Sermon Series: Getting to Know God 

Increasing Our Faith 

Luke 17:5-6

PSBC 9/16/01 AM

In a nutshell: Our faith will increase when we uproot sin from our lives. Because God increases your faith after He cleans your roots.

I. Introduction

A. Instructions on Bakersfield Ride

As most of you know, last weekend I took some vacation time to ride with my Southern Cruiser Riding Club to Bakersfield, to help plan a major west coast rally for next year. I want to thank many of your for your prayers. It was a good time of "divine appointments" with individuals in the club who wanted to talk about spiritual matters, as well as making sure that the group would sanction and sponsor a worship service on the Sunday morning of that event.

One of the things motorcyclists do when they get together is ride. We especially love to ride to scenic places, with a lot of twists and turns on the roads. Well, on Saturday, after our planning meeting, we went for a ride to Lake Isabella, about 4000 feet above Bakersfield. It turned out to be a great ride through some beautiful mountain roads.

As with all our rides we did three things before we got on our bikes. -First, we went over the route we planned to take, in detail. -Second, we had a safety talk and reviewed hand signals and safety precautions for riding in a group. -And finally, whenever I'm with the group, they ask me to pray for safety.

So that's what we did. But the directions to Lake Isabella were so complicated and none of us had ever been there before, that you could tell all through the safety talk and then the prayer, several of the group members were still trying to get the directions firmly embedded in their memories.

So, after I said, "Amen," for some, it was as if I had never prayed. Because, immediately some of the people in the group started asking questions of our Road Captain about when and where to turn along the way.

That happens. Sometimes it takes us a while to get ahold of all the information we're given. And that's what happened in the passage of scripture that we'll be looking at this morning, in Luke 17:5-6.

B. What the Disciples did

You see, on this same day, Jesus had been teaching about a lot of things. But in chapter 16 he said something that took the disciples quite a while to digest…

Luke 16:10-12

10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

12 "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? (NASB)

From this point, Jesus went on to teach about divorce and adultery; what happens after death; causing someone to sin and the terrible consequences of such actions; and repentance and forgiveness. And as important as those ideas were, they were going in one ear and out the other of His disciples, because the disciples were still stuck on what Jesus had said about faith, and faithfulness.

So, when Jesus took a breath, the disciples ask a seemingly unrelated question to what Jesus just said. Because they were really trying to clarify and expand on this issue of faith and faithfulness in chapter 16. So Jesus uses an interesting word picture to expand on the topic that the disciples are interested in. That's our focus for today…

Luke 17:5-6 5 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.

C. Single Idea About God

Like all of Jesus' word pictures and parables, this one teaches us a single thing about God. And I believe that this is a very providential word picture for us to study at this time in our church's history, and in our nation's history. Let me explain what I mean...

First of all, the terrorist attacks that took place in New York City and Washington D.C. this past week have shaken the core of many people's faith-maybe you're one of those, and that's why you're here this morning. Your wondering, Is God really in control? We're the good guys, why is this happening to us? Is this the end of the world? Why do bad things happen to innocent people? Understand, to be able to handle this situation with confidence and without fear requires faith. So some of you may be saying to God, "Increase my faith in You." Or "Give me a better faith in You."

Second, on our local church level, for one of the first times in Palm Springs Baptist Church's history, we are really operating our church under a faith-based budget. We adopted an aggressive budget for 2001 that is designed to help us begin penetrating our community with the Gospel of Christ like never before. And the budget is so big, that unless God intervenes and somehow provides $35,000 from a source outside of our normal giving, we are guaranteed to fail in the meeting of our financial obligations-that's a faith-based budget.

And here we are, September 16, and God still hasn't provided that 35 grand. So, like the disciples, we are collectively saying, "Increase our faith!"

And here's where the key concept of this word picture becomes so important. So, before we go any farther, let me give you the single concept of God that is found in this word picture, and then I want to help you with some practical application. Here it is-God increases your faith after He cleans your roots.

II. We'd Like to See Big Faith in Action

I don't think there is a person in this room that wouldn't like to see some really big results take place in our personal lives, our nation's life, or this church's life because of our faith in God's ability.

A. George Mueller

George Mueller was known as a great man of faith in the 1800's. He lived in England. And on faith, he built orphanages, and helped fund the China Inland Mission. Mueller never asked for financial support, despite having a ministry budget that was more than 10 times what our church budget is right now. Instead, he prayed in every penny for these godly works. Sometimes it was tremendously huge sums of money that came in at the last minute. To many Christians, George Mueller was the epitome of a man of faith.

