Living by faith

Preached at Christ church, Billericay on 6 October 2019 @10am

1. Reading Hab 1:1-4;2:1-4, Lk 17:5-10

   1. Introduction

“The righteous will live by faith.” it says in Romans 1:17, echoing the last verse of the reading from Habakkuk. So what does it mean “to live by faith”?

2. Live by faith 1

When I was young and a young Christian, this was one of those phases that I think none of us understood well enough. “It means that you listen to God and do as he tells you.” was one view. Yes, it does!

When I wake in the morning I listen to God, when He tells me to get up, I get up. When He tells me to get dressed I listen to him to see how He would like me dressed that day.

I end up dressed in jeans and smart jacket, without a shirt and only one sock.

So, that’s clearly not what it means, because we are not capable of listening to God that closely, neither I suspect is He that interested in how I dress.

3. Live by faith 2

I have also heard this phrase used as a reason not to buy insurance. In those cases it is usually coupled with the verse that says that God knows your needs. It is never coupled with the verses that talk about being responsible and looking after your family.

So, that’s clearly not what it means either.

4. Habakkuk

Let’s take a look at Habakkuk as see where the phrase came from, to try to see what it means.

We know absolutely nothing of Habakkuk beyond these words and dating the writing independently of it’s content is very difficult. What Habakkuk tells us is that the leadership in Judea is failing. There is no justice, the rule of law is breaking down. Violence and intimidation are used so that the leaders can do as they please. The first section ends with “The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”

You may see some parallels to our times there, but I’m not going down that route today.

5. Complaint & God’s first answer

Habakkuk has made his complaint to God. We skipped God’s first answer, so here it is in typical Pete abbreviated form.

God says: “I have a cure for that, the Babylonians are coming”. Imagine having a similar complain in the 1930’s and God’s answer is “I have a cure for that the Nazi’s are coming”.

Understandably Habakkuk is a little outraged and complains that the cure is much worse than the disease.

1. God’s second Answer

Then we get the start of God’s second answer. The first and most import part is that it is to be written down and preserved. It is not for now, but for a future time, Habakkuk must wait for it.

Then, still talking about the Babylonians, God goes on to give His prophecy, but not before the statement that the righteous man will live by his faith. That’s where we stop, if you want to find out more read the book later, it is only 4 chapters.

6. Faith vs Faithfulness

I started by mentioning Romans 1:17, here’s the full verse

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Paul also references the same verse in Galatians 3:11:

“Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

In both those verses the word translated faith, is more often translated faithfulness. Its definition is “Faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow”

Let’s not get too hung up on the details of translation, but rather concentrate on the ideas that the words carry.

“Faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow”

7. “Increase our faith”

So what are the apostles talking about when they say to Jesus, “Increase our faith”?

They are responding to a difficult command that Jesus has given them. Look at verse 3 of Luke Chapter 17:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

We heard yesterday of a remarkable case of forgiveness.

1. Brandt Jean

Amber Guyger a Texan policewoman was convicted of the murder of Botham Jean, who she shot, thinking he was an intruder. She was in the wrong apartment – one floor too high.

Brandt Jean, his brother gave her a hug in the courtroom and told her of his forgiveness. She was clearly sorry for her actions.

Brant is a remarkable young man.

Jesus told his apostles that they should forgive, and if the person is repentant forgive them again and again, on the same day. No limits were put on the actions that require forgiveness.

2. Mulberry Trees!

The apostles response: “Increase our faith”. I can understand that response, but Jesus’ comes back at them with a very strange answer.

“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.

Why would Jesus suggest that they may want to transplant a 35 foot tree into the sea? He then goes on to tell them a story of a servant. If you had a servant who has been out ploughing and looking after sheep would you say to him, ‘come sit and eat’, or would you say to him ‘prepare my supper and wait on me’.

When the servant did as he was told, would you then thank him?

The answers to Jesus’ questions are obvious. The servant is expected to do his job, to wait on his master and not to expect any thanks.

But what about the mulberry tree. I think that is hyperbole, as in ‘first remove the plank from your own eye...’ (Luke 6:42). Moving a mulberry tree, like that is incredibly difficult and entirely pointless. Jesus isn’t asking them to do miracles that look like magic, he’s simply asking them to obey the commands that He is giving them and not to expect any thanks.

8. Nature of a servant

That is the nature of a servant. A servant does not question his master, he trusts that what his master asks him to do is the right thing, and then he gets on and does it.

Let’s go back to that definition of the word translated faith:

Remember:

“Faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow”.

If we have belief, but no actions follow, can we truly count ourselves as the Lord’s servants, or are we simply conning ourselves.

Perhaps Jesus could have responded to the apostles request to have their faith increased with the simple instruction “Increase your obedience”, although I doubt it would have got the right response it is effectively what Jesus is saying. It’s a valid response too, because obedience works. It will increase our faith.

9. The Lords Commands

I started with two examples of faith I had heard as a young Christian. The reason that neither of them work is that they both ignore the standing orders of the servant of Christ.

These are clearly recorded in the Bible, I’m not going to give an extensive list this morning, but here are a few:

10. Luke 5:33-35 – Fasting

They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Jesus answered, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

11. Luke 6:29 – turn the other cheek

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.

12. Luke 9:24,25 – give up my life

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

13. Luke 12:16-21 – generosity to God

He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

14. Luke 14:12-14 – do good without the possibility of payback

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15. Finally

If we are to live by faith, or live faithfully, we must believe the Lords commands and obey them. We must recognise that we are His servants in all that we do and like Habakkuk we must wait patiently for His timing. And like the apostles, our obedience will increase our faith.

AMEN.