Faith, Faith, and more Faith

Introduction

Read Luke 17:1-19.

Explanation

Luke 17:1–4 ESV

1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Temptation is not a good thing. We are not meant to be tempted, and temptation is the pull of our flesh, the world, or Satan to defy the plans of God.

There is a special dispensation of punishment for those who have sinned against God by leading others astray. Teaching correct doctrine is tantamount in the Kingdom of God, and much of the New Testament epistles teach on correcting the false doctrine of false teachers.

Watch yourself. Rebuke. Watch for repentance. Forgive. Repeat. This structure shows us how we should love others, but it also shows us how God consistently loves us.

Luke 17:5–6 ESV

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

The disciples hear what they must do, and they say, “Lord, increase our faith.”

Hard things take more faith. I wrote my dissertation on how the increase of faith causes us to grow spiritually in every way.

I have found my prayers more often asking God to increase my faith. That is never a bad prayer or ask of the Lord.

Jesus is not saying that your faith will help you weed your garden, but that you can attempt the biggest spiritual feats knowing that God answers those when we go to him with but a LITTLE faith.

Luke 17:7–10 ESV

7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

Your work for Jesus does not give you a special claim over him.

You aren’t doing God a special favor by being obedient to Him. And you aren’t storing up brownie points by your obedience to get from him.

Now, our Master is a good one, and he gives beyond what we could imagine, but this parable is simply saying that you don’t get to trade your obedience for favors.

Invitation