B. Rees Howells

Another man who saw great results in the Kingdom of God through his faith, who lived just the generation after Mueller, was a Welshman by the name of Rees Howells. Howells was nicknamed "The Intercessor". If you ever read Howells' biography, you'll see story after story of miraculous answers to prayer. Without any money, he managed to purchase massive estate after estate in the country of Wales to set up The Bible College of Wales, a home for missionary children, and a home for orphaned Jews coming out of Germany during another war-World War 2. Just like George Mueller, Howells prayed in every cent that was needed. And it usually came just in the nick of time.

C. Mike and Vivian Martin

Yet another man of faith was Mike Martin. Some of our Oregon "snowbirds" introduced me to this book (By Faith-The Story of King's Garden by Mike and Vivian Martin). Mike Martin was the brother of Vernon Martin, who is part of our church during "the season". Mike was a guy who started a ministry that's now known as CHRISTA MINISTRIES that has a worldwide impact through a variety of international ministries. This guy had so much faith that sometimes when he felt God telling him, he would invite people to his home for a meal, and not have anything in the house to serve them. He literally trusted God to supply everything. Then when the family showed up, they were the ones who brought the food. The book is filled with story after story after story of how Mike and his wife Vivian, demonstrated a strong faith, and how God never once let them down.

Now, when you and I look at individuals like these, we generally look at their vision, the things they accomplished, the resolve they had to get through difficult circumstances, and the lack of fear they showed in times of great adversity and we say, "Now that's the faith I want to have," or "That's the faith I'd like to see manifested in our church's life".

When we do that, we are looking at the results of their faith-not at their faith. You see, the results of faith are not at all what God is looking at with us. When God looks at people like George Mueller, or Rees Howells or Mike and Vivian Martin, and you and me, He measures faith very differently than how we would measure faith.

You see, true faith, in God's eyes, has nothing to do with the size or the amount of work you or I try to accomplish for God's Kingdom. It has nothing to do with adverse circumstances or terrorist acts. Instead, real faith has to do with the focus and direction of our lives. God is concerned with what you are becoming. That's why this word picture is so important. God increases your faith after He cleans your roots.

Keep that in mind as we look closely at the word picture.

III. Mustard Seed Faith in Uprooting Sin

A. Increase Faith

Look again at verse 6 of Luke 17…

Luke 17:6 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.

I've always pictured a person with just the faith of a very small seed, being able to talk to a tree, make it uproot itself from the ground, float through the air and stick itself in the middle of the sea. And I thought, wow! That would be spectacular! That would be real faith! But would it?

-First of all, a mulberry tree would die within a day if you planted it in the middle of the sea. Too much water, and too much salty sea water would kill it right away. -Second, God's isn't a showman. He doesn't do or suggest that we do things for the sake of showing off.

So what is the meaning here? Does it mean that God is the God of the impossible? Well, that's true, He is! But that's not what's being taught here.

Think about this. -Even in Jesus' time, about 6 or 8 burly men could dig out a mulberry tree, carry it to the sea, wade out in the water, and stick it in a hole. Not much faith there-just a lot of grunt work. -Even today, all you need is about $800, and Davey Tree Service will come out with a tree transplanting machine on the back of a truck, dig around the tree, uproot it, and move it from your yard over to the Salton Sea. That doesn't require faith, that just requires money.

I'm convinced that the key to understanding this word picture is in the process of uprooting.

I believe the statement about uprooting the mulberry tree, or removing it's roots has to do with what's in our heart, or our core. It signifies hidden things we have to deal with before God will increase our faith.

Folks this is what Jesus is saying to our church, "Before you believe in God to provide $35,000 to meet your budgetary needs, you need to do some uprooting. or "Before you can rest in the assurance that God is in control of all circumstances, you need to do some uprooting.

"And you don't need some great apostolic faith to do that. All you need is a little bit of faith that God will cleanse you from all unrighteousness, in the sea of His forgiveness."

Friends, it's only when we have faith that God can and will forgive our sin and make us clean, that He will be able to increase our faith so we can start experiencing the really big things and start winning some spiritual battles. That's what happened in the life of George Mueller, Rees Howells, and Mike and Vivian Martin. God increased each of their faith after He cleansed their roots. On the front of your WIG's this morning is a quote by David Wilkerson (author of The Cross and the Switchblade)…

"If we knowingly allow an evil root to remain in us, we forfeit all our spiritual weapons against the devil. First we lose our grip on our sword. Then we're stripped of all armor. Finally, we lose the will to fight. Tell me, how can we pull down strongholds if we have no weapons left?" (Times Square Church Pulpit Series, 8/6/01)

