INCREASE OUR FAITH!
PENTECOST 20 - LUKE 17:1-10
1Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,’ forgive him."
5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
6He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, `Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8Would he not rather say, `Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ "
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Dearest Fellow Redeemed,
Last week we learned how the world teaches us to be discontent. The world constantly makes us feel as if we cannot be happy unless we have everything newer, bigger, better. Newer, bigger, better only makes us feel as if we cannot be satisfied with our lives. Such feelings are sinful. But that does not mean that we cannot want something better. Today’s text reminds every believer to be bold for an increase in faith. Not that faith can be newer or even bigger. To have simple saving faith is enough faith for any believer to get into heaven. Thankfully, all the effort for our eternal salvation the Lord has placed squarely and solely on his shoulders.
Today we want to say to the Lord, Increase our faith! In other words, make it better—stronger. Our gracious God is always anxious to hear and ever willing to help. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"(ISAIAH 41:10). The Lord, our Lord will strengthen our faith. May we learn, as the apostles did, to confidently ask God:
INCREASE OUR FAITH
I. Make us forgiving
II. Teach us humility
I. Make us forgiving
This section in Luke is a lengthy portion in which Jesus encourages his disciples and believers with parables and other teachings. Jesus reminded them that sin was alive and well in the world. The simple fact was that the world was full of sin. Even God’s church would not be exempt from sin. Our text begins with Jesus’ words, Things that cause people to sin are bound to come. Now the disciples could easily have given up. They could have thought: Not much we can do about this - - - Sin is going to come - - - People are going to keep on sinning - - - What’s the use. Jesus reminded the disciples that their attitudes were to be just the opposite of their earthly pessimism. Jesus continues with this dire warning but woe to that person through whom they come. Sin is bound to come but do not let sin come through you.
Those who would cause others to sin would be in grave danger. Grave danger because they would be putting their very souls into eternal jeopardy. The one leading others astray would certainly have very little concern for his own soul. In fact 2it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Jesus warns the believer not to lead any child astray. This would be a child in physical age or a child in the Christian faith. In either case all precautions were to be taken not to lead them astray. The result would be disastrous both for the one lead astray and for the one who leads astray.
Jesus example for the disciples continues. A person thrown overboard might be able to save himself by swimming to shore. But with a large millstone tied around his neck there was absolutely no hope at all to be saved. Jesus was warning that a person’s life was not really worth anything if his or her soul was already lost. Physical death would make no difference to one who is already spiritually dead. Sin will come but do not be the one to bring sin into the midst of any believers. Jesus adds so watch yourselves. This was an urgent warning from Jesus for his apostles and all believers.
To do all of this, believers would have to battle against their sinful nature. Now Jesus uses an example to show what the true attitude of any disciple/believer was to be. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If someone sins, remind him of his sin and when he repents offer the comforting balm of forgiveness. The person may have sinned in a general way or may even have sinned against the one who is to forgive.
Sounds easy, but this attitude of forgiveness goes against the sinful nature of mankind. Forgiveness would take learning. It would take practice. Forgiveness would not just be a one-time act. Jesus continues his example: 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,’ forgive him. Imagine a person coming back to ask forgiveness seven times in one day. Such an example almost sounds absurd. A repentant sinner comes and asks for forgiveness, and then, again and again. There is more. The sinner comes back again, and again, and again, and again. Seven times the sinner returns to the same person. Very possibly he could be asking for forgiveness for the same or a similar sin over and over and over again. Jesus says forgive him.
What is the response of the disciples? 5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Strengthen our faith. Make us forgiving. Make us have the same spirit as you, O Lord.
How very important that is for us in today’s society. How important is for us to look to the Lord and see how our God has treated us. How valuable it is for to look to the Lord and see how his love is everlasting. The Lord’s concern for us is eternal and his forgiveness is without boundaries. The Lord’s forgiveness is limitless. "The Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him"(PSALM 103:10,11). We may forget that from time to time. Therefore it is necessary for us to say to the Lord, increase our faith. Make us understand your forgiveness. Make us understand your forgiveness so that we, too, can be forgiving.
Consider the attitude of the wicked world around us. The attitude of our world is not forgiving. How many leaders, how many people in power have had to step down because of one misstep. The public is not forgiving but delights in the downfall of others. People in our day and age like to get even. People in our day and age enjoy revenge. Today, we are no different. Our sinful nature in each one of us desires to get even with those who do us wrong. We would rather pay back wrong for wrong than wimp out with forgiveness. We would like to dole out our justice according to our own standards. At times our sinful nature enjoys keeping track of the wrongs of others and holding it against them. But what does our Lord want us to remember? Jesus says remember my forgiveness that we may be forgiving. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you"(COLOSSIANS 3:13).
Can you imagine someone coming to you 7 times in one day to ask to be forgiven? Would you be so forgiving at the seventh time as you were the first, second or third time? Lord, increase our faith. Help us to stand in awe of the fact that our sins are forgiven. You know that our Lord does not count how many times we sin against him. Yes, we are the ones who come to the Lord more than 7 times each day and repent. And our gracious God forgives. Sometimes we come over and over with the same sin. God forgives whether we come 7 times or 70 times 7 times each and every day. How awesome that is for us to know and believe. How awesome that is for us, as believers, to know and believe that by God’s grace we are saved! How awesome to hear these words of the Lord from Peter - - "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy"(1 PETER 2:10). Lord you have shown us mercy. You have made us your very children. It will take effort to overcome that sinful nature and let the new man in us shine forth with forgiveness.
Increase our faith. Make us forgiving. Lord, increase our faith.
