When we hear things like our time in “exile,” it sounds so austere, weird, and/or religious…hard to relate to at first glance. But God is teaching us that our lives in Christ do not mean that we simply say, “I believe in Jesus” and then go on autopilot through our lives. Being in Christ means that we live differently and we confess a new relationship not only with God but with the world.

We are in temporary residency…we are just passing through. If we hold to anything in this life as if it is our source of identity, peace and happiness, then we are making a big mistake. This is not to say that we can’t enjoy the good gifts in this life. Of course we’re supposed to, but we view the things in this world differently..they are passing and there is only ONE thing that lasts: our being in Christ. In our Lord and in Him alone we have lasting peace and lasting joy. So we fear God — in the right way — and fear nothing else.

Come to Church and grow in your walk with the LIVING and Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ!

Also, come and receive the Holy Sacrament and receive the real body and blood of Christ for the absolute assurance of the forgiveness of sins!

We will of course also offer Bible Study and Sunday School tomorrow at 11:00 am. There is confirmation for the youth at 3:00 pm.

ALSO: You are invited to the FREE Catechism Convocation for the People NEXT Saturday, May 10th at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Escondido at 1087 W. Country Club Lane, Escondido from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Our special keynote speaker is Dr. Rod Rosenbladt who will present on sharing the Gospel while in your everyday vocations in a simple and non-threatening way. There will be two others speakers who will cover our relationship with the Church and with the Government. These are timely and important topics.

I will have the privilege along with Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz to serve all young confirmands and high school students…we are offering two break-out sessions to the YOUTH.

Again, it is ALL FREE! Please come! I would love to see you there.

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow’s sermon:

“The Time of Your Exile”

(1 Peter 1:17-25)

Pastor Espinosa

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The Word of the Lord from 1 Peter 1:17:

 

“¹⁷And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,”

 

This verse is about praying as a Christian and living as a Christian; as one who puts themselves into the picture of today’s worship bulletin: you go through life walking with the Risen – victorious over sin, death, and the devil – Living Lord Jesus Christ! The picture itself depicts the two disciples and Jesus on the road to Emmaus, but it is a reminder of the life we are called to live (remember in verse 15 of 1^st Peter 1 — just before today’s epistle — it is God who calls you, so that in response you may call on Him as verse 17 says). God calls you to a living faith in the Living Lord and He does so through His Word…remember that those Emmaus disciples said that their hearts burned within them as Christ spoke to them (Luke 24:32)…in the same way we know we are truly walking with Jesus today when He continues to speak to us every, single day through His Word causing our hearts to burn with a living faith. But if you take away the Word, there is no faith; and if there is no faith, then we are not walking with Jesus, but we’re walking alone with all of the worthless things (the “futile ways” and “perishable things” that St Peter refers to in verse 18). There are only two ways to live: on the road that leads to eternal life with the Living Lord; or on the road that leads to eternal death without the Living Lord. These are the only two options.

 

Don’t ignore Him Christian, because He is the only life…every other form of so-called “life” will turn to dust and lead to death! But in this section of 1^st Peter everything hinges on the way you live and how you conduct yourself. Let me say it again because what I just said sounds blasphemous in relationship to being saved by grace alone, but it is biblical and as I will demonstrate completely consistent with God’s grace alone as our salvation: “everything hinges on the way you live and how you conduct yourself.” 1^st Peter 1:17 has the main verb in a very long sentence that extends from verse 17 through 21: the verb anastraphete which is translated as “behave, conduct oneself, live.”

 

            The Word of the Lord here at 1^st Peter 1 is teaching on HOW…how are we to behave, conduct ourselves, and live? That’s the question and it teaches you point blank how to live as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ; as a true child of the Living God. Everything is known in proper context.

First in regard to your prayer life which is of course an extension of your faith life, ask yourself “how do I pray?” Answer: you pray to God and present yourself before the Lord every single day knowing that “God judges impartially according [to your deeds].” This truth must be put into the framework of Law and Gospel. You come before the Father who is an impartial Judge who deals with you ONLY on the basis of Law and Gospel. There is no other criterion. And because there is an objective universal criterion, God is truly impartial and treats all people the same. The way God judged St. Peter is the way He judges you; the way that God judged Moses is the way that He judges your pastors; the way that God judged the martyrs is the way that He judges your children; the way that God judged St. Mary is the same way that God judges your enemies. He is 100%, totally and completely impartial:

 

Romans 2:11:  “For God shows no partiality.”

 

Ephesians 6:9: “Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.”

 

Colossians 3:25: “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”

 

Acts 10:34: “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,’”

 

And here is the verdict when God judges according to His Law: we are completely and utterly condemned “because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” This past week the media has had a heyday indicting and elaborating upon the sin of Los Angeles Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling for his racist remarks and his reprehensible treatment in the past in regards to housing discrimination towards minorities. But here’s the thing: we bask in self-righteousness. We love to accuse someone else of their wrong-doing; we delight to gossip about the bad things that other people do; and this makes every man a judge; it makes every man prove that in accord with the sinful nature we want to be God. It is a sad commentary on our culture, because in God’s courtroom being banned from the NBA for life and being fined 2.5 million dollars is nothing, but being banned from heaven and eternal life is everything! When God judges impartially and only our bare sin is laid before Him, then Donald Sterling has nothing on us, because we are all sinners deserving condemnation.

 

But the text clearly says that He judges each man’s deeds. How on earth does the Gospel ever come into play here? Luther: “There is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore link faith and good works together in such a way that both make up the sum total of the Christian life. As you live, so you will fare. God will judge you according to this…Works are evidence of our belief or unbelief…They show whether you have believed or have not believed…The works are fruits and signs of faith and that God judges people according to these fruits, which certainly have to follow, in order that one may see publicly where belief or unbelief is in the heart.” (Buls, Exegetical Notes: Epistle Texts, Series A, Festival Season Sundays, 119).