We live in world marked by division and in many ways this fact is just down-right discouraging. The Good News, however, includes that fact that Christ's victory over our sin and death has made us members of the household of God. We know a true unity over and above all division. What is more, the basis for this unity is made brilliantly clear in the Word of God: "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." (Eph. 2:20) Our foundation is the Lord's Word and Sacraments. This is what the Lord works through to keep you in His "country" and in His "house." Thank God!

Tomorrow we will also receive the precious and healing body and blood of our Savior which keeps us in the forgiveness of sins.

In addition, two special announcements:

1. Tomorrow we have as our guest organist our probable new organist. His name is Jerry Dahlin. Please join me in welcoming Jerry. Personally, I really like our brother in Christ, Jerry. He is a long-time Lutheran Christian. One can see his love for Christ and his love for the family of God. Pray for him. He will probably be a little nervous. I would appreciate your feedback on his playing.

2. This past week we had a wonderful time with eight (8) of our youth who attended Higher Things at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV). It was a fantastic conference, full of learning and growing in the Word; full of Lutheran worship: Matins, Vespers, Evening Prayer, and Compline...all of these framed by Divine Services with Holy Communion. In between the worship and the fun free time were several break-out sessions taught by many teachers. My session was presented two times on two different days and were very well attended. I will present this very session for Bible Study tomorrow entitled: "Angels and Demons." I hope you'll attend this study tomorrow after worship.

In Jesus' Love,

Pastor Espinosa

Predestination is one of the most challenging teachings in the Word of God and many are uncertain about why God presents it in Holy Scripture.

During this Pentecost season the Lord reveals this teaching as a source of great comfort. It is the basis for the Christian living in confidence about their salvation. What a great blessing!

Tomorrow we will also give thanks for the many blessings that flowed from our 5-day Vacation Bible School this past week AND we will bless the twelve (12) representatives of our congregation attending the Higher Things conference in Nevada this coming week.

Most importantly, we will receive the life-giving body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Also -- for Bible Study after worship -- we will have presented part 2 of the two-part presentation on Christian Apologetics by Professor Mark Pierson. Many of you told me how much you enjoyed his first presentation last week on the reliability of Scripture. Tomorrow, he continues with evidence for the resurrection of our Lord.

Here is an excerpt from tomorrow's sermon:

“He Predestined Us”

(Ephesians 1:3-14)

Pastor Espinosa

(pastor originally preached the bulk of this sermon on July 15^th, 2012 and the topic continues to be a very important one for our peace & confidence)

 

Introduction: Election or pre-destination is the article of the Christian faith that so many people just don’t want to talk about...

1. Well, why not? For one because it is riddled with confusion:
2. Election is often confused with God’s foreknowledge.
3. Now it is absolutely true that the LORD knows everything in advance. That’s foreknowledge.
4. This, however, does not mean that the LORD causes everything in advance. The LORD absolutely did not cause Adam and Eve to sin against Him! There are many things that the LORD does not cause, simply because He has nothing to do with tempting someone into sin and evil.

James 1:13: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

1. And since the LORD dear Christian cannot tempt anyone to sin; He most certainly does not CAUSE anyone to sin!
2. Again, knowing and causing are two different categories.
3. For example, you know that the sun (most likely) is going to rise tomorrow. This knowledge, however in no way, shape or form means that you will be responsible for the sun rising!
4. Let’s use another example of knowledge and causation but this time instead of going forward into time, we’ll go backward. You may know that our congregation just finished offering its fourth annual Vacation Bible School at Crystal Cove State Beach this past week. If you didn’t know it before, you know it now, but the fact that we know this now in no way means that your current knowledge of last week’s VBS caused last week’s VBS. Some of you may even have forgotten about VBS this past week, but isn’t it good to know that you’re forgetting about something does not cause that thing to cease to exist! Your forgetting did not cause VBS to be canceled!
5. Election and Foreknowledge are two different things.
6. What’s the big deal about keeping this straight?
7. Answer: If we merge them, then we would be saying this: “Because God knows who is going to heaven and hell, therefore, God elects or CAUSES some people to go to heaven and for some people to go to hell.”
8. To be clear, to merge the two ideas – which are Scripturally and even logically distinct – is to accuse God of electing people to go to hell. Even Calvin called this teaching God’s “terrible decree!” You can say that again!
9. I had a former parishioner who was absolutely wonderful in her worship attendance; she was so amazingly supportive of the ministry, and very active in the women’s group. I just didn’t understand why trying to get her to come to Bible Study was like pulling teeth. She just would never come to Bible Study and then one day I discovered why. First of all, I learned that she HAD once regularly and faithfully attended Bible Study, but one day all of that stopped! The last Bible Study she had attended – before I was finally able to address her concern – was a Bible Study on election. And guess what the former pastor had managed to do? Unfortunately, the pastor confused the teaching and as a result frightened this member of the congregation to no end.

