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Increase Our Faith Luke 17.1-5 Introduction:
Faith and patience are often connected together in the Bible.
I tend to think they are very much alike in that the lessons we learn
about both comes at inconvenient times. I)
A Look At Luke 17.1-5 A)
How many times did the disciples ask Jesus to do something for them? 1.
Teach us how to pray, Luke 11.1 2.
Explain this parable to us, Matthew13.36,
15.15 3.
Lord save us! Matthew 8.23-25 4.
Give my two sons a place on each side of you, Matthew
20.20-21 5.
They recognized the power and authority of Jesus.
Jesus could teach them how to pray, he could explain the parable, He
could and did save them in the boat, He had and has authority in His kingdom. B)
Why did they ask Him to increase their faith? 1.
Jesus told them to do something that is extremely hard, to forgive. 2.
We could spend a lot of time talking about the importance of forgiving others as
they have sinned against us, Matthew
6.14,15. C)
The emphasis is on faith 1.
Faith is important because we are told to do a lot of things that are difficult.
a. To walk by faith and not by sight, 2
Corinthians 5.7. Remember the
scene in “Indiana Jones the Last Crusade” where he stands on the edge of a
cliff and has to take a step into nothingness. That is faith!
b. We are told to love our enemies, Matthew
5.43ff. How many of us think
this is easy? It is not easy and we
may think it is down right impossible.
c. We are told to be faithful unto death,
Revelation 2.10.
d. We are told to not deny our Lord and Savior. To stand with Jesus no
matter what other think or say, Matthew
10.33
e. To think of others before we think of ourselves,
Phil. 2
f. To pluck out or eye or cut off our foot if they would cause us to
enter into hell, Matthew 5.29ff.
g. To not be
conformed to this world but be transformed, Romans
12.2 2.
We need faith to make it through each day we live. II)
Do you ever wish you had more faith? Why? A)
We face the problems of life 1.
Health problems, financial crisis, family turmoil, betrayal, death, etc. 2.
Most of us face times when we just think we can’t keep on doing this.
I will admit there are times when I get discouraged. 3.
There are times when the unexpected happens and I just about lose it. 4.
I admire the man a few months ago that made the news and was seen on youtube.
This man had caught a foul ball at a Philadelphia Phillies game.
In his moment of delight he turned to his little girl and gave her the
ball. She in turn threw the ball
over the rail. What would you have
done? This man simply gave his
daughter a hug. I admired him for
that reaction. B)
A personal illustration 1.
October 7th was the 2nd year anniversary of my dad’s
death. I decided I needed to take a
few minutes, it was a Wednesday night, to go to the river and just get away. 2.
Then I got a phone call one of our children hit the mail box with a car.
I was not happy. 3.
Then on the way to services I got another phone call; Jeff Lankford wanted me to
talk about faith! I really needed
that phone call. III)
What Is faith? Hebrews 11.1 A)
Faith is not… 1.
A feeling or superstition. 2.
Some thing you are both with or just have without any explanation.
We are told to add to our faith, 2
Peter 1.5. B)
Faith is conviction based upon God’s word, Romans 10.17 1.
The faith is talked about in various places, Jude
3; the Gospel of Christ in Romans
1.16. In one sense we can talk
about faith as the body of doctrine delivered by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles
and we read in the Bible. 2.
Acceptance of God’s word
a. We don’t need more revelation we need more understanding of God’s
word.
b. After we study the word we need to accept it as the truth, Acts
26.27. 2.
But there is something else, conviction, John
16.8. There is the sense that we believe and strength to do what God says.
That is the kind of faith the disciples we asking for in Luke 17.5. C)
Essential to our salvation, Hebrews 11.6 IV)
How does one increase their faith? A)
By diligent study of the Bible, 2 Timothy 2.15 1.
Timothy’s faith was not an accident, it was taught and cultivated, 2 Timothy 1.5; 3.14-17. 2.
There is a very practical problem we have today with Christians not interested
in studying God’s word. In turn
they are weak and worldly. Then when “things” happen they wonder why their
faith let them down. 3.
If you don’t build up your faith in peace time then it won’t be there in war
time. B)
By actually doing what the Bible says. 1.
It is through doing what our faith increases and grows. Luke
17.6-10 2.
Jesus did not say they needed more teaching and learning.
He said they needed to obey God and do what He says! 3.
This includes laying aside those things that gets in the way of our faith, Hebrews
12.1. Sin and faith can not go
together. 4.
Running with endurance, to not quit “What does not kill us makes us
stronger”. Conclusion:
Where is your faith tonight? Have
you been taking it for granted, neglecting it, or have you been nurturing and
feeding it. It is generally too late
to build up your faith after the storms of life hits.
Now is the time to take that faith, make it stronger so you will endure
to the end. |