"A Lonely Monk, Now Long Ago" (Sermon and hymn for Reformation Day, on Psalm 119:46)

A lonely monk, now long ago,
Nailed truth upon a door;
The echoes of that hammer blow
Rang out to many more.
And when he spoke his “Here I stand,”
Although he could be slain,
Throughout the realm a growing band
Soon followed in his train.

Confessors, princes, duty bound,
To Augsburg bold they came;
Before the king they stood their ground
And were not put to shame.
Their good confession made that day
Proved not to be in vain;
Gird us their sons, Lord, that we may
Still follow in their train.

With confidence in Christ alone,
Our faith we will confess;
For Jesus’ death made us His own,
And now He lives to bless.
Our Savior leads us heavenward,
Eternal life to gain;
Confessing truth that we have heard,
We follow in His train!

The hymn we just sang tells the story of the Reformation, that great movement of God in the 16th century in which the pure gospel of Christ was recovered and brought to the forefront again. It is the story of Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church, whom God used in such a mighty way. It is the story of those who stood with Luther, the confessors at Augsburg, for instance. But the story of the Reformation, the story told in this hymn--this is our story, too. For we too have truth to declare. We too have the same faith to confess, the faith once delivered to the saints, the eternal gospel that Luther proclaimed so loud and clear.

As a scriptural text for this Reformation Day message, we can use the verse that the Lutheran confessors saw as fitting their situation, Psalm 119:46: “I will speak of your testimonies before kings, [O Lord,] and shall not be put to shame.” And as a way to tell the story of the Reformation as our story, too, we will use the lines of the hymn we just sang.

That “lonely monk” was Martin Luther, of course, and the “long ago” was October 31, 1517. That’s why we always celebrate Reformation Day at the end of October, because it was on that date, October 31, in the year 1517, that Luther literally “nailed truth upon a door.” Luther had written 95 Theses, or propositions, regarding the sale of indulgences in the church. Indulgences were certificates from the pope promising years off from purgatory for those who purchased them, either for the buyer himself or on behalf of some departed loved one. The whole operation was a bogus money-making scheme with no basis in Scripture, either for the concept of purgatory or for the idea that you could buy your way into heaven. Luther had begun to see the errors that the sale of indulgences was promoting. It was enabling people to bypass true repentance and faith, since now they could simply buy an indulgence to cover sins and gain favor from God. This was wrong, and Luther saw it. And he did something about it. He wrote those 95 Theses and posted them on the door of the church there in Wittenberg, which was basically a public bulletin board, and he proposed a theological debate on these theses, which challenged the practice of indulgences.

A lonely monk, now long ago,
Nailed truth upon a door;
The echoes of that hammer blow
Rang out to many more.

Well, they didn’t have the internet back then, but they did have the printing press. And so Luther’s 95 Theses got printed and were circulated far and wide. People were reading what Luther wrote, and they were thinking and talking about it. And guess what? The sale of indulgences dropped off. The truth that Luther was speaking and writing about was bad for business back at headquarters in Rome. This little monk from Wittenberg got the pope’s attention. Luther was gaining an audience and a following. Over the next couple of years, he continued to speak out and write against other errors that had crept into the Roman church. And so, from Rome’s perspective, Luther had to be stopped.

In early 1521, the pope excommunicated Luther. Then in April of 1521, the emperor, Charles V, summoned Luther to appear before him at the Diet of Worms. It was demanded of Luther that he recant, that he take back the things he had written criticizing the Roman church. He refused. Luther stood before the emperor, the most powerful man on earth, and he said: “I cannot and will not recant. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” After that meeting at Worms, the emperor declared Luther to be an outlaw, meaning that anyone could kill him without fear of penalty.

And when he spoke his “Here I stand,”
Although he could be slain,
Throughout the realm a growing band
Soon followed in his train.

Thank God, Luther was not killed. In God’s providence, Luther’s prince, the Elector of Saxony, protected his subject. Luther was able, therefore, throughout the 1520s to go on speaking and writing and doing the work necessary for reforming the churches in their doctrine and practice. The Reformation was spreading and taking hold in many territories.