 

Part I: But in our sin we lean towards qualifying the Gospel of Jesus Christ (that pastor wasn’t the only one who has made that mistake), and this manifests in ways in which we just hurt ourselves. In our sin which raises doubts about whether or not God is for us, we can easily fill ourselves with doubts, fears, and anxieties. In this way we attack ourselves! We turn against ourselves!

 

1. I have developed a growing understanding and concern about auto-immune diseases. They are diseases in which the body attacks itself. It includes things like multiple schlerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other serious conditions.
2. In a fallen world, we attack ourselves.
3. And one of the chief ways that we do is to wonder in unbelief whether or not we are destined not for the best, but for the worst. In this way, many people do not live in hope, but live in fear and dread. And it’s no wonder why so many people run from God.
4. The situation is exacerbated as the New Atheism not only rejects God, but is actively seeking to convert Christians to become atheists. That is, it is not at all unusual for someone to go through a genuine faith crisis (having doubts about their salvation), but then while being tempted to run away are then – at the same time – tempted to join a false worldview. Our children are actively going out into a world in which the world is actively trying to get them to lose their faith...and if it happens, it usually happens in college. This is but one of the reasons why you should consider a good Christian University, and we all know of a really good one close by here called “Concordia University”! Watch out! Equip your kids...teach them, train them, the time is NOW and not sometime in the distant future.
5. But we need to understand that many atheists do not hold their position on account of philosophical arguments – though some do – but many of them hold their position against God because they cannot live with the thought (no matter how erroneous it may be) that they must be condemned...believing that they have no hope, so why hope at all...why not just deny God?
6. This is something in our sinful nature that we all do...we play the avoidance game...since I do not understand how to pray, I avoid praying; since I do not understand how to read Scripture, I avoid Scripture; since I do not understand worship, I avoid Church; since I fear that God may elect me to condemnation and a curse because I do not understand election, I avoid God. This happens all of the time.

[Please come to hear the saving Gospel applied in what comes next in the sermon...you may also access the entire sermon next week via our audio option under "sermons" here at our website]

Let us pray this Independence Day that the Lord would bless our great nation. We have so much to be thankful for and God's people live in constant thanksgiving.

Tomorrow is the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and we will focus on the Gospel for the day from Mark 6:1-13, providing the occasion for the sermon tomorrow: "Familiarity Breeds Contempt?"

It is of course a very timely text. Many hold our Lord and our faith in contempt, but what is so amazing about the Lord is that He is not offended by those who take offense at Him. He continues to pour out love and mercy even when He is rejected. Thank God, it means that all of us sinners still have forgiveness; we are still given God's grace.

We will of course also receive the Holy Sacrament tomorrow! Come and receive the medicine of immortality!

In addition, we have a special guest teacher for Bible Study (we are combining the adult and high school classes). Professor Rev. Mark A. Pierson will present on the reliability of Scripture (the historical argument) for Christianity. Come and be equipped in defending the faith! Prof. Pierson is a contributing author to Making the Case for Christianity.

I hope to see you God's house tomorrow morning! Today we celebrate political freedom, but tomorrow morning we will emphasize the freedom from condemnation and the freedom to eternal life in and through the Lord Jesus Christ!

In Jesus' Love,

Pastor Espinosa