“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 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.”
Luke 17:5-6 NIV
Faith…is the core, the crux, the pivot on which our entire lives as believers function…
“And, without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
So, what is faith? Is it some theological statement to which we give assent? Is it a magic formula that opens doors for us or through which we get what we want? Is it a crutch we lean on when troubles come?
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith! Can He do that?
First, let’s go back to the ancient Hebrew use of faith that will help us better understand faith’s pivotal role in our lives.
The ancient Hebrews were nomadic people. Their forefather, Abraham, lived in tents, moving from place to place according to his circumstances. God’s people spent forty years as nomads in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. They had to face the howling winds of the desert, living in tents that were vulnerable to the weather.
How would they secure their tents against the force of the wind? They would drive stakes deep into the ground to which they tied their guy ropes, just as campers do today. Their entire security in that environment depended on the reliability of the pegs in the ground.
What a simple, yet vivid picture of faith! In a mental and spiritual way, we anchor our existence to our ”tent peg”, Jesus, and lean our weight on Him for everything we are, do, and need. Therefore, faith is far more practical than merely giving assent to a truth. Faith is the invisible guy rope tied to Jesus that prevents us from blowing away in the winds of life.
Next, we must consider the reliability and ability of our “tent peg” to secure us in a dangerous world. Does He have authority to hold us steady, and does He have the power to do what He promises?
The big questions, for the religious leaders who opposed Jesus was, “From where does your authority come?” and “Who gave you this authority?” They rejected His response and, therefore, they rejected Him, despite the evidence of His works. They called Him a blasphemer and killed Him for claiming to be God.
“…The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”
Matthew 26:63-65 NIV
How did Jesus prove that He is the Son of God and that He has all authority in heaven and on earth to do whatever He says? Can we believe that what He says is true? Can we anchor our lives to Him because He is reliable?
Jesus made a prediction that would have been impossible to achieve if He were not who He said He was. He said He would rise from the dead…and He did!
“…and who, through the Spirit of holiness, was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Romans 1:4 NIV
Now, we were created incomplete and unsecured without a “tent peg”, the God who created us and from whom we draw our lives. If we have chosen Jesus as the “stake” to whom we have anchored our lives, not money or any security the world system offers…we must, as John counselled…
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 NIV
We will only be secure in Jesus because the world system is unreliable and transient. Its values are false and will fail. The only reliable “stake in the ground” is Jesus because He and His values are eternal.
Why can we trust Him? He is who He said He is and proved it by rising from the dead. Therefore, His promises are trustworthy. He has the authority and power to do what He said He will do because He lives under and has been given all authority by the Father.
“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”
John 12:48-49 NIV
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11 NIV
Therefore, when Jesus assured His disciples before He left them…
….“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
He meant it. We can lean all our weight on Him.
Now do you understand what faith really is…? Faith is anchoring our lives to Jesus because He is utterly reliable and has the authority and power to do what He has promised.
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
To be continued…