Looking back on all that had been done for the reformation of the church over the course of his ministry, Martin Luther had this to say: 

“I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.” 

In the fuller quotation, he also humbly calls himself a “poor stinking bag of maggots” – but that is beside my point. 

What I want us to consider this Reformation Sunday is this – what gave life to the Reformation? What renewed the church in Europe? Was it the genius of man? Was it mere politics or statecraft?

No, not at all. The Reformation was simply the result of the Word being freed to run wild and hit the hearts of men. This is because the Word is efficacious. The Word gives life. As Scripture testifies of itself, the Word is living and powerful (Rom. 1:16), able to save souls (Jas. 1:21), at work in those who believe (1 Thess. 2:13), and will not return void (Isa. 55:11). 

Isaiah said that the Word of God is like water which gives life to the earth (Isa. 55:10), David likened it to a lamp casting light upon the path (Ps. 119:105), Jeremiah compared it to a hammer that shatters rock (Jer. 23:29), and Paul called it the sword of the Spirit, able to pierce the innermost man (Eph. 6:17, Heb. 4:12). 

It was the Word spoken through Ezekiel that called the dry bones to life (Ezek. 37). And it was the Word spoken through the incarnate Word that called forth Lazarus from the tomb (Jn. 11:43). 

This is simply what the Word of God does. Ever since the beginning – when God spoke and light came forth (Gen. 1:3). And so on this Reformation Sunday, we are reminded of our need to keep the Word at the center of our lives. Let all that you do be according to the Word, and there, in families and in a community where the Word is received and believed, the Spirit of God promises to be at work again.

Shawn Paterson – October 29, 2023

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There is a magnetic pull, especially for men, to long for glory. The boy in the yard with his football imagines himself throwing the winning touchdown for the Super Bowl. This longing for glory doesn’t leave as we mature into manhood. Instead, it seeks it in academic degrees, promotions at work, esteem from colleagues, or a yacht collection.

Seeking for glory is not wrong. In fact, you were made for glory. The problem is that, due to sin, we seek glory in our shame. Glory is not found in the skyscrapers of the Tokyo business district, or in the halls of Congress, or in viral Social Media accounts. 

The Psalmist gives us the path to glory. He instructs us with this truth: “Surely [the Lord’s] salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land (Psa 85:9).” If you desire glory to dwell in the midst of our land it begins with the salvation that comes from bending the knee to Almighty God.

If your life has felt like a slog recently, and glory is the last thing you would describe your life as a good question to ask yourself is whether you are walking in the fear of the Lord. Have you allowed grumbling to be the undertone of your conversations? Have you allowed your contempt for others to bubble at a low simmer? Have you been rejoicing in evil, and resenting righteousness? Have you gotten good at hiding sin? Well then, glory will not dwell with you. It will elusively remain just past your fingertips.

Therefore, bend yourself before God. Bow before His every Word. Study to put all His commands into practice. Confess your sin. Forsake your evil ways. Break your vile habits over your knee. And then, know that the Lord’s glory shall rest in the land.

Ben Zornes – October 29, 2023

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Proverbs 15:4 says, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” As Christians we must bring our body under submission. The apostle Paul said, “I discipline my body and keep it under control.” We must do this with our hands, to the point of cutting them off if they cause us to sin. We must do this with our eyes, to the point of plucking them out if they cause us to sin. But the tongue is so unruly, that James says if you tame the tongue, then you are also able to keep the whole body in check. There is no shortage of ways to sin with the tongue. Do you gossip behind a person’s back? Do you talk down to people? Do you exalt yourself? Do you mutter under your breath? Do you keep your mouth open when you should be shutting it? Do you use it to revile the President of the United States? Ephesians 4 talks about coarse jesting; do you use it for that? All of these things break the spirit within a person. Listening to someone brag is not fruitful, and it’s certainly not fun to find out something that was said behind your back. So how do we combat this? A gentle tongue implies a tame tongue. There’s a wild beast in your mouth and it must be bridled. If you can focus on any part of yourself for spiritual growth, focus on your tongue. And if you can do that, then you’ll be in a position to build your brother up rather than tear him down.

Daniel Namahoe – October 29, 2023

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Paul told Timothy that he must endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And this is an exhortation that we need to hear regularly.

It is far too easy for us to forget that we are at war. Scripture makes this point often. But it can still surprise us. The kingdom of God has not yet been consummated. So, we still live in the time of Christ’s advance and the world’s resistance. It is easy to forget this point when you live in such a blessed community. So don’t make the mistake that is often made by very good high school football teams. They crush the competition without much of a fight. And this is great for what it is worth, but good coaches start to get nervous. He knows that what the boys really need is to face an opponent who is taller, stronger, and faster than them.

Here’s the application. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that implementing the principles of Scripture in your life is going to be easy. “Ah, but we’re postmillennialists,” you say. Yes, and that is wonderful. But the advances we make in postmillennialism are much more like the advances we made in the D-day invasion than they are the advances one makes down a lazy river.

We are in a war. You are a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And that means you must endure hardship. You must suffer distress, pain, and loss. 

But, as you endure hard things, remember that they are not pointless. You suffer as a soldier in the kingdom of God. And that kingdom is coming in power on earth as it is in heaven. As the Puritans would say, “The way down is the way up, to bear the cross is to wear the crown.”

Jared Longshore – October 22, 2023

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“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13)

Here, Paul exhorts the whole church to act like men, explaining that he means: be watchful and alert, steadfast in the faith, and strong. It is the glory of men to be strong, to stand firm, and to be watchful – little boys naturally love pretending to be soldiers and guards. But here the whole church is called to emulate that glory. How does that work?

Elsewhere, the Bible says that it is an abomination for men to dress like women or for women dress like men, specifically wearing the gear or weapons of men (Dt. 22:5). Women are not to act like or be treated like men in law enforcement, military combat, or other martial arts. Related, the law forbade Israel from boiling a baby goat in its own mother’s milk: what God created to give life should not become an instrument for taking life. Except for emergency situations like Jael and Sisera, women should not be death-dealers, since they are life-givers. This is a woman’s glory. The Bible also says that it is shameful for a woman to have her head shaved like a man, and it is conversely shameful for a man to have long hair like a woman – even nature teaches that her longer hair is given for a glory and a covering (1 Cor. 11:14-15). 

Nevertheless, God exhorts the whole church to be watchful, steadfast, and strong: to act like men. God requires churches to have this masculine tone. When men take responsibility for their families and the needs around them, when sin and difficulties are addressed thoughtfully and with courage, when men are alert and physically, intellectually, and spiritually fit and strong, the whole church is greatly blessed and follows that lead.   

We live in a land given over to sexual confusion calculated to destroy the glory of male and female, because those distinct glories reflect the glory of the Maker whose image we bear. Crossdressing, transsexuality, homosexuality, and every form of gender bending in fashion and in the church is meant to blunt the potency of the glory of being made male and female. So, in this moment, act like men: be strong and firm and alert as men and women.   

Toby Sumpter – October 22, 2023

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