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
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.