[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Reformation Sunday morning, the 27th of October, 2019 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
502 years ago, this coming Thursday, a German monk by the name of Martin Luther was fed up with the Roman Catholic Church, its actions and it leaders. He strongly felt that this was a time for reformation. So he walked up to the front of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany and nailed his list of protests against the church on the front door, what we call his Ninety-five Theses. Most folks consider this as the start of the Reformation Movement, which eventually led to the founding of this church family known as Pilgrim Reformed.
Reform was indeed needed in Luther’s day, but it has been needed for far longer than 502 years. Oh, and there is one great reformation yet to come. Please listen and follow along to what the author of the Book of Hebrews wrote in the first 10 verses of chapter 9 of his letter to those converted Jews who believed in Jesus, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
Reform was indeed needed in Luther’s day, but it has been needed for far longer than 502 years. Oh, and there is one great reformation yet to come. Please listen and follow along to what the author of the Book of Hebrews wrote in the first 10 verses of chapter 9 of his letter to those converted Jews who believed in Jesus, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…
1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to conscience — 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
--Galatians 5:16-25 (NKJV)
Let us pray… Father God, the first covenant You made with mankind contained ordinances of divine service and an earthly sanctuary that was to mirror Your heavenly tabernacle. But we were unable to keep our end of that covenant, and even corrupted it to our own benefit, perverting the law into schemes to enrich our coffers. So You, Father, in Your infinite goodness and grace, sent Your Son to offer us a second, better covenant. In Him we see the true, heavenly sanctuary. You want us to be conformed to His image, to be like Him. You gave Your own Spirit to those who accept Jesus as Lord that we might be transformed by the Spirit more closely into the likeness of Jesus. Father, please help us to not be conformed to this world but to be reformed by the Spirit that we might better serve You and fulfill Your will.
Speak to us now, Father, with the message we need to hear this morning. May Your Spirit move throughout every fiber of our being, transforming us into brethren of the Firstborn, Your Son Jesus. This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Robert Schmidgall, founder and pastor of Calvary Church in Illinois, once said:
Living without Christ is like driving a car with its front end out of line. You can stay on the road if you grip the steering wheel with both hands and hang on tightly. Any lapse of attention, however, and you head straight for the ditch. Society in general - educators, political leaders, parents - exhorts us to drive straight and curb our destructive tendencies. But it is a ceaseless struggle.
Coming to Christ is a little like getting a front-end alignment. The pull toward the ditch is corrected from the inside. Not to say there won't be bumps and potholes ahead that will still try to jar us off the road. Temptations and challenges will always test our alertness to steer a straight course. We can hardly afford to fall asleep at the wheel. But the basic skew in the moral mechanism has been repaired.
I think that’s a pretty good analogy, for those of us who’ve driven vehicles in bad need of a front-end alignment. The pull is constant, requiring our constant attention and efforts to correct it and drive straight. But once we go ahead and get the front-end aligned, it becomes much easier to control the vehicle.
That’s what God’s Holy Spirit does for us. When we come to Christ Jesus, we are given God’s Spirit to be our guide and helper. He is our front-end alignment, allowing us to drive straight in this life if we follow His directions. We just need to be sure that one of those huge potholes in life don’t knock us out of alignment again.
According to one of his reform-minded colleagues, Martin Luther marched up the steps of All Saints’ Church and nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the front door on October 31st, 1517. That date, October 31st, might ring a bell to you - it’s Halloween. Some people believe Luther may have chosen All Hallows’ Eve to begin his formal protest to get people’s attention, but we don’t know for sure.
Luther’s concern at that time was over the church’s practice of allowing someone to pay in this life so that the punishment for their sins in the next life will be lessened. This reminds me of how the Pharisees had so perverted the Law, primarily to benefit themselves.
Yes, reformation was definitely needed. As I mentioned at the start, though, our need for reformation began much earlier than 1517. God sent His Son Jesus to us, that we might be re-formed in His image. We spoke this in our responsive reading earlier, from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans: that we are to be conformed to the image of God’s Son Jesus, that He might be the firstborn among many. To be conformed in Christ’s image we must be reformed from how the world shapes us. In chapter 12 of that letter to the Romans, verses 1 and 2, Paul tells us…
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
--Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
"If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. I will give peace in the land, and none will make you afraid.
"But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I will appoint terror over you, I will set My face against you.
"And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power.
"Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.
"And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins."
--selected verses from Leviticus 26 (NKJV)
I spoke earlier of a great reformation to come. The author of the letter to the Hebrews included this in the last verse of our scripture reading. Some beautiful day, Jesus will return and realign all of creation, transforming even the earth itself. Listen to what the Apostle John described in his Book Of Revelation, chapter 21, verses 1 through 5…
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
--Revelation 21:1-5 (NKJV)
We do not want to hear those words. Nor do we want any of our loved ones included in that lost crowd. And frankly, if we truly follow Jesus as He commands us, loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we should not want for anyone to suffer eternal damnation!
Paul says that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. I would add that the sufferings of this present age in no way compare to the sufferings that are to come for those who reject Jesus in this life.
To be saved from eternal torment, one must be reformed. We must be transformed from creatures focused on the world and its lusts and desires to more righteous beings centered on the light that is Christ Jesus. We must allow ourselves to be led, by God’s Holy Spirit, out into the world, witnessing for Jesus. For this is what our Lord commands, that we tell all the world about Him and what He has done for us. Let’s rekindle the reformation movement, starting right here in Davidson County. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, when we accept Jesus as Your Son, You send Your Holy Spirit to live within us and always be with us, to guide us and transform us into the person You want us to be. If we just give ourselves over to the Spirit and allow Him to do His work within us, we could break the binds this world has on us and no longer be conformed to it. We could be transformed into a being more focused on the spiritual than on the physical. Help us, please Father, to give free rein to Your Spirit and follow as He directs us. Help us to be reformed closer into the image of Jesus.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, those who believe in You have God’s Spirit within us. The Spirit bears witness to You, glorifies You, points the way to You, and so should we. We are nowhere near perfect, and never will be in this life, but God’s Spirit will transform us into a more perfect being, a closer reflection of You, if we allow Him to, if we follow His directions. Lord Jesus, please help us surrender to God’s Spirit and His guidance. Help us to more closely reflect You in our daily walk. This we pray in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
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