Today Sunday February 23rd, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Love Your Enemies” (Matthew 5:44)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Love Your Enemies”
(Matthew 5:44)
Pastor Espinosa
Introduction: We must be VERY careful with Matthew 5!
A. A popular take is to treat it as hyperbole. A mistaken view is that God’s whole purpose here is to make us think that these things are impossible! Therefore He shows us our sin. Be careful!
B. Just because there is extraordinary language here doesn’t mean that these descriptions of the new life are unrealistic (nor do these contradict grace alone). Not in the least.
C. We just need to know what our Lord’s words mean.
1. Matthew 5:23-24. Should lead us to be reconciled…and after last Sunday’s sermon through Dr. Stoterau…it happened! A member of our congregation shared what actually occurred! What a gift God’s Word really is…the Holy Spirit works through the Word for us to live differently! That is the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus and Jesus lives in His people and leads His people! This is the new life! It is transformative…and this too is by grace!
2. But “tearing out your eye” and “cutting off your hand” is not in the realm of what is impossible. No the Lord is not teaching self-mutilation which would set up an interesting dilemma: in that case God who prohibits suicide would be inviting you to break His own Word. Of course not! We must understand the images: these words describe repentance: we are led to crucify the flesh; mortify it; kill it; drown it…now apply these biblical concepts/real Christian life concepts to what Jesus teaches here: how do we tear out the eye in respect to repentance? How do we cut off the hand in respect to repentance?
Answer: you “pull these away” from the committing of sin; you tear away from what would lead you to sin; you cut off what would permit sin to engulf you.
Think of King David on the balcony…God called him to tear out his eye in regard to Bethsheba. Because he did not, sin took over and engulfed David.
3. This is why we pray the 6th petition in the Lord’s Prayer: “and lead us not into temptation.”
a. We are NOT praying for no temptation.
b. We ARE praying that while being tempted, we are not overcome by it!!!
Part I: The Same Realism Permeates Our Focus For Today:
A. Love your enemies.
B. We have to be up front and honest.
1. Totally impossible on our own.
2. The flesh will never in a million years love an enemy.
3. In the flesh we LOVE to HATE our enemies.
4. This enters into what Bonhoeffer warns in his book Ethics…we take the Law and become Pharisees…we LOVE to judge other people with our exalted knowledge of good and evil. And when our pride can accuse someone else as evil, then we feel so good about ourselves.
C. However, there is more to the story…you Christian are baptized; you Christian are a new creation; you Christian are “not alone”! There is a movie coming out called Noah. There is a scene that has captivated me. Noah’s enemies come out to meet him while he’s building the ark and the enemy says that he has many with him and that Noah is alone; Noah in the movie says, “I’m not alone.” That’s it…you’re not alone.
D. There’s a real biblical account: 2nd Kings 6. The king of Syria wants to kill Elisha…and Elisha prays that the Lord would open his servant’s eyes (vs 17), but prior to that Elisha says to the scared servant: “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us, are more than those who are with them.” (vs 16) Again, you’re not alone.
E. The Holy Spirit is with you! God is with you! Christ is in you! God is with you!
F. So you can’t leave it at: it’s impossible to love my enemy! No it’s not, because you’re forgetting the rest of the story.
Part II: In Christ, with our Eyes of Faith upon Christ, we Live Christ’s Life Towards Enemies!
A. But you must begin with yourself.
Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
Tomorrow February 16th, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: the Holy Installation of Rev. Dr. Steven P. Mueller
We worship at CREAN Lutheran High School, 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA.
Service begins at 9:30 in the gym!
Directions from 405 or the 5:
-- Exit Sand Canyon
-- Head East, towards the hills
-- Cross Irvine Blvd.
-- Turn right on Saint's Way
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Please come to church tomorrow as we will celebrate a most momentous event in the life of our congregation. Every member of our congregation is receiving a gift from God: The Lord is giving to His Church gathered at Saint Paul's a new Assistant Pastor who brings a multitude of gifts in teaching, in leadership, and in compassion in the Name of Jesus.
Tomorrow Rev. Dr. Steven P. Mueller will be installed in our regular 9:30 am service. Many assisting pastors will be participating and our district president Rev. Dr. Larry Stoterau will be presiding. Upon the completion of this installation in the service, God will instantaneously make us stronger as a congregation. We will be served by and equipped through His servant Pastor Mueller.
I have known Steve for over two decades and during that time, I have received through him nothing but further equipping, encouragement, love, the example of good works to the glory of Christ, the reminder of our complete and utter sufficiency in the Gospel of Jesus, the unconditional support of a Christian brother, the amazing example of one equipped with more gifts than I can begin to list, and all of this wrapped in a brother in Christ to whom the Lord has implanted humility. It is hard in this day and age to find a true Pastor/Theologian, a servant of God who is both a scholar and one who truly loves God's people. Pastor Mueller is one of these. This is the man who is becoming one of the pastors at Saint Paul's.
