Why the Reformation?

REFLECTION QUOTES

“I don’t remember a time not being anxious.”

~Lena Dunham, American actress, writer, producer and director

“Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat out denial of the gospel of grace.”

~Brennan Manning (1934-2013), Franciscan priest and author

“The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches.”

~Charles Hodge, principal of Princeton Theological Seminary (1851-1878)

“The law says, ‘Do’; grace says, ‘Done.’ The law says, ‘Do, and live’; grace says, ‘Live, and do.’ The gospel says to the sinner, ‘Come’; it says to the Christian, ‘Go.’”

~D.L. Moody (1837-1899), Massachusetts-born evangelist, publisher and founder of Northfield Mount Hermon School

“…it was not the cold blood about the heart, but a single word in Chapter 1 [Romans 1:17], ‘In it the righteousness of God is revealed,’ that had stood in my way. For I hated that word ‘righteousness of God,’ which…I had been taught to understand… [as the righteousness] with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner…. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted. At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith…. Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.”

~Martin Luther (1483-1517), German reformer

“Christians never graduate from the gospel.”

~Conrad Mbewe, pastor in Lusaka, Zambia

SERMON PASSAGE

Selected Passages from Romans (NIV)

Romans 1

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ….

14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 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 Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 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.”

Romans 3

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.