"Increase Our Faith" - India Sermon

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking my 4th and final sermon for this 4.5 month stint in India. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about faith and some new things as I prepped for this sermon. When my preparation began, the sermon was about Gideon...then Gideon became one of the illustrations but no longer the central focus...then he was removed altogether as the focus went elsewhere! Thus encapsulates my typical preparation process for any sermon in which I must choose the topic.

Below is the sermon draft, from which I deviated slightly as I spoke. I hope that in reading it the Lord may enrich and bless you:

Have you ever desired greater faith? Have you ever come to a point where you realized just how small your faith was? And you yearned for greater faith? I think that is a healthy realization, and the desire for greater faith is good...but a desire that can still be refined.

I just finished reading the biography of Oswald Chambers, author of “My Utmost for His Highest” and one of the great Christian leaders and writers of the past century. In reading his biography, my admiration for him grew even further. As I read through his biography over the past month or two, I thought to myself, “I wish I could have faith like that!” I see in Oswald Chambers, as well as many Christian leaders of yesterday and today, a faith that is so inviting and desirable. I see it in Abraham in the book of Genesis. Moses, David, and every person listed in Hebrews chapter 11. And as I study the lives of these men and women of great faith, there is something inside of me that cries, “Lord, increase my faith!”

I think that some of that desire for greater faith is good, but some of it may be falling short of what God would prefer for me to desire. The 12 disciples themselves asked this of Jesus, to increase their faith. So let’s turn to Luke 17 and examine closely Jesus' response to the request of His disciples to increase their faith.

Scripture: Luke 17:5-6

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 He 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 disciples and Jesus are having a conversation. In verses 1-4 that precede this request for more faith, Jesus has just commanded the disciples to do something truly hard: forgive. And not just once. But to forgive someone even if they continue to sin against you and ask for forgiveness. The disciples response is very interesting and probably similar to ours today: in order to obey such a difficult command the disciples ask for more faith. But Jesus gives an interesting reply to the disciples in this passage.

 

We might have expected him to show them how to increase their faith, or perhaps breathe greater faith into them. But instead of showing them how or miraculously granting greater faith, Jesus instead says “if you had faith as a mustard seed,” you could do mighty works. It was probably not the answer the disciples were hoping for, but it was exactly the answer that they, and we, need. In fact, Jesus’ answer was the perfect response, because it leads us as His disciples to understand the nature of faith, the nature of our God, and the nature of our relationship with Him.

1.       Power in Small Faith – v. 6

Jesus often referred to our faith as being like a mustard seed, and it was always an encouragement, for at least a couple reasons. The mustard seed was an example of one of the smallest of all seeds. Yet, when planted in fertile soil, it could grow into a large bush with mighty branches that even birds could nest in. What an encouragement that when we are convicted of being “ye of little faith,” that it is not a pronouncement of final condition. Instead, it is a declaration of our current status—having little faith—but like the mustard seed, a faith with great potential. We are meant to be growing toward our Lord Jesus, and He makes our tiniest faith into something great.

Though this is an encouragement to me, I do not believe that growing faith is what Jesus is referring to in verse 6 when he says, “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.” I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that once your faith has grown into the mighty mustard branches, THEN your faith can produce great works. I believe He is saying that even now, when your faith is still as small as they eye can see, even NOW your faith has that power. This is a critically important answer from our Lord to His disciples asking for greater faith. It gets at the heart of who we are in relation to God and the proper perspective of our faith in Christ.

John Piper has these comments on this passage:

“God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God's free initiative and power.”

You see, the disciples were viewing great faith as being the gateway to great things. But Jesus was saying that we don’t need increased faith...we need to understand that our tiny faith is enough because of Him.

To illustrate the roles of our faith and God’s faithfulness, and the importance of each, let us examine the mathematical concept of infinity. The concept of infinity refers to something without limit, a number so large that it is beyond counting. It is endless. In mathematics any positive number multiplied by infinity equals infinity. Infinity times 1 equals infinity. Infinity times 100 equals infinity. Soon we discover that the number being multiplied by infinity matters much less than infinity itself. This is what Jesus is getting at when He says that “if you had the faith of a mustard seed” you could do amazing and miraculous things! He is saying that whether your faith is 1 or 100, it is the power of God that makes it miraculous.

Do you ever catch yourself having these thoughts?: "If only I had greater faith, I could do this, or God would do that." But our focus has become our own personal faith. If our focus is on the size of our faith, our focus is off Christ. We are to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

We must realize that our faith by itself causes nothing to happen. We cannot say to God in our faith, “Look, I have the faith of a mustard seed,” or “Look, I have greater faith than even that, and because of my faith you MUST do this.” No, no, no. Instead, God chooses to allow us to take part in His purposes. God CHOOSES to work through our faith. Our faith without God choosing to use it, would be powerless. But instead, God—the one who is faithful—has promised to honor our faith and work through it to glorify Himself and accomplish His purposes.

I would like to share with you a story from my childhood. When I was a boy, about 5 years old, I would go with my father and grandfather into the forest to make a load of firewood. In the northern U.S. many homes are heated by burning firewood in a furnace. I would go with them because I liked to be outdoors, because it was an adventure to go into the forest with them and see new birds, deer, and other animals. I would go because I actually enjoyed the work of my hands and arms and legs in laboring to produce a truckload of firewood. But these were all secondary. I went mostly just to be with my father and grandfather. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from these times. My father and grandfather were skilled and hardworking. They would cut and split every piece of wood into small enough pieces to handle, then they would load them into the truck, and finally after transporting the load, they would unload it at our destination. I helped them with each of these...but how much help can a 5 year old boy be? The truth is that they did 99% of the work, but I was quite happy to do my 1%, and so were they. My father would tell me at the end of the day how much he appreciated my work and that he couldn’t have done it without me. It was always “WE” split a load of firewood. My father and grandfather did not NEED me to help. But they WANTED me to help. It have them joy and it gave me joy, too.

