The Spiritual Issues of

The point: Understand your father and mother a little bit better by studying the Protestant Reformation.

The hammer used to nail Luther's theses to the church door is described as the hammer that 'sounded the dawn of a new day for the church,' illustrating the profound impact of that event.

What's his purpose? According to the introduction of his proposition, or his theses, his purpose was this, quote, Out of love and zeal for truth, and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and regularly appointed lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate, orally with us, will do so by letter, end of quote. And so, what was intended to be an announcement on some issues for debate, became th...

3:56 - 5:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand your father and mother a little bit better by studying the Protestant Reformation.

Any movement of God in history is likened to a human birth, with conception, gestation, birth, development, growth, and maturation, to show that the Reformation didn't begin abruptly on one day.

this young Augustinian monk pounded his theses to the door, we must not do so as though the whole thing began at that moment. For any movement of God in history is like a hammer. It is preceded by physical birth. It's preceded by conception, gestation, the period of development within the womb, the point of birth, but then it's founded or bounded on the other side with development, growth, and with maturation, maturity.

5:21 - 5:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be a selfish, self-centered, ungrateful, irresponsible individual who drinks from the river of Christian truth without asking about its source.

The flow of Christian truth and life is compared to a river, enriched by past streams, emphasizing that those who drink from it without appreciating its source are selfish and ungrateful.

95 theses were nailed on october 31st or no no no that's not the purpose at all well then what is our purpose i submit that the principles of psalm 44 embody what my purpose It's my recount for and these for principles applied not only do the study of the reformation but for the study of any of God's mighty works in history as recorded in the scriptures and as recorded in other materials that have come down to us since the closing of the canon of holy scripture first of all it should lead us to what i'm calling appreciation U. Gregg are benefactories and translated of the past, whether we know...

13:03 - 14:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not be a selfish, self-centered, ungrateful, irresponsible individual who drinks from the river of Christian truth without asking about its source.

The ability to gather for worship without fear, with open Bibles in one's own language, is presented as a direct benefit of the 'river' of Christian truth, highlighting the cost paid by past generations.

you knew that at 9.30 this morning this building would be open and you could come without bringing a gun in your pocket and you knew that the word of God would be open, this word in your own vernacular and language, and would be taught and you'd be instructed. That's the river. That's the river flowing at your feet, but some streams up yonder made that river, streams into which some men put their very blood.

14:27 - 14:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn and listen to the voice of history to avoid repeating past mistakes, such as 'togetherness orgy' and 'flirting with Rome'.

The trend of 'togetherness orgy' and 'flirting with Rome' is given as an example of sinful ingratitude and abysmal ignorance of history, warning that it could bring back the dark ages.

And so there's what I call an irresponsible contemporaneity. Two big words. Simply means it's a shame to be only concerned with the now and not look back. Sinful ingratitude and then an abysmal ignorance which leaves us in a situation where people are following the very trends which led the church into captivity in the past.

16:22 - 16:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: No movement of the spirit of God ever burns with a smokeless flame. As long as the spirit of God is moving in the midst of imperfectly sanctified men, human flesh will always put some smoke in the flame.

The idea that 'no movement of the spirit of God ever burns with a smokeless flame' illustrates that human imperfection and sin will always be present even in genuine spiritual revivals.

So if at the end of our second study tonight, those of you who will be with us morning and evening, you've come to some new appreciation of the reformation, some deep confirmation of your own understanding of the truth, some holy aspirations for a visitation of God's spirit, and then some clear direction as to how we should move, I will feel that our time has not been spent in vain. So much then for those introductory thoughts. The second thing to which we address ourselves this morning, and this is as far as we shall go, what were the great spiritual issues that were the lifeblood of the refo...

21:41 - 22:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: No movement of the spirit of God ever burns with a smokeless flame. As long as the spirit of God is moving in the midst of imperfectly sanctified men, human flesh will always put some smoke in the flame.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts is used to demonstrate that even in a mighty movement of the Spirit, human flesh introduces 'smoke in the flame,' requiring God's judgment.

Always. Even in the book of Acts. The flame of the spirit comes, touching people's heart with a desire to give everything to the cause of Christ. Here comes an Ananias and Sapphira.

22:50 - 23:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: No movement of the spirit of God ever burns with a smokeless flame. As long as the spirit of God is moving in the midst of imperfectly sanctified men, human flesh will always put some smoke in the flame.

