Lord, increase our faith!

 

Sermon for Pentecost 17, October 5, 2025

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Luke 17:1-10  Jesus said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!  ²It would be better for that person if a millstone would be hung around his neck and he would be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.  ³Watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him.  If he repents, forgive him.  ⁴Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”  ⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”  ⁶The Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.  ⁷Which one of you who has a servant plowing or taking care of sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at the table’?  ⁸Won’t the master tell him instead, ‘Prepare my supper, and after you are properly dressed, serve me while I eat and drink.  After that you may eat and drink’?  ⁹He does not thank the servant because he did what he was commanded to do, does he?  ¹⁰So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants.  We have only done what we were supposed to do.’” (EHV)

Lord, increase our faith!

Dear fellow redeemed,

            Have you ever sat down and considered how often we deserve the fate Jesus described in our text?  St. Paul, in his letter to the Roman congregation said, “The wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23) so we know we deserve death—even eternal death—for every time we sin.  Yet, on top of that, Jesus teaches us here that we deserve that condemnation likewise for every time we even inadvertently cause someone else to sin. 

So, again, I ask, have you ever caused anyone else unrighteous anger?  Has something you have done given the impression that it is okay to disobey God’s command or invitation?  Is our Christian witness ever so lackadaisical that people imagine the faith we have been given doesn’t matter?  Is there anything in your past, or present, that might lead another sinner to avoid attending our church services?  Have we ever inadvertently given others the impression that it is okay to disobey any of God’s Ten Commandments?

The first part of our text shows us that we are unworthy sinners who deserve that millstone around our neck and drowning in the sea.  We deserve eternal punishment and rejection from God.  Yet, Jesus then goes on to teach us to forgive without reservation those who sin against us.  As many times as someone hurts us but then repents of that sin, it is our duty and obligation to forgive- and to forgive completely without regard to cost or any compensation.

Because these two things seem incompatible to our broken, sinful natures, we would beg along with Jesus’ disciples, Lord, increase our faith!  We need faith in Jesus to repent of our sins.  In truth, we need God’s Word and the faith the Holy Spirit works in our hearts even just to feel remorse for our guilt.  Then in order for us to forgive as Jesus instructs, we need to know God’s forgiveness for us.  That is the only thing that can make this make sense to the fallen mind.

Because, like us, the disciples found this level of repetitive, unearned forgiveness so difficult to grant, Jesus told a parable to show that faith makes what we are commanded to do possible.  In the ways of the world, crime must be punished, wrongs must be avenged, debts—even inadvertently caused losses—must be repaid to the injured party.  Jesus tells us to forgive and forgive and forgive—unreservedly, willingly, gladly.  It goes against our nature.  It especially goes against what the world imagines about an Almighty God.  Without faith in the Savior, we are weak and helpless, but forgiven by Christ, we see God working through us to work repentance and forgiveness among sinners.

The law written in our hearts tells us that we owe a debt to God for our sins.  Sometimes then, we who imagine ourselves to be relatively good compared to so many in the world around us, calculate that those who sin against us also owe us some recompense to be forgiven.  However, Jesus is teaching us to do what He has done for us.  By the grace of the Father’s love, Jesus took our place in punishment and death for our sins.  St. Paul explained, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) Therefore, through Jesus, God has completely wiped away all our guilt and forgiven us for every sin.

Every time you repent of sin, the Word of God tells us, “Yes, your sin is paid for on the cross; you are therefore counted righteous in the courts of the Lord.”  Thus, a few moments ago, you as a congregation of believers confessed your sins before God, and by God’s command and desire, my mouth spoke God’s absolution to you all.  Time and again, we gather together to be assured that “For Jesus’ sake, your sins are forgiven.”  Believe it.  Trust it. 

Throughout His life on earth, Jesus demonstrated for us what perfect faith in His Father’s love and providence could do.  It could heal the blind and lame, feed thousands with five loaves and two small fish.  With His perfect faith, Jesus drove out demons and brought dead bodies back to life.  Most important, with His perfect trust in His Father’s love intact, Jesus, rose from the dead Easter morning just as He promised He would, thereby also guaranteeing that every word He has spoken is certain and true.

The last half of our text addresses our desire for recognition.  Because we are still dragging around the corrupt flesh of the natural body, we have an expectation to be recognized when we do good things.  We want to be rewarded for our work.  We desire to be acknowledged as children of God.  In the business world, this idea makes perfect sense, so the manager who can honestly make his people feel valued will likely be very successful.  People will want to work diligently for him or her.

However, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, and when I say that, don’t imagine that the Kingdom of Heaven is some cruel place where we will be treated like dogs.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Yet, for now, we live in the kingdom of the world, and the world treated Jesus like the worst sinner and criminal the world has ever seen.  Thus, Jesus warned His disciples, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, for that very reason the world hates you.  Remember the saying I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too.” (John 15:19-20)

In the Roman Empire of Jesus’ day, no master would have been worried about whether his servant felt appreciated.  They owned those individuals and expected complete subservience and faithful service.  That illustrates what Christians might often feel about our service in the Kingdom of God.  Because we serve our Savior here in this world of sin, we can expect that we won’t receive praise and commendation.  Instead, we should expect to work tirelessly without reward.

At the same time, however, because we have been bought out of slavery to sin and the devil, we are now owned by the One who paid the price for our release from the tormentor’s whims.  We have been purchased by the benevolent Son of God who gave His own lifeblood to set us free from eternal condemnation.  For His great purchase price and the joy we now have to serve a Lord who truly loves us and gave His own life to save us, we should serve without reserve, and without expectation of any thanks or praise.  Thus, Jesus told His disciples, “So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants.  We have only done what we were supposed to do.’”

Meanwhile, we might ask ourselves, what glory did Jesus receive from the world after sacrificing His own life so that we might enjoy everlasting life?  From the people of the world, Jesus continues to receive rebellion and mockery, outright rejection and the mistreatment of His servants, brothers, and sisters.  Because the devil and his wicked hoards still torment the world, the God who created this world and everything in it is still being questioned, His existence still even doubted, and His authority rejected.

This is why those who have been rescued from eternal condemnation through the power of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament cry out pleading, Lord, increase our faith!  Increase our faith, Lord, so that we don’t despair.  Increase our faith so that we do the work You give us without any desire or need for earthly recognition.  Increase our faith, Lord, so that while You are always walking with us, we never doubt Your presence, Your comfort, or Your power to save and to move mountains.  Increase our faith, Lord, so that we always forgive as You forgive.  Increase our faith so that we seek the best for our fellow man and especially that we focus on the work you give us personally, for Jesus command to His disciples is also His command to us: "Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

In this mission, we each have our roles.  Therefore, it behooves us to ask and pray, Lord, teach me to do Your will.  Help me to recognize the opportunities around me to invite the stranger to come into Your kingdom through hearing Your Word in our worship services or personal witness.  Help us to give of ourselves so that others may learn of Jesus’ sacrifice and salvation.  Ask the Lord to help you recognize how you might serve those around you so that they realize you have something great to offer them. 

When it comes to outreach with the Good News of what Jesus has done to set us free from sin, death, and the devil, it is easy for us to say, well that is someone else’s job.  Let the pastor, or maybe the elders reach out to the lost.  However, we each have opportunities to develop relationships that allow asking the question, “Do you know the Savior?  Do you have a pastor to lead you to Him?”  This is again where we all can plead, Lord, increase our faith!  Help us, Lord, to do those things that may make us nervous, or make our knees shake, or maybe put ourselves on the line for You, Lord.

As we go about our days trusting in Jesus as our Savior, and the Savior of the world, we won’t always receive the recognition our weak flesh might desire.  Many a Christian, even still today two thousand years after Jesus walked this earth, faces persecution and danger for walking with Jesus.  However, this world is rapidly nearing its end.  Time is running short for all of us to lead those near and dear to us to the cross of Jesus, so that they too will know His love and faithfulness which won for us forgiveness, peace with God, and life everlasting in the mansions of heaven. 

Even more important, so that we are always prepared to answer for the hope we have and empowered to serve our Lord as we should, He refreshes our souls with the life-giving power of His Gospel, and by His body and blood in the Holy Supper, Jesus nourishes our faith and refreshes our confidence in the forgiveness and peace we have with God.

In our Epistle lesson this morning, we read what Paul wrote to fellow believers in Thessalonica, “For this reason, we are always praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of your calling and use his power to fulfill every good desire and work of your faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, in keeping with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)  In heaven, the saints and angels sing praise to Jesus in timeless, unending peace.  When our time comes and we are called out of this world of sorrow and shame, may our humble, willing service to our Savior be commended with His words of ultimate affirmation, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)  Lord, increase our faith!  Amen.

Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.