Sermon Tone Analysis

We are drawing very close to a historic day, Reformation Day, when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany.

This event led to our church receiving the name Lutheran and being known as the church that holds to Scripture alone as its truth, with salvation being by Christ’s grace alone, through faith alone.

Our text for this Mission Festival celebrates these truths.

II.

The Word is powerful to believe and confess.

Sermon

We are drawing very close to a historic day, Reformation Day 2017, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany.

This event led to our church receiving the name Lutheran and being known as the church that holds to Scripture alone as its truth, with salvation being by Christ’s grace alone, through faith alone.

Our text today celebrates these truths.

Luther wrote many hymns, but the hymn that is the favorite of many people and the one most closely associated with the Reformation is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Do you have a favorite phrase in that hymn?

I do.

My favorite line in that hymn is “One little word can fell him.”

The power of the Gospel—that is, Christ Jesus who died for our sin and rose again for our justification, and all who hear this message—God gives and strengthens faith.

This simple word can fell the most powerful foe ever, Satan himself.

What good news and comfort this is for us who believe and confess Jesus!

Today’s from is at the heart of where St. Paul is lamenting his Jewish countrymen who have rejected the Gospel.

They are no longer Israel, much to Paul’s dismay.

And why is that?

Because they sought to justify themselves through their works.

Therefore, they have been pruned away from the Vine and the Gentiles are grafted in.

But how?

Through the Preaching of the Gospel of Christ, Saving Faith—Righteousness and Salvation is the Result—Which Comes from Hearing this Gospel.

Who Calls on the Name of the Lord Will Be Saved!

I.

The Word Condemns.

God’s Word has two messages, Law and Gospel.

And we must hear and proclaim both.

Paul begins our text in speaking about the Law and its ability to make righteous everyone who keeps the commandments: “For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.”

Unfortunately, neither Paul nor Moses nor we nor anyone else—except Jesus—has or ever will perfectly keep God’s Law.

So the Law always speaks to us accusations and condemnation.

It points out our sin.

It mocks us.

It tells us we deserve hell.

Paul laments all who reject God’s Word, both his fellow Jews and the Gentiles.

He quotes Isaiah in , “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”

The greatest tragedy throughout the history of the world is all of the people who have lost out on salvation and an eternity in heaven, instead trading that in for fleeting pleasures, fake riches, and false gods.

Especially tragic when they hear the Word that condemns and warns, they refuse to believe that warning.

Bitterly tragic when they hear that Word and, rather than realize it condemns, think they can live by succeeding in keeping it.

The Law shows us our sin, and it shows us our need for Christ.

II.

The Word Brings Faith.

In contrast, Paul points us to the “righteousness based on faith” in .

This righteousness is not based on our good works or our living by, our keeping, the Law.

“But the righteousness based on faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”

(that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)’ ” .

We don’t have to build a bridge to heaven, for Christ is our bridge.

We don’t have to raise our God from the dead like other religions, because our God is alive!

Illustration: You’ve heard the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword.”

It means that the power of truth and the word to influence hearts and minds is stronger than the mightiest army.

The pen of the Gospel is far mightier than any sword of the Law (good works to earn salvation) or any sword or accusation of Satan (“one little word can fell him”).

That is very good news indeed!

“The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (v 8), Paul says.

In fact, the Word is Christ!

He is near us.

He is in us.

He is placed there by the Holy Spirit working through Word and water.

We don’t create faith in our hearts or decide to believe in Jesus on our own.

That’s what the Holy Spirit does in our spiritually lifeless corpses.

And Jesus continues to come to us physically as he, the Word, comes into our heart through our ears, and his body and blood come into our mouth in Holy Communion.

Faith and confession are joined together in :

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

What is in our heart is what comes out of our mouth.

It is impossible to believe and not confess.

And it is impossible to confess without believing.

Our confession is, “Jesus is Lord.”

That historically has been the simplest, yet most powerful, confession of the Church.

And it is our bold confession today: “Jesus is our Lord.”

This is the confession that will continue through all history.

It is founded on the absolutely unshakable truth “that God raised him from the dead.”

The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.

Illustration: Perhaps you saw the movie Risen a couple years ago around Easter.

It told the story of the soldier tasked with finding Jesus’ body after the religious leaders claimed his disciples had stolen it.

Eventually, he did find Jesus’ body.

But it was not the dead body he had seen on Good Friday.

The body of Jesus was very much alive!

That’s the truth the disciples saw with their own eyes.

In fact, over five hundred followers of Jesus saw him alive after Easter!

III.

The Word Saves.

Paul, a Jew of impeccable credentials, agonizes over the fact that most of his fellow Jews have rejected the possibility that Jesus could be the Messiah.

They deny that he rose.

They deny that he is God.

And they are the children of Abraham by birth.

This should have been the fulfillment of their faith.

Instead they have been pruned out of the tree of Christ and his Church.

And in their place, the Gentiles have been grafted in ().

Paul is thankful so many Gentiles have come to faith.

But he also hopes and prays that one day the Jews will also come to faith.

And he knows it is not an either/or situation.

God desires both to be saved,

“for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him” (v 12).

The riches of the Gospel—forgiveness, life, and salvation—are for everyone!

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (v 13).

IV.

The Word Must be Heard!

Paul’s great desire, then, is for all to believe and be saved.

He knows this is the task and mission of the whole Church.

How can people believe who haven’t heard? he asks in v 14.

How can they hear unless someone preaches?