In our last two entries under The Story, we’ve visited with Martin Luther and considered some of his thoughts on a number of different topics.  It’s been an interesting way to get to know one of our “heroes” from church history a little better.  But we’ll conclude this series today…

On Christian Freedom
“Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, aye, and even sin a little to spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our consciences with trifles.  We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all.”

“If our Lord is permitted to create nice large pike and good Rhine wine, presumably I may be allowed to eat and drink.”

“Not only are we the freest of kings, we are also priests forever, which is far more excellent than being kings, for as priests we are worthy to appear before God to pray for others and to teach one another divine things.”

On Prayer
“Oh, if only I could pray the way this dog watches the meat!  All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat.  Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope.”

“No man should be alone when he opposes Satan.  The church and the ministries of the Word were instituted for this purpose, that hands may be joined together and one may help another.  If the prayer of one doesn’t help, the prayer of another will.”

“I have often learned more in one prayer than I have been able to glean from much reading and reflection.”

On Himself
“Next to faith, this is the highest art: to be content in the calling in which God has placed you.  I have not learned it yet.”

“Our Lord God must be a pious man to be able to love rascals.  I can’t do it, and yet I am a rascal myself.”

“[Others] try to make me a fixed star, but I am an irregular planet.”

“If I rest, I rust.”

In a recent article for the church newsletter I wrote that when I speak or write about suffering, I sometimes feel like Bill Gates speaking about the hardships of poverty, or Britney Spears discussing the joys of modesty. I just don’t know that I’ve experienced it all that profoundly. (Not that I’m complaining about that.)

Well, I’m not much more familiar with the harsher realities of persecution.  Aside from the neighbor who’s continually snubbed me ever since he discovered I’m a Christian (and far worse — a pastor!), I must say that I haven’t been greatly persecuted.

Perhaps that’s because (as we occasionally say in a prayer at Cornerstone) at times I have hardly make it known that I am His. 

But when the king spoke his beatitudes from the mountain, that’s where he goes next.  He moves from peace–making (see the June 17, 2008 post) to persecution.  He knew that in this world his followers would occasionally face hostility.  Some, having rejected Christ themselves, will not waste an opportunity to “revile,” “persecute,” and “utter all kinds of evil against [the followers of Christ] falsely” (Matthew 5.11).

And how did Jesus want us to meet those moments?  Matthew 5.12:  “Rejoice and be glad.”

Really? 

Yes.  As John Stott writes, “We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor to sulk like a child, nor to lick our wounds in self–pity like a dog, nor just grin and bear it like a Stoic, still less to pretend we enjoy it like a masochist.”

We are to rejoice and be glad like Christians.  Jesus meant this!  (See how strongly he expresses it in Luke 6.22–23!)

In the Matthew passage (quoted below) Jesus seems to give three reasons for such a counterintuitive command.  Rejoice at persecution, first of all, because “your reward is great in heaven.” That is to say, though you may lose all things here, Jesus promises to restore all of it (and infinitely more!) when he makes all things new.

The second reason to rejoice at persecution that comes to us “for righteousness’ sake” (Mt.5.10) and “on [Christ’s] account” (Mt.5.11) is because it is a mark of the authenticity of your faith.  As Jesus says here, “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” As uncomfortable as it is, persecution is often an indication of Christian faithfulness.  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (Jesus in John 15.18).

Thirdly, we can rejoice when people slander, revile, snub or exclude us because we are suffering this, as Jesus says, “on my account” (v.11).  If you are slighted by men because of your loyalty to Christ and his truth, rejoice.  Be assured that God sees.  He knows.

Oh, to have the instincts of the apostles, who — after being beaten for the name of Christ — “left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5.41).

But still… this is a difficult word.  So we’ll pick it up again next time we return to our “life” category.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5.10–12

In our faith studies, we’ve been considering different aspects of the fall into sin.  One biblical way of thinking about sin is summed up in the word bondage. In the Bible (see Romans 8, for example) sin brings bondage. 

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
—Romans 8.20,21

But what does this bondage mean?  To whom are we in bondage?

