Tomorrow Sunday March 23rd, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Justified!” (Romans 5)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are also offering Wednesday Night Lenten Services at Concordia University Irvine!
Dear Christians,
Come join us this Wednesday night, March 19th at 7:00 in the CU Center on the beautiful campus of Concordia University Irvine located at 1530 Concordia, Irvine. We would love to have you join us in the service of Vespers, led through a great organ on a great organist, and the proclamation of Christ's Word!
In Jesus' Love,
Pastor Espinosa, Ph.D. and Pastor Mueller, Ph.D.
Tomorrow March 16th 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “Born Again!” (John 3)
We are located at Crean Lutheran High School, 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA
Worship is at 9:30 am in the gym!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“You Must Be Born Again”
John 3:1-17
Pastor Espinosa
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. During the 1976 presidential election, Jimmy Carter mentioned in a very interesting interview -- which included his admitting that he had lusted in his heart -- that he was “born again.” When that particular magazine hit the newsstands, it seemed as though every other person in America wanted to know what in the world this Christian descriptor “born again” meant. Needless to say, people – even the most well-meaning Christians – get pretty creative with their definitions.
Frederick Dale Bruner in his outstanding contribution to the field of the study of the Holy Spirit warned that the historical tendencies about “born again” have included…putting too much on individual remarkable experiences and subjectivism, and creating rigorous evidences that one has received such a status through strict spiritual obedience (Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit, 258). So what does it mean to be “born again”?
If anything is clear in our Gospel text in John 3 it’s that the well-trained Pharisee, Nicodemus, was utterly clueless. Jesus said plainly at verse 3: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To which (with his head spinning), Nicodemus complained in the form of a question, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (vs 4) Who could blame poor Nicodemus? Surely he was speaking for most people. Jesus seemed to be speaking in riddles.
It is, however, probably important to note under what circumstances Nicodemus had come to Jesus Christ. The text says at verse 2 that Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night”. By nature we are like Nicodemus. It isn’t cool to be too out in the open about our relationship with Jesus Christ. Furthermore – and let’s be honest – much of what He says as recorded in Scripture seems irrelevant, confusing, or at times just downright unreasonable or impossible! For example how can a person be “born again”?
Ok, so let’s take a closer look at what the Lord is saying here: The Greek word here at John 3:3 is anothen and can be legitimately translated as “from above”. Jesus’ message is quite simple. Just leave it to everyone else to make it overly-complicated:
1. “born again” means “born from above”…that is, we were all born in a physical sense, now we need to be born in a spiritual sense. Our earthly mother gave birth to us physically; God -- who is “from above” -- must give birth to us spiritually.
Jesus is saying that unless we are spiritually born by God, we “cannot see the kingdom of God.” (vs 3)
2. The word “see” in this verse means “experience.” That is, we are not speaking of empirical observation, like you can “see” an altar in front of where you are sitting, but spiritual (or inward) experience. There is something indeed that we experience when the kingdom of God is our guide and it produces in us “another heart, mind, and natural desire.” (FC SD II 26)
a. God impacts our heart, that is, our choices about how to live.
b. God impacts our mind, that is, our thoughts that fill our mind.
c. God impacts our soul, that is, our desire and the things we strive for.
And thirdly,
3. What exactly do we mean by the “kingdom of God” itself? That means we experience the reign of God as our King and Leader
So here is the total translation (a theological one) of what Jesus said to Nicodemus who came in darkness according to the time of day, but who also came in spiritual darkness according to the condition of his soul (and Jesus spoke in all love and compassion): “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above/spiritually born from God, He cannot experience/truly know in his heart, mind and soul (impacting your choices, thoughts, and desires), the reign of God/the leading of God in their life.”
That’s what Jesus said, but He didn’t leave us hanging there. He went on to explain “how” at verse 5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” And in saying this, Jesus unlocked the door to heaven for every one of us! It is the door of the Lord’s Word and Sacraments (like Holy Baptism) which is how the Lord births, gives and sustains a new life in you!
Tomorrow Sunday, March 9th, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “‘It is Written’ vs. ‘If'” (Matthew 4:1-11)
We worship at 9:30 am at Crean Lutheran High School, 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA in the gym!
Remember to "spring ahead" one hour...it will be darker when you get up tomorrow morning!
