mt olive ev lutheran church Sunday November 01 2026 9 15 AM CST: The second reading will also serve as the sermon text this morning from Romans chapter three. Now we know that whatever the law says is addressed to those who are under the law, so that every mouth will be silenced, and the whole world will be subject to God's judgment. For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin. But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been made known. The law and the prophets testify to it. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all who believe. In fact, there is no difference, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood. God did this to demonstrate his justice, since in his divine restraint he had left the sins that were committed earlier unpunished. He did this to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so that he would be both just and the one who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus. What happens to boasting then? It has been eliminated. By what principle? By the principle of works? No, by the principle of faith. For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Over five hundred five years ago, a Catholic monk, Martin Luther, was summoned to appear before the most powerful people in the world. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and representatives from the church in Rome. And they set out his books in front of him, and he had two choices. Either, either you say sorry, say you were wrong, everything you've taught and written. Or die. Those the options. You know what he said? When they said, What are you gonna do? Are you gonna go going to or can't speak to us plainly? He said, Can I have a day to think about it? And so he left and he prayed all night and he wondered and he had the kind of questions going through his mind that maybe you have going through your mind sometimes when you wonder, Should I take a stand about this thing, especially about this truth of the Bible? Luther was thinking things like, Is it really possible that I'm right? And so many other people are wrong. And is it worth it? So many people are angry and upset, especially at me. Should I just give in? Should I just say sorry and move on with my life and my little corner of the world? And of course the big question he had running through his mind was, Am I willing to die for this? He came back the next day and you probably know what he said. He said, Unless I'm convinced by scripture or clear reason, I can't take these things back. Here I stand, I can't do otherwise. God help me, Amen. He had to run away. And a month later the official edict of condemnation came. It said, This man needs to die, but not only him. When that edict of condemnation came out, it said that every citizen was ordered to capture the demon in monk's garb or face trial for the same crimes. so now it wasn't just what is Luther willing to die for? Not just here I stand, now it was about we. Now everybody else in the Empire had to decide for themselves Am I going to turn this guy in? Am I going to kill him or am I going to side with him and probably face the same fate? Everyone had to ask, is this a truth that I'm willing to die for? You might not think that's still true today. Just a month ago, October 1st, a group of people from the Lutheran World Federation, we are not a part of that group, the Lutheran World Federation met with the Roman Catholic Church and they took a nice picture together. And the Pope said, Hey, you know that confession that you made in 1530, it really wasn't that bad. And maybe on the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 2030, who knows? Maybe we can find a way to get back together. What do you think? Was the last five hundred years just over something that wasn't a big deal? Something that we can get over now? Well, true Lutherans. Lutherans since the time of Luther and the Augsburg Confession have said that there's one teaching, that's the most important of all, one teaching that the church stands on or falls on. It's the teaching of justification by grace through faith. And Luther once said, if this teaching falls, then the whole world falls into death and darkness. This is the teaching of Romans chapter three that we're looking at today. And as we look at it today, maybe you can see for yourself: is this truth still worth dying for? And it does start with a bunch of death. We start in verse 19. Now we know that whatever the law says is addressed to those who are under the law, so that every mouth will be silenced and the whole world will be subject to God's judgment. For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law. For through the law we become aware of sin. Sometimes people get the impression that the Reformation is about celebrating Martin Luther and what a wonderful man he was. But the Reformation and the true Reformation that needs to consistently happen in every church and in our hearts does not start with pointing at a person and saying, That person is so good. No, true Reformation starts with pointing not just at Luther but at everyone and saying, We are in trouble. We are not good enough. We read, Whatever the law says, is addressed to those who are under the law so that every mouth will be silenced and the whole world subject to God's judgment. Subject to God's judgment. It says, Through the law we become aware of sin. No, in Luther's day, you might get the impression that everybody was walking around like him, hitting themselves, saying, I'm such a bad person, I don't know how I can be saved, but that's not really how it worked. In Luther's day, the majority of people thought the same thing that people think today. They thought, I'm pretty good. I'm not bad. And I'm better than most. And when they thought about Jesus, they thought about Jesus as someone who, yes, got them started, died for some of those sins, but but now they got to work together with him. To save themselves, and Jesus would help them. Nobody was silent before God. Everybody was boasting, saying, That look at me. I'm pretty good. Better than most, I think God would like to have me in heaven. And the Reformation comes and says, that's not what the law came to do. God's law did not come to say, here's the things that you have to do in order to be a little better than the next guy and make God happy and give y give you a little grace boost so you can save yourself. No, the law came to make us aware of sin. The law came to silence the entire world before God in the divine courtroom. That's why I like this little picture that I found. Treating it like