Simon the sorcerer in Samaria is cited as another example from Acts where, amidst a spiritual movement, a man with fleshly motives appears, showing the imperfect nature of even Spirit-led movements.

And they want the reputation for giving all without paying the price of giving all. So right in the midst of that mighty movement of the spirit of God, God's got to strike two people dead. There's a mighty movement of the spirit of God down there in Samaria, up in Samaria. But there's Simon the sorcerer.

23:04 - 23:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your conviction that the Bible is the word of God is burnt into your heart through personal wrestling with God, not just heard from others, to avoid relinquishing its authority.

The account of Luther's vow to become a monk during a terrifying thunderstorm illustrates his deep torment over sin and his initial, misguided attempt to find peace with God through religious works.

Well, a number of factors, but one of the key factors was that one night there was a terrible thunderstorm. And he thought he was going to be struck dead. And the thought of death coming and seizing him so quickly torments the conscience of this young man because he knows he's a sinner and God is holy and God must judge sin. And so he makes a vow that he will become a monk.

26:21 - 26:47 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your conviction that the Bible is the word of God is burnt into your heart through personal wrestling with God, not just heard from others, to avoid relinquishing its authority.

Luther's famous declaration at the Diet of Worms ('Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason... my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything...') is quoted to exemplify his commitment to Sola Scriptura.

of Holy Scripture. And he made his choice. In those beautiful words that all of us ought to memorize starting with the preacher I've memorized a few of them he is called before the diet of worms and you remember the first time they spread all his books before him and said these yours and he said yes and more that you don't have there will you recant and he said I need time to think and he comes back the next day and very cleverly Martin Luther instead of just giving a pronouncement yes or no says that the works are of a different nature and in explaining the different nature he's preaching to ...

29:21 - 30:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure your conviction that the Bible is the word of God is burnt into your heart through personal wrestling with God, not just heard from others, to avoid relinquishing its authority.

Luther's translation of the Bible into German while at Wartburg Castle, along with his catechism, is presented as a practical outworking of Sola Scriptura, empowering common people with God's Word.

of piety and then Luther while he shut up in that castle at Wartburg he said just to be a little a diversion to him he felt he was getting distracted and depressed because he didn't do anything and you read what he did that first year and you say he was distracted because he overworked himself He translates the Bible into the German he writes something like 10 or 12 books why sola scriptura he writes a little catechism that summarizes the teaching of scripture and then the average German plow boy with his Bible and his catechism can put to flight archbishops and priests and prelates.

33:42 - 34:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You alone, he tells Erasmus, have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. You have not worried me with these extraneous issues about papacy, purgatory, indulgences and the like, trifles rather than issues,…

Erasmus's 'Diatribe' and his dismissal of 'free will' as a 'little issue' is used to highlight the contrast between a scholar who hadn't wrestled with sin and Luther, who saw the bondage of the will as central to the gospel of grace.

Now Erasmus was a great scholar but he wasn't much of a saint. He was sort of a weak-kneed on issues. He hadn't wrestled like Luther in a monastery somewhere in a cell trembling at the thought of God's holiness and God's wrath and how to get out from underneath it. And so when Luther insisted that sin had so affected man that he not only was unable to provide a remedy but even with the remedy provided he couldn't take hold of it.

38:44 - 39:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You alone, he tells Erasmus, have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. You have not worried me with these extraneous issues about papacy, purgatory, indulgences and the like, trifles rather than issues,…

Luther's quote to Erasmus ('You alone... have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue... You and you alone have seen the hinge on which all turns and aimed for the vital spot') emphasizes the critical importance of the 'bondage of the will' for the doctrine of grace.

Free will or the bondage of the will. That's a little issue. Luther says, no, it's not a little issue. And in answering to Erasmus, this is what he said, and I quote now from Luther.

39:22 - 39:34 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third principle, Sola Fide, is presented as the naked hand of faith taking hold of Christ, bringing peace to the troubled soul, in contrast to the church's teaching on…

Martin Lloyd-Jones's booklet 'Luther's message for today' is recommended for its excellent summary of the concept of indulgences, which Luther's Sola Fide directly challenged.

By faith alone. In Luther's day, the church taught that God's treasury of grace was open to the sinner by various means. Prayers, fastings, pilgrimages, and particularly this matter of indulgences. I commend to you the little booklet by Martin Lloyd-Jones, Luther's message for today.

44:17 - 44:36 Read in full sermon