Martin Luther Joy in Justification

Good morning.

What was your greatest fear when you were younger?

Up until high school, which was a long time ago now,

I was so afraid of the dark.

I could not sleep in a peach black room.

I would insist my parents to leave the bedroom door ajar

so some light would come through the gap.

I was not so privileged as current generation

where some would have their own bed and a night night by the bed.

I shared a bun bag with my brother,

and I don't think night light was invented back then.

My nitrophobia provided my siblings with a lot of fun.

All they have to do is close the bedroom door completely,

and I will go crazy.

And I have done a lot of other unreasonable things

due to all sorts of fears too.

If you are joining us today for the first time,

we are finishing our summer series on looking into heroes of the faith

in terms of their joy in Jesus through the ages.

We have looked into the life of Polycarp, Augustine, and Huston Taylor,

which is from my right to my left.

And if you have missed any of this sermon,

let me encourage you to go to our website to listen to them

because it's our aim to encourage us at St. Paul's

through the struggles, challenges, and hardship

which lead to these men trusting in God and growing in joy

so that we as a community can grow in our joy

in living for Jesus, treasuring Jesus,

depending upon Jesus, and being justified by Jesus.

We'll be looking at Martin Luther, which is the second left,

the one with the funny haircut.

To finish the sermon series,

a man that was very familiar with fear,

we will see how he went from fear to being freed

and his joy in justification by faith.

Martin Luther was born 537 years ago in 1483

in northeastern Germany.

His father was a manager of a copper mine

and had the money and resources to send him to be educated

and to pursue a career in the law.

He earned his master's degree when he was only 22,

but he did not follow the plan of his father.

He went off to become a Roman Catholic monk.

The reason for his change of career was well known.

It had to do with his fear of death.

Not long before he finished his master's degree,

he was caught in the middle of a thunderstorm while traveling.

With one bolt of lightning strike terrifyingly close to him,

Luther cried out in distress to the patron saint of miners and travelers,

Help me, St. Anne, I will become a monk.

This knee-death experience changed his life.

His desperate cry to St. Anne

revealed the general beliefs and value of his time,

which is also very similar to today.

In the mid-1500s, the gospel, the true gospel,

was hidden or even twisted for hundreds of years.

People were reading a Bible in a language that was hard to understand.

The authority of the scripture, the Bible,

was second to church tradition.

Importance of the centrality of Jesus Christ was not there.

Today, a lot of people also approach religion as a tradition,

as a form of spiritual protection,

or a lifesaver in the middle of trouble.

Like what we are facing in Australia right now,

a man shared on national television that,

after being an atheist for 25 years,

the fire causes him to pray to God

as he hears a siren started going.

People were praying for protection and delivery

at times of crisis

from a God that they have ignored or rejected.

But what often happens when danger passes?

People might later dismiss whatever files

they make at their desperate time.

But Luther's conscience could not.

He had a bigger fear.

He feared God's disapproval and wrath.

And if you fear God's disapproval,

you will not approach God with joy.

Luther once said,

if I could believe that God was not angry with me,

I would stand on my head for joy.

Martin Luther hoping to reduce his fear towards God

and earning God's favor by being a monk,

following all the strict rules and practices,

and by isolating himself from the world

so that he will not do anything that will upset God.

And he once said,

you may not be able to keep the birds

from flying over your head,

but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.

I wonder, would that be the reason

they keep such a unique hairstyle?

Luther salously followed his new calling as monk,

believing he could only receive absolution

for sins he confessed to a priest.

So he became obsessed with visiting the confessional.

He was so rattle and fearful of eternity in hell

that he would confess his sins for hours and hours,

confessing sins that he committed just the day before.

It was sins that were about him,

not completely and totally,

dedicating to the Lord with all his mind

and with all his strength.

Even though they were just thoughts,

his thinking,

he worries that he has somehow slipped far away from God.

Martin Luther was taught

that a holy and righteous God

could not be in the presence of sin.

The God's word that he was reading at the time

speaks over and over again

of God being completely just

and punishing wrongdoers.

He understood from what he was reading

that he would fall into that category

and would be punished in hell.

If all we know about God

is judgment and punishment,

we would all have anxiety

about our sin and ourselves.

Being a monk did not bring him any joy.

In fact, it made him even more anxious

because he got more time to study God's words.

He knew the Ten Commandments.

He knew the Sermon on the Mount.

He knew that a holy and just God

could not allow sin in his presence.

So, when he would measure his life

up against God's standard,

he would become rattle with anxiety.

He knows the Bible far better

than any one of us.

But knowledge should not set him free.

In fact, the more the knowledge,

the more fearful he becomes.

It was after becoming a monk

for about a year

in studying Augustine

to prepare to lecture in biblical study

and look at a correct version of the Bible

that eventually brought joy

to Luther's heart.

Luther discovered a righteousness

that freed him

and unlocked the joy

that would serve generations to come.

In German as well in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin,

justice and righteousness

are the same word.