food. growing up when I would talk too much at the table, my mom would say, Lot mat intustamun, Lot Mat intustamun, which means let the food quiet your mouth. Less talking, more eating. That's what the law does. That's why I like it pictured as a can, a can of law, a can of food here. When everybody stands before God says, I'm pretty good, Luther's pretty good, these people are pretty good, God says, Let the food quiet your boasting. Take some law. And what kind of law? 100% pure. Promotes knowledge of sin, makes you accountable to God, shuts your mouth, and contains no justification. That's what Paul says the law does. And so when we think about this teaching of the law, we're thinking less hmm, am I willing to die for it? And more, all of us are going to die. When we look at the law and see that it contains no justification, that is, when we take a mouthful of this, it shows us that even if you've done one little naughty thing, one little thought, word, and action that wasn't perfect, you are guilty, and the wages of sin is death. We have to shut our mouth in the courtroom and stop defending ourselves. I'm in trouble. It's not a matter of whether I want to die or not. It's a matter that I deserve eternal death before God. Every mouth is shut. Is this a truth worth dying for? Well, it is when the Lord follows it up with the main course. And that's what we read next. But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been made known. The law and the prophets testify to it. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all who believe. In fact, there is no difference. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. In that divine courtroom, when the record books are open and we see our sins, we have to be silent before God. Uh-oh, I deserve eternal death. But then he serves us up another meal. If I can mix the metaphor of the courtroom and go back to the food, we'll call it a box of righteousness. Even tastier than cinnamon toast crunch. God's own righteousness, to which the law and the prophets testify. In this case, not the law, that is the law that condemns us, but The five books of Moses, where Moses was saying the whole time, by the way, you can't keep this perfectly. Look ahead. Look ahead to Jesus. The prophets, the prophets who called people again and again to repentance, to see that they deserve death so that they would look forward to the Messiah who would suffer and die in their place. This righteousness has great reviews. And there's a great thing on that box there. It says, Apart from the law. Apart from the law. This justification is not something that starts us out and then we have to add a little bit in, add a little law in there, that will just ruin the whole recipe. No, this righteousness is God's own righteousness, completely apart from what I have done. And it doesn't seem to make sense in a courtroom. We've got a guy dead to rights, guilty. But then new evidence is submitted, and Jesus, like a good lawyer, says, Shh, shh, shh, don't answer any questions, I'll talk for you. And he submits his own perfect life. Where he never did even one little teensy weency thing wrong. No thought, word, indeed, all of it perfect. He submits that as evidence, except that life is credited to you. And he submits his own payment. When he says, I've already paid the price for those crimes. That's God's righteousness. Completely apart from us. All we do is trust it. Close the mouth. Point not at Luther, point not at me. No, Reformation is about pointing at Jesus. Because Jesus thought that this truth was worth dying for. This isn't some divine fiction where God is in the courtroom and he says, no big deal. We'll just sweep your sins under the rug. No, he is a righteous God. And so how? How could God do this? How could God declare us not guilty and let us go free? Because he did pay the price. All are justified freely, as a gift. You don't have to do a thing. By his grace, God loves you no matter what. There's nothing you can do that can make him love you more or less. He loves you. And how? through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. There's the price paid. Redemption. It's talking about slavery and freeing people from slavery. Jesus was sold as a slave and suffered and died like a slave to sin so that we could be free from sin. And so that we could live forever. That's God's justice. Jesus paid the price. And that's for everyone. When you ask the question, is this truth worth dying for? You need to think about who it's for. What did Paul say? All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace. Who is this for? Not just for me, this is for all. And that's actually why Luther thought this was worth dying for. You probably were familiar with the line, maybe a little bit of what he said at the end. Here I stand, I can't do otherwise. But you're probably less familiar with why. Why did Luther stand there? Why did he do this under pain of death? It wasn't for him. Just a couple sentences before this, in his final confession, he said this it is not proper for me to retract these words, because then the tyranny and godlessness would with my patronage. Rule and rage among the people of God more violently than ever before. Know who he was thinking about? The people of God. Look, I'm one person. If I say sorry, if I make a stink, no big deal. But if this truth falls, then all of them suffer. Then all of them only know about the death and don't know about the life, the righteousness that Jesus gives. So here I stand. This is worth dying for for them. That's the heart Jesus gives you too. You're gonna ask those questions in life. When you have to stand up for your faith, especially when you have to stand up for this, this truth, the church, the truth upon which the church stands and falls. Is it that big of a deal? Is it worth making all these people upset? Is it worth dying for? Well, if it was just me, I'm not sure. But what about them? What about all? All for whom Christ was willing to die and rise and give his righteousness? What about them? For them. For them, this truth is worth dying for. So are you willing? Do you need a night to think about it? Pray a little bit, read a little bit. I don't think so today. By God's grace, here we are. Making a confession. All have sinned. Luther, yes. Me, yes. Everyone, yes. And all? All are justified, not guilty by his grace. That's a truth. that we're willing to die for. And the best news there is when you're willing to die for this faith, when you trust in Jesus as your Savior, whoever lives and believes in him will never die. Amen.