Roger's Postings

Saturday, October 28, 2006

John 8:31-36. Hold to the Truth!! 29/10/06

(31) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. {32} Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." {33} They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" {34} Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. {35} Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. {36} So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Today we are commemorating and remembering Reformation Day. But, what for? What is our purpose for doing so?
For some it is, or almost is, an embarrassment. We are living in an ecumenical age, where we are all Christians, so we must not highlight our Lutheran heritage and focus on those great differences we have with other churches. After all who is right; and we are all entitled to our beliefs, even if they may be different to the real truths of the Scriptures.
For others Reformation is merely a time when we look back and remember Martin Luther and how he stood up to the Church of the day, and brought about the beginnings of the Lutheran Church. It brings about feelings of pride that we are different and we are right – even though we don’t really know why and what the importance of it all is.
For many others – and perhaps most - in our church today; who cares. Who really cares about what Reformation is all about; just let them do their own thing and enjoy life, and ‘she’ll be right’.

Well let me suggest to you, that commemorating Reformation is of utmost importance to us. Especially to us living here today, in this day and age, and the present thinking in the church scene. Reformation does have a lot to say to a society and churches which promote the view that there are many saviours – many ways to God, and peace and happiness: there are many ways to find and have happiness in our lives. It also has a lot to say to our church which is facing all sorts of changes in its thinking and practice with regard to worship, doctrine, and other important issues. It has a lot to say, when we are encouraged be more broad minded and tolerant of other denominations and other theologies. And it has a lot to say to those who like think about their Christian lives in terms of how little they have to do and be involved in the Christian faith and still get to heaven – to the ‘me’-centred generation.

The Reformation and its thinking is most important for us and for the future of Christianity in this church of ours; in the wider church scene, as well as in our community and country. At a time when so many are seeking to run off in all kinds of directions, much of which has virtually no biblical foundation; we need to consider very carefully what it is that is important. Like the reformers of years gone by, we need to return to and stick by those basic principles of Christianity and the Bible which God has given to us, or be prepared to suffer the consequences: and I mean suffer.

We too are people of the Reformation, and need to be in reformation. We can not merely stand still - or look back – or rest on our butts thinking all will be well. Each one us, and us as a church as a whole, are challenged, to see that Reformation needs to be a part of life for us today. It is as important for us as it was for Luther nearly 500 yrs ago. We too need to realize that reformation is an ongoing part of life for all Christians: It is an ongoing returning to the original - to what is important; and from there, a moving on in life.

Yes, we are continually facing change, where new thoughts and ideas, as well as decaying forms, are not appropriate. And yes we are being challenged in so many ways to go this way and that – to follow this ideology or another; to go with the flow - where the crowd goes – to mould our Christianity to the ways of the world; or on the other hand to dig our heels in and not budge an inch.

But in the face of it all we must remember what Reformation is all about: Reformation at the time of Luther, and the reformation that needs to be happening each and every day in our lives and in our church. We too need to constantly go back to the basics, so that we know what it is that is important and what it is that we need to stick to, or return to. It is only from there that we are able to move on again, using those foundations to build a future that takes seriously what is happening around us. But also which will enable us to discard and have nothing to do with that which is wrong and dangerous. We too need to wrestle with what is happening in our world and in Christian circles – but to look at them in light of that which is of basic importance and to shape our future with that in mind.

There are four key issues that where central for Luther, as they must be for us also. The first we will title ‘Justification by grace, through faith’. We
read in Ephesians 2:8; ‘It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God’. Our salvation rests in the Lord Jesus Christ alone: Through his life, death and resurrection alone we have been made right with God: Through him we have been given this as a free gift: So now God looks at me, a sinful person, and sees Jesus Christ and his perfection, and accepts me as his very own child. My works, good or bad - my ideas and knowledge - my paying money or good deeds - my thinking right thoughts - none of it counts. Instead God looks at me through Jesus Christ and relates himself to me; so that I become one of his.
And I believe it - I trust that this is the case for me: and that is what is meant when we hear that we have been saved by grace through faith. And it is on this solid foundation of justification by grace through faith alone, that we must hold to at all cost, and which must be, and is, the basis of the Christian faith. To move away from that invites disaster – as we have seen from history and will continue to see.

Secondly, we need to take seriously the importance of the Word of God – the Holy Scriptures – the Bible. In Psalm 119:115 we read; "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path", and elsewhere we read that we shall not add to or take anything away from the Scriptures. Through the Reformation the Bible has become an open book for God’s people, to be heard and read by us all. We need to remember this is the Word of God – his God's News - his communication with us: speaking to us to awaken faith and stir us to respond. Yet too often we take this book for granted - we talk about it – we make pious comments about what we think it says, but too often we leave it closed – unread.

God's gift to us - to us as individuals, and as a church in reformation, is an open Bible: That is one which speaks to us and therefore wants to influence, direct, correct, reprove, and lead us. It is God’s Word, in its entirety, which speaks both his message of Law and Gospel so that we may know of sin and grace, death and life. It is from this source that we are being continually reformed – that is, taken back to what is important and sending us forward again to live as Christians. As we listen attentively to God's Word to us, he will continue reshaping our daily lives and keep us faithful and secure in his truth.

The third important feature of the Reformation is what is termed the ‘Universal Priesthood of Believers’. We read in 1 Peter 2:9; "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." We have been born anew - re-formed as our Lord's new people. Re-formed for a new life – a God-pleasing life; a life that is set apart for God, and as his witness and agents in the world around about us.

We are now his priests - his mediators between God and the people out there in our community: Called to pass on God’s message of Law and Gospel. So that others may come to know of the love, grace, and forgiveness that is and can be theirs through Jesus Christ our Lord. Each one of us is reminded that our life is a holy sacrifice: an on-going activity in the presence of our God; living in him, through him and for him.

Lastly there is the real importance of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. In Acts 2;38 we read; "Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". And in 1 Cor. 11:24-25; " Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying; 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' 'Do this in remembrance of me.'

These sacraments are simple actions which Jesus instituted for his Church to practice, so that he might claim us and set us apart as his own, and to convey to us that which he has done for us through his life death, and resurrection. Justification by faith is applied to each one us individually in this way, and thereby we are born into our Lord's family and are nourished and nurtured as we are continually put right again through the forgiveness of sins. He gives these gifts to us so that we might be assured of this over and over again, and is of central importance to our wellbeing as his people. So the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion are essential for our welfare as his re-formed and re-forming people. They must be held up as absolutely essential for our salvation and for our ongoing welfare as the people of God, because through them along with the Word, God is active for us and for our good.

These four things are key issues for his Church in reformation, yesterday, today and in the years to come. We are to continually go back to these basic foundations, and build our lives and our future on these things. We need to hold all change and thinking, as well as all teachings, up against these and discard that which is contrary. These are teachings and the truth that we are to hold to as of all importance, and it is in these truths that we find our freedom to live and be the people of God.

Yes we are God's people in Reformation. We are people who have been made right with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore people who constantly return to these basic truths that he has given to us. We are to build our lives on them and from there go forward with every confidence in our Great Lord and Saviour. My prayer is that this reformation will take place in our own lives and in the life of the church today; and may our gracious God give us the help, strength and courage to do so. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Toowoomba

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