2017.10.29 Romans and Ephesians
The 500th Anniversary of the
Reformation
Practical Theology and the Five Solas
Good Morning…. I am glad to be with you this morning… I
have Good News for You! His name is
Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus as we study the Word of God…
Jesus
continues to Transform hearts and minds… by the Power of His Holy Spirit
working in and through the Word of God…
We are going to hit pause in our teaching through the Gospel of John… This morning we are going
to Celebrate the life and ministry of Martin Luther… It is the 500th
Anniversary of the day that Martin
Luther put his famous 95 theses on
the church door in Wittenburg Germany…
Martin
Luther loved the Word of God… He understood the life changing… Transforming Power
of the Gospel…
It is the
transforming power of the Word of
God is the real reason that we
are Celebrating the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation…
Luther
was
certain that The Word of God can and
will transform the hearts and lives of
all people… Just as it had transformed him… Luther spent his life trying to
be good… He was dedicated to being the
best monk that ever lived… He fasted and beat himself bloody in his attempt to
drive sin out of his heart and mind… Even after He became a monk and a
priest… He had never studied the Bible itself… He did not know that it was
possible to study all four of the Gospels… He was filled with doubts and was uncertain
of his salvation… The head monk recognized his need and his genius… Brother Von
Staupitz told him that he must study
the Bible and teach… He had already studied law… Brother Von Staupitz sent
Luther back to University to become a professor of Bible... He told him that he
would never find peace until he studied and taught the bible… In 1507 Luther
was ordained as a priest in Erfurt… And he
started studying Theology at the University
of Erfurt… He came into contact with the ideas of the Humanists… They taught that everything must be questioned…. They
insisted that they must go back to the original materials where ever possible… To the sources! Was their cry…
For Luther this meant the study of the Bible in its original Hebrew and Greek... One famous
humanist had recently translated the Greek New testament… This became Luther´s
passion… He mastered greek and Hebrew… He studied night and day this new
and wonderful material…
He received his Doctorate
in Theology in 1512… Luther immediately took a position as Theology Professor
at the Wittenberg University…
He taught the Psalms
for two years… 1514-15… Then he taught Romans… Galatians and the Hebrews…
1516-18…
He classes were filled with thrilled Students… They were
amazed at the clear teaching of the Word of God… They wrote down almost every
word that came out of his mouth because they had never heard such wonderful
teaching… Luther was a Calvary type
preacher… He taught the Bible verse by verse… But he did something
different at the same time… He translated every verse from the Greek as he
prepared to teach… That fresh clear translation and explanation of the text… Was
alive to him and his students… And Luther immersed himself in the Word… He
memorized the Psalms and Romans and… Well basically almost all of the NT and
much of the OT as well… The Word of God did it´s work on him…
Luther himself found himself transformed and born again by the Holy Spirit… The Holy Spirit working in and through
the Word of God… He said that he finally understood Salvation and God´s Grace as he studied Romans… He said that the Good
News he found in Romans 1 was
the light that burst into his life…. Look with me at it… Romans 1… v16,17…
Romans
1: 16,17 NLT Neues
Leben
16
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at
work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. 17 This
Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished
from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that
a righteous person has life.
In v17… Paul quotes Hab
2:4… The just shall live by
faith! This is the GOOD News…
Luther said that every Christian needs to study and memorize
the Book of Romans…. Because it is the purest and clearest explanation of
the Good news of the Gospel… Luther tried with all of his ability to please God and win his Salvation… He
could not…. He even went so far as to say that he was the best monk who ever
lived… Yet it was worthless and pointless…
Like Luther…. We
cannot earn our Salvation… The law shows us our sin and hopelessness… Romans 3:20 and Romans ch7… The Good News is that we have been redeemed by the death and resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ… Paul wrote to
the Ephesians… We are saved by grace
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ… Eph 2: 8,9…
Through the writings of Martin Luther… The Word of God Became Clear and
understandable to an entire generation… He and the other reformers… Began a
Reformation that shook the World… It all started with gathering and translation of the Greek New Testament…
The Word of God was once again
shining brightly…
I
would like for us to examine Luther´s teachings by looking at His famous five
sola statements….
