According to our Savior and Lord what we say and what we do not only has a great impact on ourselves, but upon others. Furthermore, Jesus warns that what is typically translated as “temptations,” “offenses,” or “stumbling blocks” in Luke 17:1 can in fact be faith-killing death-traps! How many people have had their faith in God crumble due to the actions or words of others?

Conversely, the Lord teaches us that our words and actions can have an amazing impact for HELPING our fellow Christians! We are actually called in this Gospel to serve each other through a prescription of words designed to save the souls of those around us through Jesus ministry in and through His people! This call can be daunting! But the apostles knew just how to respond. “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Add to our faith!'” (Luke 17:5)

And in response Jesus gives a fascinating response: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed…” (Luke 17:6). This is the same faith that the Lord gave to you in and through your holy baptism; and it is the same faith that our Lord adds to in and through the Sacrament. This is a miraculous faith that shares the Word of Christ leading to the transplanting of people from the kingdom of the world to the kingdom of God!

Tomorrow morning we gain further insight on this faith the size of a grain of mustard seed!

We will also be fed with Holy Communion as Jesus is both host and guest in the Divine Service!

In addition, we will offer a children’s message and then continue to serve after Divine Service with Sunday School for the children and Bible Study for all adults! Invite a friend to be blessed in the comforting and liberating Word of Jesus!

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s sermon:

“Even Faith Like A Grain of Mustard Seed” (Luke 17:1-10)

October 6^th, 2013

Pastor Espinosa

 

            Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We remain in the season of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit through the Word of Christ also teaches us how to live as disciples of Jesus. We are being reminded that while faith in Jesus alone is our salvation, that such genuine faith is never alone; a real life follows. We pray that the Lord would open our eyes and lead us to live as we are called to live in Christ, through the power of His Word which creates and nourishes faith, and of course through the Holy Spirit given to the Church at Pentecost and given to you personally at your little Pentecost when you were baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. This morning’s Gospel — Luke 17:1-10 — is another place in God’s Word describing your new life. By God’s grace, may these words be more than just words to us; may we live them out!

 

            The practical concern that Jesus expressed as recorded in Luke 17 is that the Pharisees and the scribes were causing dangerous offense to the people who were inclined to believe in Jesus and who were in fact already coming to faith in Him (Lenski, Interpretation of Luke’s Gospel, 862). These precious “little ones” of Jesus, however, were now being threatened by the false teaching of those attacking Christ. These attacks are variously translated as “temptations,” “stumbling blocks,” or “offenses,” and Jesus said that it is impossible that these would not occur. They do occur and will continue to occur, because of the evil in the world. You must count on this Christian, you must be prepared and you must be on high alert. However, these translations might not be severe enough to get the point across. What was happening here and what still happens to this day is that these “temptations” and “stumbling blocks” are like deathtraps that can destroy another person’s faith.

 

            Francis Pieper gives a good definition of what the issue is: “Seducing others to sin the Scriptures call ‘giving offense,’…We may define it thus: To give offense means to teach or to do something by which we lead another not to believe or to believe error or to lead a wicked life and thus cause him, as far as we are involved, to perish eternally (Christian Dogmatics, Vol. I, 561).”

 

                All of this teaches us dear Christians that how we live – what we do and do not do – and how we speak – what we say and do not say is very important indeed. We are not islands unto ourselves. It matters what we do and say. The Christian who says, “What I do is nobody’s business!” is speaking in ignorance. Cain asked God the terribly ignorant and sinful question, “Am I my brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9)?” Answer: As a matter a fact, yes you are! We are called to encourage each other, not tear each other down; we are called to protect each other, not harm each other. Ask any parent who understands their high responsibility: “Does it matter what your children hear you say? Does it matter what your children see you do?” Answer: absolutely! Does it matter what your children say and do at school since they represent their family, their church, and their Lord? Answer: you betcha! Can our words and actions lead others to sin? Answer: yes! Is it possible for our words and actions to negatively impact someone so much that that other person could lose their faith (a terrifying prospect)?! With fear and trembling, we must admit the truth: the answer is yes.

 

                 Judas was tempted for possessions and the love of power and it led to his apostasy (Just, Luke 9:51-24:53, 643). I once knew a woman who was so terrified by what a pastor taught in Bible Study about predestination, that she said she would never go back to Bible Study again (thank God that she did come back). But how many people have we heard of who were so hurt and offended in a church, that they have declared that they will never go back?! In 2006, Richard Dawkins released his atrocious bestseller The God Delusion. Afterwards I was watching an episode of 20/20 (if I’m thinking of the right program): There were two Christian pastors — with cloaked faces and altered voices — testifying that they had lost their faith from reading this book (the really terrifying thing is that they continued to be pastors)! By the way, Alister McGrath with his wife Joanna wrote an effective Christian apologetic in response to the Dawkins’ book entitled The Dawkins Delusion. Michael Ruse, Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University states on the cover: “The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why.”

I look forward to seeing you in God’s house tomorrow morning!

In Your Service and To Christ’s Glory,

Pastor Espinosa