One of the most pathetic scenarios I can imagine is a follower of God trying to do great things for God, or trying to find comfort in God, but is doomed to failure and disappointment, because that person still has sin in his or her heart that hasn't been uprooted and cleansed. Let me show you what I mean with an example in the Old Testament…

IV. Old Testament Example of King Saul and the Israelites

A. Story of Saul's Disobedience

In 1 Samuel 12, the newly crowned king, Saul, and his army of 300,000 Israelites soundly defeated the Ammonites at the town of Jabesh-Gilead. Israel's confidence soared because of this great victory. But God warned them…

1 Samuel 12:15 15 But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Then in chapter 13, Saul and the people of Israel started disobeying God. Saul impatiently and with pride decided that he could be a priest, and he offered a sacrifice to God, before going into battle. But instead of being indignant with their king for disobeying God, the Israelites agreed with him and defended his actions.

Then Samuel, the prophet arrived on the scene, he spoke these words to Saul…

1 Samuel 13:13 13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.

Immediately, we see the results of Israel's and Saul's disobedience. Just four verses later, we read…

1 Samuel 13:17 17 Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments.

Three military units broke off from the Philistines main army, and spread out through Israel, raiding the villages. These invaders took all the goods they could, plus they took all the Israelite's weapons.

Now, why didn't God's people stand up to the raiding parties of the Philistines? They were the "good guys". They were the original country who said, "In God we Trust". Plus, they had plenty of weapons-and, they had just beaten the Ammonites, so they had additional weapons as well!

But the sad truth was, the Israelites had no fighting spirit left, because of their sin. As soon as they saw the enemy coming, they fled in fear.

So, after the raid, the Israelites were left with nothing to defend themselves and no weapons with which to war. All they had left were pitchforks, plows and other farm implements. And they couldn't even forge these farm implements into weapons because there were no blacksmiths left…

1 Samuel 13:19 19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"

The Philistines had wiped them all out!

B. Application

God's message from this incident from Israel's history is in essence the same one that Jesus was teaching us in Luke 17… "If you continue to disobey me, I'll no longer walk with you. You may appear to be doing my work. But you'll only be doing the work of man, not of God. You will have no supernatural power, nor will you have my blessing."

Friends, faith is primarily about obedience-knowing God's Word and doing God's Word, no matter what. And Satan knows this . That's why he wants you to keep clinging to that last remaining dirty root in your heart. He knows that that un-confessed sin or that core disobedience that you're hanging on to will… …strip you of all your defenses, …rob you of the weapons of your spiritual warfare, …and neutralize your fighting spirit.

Saul and the nation of Israel are frightening examples for us of what happens to faith when our roots aren't clean.

When we allow sin to stay rooted in our hearts, and we are asked to do something that requires a God-sized intervention and faith, we are guaranteed to become confused, impatient, panic-stricken, angry, blaming, double-minded and afraid…, rather than victorious.

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Most of you know my story. I was a man with two deep rooted sins in my life-pride and greed. In 1988, God had to humble me, and I had to confess my sin of pride and greed to Him. I mean, I thought I had two great weapons, at my disposal for spiritual battles-God's Word and prayer. But tragically, I didn't! Those were taken from me because of my sin. David states…

Psalms 66:18 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

Friends, the lesson of the mustard seed and the mulberry tree is simple. We have to examine our hearts-the core of our being and if we see any evil roots of sin hanging out there, we have to simply say to those evil roots, "Be uprooted and get washed in the sea of God's forgiveness." And then have just the smallest amount of faith that God will do exactly what he says He'll do…

1 John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

God increases your faith after He cleans your roots.

V. Conclusion

So, what does God have to clean in your heart? An addiction to Pornography? A defeatist attitude? An anger and hatred that you will not let go of? Greed? Lust? Some kind of sexual immorality? A refusal to submit to authority? Pride? Substance abuse? Self-centeredness? Bigotry? Envy? Lying? Laziness? Materialism? Gluttony? Dis-unity? Arguing and complaining?

Illustration: One night when a father was tucking his two little boys in bed, he said, "Tonight we're going to talk about sin. Do you know what the word sin means?"

His seven-year-old, whose name was Keith, spoke up. "It's when you do something bad."

The other boy, a four-year-old widened his eyes, and said. "I know a big sin Keith did today."

Keith shot his little brother an angry look and said, "Hey, you take care of your sins, and I'll take care of mine."

And folks, I wish I could take care of your sins so your faith can increase, but I can't. That's a voluntary thing on your part. That's part of the freewill that we all have been given.

But understand something very important. If you're going to increase your faith, then you have got to make sure that your individual roots are cleansed in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Because God increases your faith after He cleans your roots. It doesn't happen any other way. 

Amen.