Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
5. “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” Heb. 11:6.
6. If you haven’t put your faith/trust in Christ, then you won’t go to heaven. But if you repent of your sins, believe on Him and begin to serve Him, you will be saved.
7. To the rest, let’s ask together, “Lord, increase our faith!”
