Worth Remembering

​TITLE: Worth Remembering
DATE: October 31, 2018
TEXT: 1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV) 5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

There are questions of history which are easy to answer.

You don’t have to be a genius to know when the War of 1812 was fought; or who died at Custer’s Last Stand or who is buried in Grant’s Tomb or on what day do we celebrate the 4th of July.

There are holidays which come around every year which are easy to remember.

In October giant bags of candy remind us that Halloween is coming. The tremendous discounts offered by Supermarkets on their turkeys lets us know that Thanksgiving is just about here and heart-shaped cards announce it’s time to think of your Valentine.

Then there is Reformation Day. Reformation Day is a tough one.

Think about it: How many Reformation Day presents have you received? The newspapers haven’t reminded us of how many shopping days were left until Reformation Day. The TV stations haven’t told me where I can go to see the houses with the best Reformation Day lights. Pam hasn’t bought a new Reformation Day outfit…my community doesn’t have a Reformation Day parade, there are no Reformation Day fireworks and no Reformation Day flowers sent to sweethearts. Martin Luther doesn’t come down your chimney and he doesn’t go hippity-hoppity down the Reformation trail.

Then there is Reformation Day. Reformation Day is a tough one.

It’s tough because while most of us know that, 500 years ago, a German monk nailed 95 debating points onto the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany and while we know those sentences changed the world, we don’t know what they said. Let me ask: raise your hand if you memorized all 95.. how about 50? 40? 10? 1?

You see why I say remembering Reformation Day is a tough one.

Which is why most people and most churches often end up saying: ‘What Martin Luther did was very nice, and we’re glad he did what he did, but it was a long time ago and it doesn’t have much to do with us. We live 500 year after Luther pounded his nails and asking people to remember some nail pounding for 500 years is asking too much.

Besides, 500 years has changed things. Nowadays it seems like most religions are getting along… and if they’re not, at least nobody has started a 30 or 100 year war recently.

Which explains why Reformation Day is hard to remember and why we’re going to make it easy.

See our passage above? Scripture is clear, just as there is only one God; there is only one Mediator Who can get us into heaven. At the time of Luther the church was teaching there were two mediators; Jesus and the church. Luther’s 95-debating points said, “This doesn’t make sense to me. On the basis of Scripture can someone please clarify?”

When nobody could give a good explanation, Luther said, “This doctrine of Christ Alone is important to remember.” And he did… just as we should.
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THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in Ephesians (1:7) it says, “In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Help us remember that all important truth: we are saved by Christ alone.. In the Savior’s Name we pray. Amen.