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Reformation Day Righteousness - Message #274 - October 30, 2005
October 31st is just around the corner. Halloween costumes have already gone on sale. But few people remember it is also Reformation Day. Back in the fifteen hundreds, October thirty-first was a time of feasting and celebration. It was Allhallows Eve or the eve of All Saint's Day. On that day, a German monk by the name of Martin Luther challenged his contemporaries. He took issue with the idea that heaven could be bought with money or a good life. In fact, Martin Luther started a great controversy called The Reformation.
Unfortunately, too many people today think they are good enough for God. They don't believe God could possibly deny them access to the golden streets of heaven. Why should little lies, or big ones for that matter, keep people out of heaven? I can see why God might reject a murderer or a child molester. But why would he reject me? I'm not that bad. So we pat ourselves on the back. We expect the best from God. We don't realize a single sin against an infinitely holy God has infinite ramifications. We get angry when someone calls us a liar. But we expect God to wink at our cursing or vulgarity. We expect God to overlook it when we snub Him or drag His name in the gutter. We become irate at the thought that He might be angry with us. Our anger is acceptable. God's anger is not.
We need not fear the anger of God. Through Jesus Christ we find acceptance. Although we are far from perfect, Jesus Christ is absolutely perfect. The full value of Christ's good life is ours when we trust in Him. This is what Martin Luther discovered. Heaven was open through faith in Jesus Christ. He challenged the world with this truth on October 31, 1517. And the Reformation began in Europe.
Contributed by Dr. Dennis J. Prutow
October 31st is just around the corner. Halloween costumes have already gone on sale. But few people remember it is also Reformation Day. Back in the fifteen hundreds, October thirty-first was a time of feasting and celebration. It was Allhallows Eve or the eve of All Saint's Day. On that day, a German monk by the name of Martin Luther challenged his contemporaries. He took issue with the idea that heaven could be bought with money or a good life. In fact, Martin Luther started a great controversy called The Reformation.
Unfortunately, too many people today think they are good enough for God. They don't believe God could possibly deny them access to the golden streets of heaven. Why should little lies, or big ones for that matter, keep people out of heaven? I can see why God might reject a murderer or a child molester. But why would he reject me? I'm not that bad. So we pat ourselves on the back. We expect the best from God. We don't realize a single sin against an infinitely holy God has infinite ramifications. We get angry when someone calls us a liar. But we expect God to wink at our cursing or vulgarity. We expect God to overlook it when we snub Him or drag His name in the gutter. We become irate at the thought that He might be angry with us. Our anger is acceptable. God's anger is not.
We need not fear the anger of God. Through Jesus Christ we find acceptance. Although we are far from perfect, Jesus Christ is absolutely perfect. The full value of Christ's good life is ours when we trust in Him. This is what Martin Luther discovered. Heaven was open through faith in Jesus Christ. He challenged the world with this truth on October 31, 1517. And the Reformation began in Europe.
Contributed by Dr. Dennis J. Prutow
great reminder. . . 
