AI-assisted analysis for orientation; read the source transcript or listen to the sermon to evaluate the interpretation.
The sermon places faith at the center of salvation, insisting that no external morality or religious activity can replace genuine belief. Faith unites the sinner to Christ, receives God’s blessings, strengthens prayer, enables Christian duty, and provides comfort in suffering and death. Believers are therefore called to pursue continual growth rather than spiritual stagnation, while recognizing that God alone gives and increases faith. Those without faith are urged first to receive saving faith, since increased faith presupposes faith’s initial existence.
Theological center: Salvation and Christian life depend on God-given faith in Christ, and God alone is the author and increaser of that faith.
Applications: Pray for increased faith · Examine your faith · Pursue spiritual growth · Receive saving faith
Primary texts: Luke 17:5-6 · Matthew 15:27-28 · John 3:36
“And the apostle said unto the Lord, increase our faith.” Luke 17:5 VERILY if the apostle said this, one and all of us had need take up the prayer. If the twelve mightiest in the army of the Lord of hosts had need of such a supplication, what shall we say who are but the interior soldiers—the feeblest saints? If you hope to win the day, does it not well become us to pray, “Increase our faith”? It is a matter of dispute as to the occasion when these words were uttered. Some think that we must look at the connection of the chapter for the explanation. Jesus Christ had been teaching His disciples that if their brother should trespass against them seven times a day, and seven times a day turned again to them saying, I repent, they were to forgive him, and that constrained the apostle to say, “Increase our faith.” They conceived it to be so hard a duty to incessantly pardon and constantly to forgive, that they felt unable to accomplish it without a large increase of faith. Others think—very possibly with greater truth—that the prayer was offered when the apostles endeavored to cast out the evil spirits from the poor demoniac and failed in the attempt. “And they said to Jesus, why could not we cast him out? And he said, verily, if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” Then they said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” However, whatever the occasion in this particular instance, we shall always find good enough occasion for presenting the prayer, and I know not but this morning may be a season when each of us may have special necessity to put it up to God, “Increase our faith.” Proceeding at once to the subject, the first thing we shall consider is the object of their solicitude. It was their “faith.” Secondly, the desire of their hearts, “Increase our faith.” And then, thirdly the person on whom they trusted to strengthen their faith, “They said to the Lord, increase our faith.” I. First, then, THE OBJECT OF THEIR SOLICITUDE WAS THEIR FAITH. Faith is of the utmost importance to a Christian. There is nothing of which we should have a greater and a more earnest concern than our faith. I shall endeavor to show you this from seven or eight reasons, and may God press them to your hearts and send them so home, that every one of us may become deeply anxious as to whether we have a real vital faith which unites us to the Lamb and brings salvation to our souls. 1. We ought, my friends, to be extremely careful of our faith—both of its rightness…