Increase Our Faith

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Scripture Reading by Lady Pepper (Show Slide)

(Show Slide) Thank you Lady Pepper for the announcements and the reading of God’s Word.

“Increase Our Faith”

Stop what you doing and hear the “Word of God”

Social Promo Week 1 - Video (Increase Our Faith)

My Message is entitled:

Increase Our Faith

Scripture:

Luke 17:5-10

Main idea:

For those who believe, faith is the air we breathe. Faith makes up the atmosphere of the kingdom. And Jesus encourages us that even the tiniest mustard seed of faith is capable of monumental things.

Prayer: “Jesus we pray, along with so many others over the centuries, increase our faith! Help expand our understanding, belief, and trust. Give us the courage to step out in faith, even when it doesn’t necessarily make sense to do so.”

Introduction

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.

Story idea:

Share a personal account of a time when you were seeking God and asking for more faith. What was the situation and how did things turn out?

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 noticed 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.

Main Teaching

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.

Read Luke 17:1-5

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).[1]”

When these 2 scenarios are put together, as Jesus teaches them, you have an incredibly difficult pill to swallow.

On the one hand, you need to be very careful not to lead people into sin,

and on the other hand you also need to be quick to forgive others.

And in response to this the disciples exclaim in verse 17:5, “Increase our faith!”

I. We Need More Faith

The truth is, we really do need more faith. The reality requires us to be less like ourselves and more like Him.

It can be difficult to do some of the things that Jesus asks… But this isn’t a new problem.

Read John 20:24-28

Thomas famously doubted that Jesus had resurrected from the grave,

and Jesus met Him and His doubt, inviting Him to put his fingers in the very hole where the spear had pierced Jesus’ side.

In response Jesus encourages Thomas to, “Stop doubting and believe.” Or another way to say it, have more faith.

Story idea - Share about a time where you had intense doubts in your life. What was the scenario you were dealing with and how did it all work out? How did your faith increase through the process?

Here’s the beauty of it all, Jesus meets us in our doubt, our fear, our weakness, and our sin.

And as we’re going to see in our main passage for today,

He seems to be saying that faith is a simple reality of the kingdom available to all who believe

for what ever you going through.

II. We Need a Tiny Amount of Faith

As we continue in our passage, we see that in response to the disciple’s plea for an increase of faith Jesus tells them a parable.

Read Luke 17:6-10

Notice, Jesus begins by comparing their faith to the tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed.

He tells them, “If you had 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.’”

Jesus says something similar in Matthew 17:20-21;

some things require prayer and fasting!

Read Matthew 17:20-21

So, while the disciples are fretting about having more faith in their lives

Jesus is quick to remind them how powerful even the tiniest amount of faith can be.

They’re saying we need more and more and more, and He’s saying, actually, you only need a tiny bit of faith.

Then comes the parable about a boss and his employee.

In the parable, it sounds like the servant is seeking extra kudos and accolades for doing his job.

Actually, this is something we can all relate to, as many of us have jobs where we are simply required to do what we’ve been asked to do.

There’s not a party or a promotion waiting for us every time we do a simple day's work. We are just “doing our duty.”

Actually, when I say it all like that, it sounds harsh. It doesn’t sound like the compassionate and grace-filled Jesus we’re used to.

So what’s the disconnect and what’s Jesus trying to teach?

III. We Have All We Need

Here’s the crux of what I think Jesus is trying to teach His disciples.

I think He’s saying, “You have all the faith you need.”

I also think he’s identifying that faith is such a normal part of the kingdom that when we’re exercising our faith, we’re simply “doing our duty.”

Obviously it would be great if there was a party and a promotion following every small good deed we do and every time we trust Jesus throughout the day.

But the simple truth is 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.

Maybe you and I don’t need a substantial increase in what we already have,

maybe we simply need to recognize that there is more than enough faith in the kingdom for any and every scenario that we may face.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

Maybe you need to take that first step today?

Maybe you need to stop staring at your problems and telling God how big your problems are.

Maybe you need to start telling your problems how big and amazing your God is.

Maybe a tiny mustard seed of faith is all it takes to move a mountain.

I know we all have those mountains in our lives…

But I also know, as we’ve seen today,

that we have more than enough faith, through Jesus, for anything that comes our way.

Conclusion

As I said in the beginning of our time, we’ve all asked for more faith at some point in our lives.

It’s not wrong to ask, and it’s not wrong to turn to God when we are feeling weak in our faith.

Life is difficult, and oftentimes the Struggles we face feel completely overwhelming and debilitating.

But I also believe it’s so important to remember the truths that Jesus is reminding us of today.

We are ambassadors, conquerors, and agents of reconciliation.

We will constantly be facing situations that require more than we think we can handle.

And at the same time, we are a community of faith, by faith, and empowered by faith to do and accomplish all that we’ve been called to do.

I don’t know about you, but this simple shift in perspective gives me a jolt of encouragement.

I’m reminded that mountains are moved by mustard seeds of faith.

I’m also reminded that my lack of faith, my doubts, and my fears are normal. Even someone like Thomas the disciple struggled with them. This same Thomas who went on to evangelize India with the gospel of Jesus.

What is God calling you to today?

What step of faith do you need to take today?

What scenario in your life feels overwhelming to you?

Remember, we are a community of faith, by faith, and empowered by faith to do and accomplish all that we’ve been called to do.

Let’s pray together.

Lord I pray that all of us today after hearing this message they will increase their faith.

Lord increase the faith of the unbeliever today. Whatever challenges they face let them remember that by faith we can accomplish all that we been called to do

Salvation:

Those of you that are struggling with lack of faith, or other ailments that you feel are holding you back, I want to encourage you to take a step of faith, to trust and believe that Christ is who he say he is and he will do what he said he will do. … The Word of God says in:

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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(Show Slide)

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Thank You for being apart of the “Fear Not” series! And Remember: But Jesus say’s ... In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

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