In the Bible, from Genesis 3 onward, to sin is to serve Satan.  And to serve Satan is to be enslaved to Satan.  Here’s the deal:  Outside of service to the Lord God, there is only bondage.  When we refuse to find our freedom in obeying God, we enter into bondage/slavery to Satan… with the rest of the world.

And that’s the primary way the word “world” is used in the Bible.  To be “worldly” is to be in the power of sin.  It is to be distorted and perverted along with the rest of the sin–infested creation. 

Whenever human sinfulness bends and distorts God’s good creation, it is there that we find “the world.” As we’ve said a few different ways in this series, “worldliness” is the spoiledness, the rottenness, the caricature, the distortion of God’s good creation. 

John 18:  My kingdom [Christ says] is not of this world.
Romans 12:  Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world.
James 1:  Religion is this: to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
2nd Peter:  people only escape the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
James 4:  Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?

To be in the “world” is to be in the power of the parasite of sin (see the June 23 blog post) that is distorting and perverting and spoiling God’s good creation.

But follow me on this — because this is where many of us need to sharpen our thinking so that we might think more Christianly and Biblically…

Christians have a dangerous tendency to think and speak of “worldliness” as a compartment for the “secular” things in life, over against the “sacred” things in life.

So… officework, newspapers, sports, business, yardwork, shopping, politics, playing cards, reading a novel, watching a movie, dancing, and so forth… these things are all “worldly.” While going to church, praying, doing theology, witnessing, and fellowshipping with other believers is NOT “worldly.”

But this is exactly wrong.

We can (and often do!) engage in all of those “Christian” things in a worldly manner.  And through Christ we can engage in all of those “secular” things in a holy manner.

The question that divides the two is this:  Are you in the power of the parasite (sin)?  Are in you in bondage to Satan?  Are you ensnared by these perversions and distortions of God’s good creation?

Or, through Jesus Christ, have you been freed to enjoy and serve God appropriately in all of his wide, good creation?

Once again, many of the church’s children (and adults!) came together to give us another great Children’s Bible Camp!  This year the children put on three original plays that were drawn from three of Jesus’ parables.  The overall title of the camp this year was “Riddles of the Kingdom.”

The parable was one of Jesus’ favorite teaching techniques (see Matthew 13.34), and — as with all other things — Jesus was the absolute master of the parable.  Parables are fascinating.  They are kind of like puzzles (or riddles) that you must really enter into before you can begin to truly figure them out. 

The children treated the parable of the prodigal son, the parable of the wedding feast, and the parable of the good Samaritan.  Well done, children!  Not only have you gained a deeper understanding of these three riddles of the Kingdom, but you’ve encouraged us in the truth of the Kingdom as well.  May the Lord keep us all walking steadfastly in his truth until life everlasting! 

In our last entry in this category — “The Story” — we looked at some of Martin Luther’s colorful sayings.  That was June 3, if you wanted to revisit that post.  Today we’ll enjoy some more Luther…

On Human Nature
“Nothing is easier than sinning.”

“Human nature is like a drunk peasant.  LIft him into the saddle on one side, over he topples on the other side.”

“God uses lust to impel man to marriage, ambition to office, avarice to earning, and fear to faith.”

“Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no reason that we should let them nest in our hair.”

“A lie is like a snowball.  The longer it is rolled on the ground the larger it becomes.”

On Preaching
“When I preach I regard neither the doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have above forty in my congregation; I have all my eyes on the servant maids and on the children.  And if the learned men are not well pleased with what they hear, well, the door is open.”

“It is not necessary for a preacher to express all his thoughts in one sermon.  A preacher should have three principles:  first, to make a good beginning, and not spend time with many words before coming to the point; secondly, to say that which belongs to the subject in chief, and avoid strange and foreign thoughts; thirdly, to stop at the proper time.”

On Church Practices
“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a cardinal without it.”

“What lies there are about relics!  One claims to have a feather from the wing of the angel Gabriel, and the Bishop of Mainz has a flame from Moses’ burning bush.  And how does it happen that eighteen apostles are buried in Germany when Christ only had twelve?”

“Farewell to those who want an entirely pure and purified church.  This is plainly no church at all.”

On Music
“The devil should not be allowed to keep all the best tunes for himself.”

“I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God.  Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.”