When Paul claimed in Romans 1.17

that the justice or righteousness of God

is gospel or good news,

Luther could not make sense of it.

For Luther, the justice of God

had meant one thing only,

the standard by which God found us guilty.

Luther said,

I hate that word justice of God,

which by the use and custom

of all my teachers,

I have been taught to understand

philosophically as

that justice by which God is just

and by which he punishes

sinners and the unjust.

I did not love,

no, rather I hated

that just God

who punishes sinners.

If you look back at

Romans 1.16-17,

it's saying there,

for I am not ashamed

of the gospel

because it is the power of God

that brings salvation

to everyone who believes,

first to the Jews,

then to the Gentiles.

For in the gospel,

the righteousness of God

is revealed.

A righteousness that is by faith

from first to last.

just as it is written,

the righteous will live by faith.

Luther had been taught

by the church

that this verse means

we are to be made righteous

through the church of Rome

by doing what the church

tell him to do.

But he also knows

deep down that he could

never measure up

to God's standard.

Somewhere there

was always a piece of his heart

that he did not offer fully to God.

Even living in a monastery,

following strict rules,

and allowing himself

to have any pleasure,

he knew he was still guilty.

No matter what he did,

he could not,

he cannot change the fact

that crime had been committed.

Today we do our own things

to justify ourselves

so that we do not fall

in the trap of Martin Luther.

We mix up being righteous

to being good and kind.

So we say,

I'm a good person,

I do not deliberately harm anyone,

and in fact,

I fight for those

who cannot defend themselves.

I protest to protect

the environment,

human rights,

and animals.

God should be happy with me.

Some might set themselves

a list of things

that they should do.

Work hard,

be a good model citizen,

be a good parent,

give money to charity,

keep a religion

or being spiritual

or go to church.

We all have a list

that we check

to assure ourselves

that we are okay.

but at the same time

become very unsettled

if we sense

a kind of a disagreement.

Even Luther,

even though Luther knows

the Bible far better than us,

there is something

that did not add up.

So he went back

to the scripture

and looked into

the original Greek.

And what the church said,

being made righteous,

Paul actually used

a Greek word

that means

to be declared righteous,

not made righteous.

When Luther discovered

that this changed

everything for him,

when Paul claimed

in Romans 117

that the justice

or righteousness of God

is gospel of good news,

he was saying that

in the gospel,

which is by the suffering,

death,

and resurrection

of Jesus Christ,

the righteousness of God

is revealed to us.

we are declared righteous,

not with the righteousness

of our own,

but with the righteousness

from Jesus Christ

by faith.

At this discovery,

the light come on

for Luther.

The darkness

and fear were lifted.

He began to understand

that when Paul was speaking

of what Paul

was speaking of here,

it was a righteousness

that God,

in his grace,

was making available

to those

who receive it

passively,

not those

who achieve it

actively.

The grace of God

received by faith

is by which

a person

could be reconciled

to a holy

and righteous God.

We receive it

from God,

not achieve it

by our own effort.

At this was a moment

of reckoning.

Luther said,

when I discovered

that I was born again

of the Holy Spirit

and that the doors

of paradise

run open

and I walk through.

Luther finally

understood that

the righteousness

of God

that is in the gospel

is a righteousness

that belongs

properly

to someone else.

It is a righteousness

that is outside of us.

It is a righteousness

of Jesus Christ.

And we receive it

from Jesus.

We do not

and cannot earn it.

He finally

has the assurance

that he was looking

for all his life.

And the same assurance

is presented

to us

because

here

was a confidence

in front of God

which was based

not on our merits

but on Christ.

The righteousness

of Christ

credited

to us

through faith

promise to God's

children of heaven

without fear

of help.

This gospel

moved Luther

from fear

to faith

from despair

to joy.

When Luther

went back

to the scripture

to the words

of God

he realized

that the way

to be saved

is just as

Jesus said

in the beginning

of Mark.

The time

has come

the kingdom

of God

has come

near.

Repent

and believe

the good news.

Repent

and believe.

Repent

means turn

and go

the other way.

You are going

your own way

trying to fix

up

our problems

and earn

God's forgiveness.

We turn

and believe

and have faith

in Jesus.

Let me give you

an example

of this

turning faith

that I'm talking

about.

If I was

to say to you

I would pick

you up

half an hour

before church

and take you

to church.

You might

hear me say it

but that

isn't enough.

You might

choose not

to do anything

about it

or you say

okay great

then you went

and organized

the Uber

to come here

yourself.

People do

that all the

time with the

gospel.

They hear

that Jesus

died on the

cross for

their sin

and rose

three days

later

and they

say fine

and then they

go about

their life

in their

own way

or find

some way

to make

themselves

less sinful

or more

likable

or acceptable.

The kind

of faith

that is

repentance

is that

you hear

that I'm

going to

pick you

up half

an hour

before church

to take

you to

church.

You cancel

that Uber

that you

have

prearranged.

You stand

outside

of your

house

early

and wait

for me

knowing

and trusting

that I'm

going to be

there.