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“‘It is Written’ vs. ‘If’“
(Matthew 4:1-11)
The First Sunday in Lent: March 9th, 2014
Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine
Pastor Espinosa
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear Christian friends, we are constantly encouraged to go along with the crowd and treat our advanced technological and entertainment-oriented cultural milieu as the most important reality and to treat what God teaches is especially real as myth, fable, or legend. The biblical teaching of the devil is one of the prime examples of what I’m speaking of. Even many so-called Christian teachers suggest that the idea of a personal and powerful fallen angel is archaic, out-dated, and blindly medieval. They would like us to think that the devil is merely a symbol of the evil things that men do and/or of the terrible tragedies that occur that cause us to suffer like the tsunamis and earthquakes that cause tangible devastation. Ironically to suggest that the devil is a figment of the imagination is the work of the devil. You might think that he derives much pleasure to be believed in, but in fact he is absolutely delighted when you don’t take him seriously, because it is then that he can wreak the most havoc in your life. Why would you ever defend yourself against an adversary that you are convinced is completely unreal? Indeed, you would never waste your time or energy and as a result, the adversary would know that you are for him a sitting duck.
Matthew 4:1-11 is on the devil attacking Christ through temptation. The scene reminds immediately of Genesis 3 when the devil tempted Eve and through her, caused Adam to fall. The devil had been successful in defeating the first Adam and as a result, all of us have fallen to sin (Romans 5); when Christ came, he was ready to attack the second Adam Christ. He was aware that the Heavenly Father had announced Christ at His baptism that He was the Son of God. Now, the devil was determined to defeat this Jesus in order to frustrate His mission to save us.
Which is to say, that if you and I do not believe that the devil is real, then we might just as well cut to the chase and admit what we are really saying: “since I reject the reality of Satan, I also reject the truth of God’s Word in general and as a result, I reject Christ. Then all of my religiousity and spirituality is about my feeling good through a self-generated mentality in order to cope with this thing called life.” In this regard, we verify Marx and join in the opiate of the masses. But as for this teaching on the devil, “come on, let’s get real and let’s live in the 21st century.” And again whenever we do this, we pull the wool over our eyes and choose to ignore the fantastic warnings contained in the Bible against the adversary who is content to destroy your faith, your family, and every part of your true foundation that is in Christ.
In Matthew 4, we are taught that this evil one has three different names or titles:
From verse 1: He is called “the devil.” The word “devil” means “slanderer”.
From verse 2: He is called “the tempter.”
From verse 10: He is called “Satan.” The word “Satan” means “adversary”.
The Hebrew term “Satan”/adversary is understood in the sense of a courtroom accuser. Similarly, the Greek term “devil” comes from a verb meaning “bring charges with hostile intent.” (The Lutheran Study Bible, p. 2219). We get a feel for what He does in Revelation chapter 12, verses 10-12:
“10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Treat him seriously dear Christians. The attacks against our bodies, our minds, our emotions, and especially our spirits come from the devil who employs many means. He uses illness, calamity, frustration, anger, distrust, earthquakes, threats to our business, threats to our marriages, nightmares, migraines, worry, fear, shame, lust, guilt, etc. etc. so that we would be accused just as he accused Christ. In essence, he was trying to get Jesus to contradict his true identity as the Son of God, and you can bet your bottom dollar that he is trying to get you to reject your true identity as one for whom Christ lived, and died, and rose, and calls to repentance and faith, and a holy life that serves the Living God. And this adversary will not rest from his accusations against you until the day you die. And his greatest hope is that you will die without faith in Jesus Christ as a result of his accusations that are designed to undermine faith.
But thanks be to God dear Christian, that this Gospel from Saint Matthew is about the reason for you to be 100% confident that Christ is for you and now chooses to dwell in you through Holy Baptism by His life, death, and resurrection, so that not even death can scathe you.
Jesus has come. Jesus was and is and will be your Champion. And it is not only through His death and resurrection, and His current intercession for you at the right of God that you are saved, but it was also through His faithful obedience to the Heavenly Father when He permitted Himself to go out into the wilderness where He was alone and without any supports of any kind to face the temptation of the devil -- not for Himself -- but for you, in your stead, in your place, as your substitute, as your representative. He faced the devil to defeat the power of his temptations against you and even in the wilderness Jesus was already fulfilling the first Gospel promise in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” “The difference in the degree of injury inflicted [depends on]…the differing parts of the body being struck.” (TLSB, 20) Jesus struck the head of the devil and to strike the head is to bring defeat. That is, in the wilderness while resisting Satan’s temptation, Jesus was defeating this one who threatens you and divesting him of his power.
