Rom 16-Reasons for the Reformation-2
| Reasons for the Reformation-2! Romans 16:17-19
November 2, 2008
17I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
PRAY
Review:Reformation – Revitalization – Renewal – Revival – RegenerationWhat do they all have in common? They are all REpeats…Form… REformVitality… REvitalizationNew… REnewVive… REviveGenerate… REgenerateReturn to where we once were, Restore what has been lost, Rebuild what has been destroyed, Reform what has been distorted, Revive what has died, Renew what has become old…Why did the Reformation happen?Why is it important for us to remember the reformation?Why do we need to continually pursue revitalization?Three reasons:The world, the flesh, and the devilThree other reasons:The truth, the gospel, and the LordWe have an amazing capacity to distort anything and every good thing that God gives us.Sexual intimacy, eating, even WORSHIP!!! Four things to watch out for and something to do:Watch out for those who cause divisions.Watch out for those who put obstacles in your wayWatch out for those who teach what is contrary to what you have been taughtWatch out for people who serve their own appetites rather than ChristBe wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.Four things to watch out for and two things to do:1. Watch out for those who cause divisions.What causes divisions?Right / Good things…Wrong / Bad things…Is division always wrong?Absolutely NOT! The OT is filled with God’s command for His people both to remain separate from the pagans all around them, as well as to put out those from within who violate God’s standards.The NT continues this, commanding us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:14)The question is not really whether or not there should be divisions, but rather what the basis if those divisions is.Paul has already told the church in Rome to be wary of those who would deny the gospel of graceIn the context of this epistle, as in the time of the Reformation, we have natural tendency to gravitate back to the Covenant of Works….This is clearly something which is worth dividing over!I recently read a book on the Mayflower. The author repeatedly berated the Pilgrims for rejecting the authority of the established church in, what he perceived to be, an arrogant appeal to the Bible…Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) (the Cambridge Declaration)We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.My friends. May we all guard this door with great diligence! …We CANNOT agree to disagree on this foundational issue! Neither the counsels of the church, nor our self-deceiving powers of rationalization, nor any other authority can supersede God’s Word!Always seek a church that bases what they do and what they believe on this infallible source of truth… 2. Watch out for those who put obstacles in your wayWhat is an obstacle? Skandalon – a trap, snare / any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall / any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin Strong’s Once again, there are right/good obstacles and wrong/bad onesJesus, Himself, is said to be a skandalon (1 Peter 2:8)Negatively, this can refer to those who would set up things which would HINDER us entering God’s Kingdom. Earlier in this epistle we dealt with the subject of exercising our freedom in Christ in a way that callously causes others to stumble.In the case of the Reformation, this, specifically came in the form of things one must DO to enter God’s Kingdom… The essence of Religion: Any attempt by people to overcome evil in themselves in an attempt to achieve a closer relationship or harmony with GodThe essence of Christianity: Any attempt by people to overcome evil in themselves in an attempt to achieve a closer relationship or harmony with God falls FAR short of even BEGINNING to achieve that goal. Only God can accomplish this, and he has, in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Once again we have to understand our natural propensity to constantly drift back to the Covenant of Works…We find it very easy to see where others are falling short, while, at the same time, we tend to rationalize and justify our own shortcomings. We WANT to feel good about ourselves. In order to do that, we tend to do the following:☞ We lower God’s standards to a level that we can achieve.☞ We establish a means of penance whereby we can atone for our own sins.☞ We unconsciously look for ways that we can exalt ourselves by focusing on other’s failures.☞ We allow the opinions of others to motivate us more than God’s WordThe Roman church, by the time of the Reformation had done this in a major way.☞ They had lowered God’s standards by establishing a list of rules whereby a person could be considered acceptable to God☞ They had established an elaborate system of penance whereby people could atone for their sin☞ They exalted themselves by comparing themselves to those who did not do things their way.☞ They formed definitions of right and wrong based upon the words of men, rather than upon the Word of God.Martin Luther…Solus Christus (Christ Alone)We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited. Mat. 23:13 (NIV) – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”Mt. 15:13 (NIV) – “They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”The point, with regards to the reformation, is that the church, of the time, was putting all kinds of obstacles in people’s way which “shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” These included:☞ The mass ☞ Veneration of the saints and holy relics ☞ Penance How did these shut men out of God’s Kingdom?☞ The mass – an ongoing need to DO…Rather than the gospel – Once for all…☞ Veneration of the saints and holy relics – Rather than the great High Priest, Jesus…☞ Penance – Providing opportunity for people to atone for their OWN sins…Sola Gratia… (Grace Alone)We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature. Call to respond to the gospel… 3. Watch out for those who teach what is contrary to what you have been taught(ESV) …create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught…Does this mean that we should believe what we were taught first?!?BereansRevealed, propositional truth…Sola Fide (Faith Alone)We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice.We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.The question becomes what do we place our faith in?The choices:● God’s Word?● The Church?● Society?● Our own hearts?2 Tim. 3:14 - 4:4 (TURN TO IT) – 14But you should continue following the teachings you learned. You know they are true, because you trust those who taught you. 15Since you were a child you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right. 17Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.4 1I give you a command in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, the One who will judge the living and the dead, and by his coming and his kingdom: 2Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching, 3because the time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching but will find many more teachers who please them by saying the things they want to hear. 4They will stop listening to the truth and will begin to follow false stories. The bottom line. Don’t believe ME. Believe the Bible! 4. Watch out for people who serve their own appetites rather than ChristThe question: Who’s glory is at stake? Who (or what) is being exalted or lifted up? The church? The clergy? The elements? The virgin Mary?BEWARE any church or preacher that exalts ANYTHING or ANYONE other than Christ!The Roman Church, at the time of the Reformation, exalted the hierarchy of the church. They exalted the Mass. They exalted relics…Soli Deo Gloria – (To God, alone be all the glory)Our problem: We love the praise of men.This is a struggle for all of us. It is merely a matter of how MUCH of a struggle and how we deal with it.For some, this means making sure I get the credit for any good I might do, and resenting anyone who would KEEP me from that credit…For others it means not making waves – This person will never change from what they were taught first…John 12:42-43 (NIV) – 42Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. For still others it means giving glory to that which we can see and touch which belongs to God alone.For many this means that mankind is the reason God exists – Therefore when tragedy strikes…When blessings are withheld…When doctrines rub us the wrong way… X Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.What this means is that we need to MAJOR on God and MINOR on Satan Josh McDowellWe need to immerse ourselves in what is true, in the promises of God in His Word. We need to be students of the Word and to be ready to explain what we believe and why.The problem with liberal churches is usually not what they DO teach, but rather what they do NOT teach!I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. (The Message)The need for reformation is always with us. We have a tendency to drift all the time and we need to all strive together to keep coming back to the fundamentals of our faith:Scripture alone, as our source of truth and authorityChrist alone, as our source of salvationFaith alone, as our connection to salvationGrace alone, as our hope of salvationAnd To God alone be all glory! A Truth to Remember: The only way to know what is true is to believe that God has given us revealed, propositional truth in the form of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. A Challenge to Consider:What are you doing to grow in your knowledge of the Bible and thus in your knowledge of God? One thing I heard this morning was… | | |