Reformation Radio Address

This Sermon is going to air on the "Milwaukee Lutheran Radio Church Service" at 6:05 am CST, Oct. 30, 2005. (Careful, there is a time change that morning) - anyhow, its on 620 AM from Milwaukee - so if any of my relatives in western MI are up that early, tune on in! (sorry for the lack of advanced warning)

Radio Address – Vicar Matthew Peters
For October 30th 2005 – Recorded September 12th 2005
Matthew 23:37-39

Grace, Mercy, and Peace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

It has been quite a few years since Martin Luther first posted the 95 Thesis on the door of the church in Wittenburg. In fact, tomorrow, October 31st, marks the 488th year since that event in 1517. The beginning of the Reformation might seem like an event that is quickly becoming ancient history – some German monk hammering a list of grievances upon a door in order that they might serve as discussion topics at the university. Why is this such a renowned event in church history? Where is the relevance for us today?
In our gospel lesson for this morning, we hear as Jesus laments over Jerusalem. This lament of Christ comes after a list of seven woes that concerned primarily the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Jesus called them hypocrites, he called them blind, he even called them a brood of vipers! Why would these religious leaders deserve such harsh words from the Christ? They had gone astray. They had made their own rules and traditions more important than God’s word. They had fallen away from the truth of God. But far worse for them, they had also led many people astray and away from God as well. It is for this reason that Jesus cries out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”
Jerusalem had been, since the time of King David, the center of worship for God’s chosen people. But as Jesus spoke these words, Jerusalem was in a state of spiritual emptiness. Through mismanagement, false teachings, and hypocrisy, the once strong religious center was now a hotbed of spiritual sin.
Luther’s 95 Thesis were similar in a way to the laments of Jesus. Luther began the Reformation by posting 95 statements of concern – 95 Thesis against the established church in his day. The center of the church was, in Luther’s day, in Rome; and Rome had unfortunately gone much the same way as Jerusalem… it had fallen into mismanagement, preached false teachings, and hypocrisy was all too common.
Just as Jesus was hoping to save Jerusalem, Luther was hoping to save Rome.

How easy it is to be turned from the way of truth. We might look back at these historical events with our 20/20 hindsight and think that we are immune from such straying; that we could never be as hypocritical or false as either Jerusalem or Rome. We ‘true Christians’ could never fall from grace in the manner or extent that these cities did.
But be careful. Whenever you think that your way is the best, you will likely find yourself upon the same path as these. How do we get on this path? It’s easier than you might think.
Do you ever think that you are obviously a better person than someone else? Are all of your motives for doing good things purely selfless and to God’s glory alone? Have you ever heard the commands of God and pointed a finger at your brother or sister instead of first thinking how you might be breaking those same commands?
With these questions in hand, it is easy to see how sinful we are. It is easy to see how quickly we too can go down the path of pride and self-righteousness. There is no way that any of us can be less than impure, anything less than hypocritical, anything less than a poor miserable sinner.

Which is exactly why Jesus lamented over Jerusalem. Just as Jesus longed to gather the unwilling people of Jerusalem – so He longs to gather our unwilling souls. For we too are desolate and spiritually empty.

But there is a difference between us and Jerusalem. Jerusalem had a problem that we do not have. Jerusalem could not see what Jesus was. Jerusalem did not know that Jesus was the one sent by God to take their sins away. We, on the other hand, have the revelation of His true purpose in His Word… in the Bible. We know who Jesus is. We know the good news of the Gospel.
This is the same good news that Luther was trying to remind the church of in his day. This is the same good news that I want to remind you of this morning as well.

Jesus’ purpose was more than just a prophet who would proclaim woes and lament over God’s people. Jesus was more than just a great teacher or influential religious figure. Jesus was, and Jesus is God! And Jesus came to earth with a very specific purpose; to take the sins of the entire world away from fallen mankind, and take them upon himself so that He would suffer the penalty for those sins in our place.
As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings to protect them from whatever might cause them harm – so Jesus wants to take us each under His care, to protect us from the harms of sin. And He lamented because Jerusalem would not allow Him to be their savior.
It was outside Jerusalem that Jesus died. Those very Pharisees and teachers of the law handed Him over as a common criminal to the Roman authorities – and He was crucified. He was crucified even though He did not deserve it… He died because of the sins of men. He died for the sins of men.

And this was Luther’s focus… Christ is the only way to be saved – the ONLY way! We cannot obey the laws, we cannot invent other methods, every intention of humanity to be worthy of God is futile. And only by realizing that we are failures, that we are worthless on our own – only by admitting our faults, and receiving forgiveness from Jesus Christ Himself – can we ever be saved.
And by this forgiveness from Jesus Christ we are saved! We are forgiven and saved for all eternity – dwelling with God when our last hour on earth has passed. We will live in heaven with God for all time; forgiven, holy, and loved by our God.

Praise be to God that He has given us men like Martin Luther to continue to point our wayward souls back toward the truth. Praise be to God that the truth of the gospel can be preached, and is still preached. Praise be to God that He has done everything for us – in order to forgive our sins, and take us to Himself.
To God be the glory, both now and forever…

Amen.