Sermon Tone Analysis

Almost 500 years ago, a pugnacious Augustinian Monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 statements to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg, Germany.

He was protesting against the sale of indulgences by the Papacy.

He was appalled by the idea that the Church was selling absolution from sin and judgment.

His protest was meant to be a purely academic event designed to encourage a debate among fellow theologians.

It did that and more.

It turned out to be the spark that ignited what history has called the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther is one of the most interesting characters of church history.

Originally intending to become a lawyer, Luther left the university and joined the Augustinian Friars after he was caught in a horrific July thunderstorm with lighting bolts striking all around him.

Afraid he was going to die, he cried out to St. Ann for deliverance vowing to become a monk if he should live.

He did live, and he came to view his cry for help as a vow he could never break.

Luther poured himself into monastic life believing that strict asceticism—the self-denial of all comforts—was a life pleasing to God.

He fasted to the point where it would adversely affect his health for the rest of his life.

He slept without a blanket even in the winter and at times would even sleep in the snow.

He wore out his fellow monks with marathon sessions of confessing—sometimes as long as six hours at a stretch—going over every thought in detail, then starting again from the beginning.

Luther was a monk’s monk.

Despite the hardships, the menial tasks and the penances he underwent as a monk, he still felt the burden of guilt because of sin.

He had hoped that monastic life would give him spiritual peace with God.

It did not.

Later he was to confess: “If ever a man could be saved by monkery, it would have been I.”

Luther was also brilliant.

After earning his doctorate in theology, Luther was assigned to teach at the new university at Wittenberg.

As an academic professor, one of Luther's assignments was to teach the Book of Romans.

It had a profound affect upon him.

Romans 1:16-17 in particular stabbed at his heart and conscience:

/"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and a/so to the Greek.

17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith."/

(Romans 1:16-17, NASB95)

Luther wrestled with that passage because it was just the opposite of what he had been taught.

The Catholic Church of that day taught that the righteous man shall live by good works.

One day while in his room, Luther was agonizing over Paul's phrase, the righteousness of God.

What did Paul mean?

He looked at his bookshelf and saw all the important writings of the Fathers of the Catholic Church—the great theologians of days past—but they were of no avail.

He cried out to the departed saints, but they gave no answer.

Luther again read through the Book of Romans.

Suddenly, his spiritual vision cleared; he felt as if a veil had been taken away.

He could see what Paul meant.

The righteousness of which Paul spoke was not the righteousness of God seeking retribution, but that which was imputed to the believer by a gracious God when the sinner put their faith in Christ alone.

It was at that moment that Luther was delivered.

Luther would write of that event: "It seemed to me as if I had been born again and as if I had entered paradise through newly opened doors."

From that moment on, Luther rejected the Creeds of the Ecumenical Councils, the Traditions of the Church, and the Authority of the Pope, and proclaimed that Scripture alone should define the faith and practice for the Body of Christ.

He adopted the motto, Sola Scriptura—that is "Scripture alone!"

Luther would have made a good Baptist at this point.

In time, Luther and the Reformation would add to that motto four other Solas—Sola Christus (Christ alone), Sola Gratia, (Grace alone), Sola Fide, (Faith alone), and Sola Deo Gloria, (the Glory of God alone).

Five hundred years after Luther nailed his theological challenge to a church door, these Solas remain the core of Evangelical faith: We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, for the glory of God alone.

I want to take about a month to preach on these five solas.

Since the first one is the key to the other four, we will begin with Sola Scriptura.

What does it mean and what are the implications for our lives?

!

I. SOLA SCRIPTURA MEANS THAT THE BIBLE IS TRUTH WITHOUT ANY MIXTURE OF ERROR

#. since Baptists first set foot on the shores of America, they have been know as the people of the Book

#. from laborer to learned scholar, we have always given special attention to the Bible

#. we consider it a book not just for the theologian or the pastor, but for the layperson as well

#. it is a document that we encourage all church members to have, to read, to study and to bring with them when they come to church

#. choose any other denomination in the community, and you will see more Bibles carried into the Baptist church than any other

!! A. THE BIBLE IS AUTHORED BY GOD AND REVEALS GOD TO MEN

* /"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."/

(Romans 15:4, ESV)

#.

Baptists have historically believed that the Bible has God for its author, salvation for its end and that it is truth without any mixture of error for its matter

#. we believe this because the Scriptures themselves maintain that they are inspired by God alone

* /“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”/ (2 Timothy 3:16, KJV 1900)

#. the word inspiration in this verse literally means God-breathed

#. through the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, the writers of the Bible wrote exactly what God wanted us to know

#. the Bible does not merely contain the truth of God, it is the truth of God

#. it is completely true from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21

#. the Apostle Paul made it clear that the Scripture alone teaches us what is profitable

#. that is what is useful, beneficial, and advantageous for Christian living

#. among those things that are profitable to us from the pages of Scripture are ...

#. teaching—specifically Christian doctrine and especially the doctrine of salvation

#. reproof—specifically conviction of sin and false teachings about Christ

#. correction—specifically setting us aright on how to b saved and make Christ Lord

#. instruction in righteousness—specifically that we learn how to love God and become wholly conformed to the image of His Son

#. the result of all this, Paul concludes, is that the believer will become a mature disciple, fully equipped for worship, holy living, and Christian service

#. because the Scripture is true, it is powerful

* /"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."/

(Isaiah 55:10-11, ESV)

* /"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."/

(Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

#. but it is powerful only if we believe it, claim it, and use it

* ILLUS.

There is an old story that tells how Satan once summoned his top demonic aides to plan strategy against our Lord's Church.

Satan stood at the blackboard lecturing and illustrating the latest procedures in demonic warfare.

At the end of this session Satan told his troops, "Now get out there and give your best possible effort to keep believers from winning the lost."

As the demons headed for the door, Satan admonished them, "Be careful.

If those Christians ever begin to really believe and act on what they have in the Word of God, then hell help us, all heaven's going to break loose!"

!! B. THE BIBLE IS INFALLIBLE AND WILL NOT LEAD MEN ASTRAY

* /"and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."/

(2 Timothy 3:15, ESV)

#. if the Bible is God's true revelation, then that means it is an infallible document

#. what do I mean by the word infallible?

#. it means that the Scriptures will do what they are designed to do—lead men and women, boys and girls—into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ

* ILLUS.

When we say that the Bible is infallible, we are maintaining that it is without error since it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Charles H. Spurgeon, a great English pastor, wrote of the Bible: /"The Bible is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by quartz or any earthly substance.

It is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot; a light without darkness; a moon without paleness; a glory without dimness.

It cannot be said of any other book that it is perfect and pure; but of the Bible we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in it, without particle of folly."/

#. the Bible tells us everything we need to know about the One in whom are deepest trust should be placed

#. in its passages and through its pages, you will meet the living Lord

* /"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,"/ (John 5:39, ESV)

#. when the apostle John writes, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12), you can know without a shadow-of-a-doubt that what he says is true

!! C. THE BIBLE IS AUTHORITATIVE FOR OUR LIVES

* ILLUS.