Tonight Wednesday, March 5th 2014 Ash Wednesday at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine at the Good Shepherd Chapel on the campus of Concordia University Irvine 7 pm
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Tomorrow Sunday, March 2nd, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “We Have Something More Sure” (2nd Peter 1:19-21)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“We Have Something More Sure” (2nd Peter 1:19-21)
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Sunday, March 2nd, 2014
Pastor Espinosa
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, as believers and disciples of the Lord Jesus we have no interest in myths as the foundation for our faith and as the foundation of truth. We do not base our faith on any fictitious products of the imagination. Sociological, anthropological, and historical reminders as to the value of myth are beside the point. Our children esp. must be guarded against the idea that the saving faith – the Christian faith – is just one more idea among many ideas. And while it was enjoyable taking in the movie “Son of God” (with many good things, and other things lacking -- what can one expect? It’s a movie! – but the risen Jesus did not walk through an open door to greet the disciples for example; John 20 teaches us that He appeared in their midst with the doors locked and -- as Dr. Dawn pointed out -- it was entirely inappropriate that Jesus seemed surprised when Lazarus awoke from death…these details are extremely important and we can’t be careless about them), we must be careful in respect to the subtle or not-so-subtle challenge with Jesus movies: they are put in the Hollywood spectrum of other movies many of which depict myth. For the uninformed person, it begins to feel like belief is entirely subjective and is not based on what is real, but based on whatever one feels. This subjectivism is the first step towards walking away from the Lord, because feelings come and go and cannot endure the rigors of real life.
No, we need something much more substantial and powerful to rely on and upon which to build our lives. So St. Peter in his second letter, chapter 1, verse 16 is clear about what his message did NOT rest on and about what his message DID rest on: his message by the Holy Spirit is not about “cleverly devised myths,” but rather based on eyewitness testimony. There is a gigantic difference. But before elaborating about the basis for our certainty, St. Peter states what he’s talking about: he’s talking about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ of which he saw an astounding prelude of with his own eyes when he saw the Lord transfigured on the holy mountain.
Peter by inspiration of the Holy Spirit is teaching us why Jesus should be predominantly before us in our hearts and minds; why our Lord should be predominantly before us in the way we live and why Jesus is the basis for our illumination and transformation as the people of God. Take away the Lord Jesus and there is no faith, there is no hope, and there is no eternal life. But why should you believe in Him?! Because He has all power and because He is coming again! Remember Peter is preparing us for what will happen: “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word for “coming” is parousia…it is made up of para which means “alongside” and ousia which means “to be,” so parousia refers to when Jesus will be alongside you when He comes again in power and glory. The day is coming and you are being called to be ready for that glorious day when you will stand before the Lord of glory. That will be the single biggest day of your life. Again, we are to be ready!
But for the Lutheran Christian especially – and this was one of the most basic points of my doctoral dissertation in responding to the madness of contemporary second coming teaching – if one remains in the constant coming of the Lord Jesus through Word and Sacrament, then one is always ready for the great and glorious coming. Receive Jesus constantly through His Word and you will be ready. Then that day will not be a day you view in anxiety, but a day that you view with joy and faith-driven anticipation.
This whole dynamic reminds me of what comes up frequently in athletics: maybe you’ve heard the saying, “you perform or play like you practice.” If you practice half-heartedly, then when the day comes for the big game or competition, you will play or perform according to the way you rehearsed, but if you practice hard, then you will perform at your best. Now in removing the synergistic nuances from my analogy: if you are led to constantly receive Jesus who comes to you through Word and Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins, then guess what? Then He will make you ready for His powerful and glorious Second Coming! Or think of it this way: if you are constantly receiving the LIGHT of God through Christ’s Word and Sacrament, then the glorious LIGHT of Christ on the Last Day – though awesome and beyond description – will at the same time not be strange; at the same time you will have been trained by the lesser light (and yet still efficacious light) of the Word of Jesus before His coming…this is why we gather. We are not here to be a social club; we are not here to pat ourselves on the back because we’re being “good Christians” who go to church…yuck and no thank you. We are here to remain in the forgiveness of our sins received through the Gospel and received through the body and blood of Jesus; and to receive the light of Christ through His Word…and it is this that truly makes you ready to die and to live and to see Jesus when the parousia takes place!
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