This sermon explores the concept of faith as essential to believers, the power of even a small amount of faith, and the plea to Jesus to increase our faith, as illustrated in Luke 17:5-10.
How many here today have ever asked God for more faith? Maybe you were in a really difficult situation and you were praying for something big. Something miraculous. And in the moment of that tension, you spoke the words, “Increase my faith!”
If that sounds like something you’ve done before, believe me when I say that you are in very good company.
The bible is not only full of people like you and I who needed an extra dose of faith, but there’s even a whole chapter, Hebrews 11, that lists out many of the “heroes of faith” that have gone before us. These people are amazing and their stories are inspiring. But these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There are millions, if not billions of others who’ve lived abundant lives of faith and trust in God and His promises.
So much so, that I think it’s appropriate to say that faith is the oxygen in the lungs of those who believe. Faith brings us to life, sustains us, and raises us up when everything around us falls apart. Jesus teaches that mountains are moved by mustard seeds of faith. The apostle Paul teaches that we “live by faith and not by sight.”
And…as you may have imagined by now, faith is the main teaching of our passage today from Luke 17 as Jesus continues to deal with the disciples' lack and misunderstanding of the faith that Jesus is teaching.
Faith is the oxygen in the lungs of those who believe.
As we get started today it’s important to take a look at what’s happening in the section of verses immediately preceding Luke 17:5-10.
In these verses we see Jesus presenting the disciples with a couple of different scenarios, both of which have to do with sin. In the first scenario, Jesus seems to be warning the group about those who deliberately lead others into sin. It’s in this section that Jesus says, “It 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.” This is one of the most intense warnings you’ll hear from Jesus, and He follows it up by saying, “So watch yourselves.”
Then He gets into the second scenario about sin and forgiveness. Jesus challenges His disciples to be willing to forgive even if their brother returns 7 times. One commentator says this about it;
“Fellowship and restoration are not affected by numbers (7 x 70 in Matt. 18:21-22), but by an attitude of acceptance, which is modeled by a gracious God and a sacrificial Messiah. Believers are to emulate the love and forgiveness of the Trinity (cf. 1 John 3:16).”
When these 2 scenarios are put together, as Jesus teaches them, you have an incredibly difficult pill to swallow ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium
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