Lesson 48
Power of Faith
Luke 17:1-11
There is a story that for all practical purposes has been proven to be untrue. It does however paints a picture of real faith and how a person recognizes and deals with the stumbling blocks in his life. The story goes that there was a professor at USC who was an atheist. Every year for over twenty years he would begin the year proclaiming that by the end of the semester he would destroy the faith of any Christian in his class. His main tact came at the end of the semester when he would ask if anyone still believed in God. No one ever stood up.
In one of his philosophy classes there was a young man who took the required course. For the whole semester he prayed every morning that when the time came he would remain true to his faith. As was his practice the professor asked the question. To his surprise the young man rose up from the back of the room. The professor then called him a fool and said that there was as much a chance of there being a God as it was for him to drop a piece of chalk to floor and God keeping it from being broken. As he dropped the chalk it accidentally caught the cuff of his shirt then got caught in the pleats in his pants sliding down his pants leg and rolled off his shoe intact. The professor fled from the room. This opened the opportunity for the young man to share his faith with his classmates. Although just a story it does show the power of faith.
There is always a danger that we in the church could easily have the attributes of the professor in the story. I do not mean that we are so blatant in our opposition of the God of the Scriptures. The problem is our willingness to water down God’s word and compromise with the world. When we teach anything contrary to the Bible we possibly mislead others and may even be guilty of driving people away from the church. We should be like the young man who stood by his faith even in the face of ridicule and persecution he expected to experience. As was true with him each day of our lives should have prayer as integral part of it. The tools are in our hands what are we going to do with them?
Luke 17:1-2
Jesus made it clear that there would always be those who would make it difficult for others to believe the message of the gospel. The Pharisees had proven to be stumbling blocks to the Jews having any hope of salvation with all their oral traditions and self-serving interpretations of the Law.
There was destiny for those individuals. It would have been better for them to have been cast into the sea and died before they misled one single person.
- Why is so important to understand God’s word? (So we will never cause anyone to stumble.)
- What does it take for one to be judged as someone who causes others to stumble?
- What have you done in your life that may have caused someone to stumble?
- In what ways did the religious leaders reflect the characteristics of one who causes others to stumble?
- What can you do to make sure that you do not cause anyone to stumble?
Luke 17:3-4
Everyone sins. Jesus knew that no man is perfect. Paul wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). It was not a case of if a man sinned but when. Why was it so important to have a brother around to get him or her back on track? Jesus used a pretty powerful word in describing how to deal with one’s sins. He told His disciples to rebuke the person who had committed a rebellious act towards God. To rebuke is to reprimand someone for his actions. Notice it was sin in general not one done against the person reprimanding his brother in Christ. It is the person who repents when confronted who is to be forgiven seven times a day.
- What is the one thing that we know about sin? (Everyone sins.)
- How do we know this fact? (Romans 3:23)
- What is our responsibility when a brother sins?
- What gives us the right? (We are to point the person back to God’s word.)
- Why did Jesus say that we are to forgive seven times a day? (We are not picture as the one to judge another.)
Luke 17:5-6
It is interesting that Luke called the men apostles in verse 5. These were the men who would eventually be sent out in the name Christ. At this point they were not acting like men who would be responsible for the future sharing of the gospel with the world. They came to Jesus asking that their faith be increased. Rather than answering them He told them a short parable. Their faith did not have to great they just had to have it even if as small as a mustard seed. God use the smallest amount of faith to accomplish those things that would glorify Him. The point was not to use what faith they had for frivolous acts.
- Why did Luke call the men apostles at this point in the ministry of Jesus? (This is what they were to become.)
- Why did they believe that they would need more faith? (They saw the task ahead of them as overwhelming. To accomplish what Jesus was doing was more than they thought they could do.)
- Why did He use the example of the mustard seed? (It is not how much faith one has but what God can do with what we have.)
- What was the point Jesus was making? (Not to use our faith unwisely but for the glory of God.)
- How can we show that we trust God?
Luke 17:7-10
Following up on the apostles’ request, He told another story about how they could grow. A slave had the responsibility of taking care of his master’s needs. He was not to provide for himself before he finished the tasks to which he had been assigned. To grow in one’s faith use the gifts and abilities God has given to carry out the tasks that God has called one to carry out. By serving a person grows. Faith like other aspects of one’s life will either be strengthened by constant use or atrophy by neglecting them. Man’s only responsibility is to do the work of God with gladness.
- Why did Jesus follow the story of the mustard seed with the one about the slave? (We are not to concentrate on growing our faith but in serving.)
- When do we realize that we trust God more? (Looking back on the experiences through which He has brought us.)
- How are you using the gifts and abilities God has given you?
- What is the danger of not using them?
- What happens to a slave who is no longer able to carry out the responsibilities assigned to him?
Luke 17:11-19
Jesus was continuing in His journey toward Jerusalem. On His way He entered a village between Samaria and Galilee. The first people to greet him were ten lepers who cried out to Him to a have mercy on them. Although they did not ask for healing, Jesus understood their need. From a distance He gave one command. They were to go and present themselves to the priest as one’s who had been cleansed from leprosy. It took faith to believe that something was about to change in their lives. They had yet been cured but began to do as Jesus commanded. In the act of going they were healed.
Out of the ten only one of them turned around and came back to Jesus glorifying God for what just occurred. The others continued on their way. They were doing what the Law demanded. The one who returned to give thanks turned out to be a Samaritan. While the other nine had their religious tradition to follow, the one who returned only had Jesus. Jesus wondered at the actions of the other nine. Why had the other not returned? The other nine men received physical healing but did not give God the glory. They were headed back into their old way of following a dead religion. The Samaritan received much more. His faith brought about a healing of both body and spirit. His one act of coming back to Jesus was enough to set him completely free.
- Why was Jesus willing to stop and honor the request of the ten lepers?
- What did the disease do? (Broke down cultural barriers?
- What did the men request of Jesus?
- What was the true need of each man?
- What were the nine men concerned about? (Being clean in the eyes of the religious leaders so they could once again be accepted into the Jewish society.)
- Why did the Samaritan return to Jesus? (He was not bound by the Law being an outsider.)
- What did he show that the others were missing? (Real thanksgiving for what he had received?
- What did he gain that the others missed? (Healing of both body and spirit?
- For what are you most thankful in your life?
- How is all of chapter 17 so far a picture of faith and its power?
- Look at Matthew 10:19 for encouragement to stand up for your faith when facing opposition.
- Take inventory of your own life to see if any way you have been or are a stumbling block to others.
- Follow Jesus’ instruction of reprimanding those who sin.
- Take care that when rebuking someone that you base it on God’s word.
- Concentrate on Serving God and not trying to increase your faith. The more you understand what God is doing for you and through you will cause your trust to grow.
- Like Jesus take time to take care of the needs of others even when it means you have to stop what you were previously doing.
- Understand it is imperative to give Christ all the glory for the mercy he has shown to us.
- Remember before Christ we are all equal.
This lesson is full of a variety of teachings that are important in the life of the church. One way to protect ourselves from be a stumbling block is to spend time each date learning the truth from God’s word. This kind of dedication will provide us with the tools to disciple others in a Christ-like way. We are to be on the alert to keep our fellow believers from falling going down and errant path. Those who are mature in the faith are to correct them when they stray. Of course this is to be done with all humility realizing that each of us is a sinner saved by grace.
Finally the healing of the ten lepers shows the dangers of getter caught up in religious traditions. We are all the recipients of God’s grace. It is He before whom we are to fall down in worship.