A Short Lesson on Martin Luther

Good morning. I Want to ask a question and I want to see if anyone knows the answer. What is special about October the 31st? Well, October 31st is the day that the world calls Halloween. That's right.

But is there anything else that's important about this day? Okay. All right. Anything else not related to Halloween or candy or dressing up anything else. Okay. All right anything else? Okay. One more chance.

Martin Luther, October 31, and the Start of the Reformation

It is the end of October. I like you you're funny. It is the end of October but it's also an important historical day because on October the 31st Fifteen hundred and seventeen, which is five hundred and five years ago a Very important event happened which caused the change not only in the history of the church.

But in the history of the Western world our world was changed 505 years ago on this day. There was a man whose name was Martin not Martin Luther King. His name was just Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a German monk.

Who began to notice that within the church of his day? There were corrupt teachings and false practices that were happening. And so he decided to write 95 Statements Against the false teachings of the church of his day now I want you to understand this when we think about church today.

We often think about churches like some of you may be Baptists some of you may be Pentecostal some of you may be Lutheran or Methodist some of you may even be Catholic. Right because when we talk about the church today we talk about churches, right?

But prior to Martin Luther. The church was a single body. Well, if you could say it divided in 1054 at the Great System with the Eastern and Western Church. But within the Western world within Europe and all of those countries.

It was a single church. But within the church there was corruption there was false teachings. There were things that were happening that were not right and one of them was that the leaders of the church were selling certificates called indulgences and these Certificates were being sold to the people as ways to purchase Salvation for themselves and for their loved ones who had died before them.

There was a saying that happened in this time. There was a man who went about the German countryside and he would say when a coin in the box clings a soul from purgatory Springs. Because he was selling the idea that if your mom or dad or cousins or sisters or brothers had died and they were in purgatory.

They could be released simply by purchasing these certificates now, is that right? No, absolutely not but it was being done as a way to raise money and The church was using that money to build great cathedrals like st. Peter's Basilica, which is in Rome.

It's still there today a lot of people go and they say oh look at this wonderful. This wonderful cathedral st. Peter's Basilica. What a wonderful place. It's not a wonderful place because it was built on money that was extorted From God's people by promising them something that wasn't true.

It's based on a falsehood. Not a truth. So Martin Luther took up his pen and he wrote 95 arguments against the sale of indulgences and Some of those arguments were very simple as in you can't be Forgiven of your sins by buying a certificate you have to be forgiven of your sins by having faith in God.

That's simple enough, right? But some of them were a little bit more Digging he says why does the Pope want the money of the poor? Why does it he's so rich? Why does he use his own money to build his cathedrals?

That one was a little more of a dig. That was that was like what you might call a hot take. He was saying why is it why does the Pope want the money of the peasants? Why does he's so rich? Why doesn't he use his own money?

So, what do you think happened when Martin Luther wrote those 95 theses, how do you think the people in charge felt about him? Very angry. They did not like what he was saying. The leaders began to hate what Luther was saying.

In fact the Pope at the time Pope Leo Said that he wrote about Luther and he said there is a wild pig in God's garden and he was talking about Martin Luther. He says there's a wild pig and God's garden who's come in to destroy the crop.

But Luther was not fazed. Luther continued to stand for the truth even when the Pope sent him a letter. It was called a papal bull and that letter came to him and it said you must stop your preaching.

You must stop your teaching under the threat of excommunication. Which means he would be put out of the church and you know what Luther did to that letter. Luther made a big bonfire in the middle of town and he brought everybody there in Wittenberg.

Around the bonfire and he took the letter from the Pope and he ripped it apart and he threw it in the fire. What do you think happened then? You think the Pope was happy? You think the leaders of the church were happy?

What were you going to say buddy? I couldn't understand. I'm sorry I'm talking about through rocks. No the people. Here's the thing the peasants were actually happy with Luther because he was standing up for them.

The peasants loved him and this is what began the movement called Lutheranism. Is anybody in here? Does anybody in here go to a Lutheran church? That's fine. Right now around the world there are over more than one million baptized Lutherans around the world.

All of them coming from the teachings of Martin Luther. Luther translated the Bible from the Greek and the Hebrew language which was the original language Into German and he translated the Bible to the German people so that they would have a Bible to read of their own.

Today German Christians still use Luther's translation 500 years after he translated it. So Luther was very important but I want to continue the story because I want to get to my favorite part. Luther tore up that letter from the Pope.

