Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION:

This week we celebrate an important date, but I am not talking about Halloween.

We celebrate many historical Holidays as American’s.

4th of July

Veterans Day

Presidents Day

Martin Luther King Day.

Thanksgiving.

As Christians, Easter and Christmas are important historical holidays.

But may I suggest, there is one other holiday that every Christian should take time to remember - including the reason behind the holiday.

nd,

October 31st is the 500th Anniversary of the start of the Reformation.

CAVEAT: Now I understand, many of us love history; but many more of us loath history.

Please be patient with me because I do not intend to simply give a history lesson; but contend that this history is vitally important for us to remember today.

Also, By principal, I typically preach passage by passage; trusting in the sufficiency of Scripture to meet our needs as Christians.

But today we will be looking at doctrinal topic which deals with the basic tennets of our faith.

What does it mean to be a believer?

What does it mean to be a believer.

So I ask for your patience this morning and a little bit of lattitude with the text.

Oct 31, 1517 is the day that Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis on the Wittenberg Castle Church.

The 95 Thesis was an academic paper, in Latin, unreadable to most of the German people.

It was meant to post his debate points at an upcomming debate

- proposed a limit to the Pope’s Authorty to offer forgiveness.

- proposed a limit to the Pope’s Authorty to offer forgiveness.

- And identified true salvation by Faith in Jesus Christ; not works or grace from the church.

Now, in fairness,

Martin Luther never attended to actually start a mass Populist movement against the church of Rome.

- this is why it was in Latin and not German.

The 95 Thesis was written in Latin, the Academic Language of the day, unreadable to the common German of the day, in preperation for a debate between scholars at the Wittenburg College.

However, there were a number of other factors that ignited the reformation.

At the same time as the 95 Thesis; the Gutenburg Press was providing more and more reading material to the public.

The demand for written, publishable material was so high; that Luther’s 95 Thesis was copied and translated into German for public sell.

So thanks to the invention of the Gutenburg Press; the common person begin to hear the true Gospel and the importance of Scripture as being the final authority.

Further,

Among the Academics there was a renewed interest in the Original languages and the original manuscripts;

- for the purpose of rendering the Latin Bible more accurate;

- and to translate the Bible into the common tongue of European people.

which meant that the Academics more focused on the truth found in Scripture.

These influences, along with considerable prolitical maneurving; are why the 95 Thesis started a Reformation of the Christian Church.

The 95 Thesis was essentially the match that started the fire.

With this understanding of Reformation Day, October 31st, I would like us to fast forward to the resulting outcome.

Today, we will be considering

Much more can be said to explain and clarify why the Reformation took off with the publication of Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis

But instead, I would like to focus on the major tenents that were formulated by the Reformation - and why they are important today.

Today, we will be considering

95 Thes

By the end of the Reformation - the reformers across Europe: Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and many others, had come to agree upon 5 major tenets of the reformation .

May I suggest, as true Gospel believers;

PROPOSITION: We Must Hold to the 5 Tennets of the Reformation.

TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT: And this morning we will look why the 5 Tenets are Essential for Gospel Believing Christians.

What I attend to do this morning; is to briefly -

Review Why the Reformers Sought Reformation in each of these Tenets.

The Scriptural Basis for these Tenets.

And Why we still need them today.

- Why does this history matter.

EXPLANATION: Now as we consider these five tennets - may I also just mention that they are often referred to as the 5 “Sola’s” because they all include a word we would translate as all.

So if you hear someone say, the 5 Sola’s; then you know they are simply talking about the 5 tennets of the reformation.

The first tennet of the Reformation;

1. Scripture Alone

The Situation:

We might wonder; how was there a reformation at all.

A major diffirence between Protestant churches and Catholic churches - is that the Catholic church believes in Scripture and the Teaching of the church as being authortative.

In other words - who can officially speak for God.

The pope was selling forgiveness away.

- So Why not just keep buying forgiveness.

The Catholic Answer - Scripture and the Church.

The Protestant answer - Scripture Alone.

The Catholic Church promosed forgiveness through Baptism, Communion, Confession, and Good Works.

- So what do you need Christ for.

Only Scripture is truly the Words of God.

But the Reformers were astitute theologians.

Why was this important in the day of the Reformers.

Martin Luther for several years prior to 1517 had walked in fear and despair - why?

As he studied Scripture - he realized how great sin had sway over him.

It is not to say that the was slack in being monk; but that his dilligence forced him to recognize he was desperately sinful.

- He was afraid that he might forget to confess a sin he was blind to.

- More than once he had a sinful thought while leaving confession - and thus needing more confession.

For literally hundreds of years; the Catholic church taught that simply belief in Christ was not enough.

But that you could go to pergutory - a place of punishment - until you could work your sin off.

Latter; the church began to sell forgiveness.

In 1514 - 3 years before the 95 Thesis - the Pope (Leo X) grants the right for all of a person’s sin to be forgiven for a certain price.

In other words; skip pergutory.

And so he releazed that Baptism, Communion, Confession, and Good Works was not enough to save him -

and so he was in despair.

In 1515, 2 years prior to the 95 Thesis he began to teach on the Book of Romans.

In the course of that study he read - .

But is there a Scripture that declares a doctrine of Pergutory?

And the answer is none - but the Catholic church declares pergutory exists and so there is the final answer.

Does Scripture allow a church or church leader to sell forgivenss?

declares -

The answer is No - Forgiveness happens only by the shed blood of Christ upon Calvary.

And so church teaching - and Scripture are apposed to each other.

The debate is which is

S

And so the reformers opposed the church teaching by siding Scripture - thus the doctrine of Scripture alone.

Think of How sad this was?

That sinners needing to hear the Gospel; instead are clutching on to the hope that the Pope can grant forgiveness because I paid him - only to find himself at death; standing before God still in his guilt, in eternal punishment.

The reformers had to declare - by Scripture alone we ought to live before God.

Now this is not only a reformation idea.

Or just a practical wisdom.