Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)
Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)
Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)
Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)
Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)
Reformation October 2021 Romans 3:19-28
The Quest for Certainty
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Maybe you don’t think too much of this question now, but you will. On the advice of a wise pastor, it’s a question I would sometimes ask people when it seemed like death was imminent. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Answers varied. When ones’ faith is strained to its limit as Satan is attacking with his shock and awe tactics like there is no tomorrow (because on our deathbed, there may not be a tomorrow) one of the most common answers is, “I hope so.” Friends, God gives us better. This question drove the young Martin Luther to embark on his journey to find certainty in salvation. Luther was born into a world where the devil was very real. Jesus was viewed not as a loving Savior, but as an angry judge and his Father in heaven was even more stern still. Sin must be punished! Sin must be paid for! Fear drove Christians to seek comfort in the grasping of straws. To satisfy God’s anger over sin, Christians bought indulgences – little pieces of paper sold by the church which assured the recipient of years off of purgatory – the hell-like place where one would suffer for what may be millions of years in fire before entering into heaven…if you were fortunate. It made no difference that God’s Word speaks nothing of indulgences or purgatory – fear drove them. Christians sought years off of purgatory by paying homage to holy relics like pieces of Jesus’ swaddling clothes or Mary’s tears or Jesus’ cross – one of the Princes of Germany had so many relics that if you visited, you could receive over 100,000 years off of purgatory! Many knew that these were all a hoax. The churchman Erasmus quipped, “If you collected all the splinters of the true cross and tears of the virgin Mary – you’d have enough wood to build the Spanish Navy and enough water to float it on.” It made no difference to those seeking certainty – fear drove them. “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” Luther wanted the answer – so began his quest for certainty in salvation. So begins ours. Today, we take the advice of an old Luther near his death when he said, “Do not hold to the doctrines of men. Hold to the truth of Scripture – there you will find peace, security, and certainty.” What brings us certainty? It’s not because of the law… “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. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:19-20) Luther wanted certainty but he grew up in a church that taught you could have none when it comes to salvation. In fact, if you were certain of your salvation, you’d be guilty of the mortal sin of pride. And yet, you ought not despair when it comes to your salvation because that’s a mortal sin, too! Therefore, the church would say, do your best – do what is within you. And maybe God will accept you. And so Luther did. A genius in school, he sold his expensive law books as well as his promising career as a lawyer and donned the monk’s garb. He prayed constantly. He went to mass 7 times a day. He beat himself. He saw Jesus looking at him with hateful eyes – Luther wanted to be righteous, that is, to do the right things that God requires. But the harder he tried, the harder he fell. He thought Jesus’ death only made salvation possible and that he had to work out his salvation with his good works. He tried to gain certainty through the works of the law, but as Paul says here, “No one will be declared righteous…by observing the law.” As a young monk, Luther misunderstood the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to give us hope for heaven, but to drive us to see that we are sinful. Like a mirror that shows me every imperfection. It is supposed to show me that I can’t save myself! And that’s just what it did to Luther. He took God’s Word deathly serious. He always saw himself at the edge of the abyss of hell with the devil’s bony fingers snatching at him and telling him that he hadn’t done enough. Perhaps, you’re thinking, “Well, Dave, that’s not my problem. I know that Jesus loves me and died for me.” But what did he die for? How seriously do we take God’s Word in our lives? Luther grew up in a culture that minimized Jesus’ work as Savior. The pendulum has swung – our culture minimizes Jesus as judge. Jesus is more like a permissive parent who frowns a little when we mess up. That wrong thinking ends up in the exact same place – hell. Do you have Luther’s fear of hell? What about how serious sin and temptation are? Because know that sin wants to lead you to hell. Want proof of that thinking? Has your mind ever struggled to understand how God says that even little babies are sinful and deserve hell? Or have you ever tried to justify a pet sin that you don’t want to let go of thinking “Jesus will just forgive me anyway?” Like Luther, we misunderstand the law’s purpose. The law is not meant to be a nice bar to reach for and if we try hard, God will say, “Good enough!” No, the law is to drive us to see that we can never reach the bar! The law never brings certainty – rather it silences my mouth, shows me that I’m accountable to God, and makes me painfully aware of my sin. The only certainty the law gives is that we can’t be saved by it! So are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of the law…not yet. We still need to learn the truth that St. Augustine spoke: “I can do nothing until what is undone is forgiven.” So, what brings us certainty?
