Blue Lake Presbyterian | 10-29-2017
Good morning,
Welcome to the Blue Lake Presbyterian Church
The tittle to today’s sermon is “Stairway to Heaven” and is based on Romans10: 8-15
I like to kick it off with something funny.
Belgium is a small Country south of Holland. Growing up in Holland, Belgian jokes were common place.
An Englishman, a German and a Belgian get the pearly gates at the same time; St Peter greets them and says there 1000 steps on the way to heaven. Here is the deal, at every step I tell a joke, if you laugh you are out, and you are not going to heaven.
By the 47th step the Englishman can no longer contain himself, starts laughing, and off he goes, then the German by the 152 step starts laughing and he is out. The Belgian keeps going up higher, but the step 999 he starts laughing, St Peter says, why are you laughing? I haven’t even told the joke yet, then the Belgian says, I just got your first joke.
The pearly gates portray this imaginary entrance to “Heaven”. There is much speculation what “Heaven” would be like.
The song “Stairway to Heaven” was released by Led Zeppelin in 1971, it became a hit, and is often referred to as one of the greatest rock songs ever. It was placed at number 31 on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time.
Song writer Jimmy Page said: I knew it was good, but I didn’t know it was going to be almost like an anthem … It is the biggest-selling single piece of sheet music, in rock history, a total over one million copies have been sold. It is a great tune, and a fascinating title that stirs imagination and curiosity.
Many books have been written about Heaven as well, including: 90 minutes to Heaven by Don Piper, Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, or “To Heaven and Back” by Mary Neal.
The book “Heaven is for real” is the story of a four-year boy who during emergency surgery, slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives, and starts talking about looking down and seeing the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room.
He shared impossible-to-know details about his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before the boy was born.
He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, and recall how really big, God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit “shoots down power” from heaven to help us.
Heaven is a subject that captivates the mind, and it invokes intrigue about the afterlife. But it is also the subject of deep theological debate, and passionate differing opinions.
The basic question is this: if there is a heaven, what do we need to do to get there? This is what brings us to the central theme of today’s message.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul crystalizes the concept of “faith” leading to salvation, or in other words he provides the roadmap to the stairway leading to Heaven.
Next Tuesday is Halloween, it brings back great memories going out to the pumpkin patch outside Blue Lake, going on the hay ride and select some pumpkins. And taking the kids trick or treating on Halloween.
On this same day, Halloween, in 1517, Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg University.
Today is “Reformation Sunday”, commemorating the 500 year anniversary of this historic event that reshaped society as we know it.
But what moved Martin Luther to do this?
Luther’s actions were in great part, a response to the selling of indulgences. He also directly challenged the clergy, regarding individual salvation. In other words he questioned, what was required to be saved, what it took to get to Heaven.
Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, had borrowed a large sum of money, to pay Rome to help rebuild St Peters Basilica and to get in good graces with the Pope for his nomination to the post of Archbishop. His creditors, arranged to receive a cut of each indulgence sold in order to recoup their loan. Albert’s chief indulgence salesman was Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar.
You may ask, what is an indulgence? An indulgence was a reduction (or even release) of time spent in purgatory, and could be obtained for yourself or for your deceased relatives who were said to be suffering there.
When Luther found out about this sales of indulgences he was outraged. After having struggled to accept the Grace and Love of God, the thought of selling forgiveness was wrong and misguided.
Luther was an Augustinian monk, a theologian and lecturer at the Wittenberg University, and while meditating and teaching on the letter of Paul to the Romans, clarity and revelation filled his heart and mind.
Luther’s wrote: I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary passion for understanding Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans.
At last, Luther understood, what Paul tried to articulate, and that is: preach that the Gospel is a gift, by which God compassionately upholds us, through faith in Jesus Christ.
This brings us to today’s reading in Romans 10:8-15
8 But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart, that is, the word of faith that we proclaim; 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.14 But how are they to call on one, in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in one, of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear, without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him, unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet, of those who bring good news!”
Paul’s letter to the Romans, with over 7,000 words is his longest. 7,000 words read aloud takes over an hour to read (long letter). It is believed to be, the last letter he wrote. Unlike his other letters, this one was addressed to people he had not visited yet, while writing it.
Renowned bible scholars, Marcus Borg and John Crossan in their book “The First Paul” use biblical and historical evidence to make the case, that that of the 13 letters that carry Paul’s name, 7 are genuinely written by Paul himself, including: 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Philemon and of course the letter to the Romans.
In today’s vernacular, Paul was a change agent, the ultimate evangelizer, taking his Gospel message to synagogues in Greece and nowadays Turkey. His target audiences were the gentiles attending those synagogues; these folks had a hunger and thirst of the soul, a need to be filled, but they had never been converted to Judaism.
Paul was very successful in reaching the hearts of these folks with the Gospel message.
The letter to the Romans was the turning point for Martin Luther as the “Love of God”, through his son Jesus Christ was revealed.
He wrote in his commentary on “Romans”: This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament.
