“Increase our Faith”
Pentecost 19 (October 7, 2007)
Rev. Steven D. Spencer
Luke 17:1-10
And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 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. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 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. "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'? 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'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 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.'"
Grace, peace and mercy from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
Introduction
“If you have 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” (Luke 17:6). Can you imagine having that kind of faith? When I was younger I use to pray for that kind of faith. Faith to say to a tree: ‘be cast into the sea’ and it would happen. Or in Matthew’s Gospel, faith to say to a mountain: “Move from here to there and it shall move” (Matthew 17:20). I prayed for the type of faith that would allow me to be transported from one place to another miraculously. I prayed for faith to lay hands on someone and heal them. But I also wanted faith to be healed. Can you imagine being able to turn the clock back 20, 30 or 40 years. Can you imagine being able to remove aging, illness, emotional trauma or even just doubt? That’s what I prayed for and I imagine some of you did or maybe still do pray for some of those things. Every time I read a verse like the one today, I relive those yearnings.
I. Faith isn’t about us.
In such thoughts comes our first lesson today. Faith isn’t about miracles, it isn’t about what I can do. Faith doesn’t look inward. It doesn’t come from within, it comes from outside. Ephesians 2:8 and 9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast.” What is the gift of God? Grace or faith! The answer is yes, both! So important is the understanding of where these come from that St. Paul tells us, not of ourselves, not of our works, but a gift from God. For these are a gift and there is no room for boasting. Faith comes from the outside, it’s a gift. And what is the purpose of faith? Its purpose is to save you! “For by grace you have been saved through faith!”
II. Faith isn’t about being flashy.
That seems pretty boring compared to throwing trees into the sea. That brings us to the second lesson. Faith wasn’t designed to be flashy. Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith isn’t about being showy; it’s conviction of things unseen. The New International Version says, “it’s being certain of what we do not see.” But I want all the fireworks. I want all the physical manifestations. I want to be able to see it! I want all the fanfare, the charismatic effects; you know the spiritual light show. Sorry, faith is quiet and often invisible in its affect.
III. Faith Produces Assurance
But faith produces assurance. What is assurance? Assurance is comfort, assurance is peace. It’s not looking over your shoulder wondering who is coming to get you. Faith produces a yup effect. It is the certainty of what God says. When you hear the Word of God something inside you says: “Yup that true!” Without a doubt you know what has been said is true. “That’s faith!” Faith says yup to God telling you that you are forgiven. Remember the real purpose of faith is salvation. And this brings us back to our text.
Before Jesus told the disciples about having faith like a mustard seed He said: "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 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. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him" (Luke 17:1-4).
Jesus had just gotten through conversing with the Pharisees. He was now speaking to the disciples alone. The disciples had no doubt seen Jesus dealings with the Pharisees. And I imagine seeing them put in there place must of caused quite a commotion amongst the disciples maybe even some joy. The Pharisees were arrogant and strong willed. They were self righteous thinking they were better than everyone else. Let’s be honest, wouldn’t we all like to see them put in there place. But there comes the risk. The purpose of faith is salvation not damnation. It is to lead people to salvation not desecration.
IV. Faith Seeks to Serve Others
What is this temptation to sin that is sure to come that Jesus is talking about? It is the temptation to try and pre-qualify who is eligible for forgiveness. This is especially true inside the church. The Pharisees would have loved to quench the wick of these new Christians. But likewise some of the over zealous Christians, out of spite, would gladly deny faith, salvation and the hope of life to these Pharisees. Here’s the reality. The Pharisees looked at the disciples and saw backwoods, backward fishermen who were inept at the commands of God. Yet these uneducated fishermen were trained by the greatest teacher ever, Jesus Christ. In reality these Pharisees, these well educated religious leaders, these self-righteous, self promoting social climbers, these men were the little ones to whom Jesus referred, and not just they, but all babes in spiritual understanding. Jesus was warning the Christians not to be scandalous towards one another as well.
Jesus uses some very clear imagery to convey the results if we proceed to scandalize one another. "It would be better" means "it is profitable." It is translated "it were better," or "it would be better." if a millstone were hung around his neck
The upper millstone had a hole in the center. Jesus pictures a case in which a rope was put through this hole and the stone tied about the offender's neck. To be drowned in the sea with a millstone allows no escape from physical death. Jesus says it's better than scandalizing a Christian, and causing his or her spiritual death.
V. Faith is bold
Failure to call people's sins to their attention, as well as failure to forgive when they repent, are very scandalous and can cause the spiritual death of a fellow-Christian. Jesus speaks only of a rebuke which ends in acknowledgement of sin.
"If he repents" is "if he is sorry." Here "repent" is used in the narrow sense, denoting contrition. If the rebuked person registers no contrition, Jesus is implying that he not be forgiven. We need remind all Christians of their duty and power to forgive the sins of penitent sinners. To withhold forgiveness from a penitent sinner means to close heaven to that person. Consider: The Office of the Keys, the very life-blood of the Church.
VI. Faith is Patient
Verse 4: “furthermore if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."
"Furthermore." "Sin" in verse 3 was sin in general, whether against God, you, or anybody else. But here it's "against you." "Comes back" means "turns to you saying." This shows the stricken conscience. It is highly unlikely, of course, that one would commit the same sin seven times against another in one day, but that is not the real point. The point is that contrition and absolution should have no limit.
"I repent" cannot mean "I changed my mind." That would be an insult. Better would be "I'm sorry." That is precisely what Jesus means. That's real contrition. Following this "you must forgive." On no occasion, no matter how often, dare we withhold forgiveness from a contrite sinner.
It is after all this, the idea of forgiveness, not holding a grudge, not causing someone to stumble that the Apostles ask: "Increase our faith!"
Even as Christians we are hard pressed to be forgiving or even forgiven. We keep score. Did that person offend me? Did the person truly repent? Of course you’re thinking no I don’t do that. But haven’t you? A child or a spouse does something and you and you never tell them. Why? Don’t you want to forgive them? Our passage tells us to let them know of their sin.
This is why the Apostle’s said, “Increase our Faith.” Of all the things asked of us the toughest is forgiving. Yet if faiths real purpose is salvation shouldn’t this be the easiest. Not for the Apostles and not for us. For we view faith as something that serves us. But it is something that serves though us. For faith is not ours to abuse but to use for God’s kingdom work. Faith is a gift from God. And so that we may use it rightly let us join in that Apostolic prayer, Lord increase in us faith, In Jesus name, and for Jesus sake, Amen.