Sola
Scriptura: The Scripture Alone is the Standard
The foundation of the Reformation... Is the Great truth
that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for life and practice… What we
do and how we live… All of the Solas are rooted and grounded in this book…
In 1521 Luther was
called to the Diet of Worms… He was commanded to renounce all that He had written…
He refused… Even though He believed it would cost him his life… He expected to
be tortured and ultimately die for standing against the Pope…
He declared his conscience
to be captive to the Word of God… He said…
I
consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my
basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not
recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound. Here
I stand. I see no other way. God help me. Amen.”
“Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders.”
Luther was determined to stay faithful to the Word of God… He knew it´s life transforming power… Paul did too… look
with me at 2 Tim. 3:14-17…
2
Timothy 3: 14-17
NLT Neues Leben
14
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they
are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been
taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom
to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make
us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and
teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people
to do every good work.
We have often talked about these verses…. Luther applied
them every day to his own very dangerous circumstances… Luther said that he
wanted every disciple to be a true
Theologian…. Using the Word of God
as a mirror to show us our hearts..
To Correct us… And to equip us to do the work of the Ministry… let´s look at the next Sola…
Soli
Deo Gloria! For the Glory of God Alone
Our lives are to be lived for the Glory of God… The Bible teaches this over and over… Luther wrote
Catechisms to teach believers… He was determined to teach and disciple the
people… Even if they could not read…. They
would learn the Catechism´s Q and A´s by heart… These contain solid Biblical
Theology… Essential truths for every
believer…
A Catechism asks questions… Then the answer follows… Here
is an example from the Westminster
Shorter Catechism… "What is the
chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him
forever."
To Glorify and enjoy God forever… This great purpose was
emphasized by Luther… He sought to reform the church according to the Word of God... The reformers understood that all of life is to
be lived under the Lordship of Christ... Every activity of the Christian is to
be dedicated to the glory of God… Look with me at 1Peter 4: 11…
1
Peter 4: 10,11 NLT
Neues Leben
10
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use
them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak
as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of
helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then
everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and
power to him forever and ever! Amen.
When we look at
Jesus we see the perfect reflection of
our Heavenly Father… Jesus has redeemed
us with His own Precious sacrifice… He is our Savior… Amen… Let´s look at
the next Sola…
Solus
Christos! By Christ's Work Alone are We Saved
Luther and the other reformers called the church back to
faith in Christ… It is clear in the
scriptures that Jesus is the Sole
Mediator between God and man... He is our Savoir and Redeemer… We do not look
to saints or Mary or to the church… We look to Christ alone…
As the Scripture says,
1
Timothy 2: 5,6
NKJV slt 2000
5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
5 Denn es ist ein Gott und ein Mittler zwischen Gott und
den Menschen, der Mensch Christus Jesus, 6 der sich selbst als Lösegeld für
alle gegeben hat. [Das ist] das Zeugnis zur rechten Zeit,
One God and
one Mediator between man and God… Look at Col 1…v13,14…
Colossians
1: 13,14 NLT Neues Leben
13
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom
of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins.
In Jesus Christ
alone… We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins… That fact that Jesus died in our place… That He died to redeem us… That is the perfect picture of the unfailing love and Grace of God… let´s
look at the next Sola…
Sola
Gratia: Our Salvation is by Grace Alone
Martin
Luther experienced God´s grace as he studied the Word of God…He
finally understood God´s gracious plan of redemption… He discovered that our righteous standing
before God…. It not something that we can earn…
It is given to us by grace… As we
repent of our sins… And trust in the redeeming work of Christ Jesus our Lord…
He saw this clearly in Romans and Galatians and Ephesians… Look with me at Ephesians ch1… v 3-8…
Ephesians
1: 3-6 NLT
Neues Leben
3
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with
Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to
be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us
into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is
what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for
the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
When Jesus redeemed us… He brought Great Glory for
Himself and for the Father… God Delights to show mercy… To Pour out His grace
on us… Let´s also look at Eph Ch 2… v1-10…
Ephesians
2: 1-10 NKJV slt 2000
1
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used
to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the
commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the
hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way,
following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our
very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we
were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the
dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us
from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future
ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us,
as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God
saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have
done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.