I believe our faith journeys with the Lord and in doing His works on this earth are very similar to my childhood experience of helping my father and grandfather cut firewood. God does not NEED us to help Him do anything. Our faith is not the source of His miraculous works. But we are blessed to be called God’s children! And because of that He absolutely desires for us to join Him. Yes, to do the work…but as with me and my father and grandfather, the work was quite secondary. Just being in each other’s presence was the main purpose. And so, how gracious is our Lord, and loving! That He allows us and our faith to take part in His mighty works. God does the 99% and is capable of doing all 100%, but He allows us to come beside Him like His 5-year old child and contribute our 1% with our mustard seed-sized faith.

Do your mustard-seed’s worth. Do it to your uttermost! But never forget that the power is of God and not of us. Not the size of our faith, but the size of our God is what creates mighty works.

2.       Seeking Christ Above All

I mentioned earlier that if our focus is on our faith, it is off Christ. It is simple to say, but just like the disciples in Luke 17, we ourselves will be tempted to have our focus migrate toward ourselves and the size of our faith. As we have just studied, Jesus corrects the disciples understanding of faith and how God chooses to work though it. But Jesus also addresses the root desire at the heart of our request for more faith, revealing the vanity of seeking our own greater faith and instead the supremacy of seeking Christ. And although asking for faith, or love, or peace, or joy, or successful ministry, or any number of things may be good things to ask of God, there is one greater thing to desire: simply Christ Himself. The disciples’ response to having to do a hard thing to obey God was “we need more faith.” If I had more faith, I could obey...if I had more faith I could do this or that...If I had more faith I could walk more closely to the Lord. But they had it backwards. What produces faith in a child of God is nearness and knowing Christ. To know the Lord more intimately—that is the only legitimate pursuit that leads to greater faith!

Let me be clear: Hebrews 11:6 reveals that "without faith it is impossible to please God." But that faith was never meant to be pursued as a means to our own ends, but instead as the fruit of pursuing and knowing Christ. The disciples had let the pursuit of faith replace Jesus as the central object of their desire. In this moment, they were seeing greater faith as the gateway to obedience to God and doing great things. And although they desired a good thing, the insatiable desire for more, more, more of anything except Christ alone had revealed a spiritual lust within them.

Oswald Chambers: “Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer.”

I will admit that when I’m reading about Oswald Chambers, or Abraham, or many great examples of faith, I want to have that kind of faith right now! And the desire to have a closer walk with the Lord that produces such faith is pure, but the part that “must have it at once,” is rooted in lust. Spiritual lust. We must guard against such spiritual lust, or spiritual discontent. And the greatest guard is turning our focus of off good things like faith, and onto the greater thing, which is Christ Himself. This is a subtle difference, but central to pursuing Christ.  I am NOT saying that we must make a choice: either faith or Christ. That is nonsense. What I am saying is that if we pursue faith or any other thing, however good, as our chief desire, we will miss Christ. But if we pursue Christ as our chief desire, we will be given faith that moves mountains.

There is a story of a king with three sons, triplets. Under the law of the land, each had equal right to the throne. When the three sons had grown, the king gave each of them three options to prove himself worthy of the throne. To each he said: “Choose one of the following: Spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal process from our chief law makers, or spend a month at my side.” The first son answered, “I shall spend a month learning the art of war from our master general, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to defend and conquer.” The second son answered, “I shall spend a month learning every law of the land and the entire legal system from our chief law makers, for surely of utmost importance to any kingdom is the ability to govern and rule the people according to law.” But the third son answered, “I shall spend a month at your side every moment, for surely of utmost importance to understanding a kingdom is knowing its king.” The third son had chosen wisely and was selected as the next rightful king. In knowing the king, he came to know the art of war. In knowing the king, he came to know the law and how to govern the people. In knowing the king, he came to know much deeper and greater things than even these.

I believe that we are in similar positions. (Not as successors to a king, for our King rules and reigns forever. Yet, the Bible does call us heirs of the Kingdom. Co-heirs with Christ.) When our chief desire is to have greater faith, we aim for a good thing, but not the best. Just like the first and second sons who aimed at a specific portion of kingship, but missed the greater thing of knowing and understanding their king. Let us be like the third son, who chose simply to pursue and know his king. Jesus instructed, “Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these will be added to you as well” (Matt 6:33). As we seek Christ first and above all, we will find that great faith will be added to us as well.

It is not as though we should not pursue faith, or hope, or love, or any number of great Christ-filled attributes. It is simply to beware that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and because of this, we are tempted to pursue what is good, such as faith, in place of what is best, which is Christ.  We are tempted to replace the central thing—Christ—with the things that exist only because of Him.

By responding to the disciples’ desire for greater faith in this manner, Jesus is leading them in the only path of righteous faith: Pursing and knowing Christ ever more intimately.

Conclusion

Let us as Jesus’ disciples today hear Him. Let us read Luke 17:5-6 and the accounts of so many faith filled Christ followers, and remember Jesus response to the desire for greater faith:

- Remove our focus from the size of our faith and onto Jesus Christ, our infinite God.

- And never let what is good and exists because of Christ replace the only Way, Truth, and Life. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Each of us will likely soon feel that desire for greater faith, or greater joy, or greater love, or greater ministry. But the next time we feel the desire for any fruit of the Holy Spirit, let us resolve to pursue one thing alone: let us choose to get to know our King. He is a good King. And He has invited you to be at his side today and forever. I pray that you accept His invitation. Amen.