It’s not because of faith… “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22a) The pastor comes to the bedside of a dying child of God. This dying man will be in the arms of the Father soon. He’ll be home. The pastor comforts the man with the promises of God that because Jesus died on the cross for him, all his sins are forgiven - he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The dying man nods his head in agreement. He’s known it his whole life. The pastor asks, “Are you ready to go see Jesus?” And the man answers, “I hope so. I just hope my faith is strong enough.” It’s another way of saying, “I’m going to heaven because I believe.” Luther believed that for a time. He thought he had a break through when he read Paul’s words here – “A righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…this righteousness comes…through faith.” Luther thought, “Yes, that’s it! If I only believe enough, God will accept me!” But do you see the problem? To say you’re going to heaven because you’re a good person or because you believe are really two sides of the same coin. You still end up looking at yourself for your assurance of salvation. Faith never looks at itself. Faith is always looking at its object. Faith is God’s gift which receives God’s treasures…like an open hand. If someone were to hand you the world’s biggest diamond and place it in your hand – would you look at your hand? No, you’d look at the treasure! It may seem like a small point, but it has huge impact. Notice how carefully Scripture speaks about our salvation – it is always through faith and by faith, never because of faith. If it were, I’d never be certain. So, are we ready to go see Jesus? Because of faith…not yet. We still need to see what the hand of faith is holding. It’s by Grace Alone! “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” (Romans 3:22b-28) If not because of works of the law which are so often lacking, if not because of the strength of my faith which so often falters, then where does my certainty come from? God tells you: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” By grace. By grace alone. And what is grace? It is simply this: God loves you because of what he is, not because of what you are. That is grace. It is his something-for-nothingwhen-we-don’t-deserve-anything. Jesus stands knocking at the door as though he’s the one with nothing. We say, “I don’t have anything to offer.” “I brought the bread and wine,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t look very good.” “I brought a robe,” Jesus says. We say, “I don’t feel very worthy.” “But I am,” Jesus says. Grace asks you to forget yourself and think only of God. Think of a Father on a ship with his family. Suddenly he hears the cry, “Man overboard!” When he looks over the side, he sees that it is his son drowning in the waves. What does he do? He doesn’t think of how deserving his son is of rescue at that moment – maybe the son had been kicking and screaming at the father only moments before – maybe the son had hurt the father with his actions – maybe the son had jumped just to see if he could swim! He doesn’t think about that! Instead, what does the father do? He dives in head first to save him. Why? Not because the son deserves it, but because the father loves him and couldn’t stand to see his son die. That is grace! Paul says, “We have been justified (declared not guilty) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” God saw that we would be lost forever drowning in the flood of our own sin. So what did he do? He dove in to save us! Jesus came and gave his life on the cross to save us – not because we deserved it, but because he couldn’t bear to see us drown eternally. How silly it would be to focus on our ability to swim with no land for miles or on our struggle to stay afloat; No, only look at the Heavenly Father’s gracious rescue. When you feel overwhelmed by the waves of doubt, look at the hand outstretched to you on the cross. Don’t look to the right or to the left, just stare in awe at the cross! Stand in awe of God’s grace: “He did that for me.” Sometimes I would go into a hospital room and I see such suffering that the thought springs to mind – how can I comfort this person – they must think God is so cruel! But then I have a devotion with the sufferer; I point them to the cross of Christ, to the mercy and grace of God, to forgiveness poured out on the cross and in the Gospel. And what happens? The sufferer smiles, breathes a sigh of relief, and when I leave takes my hand, sometimes with tears in the eyes, and says: “Thank you, Pastor!” God’s grace brings certainty when nothing in me will do. That is the great truth of the Reformation that Luther came to understand in his quest. On his deathbed he prayed, “Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed, O faithful God!” You see, the quest for certainty ends at the cross. Nothing in my hand I bring, only to Jesus’ cross I cling. Now, Luther was ready to see Jesus. Are you? Look to Jesus! You are ready. Come Lord Jesus, Come! Amen. “The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Amen.” (Psalm 118:16-17)