The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (NASB)
502 years ago on October 31st Dr. Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg’s chapel door setting off the largest and most significant church fight in all of human history. Reformation Sunday is a day to celebrate the fact that God, through Luther and the reformers who followed restored to the public ministry of the church, the way of salvation.
“Human beings cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.” (A.C. IV – Justification)
This morning’s assigned reading is Matthew 11:12 and following. Now most of the time the assigned reading for reformation services is John 8:31-36.It is the more popular of the two readings. After all, it is a Bible passage that is filled with good news and ends this Jesus declaring, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” That’s great good news! That’s why it’s the favorite reading for Reformation Sunday.
John 8 allows the church service to take on a more joyous and celebratory tone, as is appropriate. After all, we have been justified by faith and not works so that no one may boast. Our salvation is in God’s hands not ours. “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:5-7)
Now sometimes the alternate reformation Gospel reading is used, Matthew 11 because it reflects another truth and reality that ought to be kept in mind right along the side of that first and ultimate reality. The reality that we are at war because the devil, the world, and our own sinful natures are at war with Christ, with His Word, with the church, and with our new natures.
Thus church services, especially a church service centered on the reformation and the restoration of the Gospel ought always to reflect these two realities. The reality that we are justified and sanctified by grace through faith in Christ alone and that this truth produces open hostility and war between the unholy and the holy ones.
The church, individual members of the church, the pastor and lay leaders all need to recognize plight of the church. As long as the Christian and the church is faithful to Christ and His written Word, we are targets for the unholy ones for the message of the Gospel is neither desired nor tolerated.
The situation we now find ourselves in as Christians and as the church of Christ, is analogous to the situation we are witnessing in a more visible manner in the West in general and the United States in particular. Common sense and common decency, and traditional/biblical values are being drive from public view. And not only from public view, they are being drive from the hearts and minds of the masses. Our world is going and in many places has gone mad. “Mad” in the sense of mentally unhinged and mad in the sense of angry.
While Jesus taught us that we are to be in the world, John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”
In the Garden of Gethsemene Jesus prayed, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:14-15)
Matthew 11:12 and following remind us that while the “free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” staying free between now and when we are called home to our eternal home is not free or easy. Freedom isn’t free. Remaining free and safe guarding the preaching and teaching of the church requires something of us.
In this world becoming and remaining free often requires vigilance, treasure, the taking up of arms, and bloodshed. That’s true for the peoples of this world and their governments. It is also true for the church. The difference is the manner of warfare. The world’s kind of freedom requires weapons that destroy the body and things. The weapon of the church is the Word of God and the love we have for our neighbors.
Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” Jesus is talking about the church on earth. John the Baptist was beheaded. That we a fresh memory in the minds of those who heard Jesus speak it. He came to a violent end not of his own making.
Do you remember what Jesus said to Saul (who became the Apostle Paul) on his way to Damascus to arrest and persecute Christians? (Acts 9:4) “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Jesus took the attack on His brothers and sisters personally–an attack on a Christian is an attack on Christ Jesus. Saul was inflicting violence on the Church. He was going after Christians. In so doing he was attacking the Son of God.
There are two ways in which the kingdom of God suffers violence. The first and most common way is when an individual Christian, that could be you, or your children, or your grandchildren are punished in some way for having faith in Christ and adhering to the words of Christ.
If you believe and take seriously the teachings of the Bible on theology and morality, you will find yourself under some form attack. The variable is the method and the degree of the attack.
The second way the kingdom suffers violence is when the church proper, the people of Christ who gather together in congregations are in some way, shape, or form are attacked, punished, and mistreated on account of the congregation’s fidelity to Christ and His words. Those two go together by the way. Where Christ is truly present there also are His words/teachings.
That’s the John 8 Reformation reading (John 8:31-32), “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” There are a lot of people who like the idea of Jesus, they just don’t like His words, His teachings, His Scriptures, and His brothers and sisters in the church. It is one thing to know that something is sinful, wrong, and prohibited by the Bible, yet fall into sin due to our sinful natures. It is another thing to tell Jesus to shut up because He is wrong.
That is exactly what is happening when a Christian pastor or laymen speaks the words of God on a given matter and a person who claims to be a Christian on the other end is offended.
After telling us that the church is going to suffer violence and that men seek to overthrow the church by violence, Jesus tells us something of first line of attack. (vs. 16-19) “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
The idea is that those who are predisposed to criticize God’s messengers will find something to criticize. Such people refused to hear God’s voice in either in judgment or in mercy. Of John the Baptist, who did not eat what they eat and did not drink alcohol, the critics claimed he was demon possessed. That was how they attempted to discredit John preaching of repentance.
Jesus ate and drank wine with sinners. He came to save sinners from their sins. In an attempt to discredit Him, they said He was a glutton, drunkard, and friends with the dirges of society.
Jesus’s reply, “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Those who reject, rebel, and are hostile toward Christians, Pastors, and the Church are foolish. On the other hand the faithful are wise and they will be vindicated in their wisdom, that is in their trust in Christ Jesus.
In virtually every branch of government at the federal, state, and local level, at almost every public, private, and religious educational institution, in most large corporations, and in almost all church bodies a new religion has emerged. If you are going to be considered worthy, decent, and righteous before the “enlightened” crowd you must yield to modern morality, which is immorality.
When this kind of pressure and intimidation is brought to bear on the children of the church, young and old alike the kingdom of heaven is under attack and is suffering violence according to Jesus.
Jesus lamented over the violence His prophets received at the hands of the unfaithful forefathers: “I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city.” (Mt. 23:34-35).
We will always suffer the temptation to underestimate and undervalue the worth of proper preaching, teaching, doctrine, and worship. We will always be tempted to value a “good relationship” with other people. We like the praise of other sinners. Sometimes those things get in the way Christ and all His words.
Most of the epistles written by Paul, Peter, and John to the churches of the first century were about reforming/restoring right doctrine. The apostles formed congregations around the Word and Sacraments. They taught certain men to be pastors, then the apostles moved on to other cities. False teachers came in behind them and corrupted the doctrine, and moral codes. When news reached the apostles of the corruption of the Gospel, they wrote their epistles calling for the return of the Gospel.
Galatians 1:8-9 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”
Today the kingdom of heaven is being taken by force again. The people once again Scripture. People in the visible church too! They teach it is the words of men. They lay before us social agendas, works, and attitudes to which, they say, we must conform. The Church is being used again for political power and law breaking. Faithful churches are those that entertainmentnot worship in spirit and truth.
This is why we hold the tradition of a Reformation Day celebration. It reminds us that God will win the victory. While heaven and earth will pass away, His Word will never pass away.
There will be fight in the meantime, but Christ will prevail. There’ a reason the hymn most associated with the reformation is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” It is called the battle hymn of the reformation. It is a hymn that understands that violent men seek to take the church by violence.
The old evil Foe, Now means deadly woe; Deep guile and great might are his dread arms in fight; On earth is not his equal.
With might of ours cannot naught be done, soon were our loss effected; But for us fights the Valiant One, Whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is, Of Sabbaoth Lord, And there’s none other God; He holds the field forever.
He’s by our side upon the plain With His good gifts and Spirit. And take they our life, Goods, fame, child and wife, Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won; The Kingdom our remaineth.
Amen
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.