Come celebrate with us. You will receive the holy absolution. You will receive the Gospel proclaimed. You will receive the Body and Blood of our Savior. That is you will receive the forgiveness of sins and strength to continue walking with the Lord. And you will help us properly give thanks to God for His sending Pastor Mueller to us.
Please invite a friend and please come to the reception immediately following the service.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor
Tomorrow Sunday February 9th, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Salt and Light” (Matthew 5:13-16)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The depth and riches of the Word of Christ never cease to amaze me.
Epiphany is about the light of Christ, Christ showing His light; showing His true identity; showing that He has come to save us poor sinners.
But tomorrow the Gospel seemingly switches gears. Jesus says to you and me, "You are the light of the world."!!!
So which is it? Is Jesus the light or are we the light? YES!!!
Jesus' light and Jesus the Light shines through you.
How are we to understand this? How are we to live this out? To get this message is to gain invaluable insight into the Christian life. It makes all the difference in the world, because for one, you are not left in the darkness of sin; and secondly, the world -- through you -- is significantly helped and given hope, and we all know that our world today needs light.
Come and be fed and nourished through Word and Sacrament. Invite a friend.
Finally, let me echo again the email I sent out last night: Rev. Dr. Steven P. Mueller has accepted our call to him to be our Assistant Pastor (part-time).
We will celebrate his installation NEXT Sunday (February 16th) during the regular service time at 9:30 and follow this up with a reception in the cafe. Please plan on coming to this momentous event. The Lord is blessing our congregation!
Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:
“Salt and Light”
(Matthew 5:13-16)
Pastor Espinosa
Introduction: Epiphany is about the light of Christ…and how His light demonstrates the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation! This light shows how we are saved and freed from sin and death!
A. But today’s Gospel seems to switch gears in that Jesus is talking about Christians, you and me!
B. What’s up with that?
C. St. Matthew was being quite intentional and here’s how:
1. Jesus is indeed “….the light of the world” (John 8:12)…think of the imagery: light casts out darkness; Jesus casts out darkness!
2. These metaphors are rich in meaning. “Darkness” represents evil, danger, being lost and being unable to find one’s way. “Light” represents wiping these terrible things away and bringing God’s saving rescue, protection, wisdom, solution, and all of the good things associated with light.
3. And you have been incorporated into Jesus. In Holy Baptism you’ve been joined to Christ. And where Jesus is, there is His light, so since you are “in Christ” you are also “in His light;” and since Christ is “in you” (both directions are biblical – you in Christ and Christ in you), then His light is also in you. Where Jesus is, there is His saving light; Jesus is with you and there with you and in you is His saving light!
4. This touches on another theme in St. Matthew:
Matthew 6:22f: “The eye is the lamp of the body…” and Jesus goes on to teach that if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be healthy and QUOTE “full of light.”
5. How does this work? Jesus comes to you through His Word and Sacrament; which is another way of saying that Jesus shines His light upon you. Notice the wording St. Paul uses in Ephesians:
Ephesians 6:14: “…Christ will shine on you.”
Jesus is the “founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and in this same verse in Hebrews…we are to be “looking to Jesus”…in so doing you are looking upon the Light of the world…He who is the “radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3)…and to look on Him is to look on light; and to look on light is to have that light reflect upon your eyes and if upon your eyes, then into your mind, your heart, your soul, your life!
Picture seeing a person’s eye that is staring at a light or a fire…look closely and you will see the reflection of that light or fire “in their eye” and what is there permeates the mind, the heart, and the soul…we think about what we look at; we desire the things we look at; we strive for the things we look at…His light becomes your light.
Jesus shines upon you and then in you…you who have received Christ’s baptism receive His light; you who have received Christ’s forgiveness in absolution receive His light; you who receive Christ’s body and blood, receive His light…you are now – truly and in the most powerful way in accord with the Word of God – are truly an extension of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ!
This is why St. Matthew wrote this way: “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
6. This is why St. Matthew is seemingly switching gears, but he’s not really switching gears, but is still describing Christ, but simply you in Christ and Christ in you.
D. And this is a wonderfully high calling: this means that all Christians, like you and me, are called to help the world to see this light that God is the loving and merciful Heavenly Father and that His only-son Jesus is the Savior of the world.
Part I: The problem is that we deal with a gigantic “self-esteem problem” called “sin” (which is far worse than a mere poor self-esteem)!
A. Every, single day the evil one and our own sinful flesh calls our calling and our identity into question (Gibbs puts “calling” and “identity” side-by-side through our Gospel this morning, Concordia Commentary: Matthew 1:1-11:1, St. Louis: CPH, 259).
B. We are sinful skeptics of the work of God:
1. We are skeptical about God’s work of creation.
2. We are skeptical about God’s work of redemption, saving us through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
3. But we are also skeptical about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our sinful unbelief continually doubts what God’s Word says…and this is the fundamental reason as to why we go through so much unnecessary suffering in our lives. We refuse to hold God’s Word as sacred and true.
