Reformation Day

We just finished singing Martin Luther’s most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. During communion we will sing another of Luther’s hymns, also very appropriate for Reformation Day: Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word. In this hymn we ask God, “Curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the kingdom from Thy Son and bring to naught all He has done.” The hymn is a prayer against those who seek to do violence to the kingdom of God. As we sing it you may notice that we don’t ask God to remove those who want to harm the Church. We don’t ask God to destroy our enemies. As long as this world is permitted to endure, our prayer is that God would keep us faithful in the midst of the violence that surrounds us. We ask God to keep us steadfastly grounded upon His Word.

Some people think the Church is supposed to be a place of total peace and tranquility. It’s true that we do find the peace of Christ within the Church. But it’s the peace that passes all understanding. In other words, God’s peace defies logic because of everything that’s going on around it. Worldly peace can only exist when every threat has been removed or conquered. But the peace of Christ can be found right in the midst of strife, and chaos, and violence. Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpower us.

Don’t think it strange to find the Church is surrounded by every sort of conflict and trouble. Jesus told us to expect this. “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force” (Mt 11:12). The Church of God does not dish out violence upon her enemies, she suffers violence. And so we pray, not that God would take us out of this world before the Last Day, but that He would give us the strength to stand firm upon His Word.

Curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the kingdom from Thy Son. The enemies of God, that is, the world, the devil, and your sinful nature, want to wrest the kingdom away from Christ. How? The first weapon is deceit. Yes, Satan will stoop to using the sword, as He did in the persecutions of the early Church. But deceit is a far greater weapon. The sword can only kill the body, but deceit can destroy faith and murder the soul.

What does it mean to wrest the kingdom away from Christ? At the time of the Reformation, it meant that the word of the pope had been set up in place of the Word of God. Traditions of men were regarded as an authority higher than that of Scripture. But what the Roman church had done in Europe five-hundred years ago, is exactly what the devil wants to do today within your heart and mind. Ask a Christian about any hot-button topic, and he’s liable to tell you his opinion, rather than what the Word of God says. The devil has been so successful in his campaign of deception that many Christians now believe the lie that there are many truths, many equally valid religions, many paths to God. People often say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe something with your whole heart. If it seems right, it must be good. If you sincerely believe it, it must be true.” This is what the devil teaches. And if we believe his lies, the Word of God is removed from our hearts, and human opinions and reason are set up on the throne of Christ instead.

We celebrate Reformation Day once a year, but in truth each of us needs our own personal Reformation every day, because the sinful nature is in league with the devil and the world in a continual attempt to wrest the kingdom from God’s Son. How many Christians believe ideas that are contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture? How many people claim to follow Jesus even as they allow their own opinions and reasoning to trump what He says? God speaks clearly about sin, about righteousness, about Christian living, about marriage and family, about the unique roles of men and women, about forgiveness and the Sacraments. And yet, Satan whispers, “Has God really said?” And the sinful nature answers, “Well, maybe the Word of God says this or that, but that’s just one interpretation. I have my own ideas about what pleases God, about what it means to be a Christian, about how to enter heaven. And so, knowing the deception of our own hearts, we pray, “Curb those who by deceit or sword would wrest the kingdom from Thy Son.”

Another one of Satan’s favorite tactics is to add human efforts to the work of salvation. Salvation comes from Christ alone, yet many believers are eager to add their works to His. The Roman church officially teaches this crass idolatry of salvation by faith plus works. But most Protestants unofficially practice the same thing. The devil is subtle in his efforts to dethrone Christ. How many people, whether Christians or unbelievers, operate under the presumption that good people go to heaven. In other words, we think that God runs the universe according to the principles of karma. Do your best. Be kind and generous. Give to charity. Go to church. Avoid certain obviously wicked sins, and with a little help from Jesus, you’ll probably make it through the pearly gates.

The Reformers recovered the Scriptural teaching that man can never pay for his sins and attain heaven by his own efforts. Christ alone takes away the sins of the world. His work and His alone has opened heaven’s door to you. And your work is simply to believe. Your worship is to receive what Jesus gives. That’s why you go to church: not primarily to serve God, but so that He can serve you, as He places His Gospel into your ears, and the forgiveness of sins into your mouth.

Yet, the devil will use every deception he can to rob you of these gifts. From the days of John the Baptist until the Final Day, the kingdom of God will suffer violence. We will appear weak and frail, while the devil and his kingdom are arrayed in power against us. But our victory consists, not in eliminating our enemies by strength of arm, but in holding fast to the Word of God. The battle is over doctrine, and our warfare is to stand firm in the day of evil, clinging ever tightly to the promises of Jesus. Satan’s chief weapon against the Church is deceit, but our mighty weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Our armor is the shield of faith, the belt of truth, the gospel of peace, and Christ is our mighty Champion.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Curb our own sinful desires that would wrest the kingdom from Your hands. Keep from us every attempt to displace You from Your throne. Remove from our hearts the notion that our own filthy works and half-baked sincerity could ever satisfy the holy demands of the Law. Never let us replace your Word with our own opinions and thoughts. Instead, teach us to cling to Your promises for dear life, standing firm upon the unshakable ground of Holy Scripture. You will build your Church. You will usher in Your kingdom. You will lead us through the evil day into that blessed rest prepared for all who love You and trust Your Word. May your Holy Spirit keep us firm in this faith until the day you make all things new. Amen.