Here we see the big picture…. The awesome plan of
redemption unfolding… v1… we were dead
in sin… Hopelessly lost… v4… But
God… He revealed His plan of redemption…. He gave us life through His son…
v8… God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit
for this; it is a gift from God. We are
saved by Grace through faith… It is all grace…
This text leads us wonderfully to our Final Sola… Because it clearly shows the connection between Grace and faith…
Sola
Fide: Justification by Faith Alone
The Central
Principle of the Reformation is Justification by Faith alone… Faith which works…
works by love… Galatians 5:6….
Look with me at Gal 3… v6-11…
Galatians
3: 6 NLT
Neues Leben
6 In
the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because
of his faith.
Paul
is quoting Genesis 15:6…. And pointing to Habakuk as well… The Just shall live
by faith… Martin Luther often talked
about the difference between The Law and
The Gospel… It is a subject on which he still has important things to say
to the entire church… The distinction between The law and The Good News of the
Gospel is a very practical matter… It is about knowing and loving God… and
living in this world as genuine believers… He was
determined to truly disciple the people… He said that He wanted the Word of God
to be 1 Available to them in their language 2 Afforadble enough to be in their
hands… 3 Hidden deep In their hearts… Just a David so often prayed in the
Psalms… So that they understand the Christian life… He said living in the world
with it´s trials and temptations… And at the same time walking in the grace of
Salvation…. Is like walking between Heaven and Earth… We are not yet in Heaven…
But we no longer belong to this world… Our eyes are fixed on our certain
Redemption… It affects everything we do on this earth…. That is True practical theology…
And that is all Grace… Five Solas…
Amen… Let´s pray…
This morning we are going to celebrate Communion together… God´s
people have been doing this for almost 2000 years… Since the night that Jesus
celebrated the Passover with His disciples for the last time… Why do we
celebrate His death and resurrection like this? It reminds us of Jesus´
promises to us… He will come again…. Then we will be with Him forever…
The Promise of
Communion with Him Forever is sealed by the death and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ
Promise
of Communion
1
Our sorrow is turned into Joy…
2 He
is finishing the work that He has begun in us…
3
The Lord will come again and take to Himself Forever…
Communion
Danger
caution!!!! We want to once again welcome all of our guests and visitors this
morning…. We are very glad that you are here…. We are going to celebrate
communion this morning as a church family…. If you have given your heart to
Jesus… And if you are willing to let the Lord Jesus search your heart…. And
willing to Confess any sin that is in
your life…. You are welcome to participate with us…. In 1 Corinthians… Paul
exhorts us….
Examine
your hearts… That is what we need to do this morning as we
prepare to take communion together… The
worship team will come forward and as they lead us to the throne of grace…. Let´s examine our
hearts…. The elements will be passed out…. Please hold them and we will take communion together when I
come back up here… Song….
Communion
is a picture of the fact that we are all in Christ…. Every time we take communion… we take into
our hands a reminder that we have been
redeemed…. And that we belong to each other…. We are members of another… Jesus
has saved us and made us one family in Him…
1
Corinthians 11: 23-26 NLT
23
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when
he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for
it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for
you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine
after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his
people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as
often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this
cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 Neues Leben
23 Das Folgende hat der Herr selbst gesagt, und ich gebe
es euch so weiter, wie ich es empfangen habe: In der Nacht, als er verraten
wurde, nahm Jesus, der Herr, einen Laib Brot,
24 und nachdem er Dank gesagt hatte, brach er ihn und
sprach: »Das ist mein Leib, der für euch hingegeben wird. Tut das zur
Erinnerung an mich.«
25 Ebenso nahm er nach dem Abendmahl den Weinkelch und
sprach: »Dieser Kelch ist der neue Bund zwischen Gott und euch, besiegelt durch
mein Blut. Wann immer ihr daraus trinkt, tut es zur Erinnerung an mich.«
26 Denn jedes Mal, wenn ihr dieses Brot esst und aus
diesem Kelch trinkt, verkündet ihr den Tod des Herrn, bis er wiederkommt.
Let´s pray…