4. Let me say this as plainly as I can: if we choose to ignore God’s Word, we shoot ourselves in the foot; we invite suffering into our lives!
C. And when we do this we fight against our identities of light.
D. This is a very serious problem!
1. It is problematic because first of all the WORLD misses out! God is saying that the world has a ton of problems and it needs the salt and light that comes from Christians…from you! Otherwise, the world will be overwhelmed by the tidal waves of darkness.
2. This was a major point of discussion at a Bible Study this past week. Someone mentioned the Grammys, the Music Awards. I missed it. I didn’t watch it, but a fellow Christian and member of our congregation did and he told me about it. He described the highest rank of immorality on national television and it made his heart sink. Our children are being told by the media and the culture that this is cool, this is good, this is popular, this is fun…and its trash. And understand, not simply immoral, but that which will lead a person’s life into darkness and destruction!
3. This is why dear Christians that that old saying, you know the one, “never discuss politics and religion,” is the one of the most ironic ideas in our culture because what we are seeing in the popular media and culture are political and religious ideas and convictions about how to live life!
4. So the real message is this: Christians, you be quiet and let the rest of the world shove it’s “religion” of immorality and living for self down your throat.
5. This is the first danger…when we lack faith and confidence to be what Jesus has made us to be, then we let the world degenerate; we allow the world to drown in its sin. This is not love.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor Espinosa
Sunday February 2nd 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “HIS Presentation OUR Purification” (Luke 2:22-32)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Tomorrow our Gospel is about Mary's purification and our Lord's presentation in the temple at 40-days old. The day is important in the sacred church year, but this does not change the fact that it also seems difficult to understand and certainly not easy to relate to. Why is it there in God's Word?
The import of this text cannot be underestimated.
The answer to its importance also bears tremendous practical meaning for us. In short, the text teaches us that our sin makes us unclean and impure, but while Mary came to the temple for her purification, she also came with Christ. In accompanying His mother, Mary's true purification was in her 40 day old child and in Him, we are purified as well.
Christ was also presented for you dear Christian and on account of this, your every need bound to God's acceptance and love for you is made secure. Christ was presented for the impure ones...He came for sinners and now we are the pure ones...all because of Jesus!
Let us gather to receive Word and Sacrament and be strengthened in our faith!
Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:
Part I: But childbirth has other implications:
A. In accord with what you heard from Genesis 3, it is a reminder of sin having come into the world.
B. And the Hebrews – unlike their pagan and animistic neighbors who regarded the blood of the woman giving birth as containing super-natural life-power that could be used in ritual, magical spells, and sorcery (Kleinig, John W. Concordia Commentary: Leviticus. St. Louis: CPH, 266) – God’s people did not go along with this up-side-down view. Instead they knew that the resultant blood of childbirth was that of fallen humanity, and they knew that the pain associated with childbirth was a reminder of the curse of sin.
C. Inevitably, therefore, the woman giving birth was rendered unclean and impure. For one week after childbirth the woman had to be separated from everyone else -- could not remain in normal family life -- and if she had a son she remained in ritual quarantine for 33 days: for 40 days she could not have access to anything holy.
D. Consider how Isaiah connects the blood of a woman associated with “a polluted garment” with the universal condition of our sin:
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” – Isaiah 64:6
E. That is, all of us have this same condition of being unclean and impure. All of us have passed through the blood of sinful humanity and “[s]urely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)
F. And this condition is still in us. That’s what Scripture calls the sinful nature. There is this unfortunate tendency in modern Christian circles to downplay this reality and of course the world wants to ignore it altogether…but it’s there…even in the born-again believer the sinful flesh remains and it is the reason we continue to struggle with those “same old sins”…and every single day we must kill the old sinful flesh, drown it, and crucify it, because it keeps rearing its ugly head. This is why we struggle and this is why we resist the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Part II: The Lord, however, provides a cure for the sin from conception and childbirth through the conception and childbirth of One Child in particular!
A. In other words, childbirth is also a great blessing, because in Genesis God made a promise that the seed of the woman was going to crush the devil’s head (Gen 3:15). Through faith in this child, salvation is had even through child-bearing (1st Timothy 2:15)!…so that what was once associated with sin is now a reminder that God came through women to save all men!
B. I say “God came through women” because have you ever noticed some of the key great great grandmothers of Jesus mentioned in our Lord’s genealogy in St. Matthew’s Gospel? Jesus came through sinners to save sinners! God is making sure that you know the one qualification you must have in order to be saved: you MUST be a sinner! Then you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus came for the likes of you! To comfort you and to give you confidence in the Gospel the Word tells us about His grandmothers (all in Matthew chapter 1):
1. Grandma Tamar who presented herself as a prostitute.
2. Grandma Rahab who was actually a prostitute.
3. Grandma Ruth who was an unclean outsider, a non-Israelite.
4. Grandma “wife of Uriah” (aka Grandma Bathsheba with whom King David committed adultery).
These are Jesus’ grandmothers to inform you that our Savior really did come for sinners.
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor