Sermon prepared by the Holy Spirit and Pastor Andrew T. Okai

Reformation Sunday

October 30^th 2016

Sermon text:Romans 3:19-28

Sermon theme:In Christ Alone

 

Introduction

The Lord be with you...

 

Today we gather here in celebration of the 499^th year of the reformation in church history...message theme: In Christ Alone

 

I’ll like to give a brief explanation on the historic event, so that newer Christians would understand why this day is so significant to the protestant church.

 

This madness started as far back as 1095 AD, when the church in Rome (Roman Catholic Church) became involved in what theologians call the selling of indulgences—and in simplistic terms, this had to do witha system that was set up for the purpose(s) of reducing the amount of punishment one had to undergo for sins (The recipient of an indulgence had to perform an action to receive it: 1. a prayer said once or many times, 2. visiting a particular place, 3. performance of specific good works, or 4. offering cash contributions...

 

This was a big problem for the church because what this system did was ruled out the whole act of God’s plan of redemption—putting man back into same situation that man was set free from...

 

If this system had continued, the work of the cross would have become nullified and the works of man would have become glorified and the final state of man would have been horrifying.

 

So Dr. Martin Luther, who I am proud to present to you as the founding father of the Lutheran Church, braved the storm of the imposed persecution by boldly standing up against this heresy. So it was in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31^st of 1517 AD, that he penned what is known today as the 95 theses, which doctrinally opposed the idea of the selling of indulgences. The objective of his theses was to bring the church back to the foundation on which it was first established—the foundation that carried the inscription; by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone...

Dr. Luther agreed with Our Lord Jesus, who said it was finished as he hung on that cross... Dr. Martin Luther agreed with the apostle Paul who writes these words:

Ephesians 2:8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...

 

This is why from our second reading this morning, which is found in the book of Romans, we find clarity on the subject of the incompetency of man’s work as it relates to satisfying the justice of God... (in other words, why our works are unacceptable before God).

 

Here are few good points to consider...

 

The plague of the law

Romans 3:23 fall all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The plague of the law is called sin... Question: what is sin? – any thought or action that falls short of God’s will – God is perfect in thoughts and action...

So God declares that all of us (world) are plagued by this one spiritual epidemic... (Nobody can help another body...)

As a result of this, there was a need for an external help... (Ebola) This is why the selling of indulgences was only good enough to add insult to injury...

(IN THIS CASE, EARTH NEEDED HEAVEN)

 

The purpose of the law

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 whole world held accountable to God.

Before an epidemic can be treated, it has to first be known... the epidemic before the law was given, and the epidemic that still is today, is the reality that man lived, and is still living short of God’s glory... e.g. it’s like trying to live short of oxygen in this environment...(So man died spiritually when we fell away from the glory of God) – so just as the body needs oxygen, so the spirit needs God’s glory...

So living under the law was really intended to show the physical man how bad his condition was (It’s like putting a cell under the microscope to see the extent of the damage caused to it and how irreparable it is)

But also added to this was the work carried out only to cover sin –thousands of lambs, goats, and young bulls...

 

The promise through the law

Romans 3:21But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

So this passage suggests to us that both the law and the prophets testify to the promised righteousness of God... beginning from Genesis (The seed of the woman...) to the last book of the prophets, Malachi 3:1-5I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me...

This is when heaven came and rescued us - this is when mercy said no sin will never take control...

1. through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe – V.22
2. 24 justified freely by his grace...

 

Conclusion

V.25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—

 

V.26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 

V.27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.