He threw it into the fire. The Pope was so enraged That the Pope called him to a council. It was called something funny. I always like to write this out because it looks kind of funny when you see it.

The council was called the Diet of Worms. Now what does that look like? It looks like Diet of Worms right? This is how we would write it in English. And the way they would say it was the Diet of Worms.

It was a little bit more fancy. But we look at it and say Diet of Worms. So every year on this day I get my kids gummy worms. And we eat gummy worms because of the Diet of Worms. So that's our celebration for Reformation Day.

Is we get gummy worms and we eat gummy worms to celebrate Reformation Day. I get it. Well the Diet of Worms was essentially an imperial court. Now remember this, this was before the church and the state were separate.

This was a time when the church and state were together. And so if you were in trouble with the church, you were also in trouble with the government. So at the Diet of Worms, they brought Luther in and they demanded that he recant.

Now what does the word recant mean? Yes, to stop, that's right. You are demanded, Martin Luther, you are demanded to stop your preaching. Stop your writing, stop your teaching. And Luther said, I need a day to think about it.

That's exactly what he said. And you have to understand why. Because the guy who came before him, whose name was Jan Hus. Who lived almost exactly 100 years before Luther. And had said many of the same things that Luther said.

They burned him at the stake. In fact, have you ever heard the phrase, your goose is cooked? Well that actually comes from Jan Hus. The name Hus means goose. And when Hus went against the church And taught against the Roman Catholic Church He was brought out, tied to a stick, and burned.

And that's where the phrase, your goose is cooked, comes from. So Luther knew, 100 years later He knew they were no more temperate then than they were 100 years before. He knew the possibility of standing up for the truth Could mean his own death.

So when he was told to recant, he said I need one more day to think about it. And he went back to his room And he got down on his knees. And all night long, he prayed for strength. God give me strength to stand for the truth.

God give me strength to stand up for the truth. And the next day, he came before the authorities. And the person in charge of speaking for the authorities Said Dr. Luther, he was a doctor. He had gone to university.

He had received his doctorate. Which was a very big deal at that particular time in history. He was a well educated man. And they said, Dr. Luther You have heard the charges against you. Will you recant?

And Luther said these words Unless I am convinced by scripture and plain reason And not by popes and councils Who have often contradicted one another. Unless I am convinced My conscience is captive to the word of God.

And to go against conscience Is neither right nor safe. Therefore, I cannot And I will not recant. God help me. Here I stand. Amen. Luther had essentially signed his own death warrant. Because now he was a marked man.

And just like Hus before him He would become an outlaw In regard to the church. But, Luther was not burned for his faith. By God's grace, Luther had a friend. And his friend staged an elaborate kidnapping of Luther.

And he kidnapped Luther And took him to Wartburg Castle Where he was able to stay for 18 months. And by the way, that's when he translated the Bible into German. For 18 months, he translated the Bible into German.

And during those 18 months He continued to write and teach from the castle Sending out his pamphlets and his tracts into the countryside. And as the people read them, they began to understand What the Bible teaches about salvation.

That it is not something that can be purchased Not something that can be worked for Not something that can be earned. But it comes by grace alone Through faith alone In Christ alone. And that's the basic story Of how Luther changed the world And the church.

Was that helpful? Does anybody have any questions? Alright. One last thing and then I will pray One of the verses that changed Luther's life. And I want to leave you with scripture today. Is Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and 17.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation. For everyone who believes To the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed From faith to faith As it is written The just shall live by faith.

You see, Luther Believed that verse That the way we are made right before God Is not by works But from faith beginning to end The just shall live By faith. So I ask you today, do you have faith In the Lord Jesus Christ?

Do you know Him as your Savior? Because that is the only way A sinful person can be made right With a holy God. Jesus Christ came into the world. He died a death for us. And He gives a righteousness That we could never earn for ourselves.

And He does it by faith alone. May we pray. Father, I thank you for your word I thank you for men like Martin Luther. And Lord, I thank you That we are able to stand in places like this With the freedom that we have.

Because there were men and women who came before us Who were willing to stand for the truth Even if it meant costing them their own life. Lord, may we be inspired by Luther And this day. And be reminded that there is much more to this day Than meets the eye.

This is Reformation Day. And thank you Lord For bringing us back to the Bible The Reformation, the greatest back to the Bible movement In the history of man. Thank you Lord, in Jesus name Amen.