Fertile Lutheran
October 25, 2015
Reformation Sunday
Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
John 8:31-36
Formed, Transformed, and Reformed
Today is Reformation Sunday. It is the day we observe the official beginning of the Reformation
Movement. But to really understand why- you have to go back months and years in the life of a
young monk by the name of Martin Luther who struggled with having an assurance of salvation.
As a result, he had thrown himself into doing everything he could do to be accepted and loved by
God but at the end of the day, he still had no peace. It wasn’t until he began reading the
scriptures himself and came across Ephesians 2:8-9 that the good news of the gospel flooded his
soul in understanding: “For by grace through faith you are saved- it is not your own doing- it is a
gift of God, lest anyone should boast.”
God created us in His image- formed us out of dust and breathed into us His life. But mankind
disobeyed. But God did not turn His back on His creation He had formed, but came and rescued
us from eternal death and is now at work, transforming our hearts back to how He had created us.
In the same way, the church – the body of Christ made up of sinners in need of transformation,
the church is in need of reforming. Without individual hearts first being transformed, there can
never be a reformation of the church. If Martin Luther’s heart had not been transformed first,
there would never have been a reformation. Pray.
Jesus said: “if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth
and the truth will make you free.” The answer to who we are and whose we are is found in the
scriptures and is central to the gospel and our daily lives. It began at creation, when God formed
us in God’s image- in “our” image the bible says- God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit.
If we understood that truth and applied it to our daily lives- think of the impact it would have in
our lives and the world we live in! Consider the life of Jesus-
Jesus’ life modeled the image of His Father perfectly. It is God’s will and His desire that we too
would live lives reflecting the image of God. In the beginning, Adam and Eve did live their lives
in a way that reflected God’s character perfectly as they lived in obedience to God’s word. But
the sin of disobedience rejected God’s plan and purpose for their lives and they believed the lie
that they could be righteous by their own works. Ever since the fall, people have been trying and
thinking they can save themselves by good works- by being good people. When asked why they
think they will go to heaven, too many people say: “because I lived a good life.” But there is
something deathly wrong with that thinking. A holy and righteous God demands perfection- and
there is not one of us that can live “good” enough- all have fallen short. We need a savior- and it
is not us, no matter hard we try. “We are justified and saved by grace as a gift, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus” Paul wrote to the Romans. If we are to boast, let us boast of
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