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SERMON:
In
1524, the Elector of Saxony gave an abandoned monastery to Martin Luther, for
him and his family to live in. Luther lived in that “house” for 22 years until
his death in 1546.
The
monastery had been called the “Black Cloister” because of the black robes the
monks had worn when they lived there. But when Luther and his family lived
there, the Black Cloister was anything but sinister to those who passed by its
doors. For Luther was a generous man. Generous to a fault, his wife would say.
When
students from the nearby Wittenberg University were in need of food, or a place
to stay, the Black Cloister was always open. Many a traveling pastor found
shelter there as well. It seems that the only people that Luther ever turned
out of his house were open thieves. And even those he turned out with pity. He
would have gladly given them what they sought to steal.
When
Martin had no money to give, he gave his possessions to be pawned or sold. A
wedding gift here, a warm coat there, and always food. Luther’s hands were so
quick to give, that his wife Katherine took to hiding things away that she
didn’t want to lose.
It
wasn’t that the Luther family was rich, far from it. For Luther was wary of
accepting monetary gifts from the rich and important. He was afraid that people
would think he was peddling God’s Word for a profit.
Katy
Luther pleaded with her husband to just accept some money from the printers who
were distributing his writings. But Luther would only reply, “No. God will
provide.”
And
it wasn’t just his home, his money, and his possessions that Luther gave
freely—he also volunteered his time and energy. When the plague struck
Wittenberg, Martin and his wife filled the rooms of the Black Cloister with the
sick and dying. Night and day they tended to the plague ridden people whom they
had welcomed into their home. When a local doctor and his wife collapsed on
Luther’s front step, Katy and Martin gave up their own beds for their ailing
guests.
What
was it that made Martin Luther so generous? That is the question we will ponder
today, and answer.
▬
Luther
had come from a poor family. And his childhood had been a harsh one. But
Luther’s parents had seen promise in their young Martin. He had a good memory,
and was a hard worker. And so when they had the means to do it, they sent
Martin off to school to become a lawyer.
And
that was where it all started. At school Martin studied hard, and became a
model student. But his heart was full of fear. At church Martin had learned to see
God as a fearful judge. A righteous judge who condemned sinners like Martin to
hell. The church of Martin’s day had little to say about God’s love for
sinners. And they had nothing to say about the gift of forgiveness that comes
to sinners through faith in God’s Son.
When
a close friend of Luther’s unexpectedly died, his fears became heightened. One
day, on the way back to school from visiting his parents, Luther found himself
in a violent thunderstorm. As the lightning stabbed at the ground close around
him, Luther was overwhelmed with the sense that God was coming to judge him for
his many sins. And so Martin did what he had been taught to do—he prayed. He
prayed to Saint Anna to save him. And he promised that if she did, he would
leave his life at the university, and become a monk for the rest of his days.
Luther
didn’t die in that thunderstorm. And he was true to his promise. He gave away
his possessions and took the vows of the Augustinian order of monks.
If
Luther was looking for peace in his soul, he didn’t find it in the monastery.
Even when he studied the Scriptures he didn’t find peace for his soul. Over and
over he saw that the Bible talked about the “righteousness of God.”
He
had been taught that phrase, the “righteousness of God” meant that God was
perfectly sinless, and that the holy God would condemn sinners like himself.
Our
sermon reading for today is a short one. It is one of the many passages of the
Bible which speaks about the righteousness of God.
Romans 1:16-17 (NASB)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is
written, “But the righteous man shall
live by faith.”
▬
Like
I said, Luther had been taught to see the righteousness of God as the wrath of
God toward sinners. And as Luther pondered over passages like this one, Luther began
to wish that God had never revealed the “Gospel” as he understood it, for who
could love a God who was angry, and who only judged and condemned people? But
Luther didn’t really understand what the Gospel was as of yet.
But
that phrase stuck in Luther’s heart and mind, “The righteous shall live by
faith.” And in time, the Holy Spirit led Martin to understand its true meaning.
Martin came to understand that if the sinner was to have life and forgiveness,
that life must come from faith.
It
was the realization that spiritual life comes from faith, and not from ones own
deeds, that opened the whole Bible to Martin Luther. Concerning this
realization, Martin later wrote, “Then the entire Holy Scripture became clear
to me, and heaven itself was opened to me. Now we see this brilliant light very
clearly, and we are privileged to enjoy it abundantly.”
Isn’t
it strange to think that people didn’t understand this in Martin’s day? I mean,
listen to the passage again.
Romans 1:16-17 (NASB)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the
Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as
it is written, “But the righteous man shall
live by faith.”
We
can’t even read this passage without seeing that forgiveness and salvation is a
gift from God, through faith in Christ. And it’s not like this is the only
place in God’s Word that says so.
Galatians
3:11 (NASB)
11 Now it is
evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous
shall live by faith.”
And yet, Luther had always been taught that in order to be righteous before
God one had to do all sorts of good works to earn that righteousness. And
indeed that was what troubled him so severely, for he knew what was in his own
heart. He knew that he could spend a million years pent up in a monastery and
still have a dirty, dark, sinful heart.
What happened to Luther was this: He found that God is just, and God does
hate sin. And God does demand that we be perfect. But God also knows this is
impossible. And so God gave his Son to suffer and die for our sins.
Through the sinless sacrifice of God’s own Son, God’s righteousness becomes
ours. Through simple faith that this is true, Christ’s righteousness is laid
over our whole ugly record of sins. And in the judgment, when we stand before
God, those who trust in what Jesus has done shall not be condemned to eternal
death. Because of Christ, we shall be declared innocent, and given eternal
life.
It was this revelation that changed Martin Luther forever. No longer was he
afraid of the God of the Bible, for through God’s own Word Martin now knew that
God loves the sinner, and desires his salvation more than anything.
▬
This is why Martin was not afraid when the Pope declared him a heretic.
This is why Martin was not afraid when the Emperor declared him an outlaw, whom
anyone could kill. Martin knew that God was the real power in charge, and God
had redeemed him from his sins, forever.
And this is why Martin was generous to a fault. God had given him peace. No
matter what happened in life, Martin knew that in Christ his soul was safe and
sound. He was righteous in the eyes of the eternal Creator, because of what
Jesus had done for him. And the God who had given Martin this gift, would
surely provide anything else that he truly had need of.
So sure, you can stay here. You need food? We’ve got food. You need warm
clothes? Well, lets see what we can find. You’re sick? Let us care for you. And
here, here’s some money to tide you over until things turn around. It’s okay,
we’ll get along fine. Our Lord will provide.
▬
Many see the Lutheran Reformation as a time when the little man finally
stood up to the powers that be. They see Luther as that peasant who stood up to
princes, emperors, and Popes. As if the Reformation was about a rebellion. The
Reformation was not about a rebellion. The Reformation was about a gift. God’s
gift of forgiveness by faith in Christ’s cross. In the Reformation this
glorious truth, the most important truth ever known by man, was unearthed from
under centuries of hypocrisy and false doctrine, and restored to it’s rightful
place. It was restored to the hearts of sinners like Martin, and today, us.
Is it such a strange thing that this grand gift would beget other smaller gifts
in the lives of those it touched? No, it’s not strange at all. For the gospel
is the power of God. It brings salvation to everyone who believes. It brings righteousness
before God, and spiritual life to the sinner.
May the Holy Spirit give us the same peace that Luther had, today, and
every day that we think on what God has done for us through Christ. May the
Holy Spirit help us to see everything in life in the light of this grand gift.
And may God’s gift to us fill us with a generosity that matches the power of
our God, and the grace we have received.
Amen.
The peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.
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