It is purest Gospel. It is well worth, for a Christian’s to not only memorize it, but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes, it is in itself a bright light, almost bright enough to light up the entire Scripture.
In the flower business many things have changed through the years, but the basic principles still remain. Growing the best quality flowers, providing great customer service and treating team members well, the rest takes care of itself. These principles outlast the type of flowers we grow, or customers we sell.
The same goes for the principles spelled out in Paul’s letter to the Romans, and Luther adhering to these principles 1500 years later.
There was also a very personal dimension to Luther’s affinity of Paul. Luther began to see himself, his own life, his struggles, and vocation, in light of the Apostle Paul’s life.
Like Paul, Luther was an embattled man.
Like Paul, his zeal for the Gospel brought him into conflict with those, compromising the message.
Like Paul, the love of God, had called him to take up the pulpit and the pen in order to proclaim the power of the Gospel
Luther wrote: Paul’s letters depict in masterly fashion, how faith in Christ, overcomes sin, death and hell, and gives life, and salvation. In other words a road map to “The stairway to Heaven”
Paul spoke of the righteousness of God, revealed at the cross, God’s never-ending love for us.
When Luther realized this, his whole world turned upside down, the bitter became sweet, and the locked sprang open:
Luther wrote: Thus that place in Paul’s letter was for me truly the gate to paradise”
Luther’s views were condemned as heresy by Pope Leo X in 1520.
Consequently Luther was summoned to either renounce or reaffirm them, at a tribunal called the Diet of Worms in April 1521.
When he appeared before the assembly, Luther was presented with a table filled with copies of his writings. He was asked if he still believed what these works taught
Luther respectfully, but boldly stated, “Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise, to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
On May 25, Martin Luther was declared an outlaw.
Frederick the Wise one of the princes of Germany, arranged for Luther to be seized on his way back, by a company of masked horsemen, who carried him to the castle of the Wartburg, where he was kept about a year.
During this period Luther translated the New Testament and later the entire bible in German.
A few weeks ago a fire started just outside Blue Lake on a Sunday night, fueled by a strong east wind, luckily the fire was extinguished due to the quick response of local fire departments.
That same night, strong winds caused incredible fires devastating Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino.
The destruction was indescribable. Over 200,000 acres scorched and thousands of structures burned to the ground. It is hard to imagine the power of a fire storm of that magnitude.
When Martin Luther published the 95 theses and other works, it set off a fire storm of the reformation throughout Europe. 17 reformers including John Calvin, and John Wesley followed in the footsteps of Luther.
British historian Andrew Pettegree highlights Luther’s master role in the world’s first mass-media-driven revolution…
Luther realized the untapped potential of print as a mass medium and used it to broadcast his message to lay readers across Germany, bypassing the traditional gatekeepers through this new social media.
The indulgence controversy was suddenly a public matter, and Luther cranked out one argument after another over the next two years.
By 1519, this unknown monk had become Europe’s most published author, his 45 original compositions were republished in nearly 300 editions
Three years later, Luther had produced some 160 writings, addressed to the German people in their own language.
Growing up in Holland, I remember going to the church in the middle of town, walking less than half a mile from our house. The church tower 200 ft in height, rose above all other structures in town.
Little did I know at the time, that this church was among the churches that were the epitome of the Reformation. This church was originally built in 1100’s as a Catholic church; it burned down in 1200’s and was rebuilt.
In 1566 during what is called the “statue storm” or “Iconoclastic furry” most decorations and statues were removed and destroyed by the protestants.
This started the Spanish War with the King of Spain attempting to maintain Catholicism in his territory including Holland.
In 1575 this church became a protestant church, but a year later the Spanish army destroyed the church and most of the town. It was rebuilt by 1648 and has been a protestant church ever since.
In many of those old churches a council room was added after the “Reformation” to host the church council meetings.
This was a monumental change, instead of a leadership structure from Pope, to Cardinals, to Bishops and priests, the protestant churches were led by church councils made up of parishioners.
This concept of organizing the local churches from the bottom up, formed the foundation of the democracy as we know it today not only in church organizations but throughout society.
The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins nearly 2000 years ago. After three days he arose, twelve disciples and other believers went out into the world to spread the good news message and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul became one of the most ardent evangelists that ever lived; his letter to the Romans formed the cornerstone of Luther’s revelation that the grace of God provides salvation by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Paul said in Acts 13:47 this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
Less than 2000 years later there are an estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians, 1.2 billion Roman Catholics and 900 million Protestants, a total of 2.4 billion believers in Christ.
In Romans 10:12 Paul wrote: the same Lord is Lord of all, and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is the beauty of the gospel, Jesus said in John 14:6: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
That stairway to heaven is open to all who put their trust into the Lord.
Don’t wait any longer, start a relationship with Jesus Christ, accept him as your Lord and Savior today.
He will fill your heart with joy, take you by the hand and you will be saved.
No questions asked.
A free pass, up the “Stairway to Heaven”,
Thank you,
God Bless you,
Amen
Podcast: Play in new window | Download