Have a Little Faith

As you begin the new year, have a little faith! Luke 17:5-6 says, "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' So the Lord said, 'If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'" In verse 5, the apostles asked Jesus to "increase our faith." It seems the apostles not only wanted enough faith for their souls to go to heaven, but they wanted heaven to be brought down to them! Jesus told them that even the smallest amount of faith does great things. He then compared their faith to a mustard seed.

The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It is used to develop mustard spice. The thought here is that it is so small it is within your reach. Compare that to the Mulberry tree. It is actually the Black Mulberry tree that is in view here. This tree often lives 400 to 600 years. It grows thirty-five feet tall, and has an extensive root system that spreads out forty feet and goes quite deep into the ground, making it nigh impossible to uproot. He told them that even with that little bit of faith they could uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea.

That is quite a statement! Faith, even when developed only to the size of a mustard seed, is enough! That is what Jesus said! "Faith" (v. 6), in the Greek, is a word that can be translated either "faith" or "faithfulness." It depends on the context. When referring to "head knowledge" becoming "heart knowledge," or in other words, "belief," it is usually translated "faith." When the context refers to "heart attitude" or "heart obedience," it is usually translated "faithfulness." Here the context is "heart obedience" and should be understood as "faithfulness."

Note the context: Verses 1-4 speak of forgiveness as an attitude of the heart. Note especially verses 3-4: "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Verses 7-10 again speak of "heart obedience" toward God. When you have done all that you are supposed to do, have the attitude as found in verse 10: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (RSV).

When you have this "heart obedience" toward God, then you will find that you have drawn near to Him. When you are near to God, He will guide you as to what you should do and how you should pray. Follow His guidance, and even that big mulberry tree can be uprooted! In other words, if you have left everything behind and have received Christ, and you are ready to follow Him and trust Him in all things, great things will happen.

What Jesus is saying here is this: "If God has led you to pray for something, expect it to happen!" If He leads you to pray for rain, bring your umbrellas to the prayer meeting! If you have faith as a mustard seed, God will make it happen! Expect great things from Him!

Remember, faith, or faithfulness, begins with leaving our old life and all we have behind for the sake of giving Christ control of our lives. Faith further involves our receiving Christ as Savior, and then following Him as Lord in our actions. The result of such actions of faith, is truly one of uprooting mulberry trees. It is one of seeing God do great things. Amen.

Let the Light of Christ Shine

When you have left the darkness of sin and have begun to live by the light of Christ, look what happens. The light of Christ that shines on us and in us, will also shine through us and out of us and from us, bringing others to Christ. Follow the positive progression of Isaiah 60:1-3: "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you" (v. 1). "But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you" (v. 2b). "The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising" (v. 3).

This means three things: First, we should live without the darkness of sin. We are in the light, not in the darkness. So we should not live in the darkness of sin any longer. Second, our life should be the opposite of that. We are in the light. So we should live a life of righteousness as children of light. Ephesians 5:8 says, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Our lives should be full of the fruit of the light of Christ: "all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Eph. 5:9). Third, the light of Jesus should be obvious in us. People should be able to look at us and see the light and radiance of Christ within us. When they do, they will be drawn to the Lord. As Isaiah said, "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (v. 3, NIV).

What happens is that those without Christ see that we have something they do not have. They see the light of the glory of Christ within us and they come to us for a closer look. By the grace of God, we become the light of Christ to the world. When people see someone living out their faith, they are attracted to it. It is a beautiful thing to see because it is a blessed life. Such a life of righteousness in Christ draws people to Him. We are called to live that type of life. Let the light of Christ shine through you and see others begin to come to Christ.

We must let the light of Christ shine through us to provide light for those who are lost so they can find their way to heaven. Without the light of Christ shining through us, our neighbors and friends who do not know Christ will stumble in their search for peace. Think, for a moment, of the plight of those unreached by the gospel. Millions do not know anything but spiritual darkness because no one has shared with them the light that has come into the world. Would you take that challenge?

When Isaiah wrote these words, he spoke of a great hope, a hope that reaches through the ages to us. He spoke of Christ and the hope of salvation. He spoke of the hope of a changed life that would attract others to Jesus. Grab hold of that hope and let the light of Christ shine in you. Let the light of Christ be reflected in your life. Amen.

Live By the Light of Christ

The whole book of Isaiah is a mixture of gloom and glory. So in Isaiah 60:1-2, Isaiah goes from light to darkness to light again. "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you" (vs. 1-2).

Notice that two times Isaiah talks about light as "glory" (vv. 1b, 2b). In Hebrew, the word "glory" has the meaning of being weighty or important. God certainly is weighty or important. He is the center of our lives. It is only in Him that we live and move and have our being. In fact, if we were to take God out of our lives for a millisecond, or out of this world, or out of the universe, do you know what would happen? If God were to be removed for even a millisecond, we would cease to exist, this world would crumble, and the universe would collapse and disappear. That's how important, or how weighty, God is.

According to Isaiah, this weighty presence of God has appeared. God has come with all the weight of His glory. He has come in all His brilliance and splendor. Isaiah sees the light and glory of God coming upon Jerusalem. Like a blazing sun, the glory of the Lord has risen upon Jerusalem, bathing it in His full and glaring light.

Throughout the ages, different people have come face-to-face with the glory of God. Moses said to the Lord, "Please show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:18). And the Lord replied, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live… Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen" (vv. 20-23). "The LORD passed before him" (Exodus 34:6) and when he came down from the mountain of God, "Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone" (v. 29). When the people saw Moses, they knew he had been with God. It was evident!

When Isaiah was called to be God's prophet, he had a vision in the temple. The Lord was seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. He saw seraphim flying around the throne and he heard them calling to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3). At the sound of their voices, the door posts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. After this, Isaiah was convinced that he was going to die because he was "a man of unclean lips" (v. 5)—a sinner who had seen the glory of the Lord.

The glory of God is especially displayed in the history of salvation. Remember the burning pillar of fire that was in front of Israel in the wilderness? The glory of the Lord was in that pillar of fire. The glory of God's presence threw the Egyptians into confusion. The glory of God's presence in the pillar of fire led the people safely through the wilderness (Exodus 13 & 14). We see the same glory of God at work at Jericho when its walls came tumbling down (Joshua 6:20). In fact, every work of salvation displays the light of the glory of God.

Most importantly, we see the light of the glory of God in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember what the angels said when the baby Jesus was born? "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14). Just before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed, "I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:4-5).

Christ's work brings glory to God. The coming of Christ to do His work as Savior and Lord is the light Isaiah is speaking of. The light of Christ "has come" (Isaiah 60:1a) and has called you out of the darkness of sin and into the light of His glory (v. 2). "Arise, shine!" (v. 1a). That is the command. Let God fill you with the light of Christ. Let God change you and make you like Christ. Live by the light of Christ. Amen.

Leave the Darkness of Sin

When Isaiah looks at the world around him, he sees so much darkness. He sees a world lost in sin. Isaiah 60:2a says, "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people." This is a darkness that cannot be penetrated. It is a deep darkness, a very dark darkness. For three hours on Good Friday, while Jesus hung on the cross dying for our sin, darkness descended upon the land at midday: "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (about noon to 3pm) there was darkness over all the land" (Matt. 27:45). It was an unnatural darkness, a thick darkness, a darkness without the glory of the presence of God. That is what Isaiah saw—a darkness caused by sin.

To be in "darkness" (Isa. 60:2a) means to not know God or the things of God. It means to be in rebellion against God, not trusting Him in any way. It means living under your own power; trusting only in yourself; making yourself the center of the universe. That describes many of the people in Israel in Isaiah's day. It was a time when Israel was not walking in the light with her God. In Isaiah 59:9-10 the people are well described: "Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places."

Isaiah 1:3 says, "The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider." In other words, the people are dumber than the ox and the donkey because these animals, at least, know their master. Hosea 4:6a adds, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." People fall into sin because they are ignorant of God and the things of God.

To live in darkness also means doing the deeds of darkness, shameful deeds that Paul instructs us to leave behind. "Therefore be imitators of God… And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us... But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you… neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5:1-5).

To live in darkness means wanting to have nothing to do with the light. John 1:5 says, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (or did not understand it). And John 3:19 adds, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." In other words, the world lives in the darkness of sin and wants nothing to do with the light of Christ. In fact, men of the world fear the light. They fear the light because it shows the darkness of sin for what it is and they do not want to let go of their sin.

The command then is to recognize this folly and respond to the light of the gospel of Christ by faith. As Isaiah 60:2b concludes: "But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you." God calls you out of darkness and into light. He calls you to leave the darkness of sin and turn to the light. He calls you to turn to Christ and follow Him faithfully. Amen.