Can
Our Faith Increase?
Luke
17:5-10
The folks in our text really have a perverted viewpoint of what it will be like to have an increase in faith. They expect a feeling of satisfaction to come with the increase in faith. Jesus explains to them that it doesn't work like that. There is always work to do, and there is never a place to stop increasing their faith.
I. The faith of the lost.
A. They have no faith.
B. Eph. 2:8,9 - Faith and Grace are a gift from God.
C. Rom. 10:9-17 - Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
1. If the lost don't hear the Word of God, they can have no faith in Christ to save them.
2. If they have no faith in Christ to save them, they cannot be saved.
II. The faith of the saved.
A. Note the two different types of work involved.
1. There is a certain amount of skill involved in plowing, and a certain amount of skill involved in waiting on the masters table. The type of skill is completely different.
2. You may be plowing with that skill and decide that you understand all the rules of faithfully serving God. Then God calls you into a different kind of service, and you think all the rules have suddenly changed. The rules haven't changed, you are now involved in faithfulness in a different area of service.
3. Before long, you begin to understand that there are many skills involved in faithfulness. The chief skill is obedience.
B. Rom. 10:17 - Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
1. Heb. 11:1 - The definition of faith involves a heavenly hope that what the Bible says is true is true, before there is any physical evidence of it being true.
2. Faith is coming into a house with an upstairs. You can't see what is upstairs, but you can see the stairs. You can only see the upstairs rooms if you go up the stairs. Faith is the avenue by which we behold the glories God has reserved for us.
3. The more we know about God and His Precious Promises, the more faith we can have.
4. We cannot believe in anything we do not know about.
C. Matt. 17:14-21 - Jesus is definitely teaching that there are some works that require more faith than others.
D. Luke 22:32-34 - It is possible for the faith of a saved person to fail, thus they would fail to serve God.
1. Peter "felt like" he would never fail, but this wasn't true.
2. We may "feel like" we can never fail, but this also isn't true.