II. Teach us humility
Jesus continues with another example. This example would teach the disciples about humility in their works of service in the Lord’s kingdom. Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, `Come along now and sit down to eat’? Yes, there were servants in Jesus’ time, just as there were servants in the Old Testament times and the times after Jesus. What about the service of the servant? He finishes his outside work and comes into the house. Will the master say, “Put up your feet, relax while I wait on you?” Would the master do such a thing? No. That was not the custom of the day. That was not how their masters treated servants.
The attitude of the day was this: would he not rather say, `Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? The servant would finish his outside chores and then come inside to wait on his master. His work was not done until the master was satisfied. After the master ate and drank it would be the servant’s turn, not before.
All of this may sound like service above and beyond the call of duty. Not really. Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? Did the servant deserve any special thanks? No, it was simply the servant’s duty. Jesus was coming to the point concerning the duty of the apostles in God’s kingdom. The apostles were in the service of the true Master. Don’t think people are going to thank you for doing your duty. Don’t think you deserve anything better than the Master. The Son of Man did not even have a place to lay his head. So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ This was to be the attitude of the apostles. They were to serve the Lord in humility. To do all of this, to obey the master’s bidding was only doing one’s duty. They would be doing their duty when proclaiming and living God’s gospel.
Once again, you can almost picture the apostles saying, Lord, increase our faith. Strengthen the faith that we have. Jesus did not want the apostles to be discouraged. Jesus reminded them that they already have the saving faith, which is the most powerful possession they own. He(Jesus) replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” The mustard seed was a very small seed. But to have a faith as small as that mustard seed meant great power. If they wanted, the apostles could tell trees to be uprooted and thrown into the sea and it would happen. This could happen even though trees do not have ears to hear. The gospel of Matthew states that such a faith could also move mountains into the sea. What power and strength was theirs because of the grace of God! No wonder they said increase our faith!
This is the same faith and power of God that is at the disposal of every believer. We might think this morning that such a deed is not possible. Remember Jesus says it is possible. Probably not one of us here has uprooted a tree or cast a mountain into the sea with our spoken word. Does that mean our faith is even smaller than a mustard seed? No. We have to ask ourselves what good would it be for us to uproot a tree or displace a mountain? Would such an accomplishment bring glory to God? Doing such a thing our sinful nature would be tempted to take all the glory. Our sinful nature would make us think how important we are. Then we plead to the Lord – increase our faith by teaching us humility.
Humility begins by understanding the awesomeness of our salvation. Eternal salvation depends entirely upon the saving grace of our loving God. Jesus once told his disciples that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They were stunned. Who could be saved they thought. They were right, none could be saved on his own. "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’"(MATTHEW 19:26). When man depends on himself he will be eternally lost and condemned. Depending solely on Christ for forgiveness and salvation, mankind is saved. The Lord and the Lord alone drags believers up from the depths of hell into the heights of heaven. Increase our faith. Teach us humility.
Now, such a word as humility is not going to be found in the vocabulary of the rich and so-called famous. Our society simply does not believe that anyone will make anything of himself or herself by being humble. Our wicked world walks all over anyone who would live in humility. The humble, as the world thinks, cannot nor will they ever get ahead. Maybe so, according to this world and in this world. What is the world to me?? Increase our faith by teaching us humility. We do not have to be first in the worldly kingdom. Instead, we can be first in God’s kingdom as we learn Christian humility, service, and duty to our Lord. "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all"(MARK 10:43,44). Slave of all then we are first in God’s kingdom! To be great means to find ourselves least in God’s kingdom. We are not to say look at all things I have done but look at all the things God has done for us. In Mark 10:43,44 quoted above the next verse gives us that example of Jesus to follow. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus, the Creator of all things, became the servant of his own creation that he might save all men. Lord, increase our faith—teach us humility.
Humility in God’s church is being willing to do our duty without thanks. There is nothing to prove for boasting about in God’s kingdom. Sometimes it is hard to get anyone to do anything in God’s kingdom unless they receive a reward or are thanked profusely. Leaders in the church often have to gush over some insignificant thing done in the church or no more will be done. Yet no matter how much or how little we do we are only doing our duty. How often we fall short. Humility teaches to look for more opportunities to serve the Lord and his kingdom. All of this without thanks.
How true it is that the great Christians have learned what it means to be least and servant of all. In quiet, Christian humility they go about doing much to benefit God’s people with little or no recognition at all. All of us can learn from them in our service to and for the Lord. Many are approaching the age when physical working for the Lord seems or is a thing of the past. What, then, can we do? Each of us can do a lot more than we can even think or imagine. Never underestimate the power of positive prayer. Many believers spend much time in prayer in behalf of the congregation, pastor and members. You can easily notice when many believers are praying for other believers. This is done in private. There is no great amount of show or boasting. Yet, in humility, God’s work is done! Increase our faith – teach us humility. Increase our faith – help us live in humility. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom"(JAMES 3:13). We have heard how hard it is to be humble. And it is. Humility is found in wisdom - - wisdom in knowing God. The truly wise and understanding believer lets his actions shine in the darkness of this world.
With the apostles when they heard these words of Jesus we also say increase our faith. Believers do not feel alone. Do not try to do all of this all by yourself. Remember the Lord says I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Increase our faith. Make me forgiving in this world with is unforgiving, unkind and vengeful. It becomes easier when we first remember the unlimited forgiveness of our loving Lord. Teach me humility in this world that is boastful, proud and arrogant. Help me to remember the example, that you, Jesus, left for me to follow. May each of us remember the prayer of Paul: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith"(EPHESIANS 3:16,17a). By grace, Christ already does dwell in us by faith. Paul is saying increase our faith—strengthen the power of our saving faith.
Yes, Lord, increase our faith – make us forgiving as you forgave us. Yes, Lord, increase our faith – teach us humility as you died for us in true humility. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
