The bible tells us that faith is a gift from God. The bible also teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God. The Word teaches that
• By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain
• By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.
• By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac
To understand how faith works, one must first know what faith really is and how we as Christians operate by faith.
With this time that is ours…I want to speak on the topic We Need Increase.
Jesus Teaching Forgiveness
As we look back on Luke chapter 17, Jesus is in Capernaum, small village on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. At this point He has casted out a legion of demons from a man in the grave yard, His power healed a woman with an issue of blood, He has raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, fed five thousand, been to the mount of Transfiguration and Jesus is now teaching the disciples through parables.
He has just taught them lessons about discipleship, repentance, discernment and more. It is lesson that He teaches on offenses and forgiveness that cause the disciples to think deeply. Jesus, teaches them to not cause people to stumble. He said it would be better if they we’re to thrown into the sea with millstone around the neck. So, He tells them to watch themselves. People of God, it so important we always live a life that is pleasing to God, even when we think that no one is looking. Because someone is always looking. Our life living is a ministry. We are teaching lessons through our actions all the time. So we must be careful that we don’t cause others to stumble because of something we did or did not do.
Jesus goes on to tell the disciples if your brother or sister wrongs you…warn them. If they are sorry for what they did forgive them. Our Savior then expounds on forgiveness by telling the disciples even if they do something to you seven times in one day…forgive them seven times.
Some of us may be able to understand 7 times in one month, maybe seven times in one week. However, Jesus teaches the disciples that they should forgive a person… the same person… 7 times in one day.
Please don’t misunderstand, I don’t believe that Jesus was placing a limitation on the amount of times a person should be forgiven. I believe that He was implying just the opposite. There is not a limit to us forgiven others who have wronged us. It’s a hard truth but it is truth. The bible tells us love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute us (Matthew 5:44)… The bible teaches us to love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). If truth be told, we would be in a sad state if God really gave us what we deserved. If God didn’t love us and forgave for all did or still do knowingly. So if God forgives us often and daily we ought
be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) and so to brothers and sisters.
Jesus tells them to not cause anyone to stumble…watch themselves. Then he tells them if your brother or sister wrongs you…warn them and forgive them. Continuously forgive them.
At this point I imagine the disciples looking at Jesus like this was just a bit much. And they said Lord, “Increase our Faith.”
Increase Our Faith
My beloved Saint John, I submit to you this morning that we all need to increase our faith.
People of God, I am convinced that everyone here this morning that occupy a space here both physically and virtually need to make the same request of the Lord that the apostles made. “Lord increase our faith!” I have surety this morning in saying that we all have been through something that has tested our faith. If you are a living breathing individual you have had some terrible situation and conditions in your life.
The bible says that a man born of a woman is but a few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1). The bibles says count it all joy, “not if” but “when” you fall into various trials knowing that is a testing of your faith… I can stand here with confidence and say that everyone of us have been through, is going through or will go through trials in this life.
I’m sure that some of us in here have gotten ourselves into somethings that we couldn’t get yourself out of.
We’ve been in situations that cause tears to pour down from our eyes.
We been in situations where we’ve been done wrong so many times that we tired of forgiving.
We’ve been through trials when it seemed as if the enemy was winning and God wasn’t looking.
Lord we’ve been trying but we don’t see you moving.
Lord we’ve been listening but we don’t hear you speaking.
Lord we’ve been waiting but we don’t feel touch.
What do we do?
I understand that all of us have been through or is going through some stuff in our lives but if we could take a moment and look around and see that we’re still here, still standing, and God is still GOOD! That in itself deserves the highest praise.
I stand here this morning to tell you without faith it is impossible to please God.
• It was faith that kept us calling on God trough the tough times.
• It was by faith that we received strength when we wanted to give up.
• It was by faith that we kept right on pressing, when others weren’t coming. It was by faith that we continued to bring of offerings to God.
Prayer is the key but faith unlocks the door. Is there anybody I here that knows that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
• Faith caused walls to fall
• Faith caused the sick to be heal
• Faith caused that which was dead to live again
• Faith kept our minds
• Faith kept us from worrying about what we saw
• Faith kept of us from worrying about what we heard
• Faith kept from worrying about the way we felt
You see when we are anchored in faith, we must also be anchored in the Lord. And when we are anchored in the Lord we walk with confidence, we speak with authority, and live a God centered life. All because we operate by faith.
Faith caused us to take it to the Lord in prayer. Faith gave us the strength to let go and let God… Faith gave us the fortitude and the tenacity to move forward in spite of…
It was faith! Lord We Need Increase! Lord increase our faith!
And as we continue Saint John. As we continue to advance the kingdom of God, we are going to be challenged to do the same thing the Lord told those apostles to do.
As surely as I’m standing here trying times are coming and I’m asking and I’m asking the Lord for increase in our faith.
Let us believe, like we never believed
Let us serve, like we never served before
Let us increase in knowledge, wisdom and understanding
Let us seek you in a different way
In Jesus name,
If you receive it say Amen
God Bless you