Now we come to 1530. The emperor summoned the princes of those territories that had accepted Luther’s teaching--he called them together in the city of Augsburg, to settle the controversy that had divided Europe and to unite back together under the papacy. But those Lutheran princes refused. They presented the emperor with the confession of their faith, in which they state very clearly what their churches believe, teach, and confess. They literally were doing what the psalm verse says: “I will speak of your testimonies before kings, [O Lord,] and shall not be put to shame.” The statement of faith they made that day, the Augsburg Confession, is the primary Lutheran confessional document, and we still stand by it to this day. Thus the second stanza of our hymn:

So now the rubber meets the road. How does all this apply to us today? Why should we want to follow in the train of Luther and the confessors? It sounds like it could be pretty dangerous. Yes, it can be. Christians are being killed for the faith, in various parts of the world, right now in 2012. In other parts of the world, like America, Christians are being ridiculed and mocked, and our religious liberty has even come under attack by the federal government. Confessing the faith, declaring the truth of God’s Word over against error--this is risky business, because there are powerful people who will hate you for it. It has always been that way, and it always will be. Still, we confess our faith and will not be put to shame. As Paul says in Romans, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” This is what we believe, and this is why we speak.

The truth of God’s Word is worth standing up for. It is worth dying for. There is nothing more important in the world than the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For it is the only thing that will save us--or save anyone else--from eternal death and damnation. This is why it is so crucial that we continue to confess the pure faith, over against any errors or threats or persecution. This is about eternal salvation! Souls are at stake. God’s will is that the church declare his truth to one and all. The truth that sin is sin, even when speaking that way is not politically correct to do so. People need to know that they are sinners, so that then they will know their need for a righteousness outside of themselves. And so the church must proclaim God’s Law, even when that is unpopular.

And most of all, the church must confess the truth that God has sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be that righteousness for us. This is the gospel, this is the good news! Christ Jesus lived and died and rose again, so that we sinners would not perish eternally, but rather be forgiven and live. Jesus did this by paying the big price we could never pay. He suffered and died on the cross to atone for all of our sins--all of your sins--and now you are completely forgiven for Christ’s sake. Trust in him, and not in yourself, for your salvation. Your own goodness cannot save you. No indulgences you buy can save you. Piling up good works cannot save you--they’re not good enough, and there are not enough of them. That simply will not work. But Jesus Christ, faith in him--he can and does save you. Your risen and living Savior will rescue you. He will lead and guide you through all the trials and difficulties of this life and bring you safe and secure into his eternal kingdom.

Therefore, repent of your sins and trust in Christ Jesus your Savior--in him alone. This, my friends, is the message of the Reformation. This is what Luther and the confessors were all about. This is why they were brave and bold to stand and speak. Courage is simply fear that has been baptized. And you are baptized, brothers and sisters. God will turn your fear into courage, whenever you are called upon to confess your faith. And he will do this for all of us together, as church. Yes, the Reformation story is our story, too. For, bottom line, it is the story of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who saves us and calls us and leads us, and we follow him.

Was that before or after Luther advocated:

1.for Jewish synagogues and schools to be burned to the ground, and the remnants buried out of sight;

2.for houses owned by Jews to be likewise razed, and the owners made to live in agricultural outbuildings;

3.for their religious writings to be taken away;

4.for rabbis to be forbidden to preach, and to be executed if they do;

5.for safe conduct on the roads to be abolished for Jews;

6.for usury to be prohibited, and for all silver and gold to be removed and “put aside for safekeeping”; and

7.for the Jewish population to be put to work as agricultural slave labor.

Thereby providing the roadmap for the Holocaust?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Jews_and_Their_Lies

Please post your opinions, in this thread that is about Reformation Day & All Saints’ Day: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2953197/posts?page=4

Someone argued with me and said that Luther was wrong.

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