And then

when I do

arrive

you gain

the car

and come

to church

with me

here.

The faith

that brings

you into

a righteous

standing

with God

is a faith

that turns

you from

going about

your life

in your own

way

and turns

you towards

Jesus

to believe

and follow

his way.

Your turning

and following

is an

action

that

is

used

by

your

faith

because

you

are

declared

righteous

in God's sight

by your

faith in

God's words.

Like in my

example,

the moment

you decide

to go

and meet

me

and cancel

that Uber

you are

committed

to ride

with me

because you

have faith

that I'm

going to

do what

I said

and pick

you up.

If you

don't have

faith

that I was

going to

pick you up

you will

not have

canceled

your ride.

The moment

you place

your faith

in Jesus

Christ

for forgiveness

of your

sins

you are

declared

righteous

in God's

sight.

When God

look at

you

he sees

the righteousness

of Jesus

Christ

not yours.

However,

the things

around you

have not

yet changed.

If you are

involved in

complicated

sin

that just

doesn't

go away

it has

to be

dealt

with.

your

being

declared

righteous

does not

mean that

those things

you are

doing

wrong

are no

longer

sin

but

instead

you

begin

to

work

on

those

sins

in

your

life

not

on

your

own

abilities

anymore

but

with

faith

in

Jesus

Christ

for

we

are

empowered

by

the

Holy

Spirit

to

change

not

to

try

and

justify

ourselves

before

God

but

to

walk

in

close

fellowship

with

him

by being

in

fellowship

with

other

Christians

because

he

called

you

to

him

and

you

realize

that

he

was

willing

to

suffer

and

die

in

your

place

for

use

so

that

you

could

be

with

him

the

journey

that

begins

with

justification

may be

long

and at

times

it's

been

difficult

but

the

fact

that

you

have

placed

your

faith

in

Jesus

Christ

means

that

when

things

do

go

dark

when

they're

pleased

that

Jesus

is

not

near

you

can

turn

to

look

at

the

gospel

and

in

seeing

that

the

righteousness

of

God

is

refilled

you

can

know

that

even

in

your

failings

even

in

the

disappointments

and

failures

we

can

be

to

be

righteous

that

because

of

the

power

of

the

gospel

you

are

indeed

righteous

this

is a

message

we

need

to

keep

on

hearing

even

if

we

trust

Christ

for

our

acquittal

on

the

final

day

we

cannot

too

easily

seek

to

establish

our

own

justification

today

even

as

we

share

the

message

of

justification

by

faith

we

can

be

practicing

justification

by

doing

instead

we

try

to

achieve

instead

to

receive

we

think

our

approval

and

acceptance

before

the

heavenly

father

depend

on

our

behavior

and

if

you

fear

God's

disapproval

you

will

not

approach

him

with

joy

if

I

ask

Martin

Luther

to

give

me

an

example

of

his

joy

I

believe

he

would

use

Psalm

30

which

talk

about

no

more

fearful

or

depressed

but

lift

up

in

joy

starting

by

talking

about

God

lifting

us

out

of

the

death

bringing

us

up

from

the

realm

of

death

spaying

us

from

going

down

to

the

pit

first

one

it

read

in

Psalm

30

I

I

will

exalt

you

Lord

for

you

lifted

me

out

of

the

death

and

did

not

let

me

let

my

enemy

go

over

me

Lord

my

God

I

called

to

you

for

help

and

you

healed

me

you

Lord

brought

me

up

from

the

realm

of

death

you

spared

me

from

going

down

to

the

pit

he

called

his

faithful

people

to

sing

praise

and

rejoice

for

God

is

angry

no more. He said his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. It called to God

for mercy and to be our help, and it finishes in verse 11. You turned my whirling into dancing.

You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be

silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. When Luther realized the righteousness of God in

Romans 1, 17 means the righteousness of God, and it was a gift to all those willing to accept it,

Luther was standing on his head of joy. He was born again of the Holy Spirit and walked through the

doors of paradise to the awaiting arms of God. It was made possible because of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for whoever believes in what God has done for him or her have been justified by faith. We have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this

grace in which we stand. If you do not yet know the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, like the faith

that I have been talking about, if you do not yet sense that joy of being accepted by our Heavenly Father,

our merciful God, I urge you today to stop trying to achieve but to receive the grace of God. Walk through

that open door of paradise into the open arms of God. Turn from following your ways, the ways of this world

in justifying yourself by your own effort. Turn and put your faith in following the Lord Jesus Christ,

who was crucified, died, and buried, who rose again three days later in fulfillment of the scripture

so that you may live. You may begin that step by repenting of your sins in prayer. Ask the Lord Jesus

Christ to forgive you and tell him you want to follow him, to live your life for him. We have printed a

short prayer at the back of this handout in a few different languages. You can use that as your first step

prayer, walking towards paradise, walking into paradise. I will ask our worship team to join me on stage

now to lead us in a song. Please take this as your opportunity to walk through the open doors of paradise,

into the open arms of God. Let's sing to our God in joyful acceptance.