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Children of God Who Reforms

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[Romans 12:2]

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve

what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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Do you know the meaning of reform?

Reform refers to a new healing or new order.

In Christianity, especially, it refers to the right thing to do according

to the Word of God recorded in the Bible. In the Bible there are people of faith who,

in times of the past, lived a reforming life according to the word of God.

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The most representative person is Jesus. One day Jesus entered the temple.

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However, it was not already a temple. In the temple,

people overflowed with goods to buy and sell.

They also sold pigeons to be used for sacrifices.

And there were money changers to change money.

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When Jesus saw this, he drove away all the people there.

He overturned the desk of the money changers and overtook the chair of the pigeon sellers. And he said.

“The Bible says that the temple is a house of prayer,

and you are made like a throng of robbers.”

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Jesus, who made it clear, opened the eyes of those who could not see in the temple.

He restored the legs of those who came to the bridge.

Jesus reformed the true form of the temple and brought the glory of God to appear there.

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There is a man named Asa the king of Judah who had reformed the Old Testament.

When Asa was king, the people of Judah lived regardless of the word of God.

They were serving idols that God hated so much.

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Asa has destroyed the altar and high places that were built to serve idols.

And they destroyed the stone pillars that commemorate vain gods,

and they destroyed the Asherah.

Asa smashed the high places and incense altar in all the towns of Judah.

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Asa commanded the people.

“From now on, we must live and obey the Lord's words which our fathers served.

We must keep the teachings and commandments of God.”

Asa was the king who reformed Judas with the word of God.

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Another reformed Bible character is Ezra, a scholar and priest.

Ezra, who came back from Babylon, saw the Levites and priests marrying

the forbidden Gentiles in the word of God and decided to reform their mistakes.

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Ezra gathered all the people before the temple and told them.

“We have sinned before God. Let us understand our sins

and do them according to the word of God.”

The people who heard it repented of their mistakes before God.

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There is a person who is not a Bible person but who has reformed the Church of God.

It's Martin Luther.

When Martin Luther lived, the Roman Catholic Church did many things wrong

with the Word of God and did wrong things.

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Martin Luther wrote down ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ of the Roman Catholic Church pointing

out the wrongs and putting them on the front door of the church at the University

of Wittenberg.

It was a dangerous task to challenge the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

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God has made Martin Luther's righteous act to be a signal to reform the corrupt church.

This historical event is called ‘the Reformation.’

The wind of ‘the Reformation’ spread throughout Europe,

spread by Martin Luther in Germany, Zwingli in Switzerland and Calvin in Geneva.

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It was October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther added ‘95 Theses.’

So the church keeps the last Sunday of October every year

as the anniversary of the Reformation.

In particular, 2017 will be a meaningful year, 500 years after this incident.

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Through the Reformers, God has established a true and righteous church to live

according to the word of God.

There are five most important professions of faith that

Reformers have had in their Reformation.

This is called the 5 Sola. Let us read together what confessions they have made.

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

Solus Christus (Christ Alone)

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

Sola Fide (Faith Alone)

Soli Deo Gloria (Glory of God Alone)

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Those who believe in Jesus and are called to be children of God must live a reforming life.

No matter what others do, we should not do anything against the Word of God.

We must live all our lives only with the glory of God.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)