Introduction: The Reformation was a movement of God that occured in Western Civilization in the 15th and 16th centuries. It embraced religion, politics, economics and education. It transformed the world of the dark ages into a new and better world of freedom and prosperity. There were important events that happened prior to October 31, 1517, but that date has been designated as Reformation Day. It was on that day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and launched the Reformation in Germany, which was already proceeding in the British Isles and other countries in Europe.

Martin Luther, the local pastor/priest, got aroused by several things. One, he was teaching Romans, and began to realize the truth of the Gospel. "The just shall live by faith." Two, he had travelled to Rome and been shocked by the moral and religious corruption and darkness. Three, Tetzel, an emissary of the Pope, came to town selling salvation. (Tell the story.)

This little story highlights two enduring lessons of the Reformation:

I. The Bible alone is the Word of God; the Bible alone is authoritative in the areas of Christian faith and life.

A. Tetzel's preaching and sales involved doctrines not found in the Bible: Purgatory, the treasury of the merits of the saints, the authority of the Pope to sell these merits, the power of Catholic Priests to forgive sins. (Luther wrote his 95 Theses in particular to combat the sale of indulgences.)

B. Tetzel's religion, and other religions hold forth a multitude of subsitutes or additions to the Bible: The Book of Mormon, the Apocrypha, The Magisterium of the Church, the Koran, the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and on and on.

C. Charles V, King of Spain and Emperor of Germany, and Aleander, the Pope's ambassador to Germany, called on Luther to appear at Worms and recant his teachings. Martin Luther made a famous statement at that meeting: "Since your most serene Majesty and you exalted powers require from me a simple answer, clear and precise, I will give it you, and this it is--I cannot submit my faith, neither to the pope nor to councils, because it is clear as the day, that they have aften fallen into error, and even into the most palpable contradictions with themselves. If, therefore I am not convinced by the testimony of the scriptures or by manifest reason, if I am not persuaded by the very passages which I have quoted, and if thus my captive conscience be not delivered from the Word of God, I neither can nor will retract, for it is not safe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I take my stand. I cannot do otherwise--God help me. Amen."

D. We must stand with Luther. Only the 66 books of the Bible are the Word of God. All our doctrines and beliefs should be Bible-based. We may develop great documents, like Calvin's Institutes, or the Westminster Confession of Faith. But we must be able to defend them from the Bible, or they have no authority.

II. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, not by church rites, sacraments, ceremonies, membership, good deeds and any other such thing. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

A. The traveling fund-raising priest, Tetzel, taught that you must pay for your sins in Purgatory; and that Jesus' death on the cross is not sufficient for your salvation. You can buy your loved ones out of Purgatory and into Heaven.

B. Other churches teach you must be baptized, or you must sell literature, or you must join a particular church, or you must do more good deeds than bad deeds, and so on.

C. Bottom line: You can't save yourself. You need a Redeemer. And you can't keep yourself saved. Salvation is a free gift of God to all who believe in Jesus. In the words of the old hymn, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow." If you are struggling for salvation, it is time to quit trying, and start trusting. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)

Conclusion: Just a few people, with God's truth and with willing hearts, can make a difference. Martin Luther was just a little village pastor and school teacher, but God used him to bring about a far-reaching revolution in the church and in German government and society. Elija was alone against the 400 prophets of Baal. Daniel was alone in the lion's den.

Just look back at the presidential race of 2000 to see how every person counts. George W. Bush is president because he won 327 votes more than Al Gore did out of 6 million cast in the state of Florida, tipping the electoral vote balance. And only then when a Bush-leaning majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ended 36 days of recounting suspense. The court ruled by - What else? - a one-vote majority, 5-4.

A bit farther back - in 1645 - one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control over England.
In 1649, one vote caused Charles I of England to be executed.
In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German.
In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union. In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.
In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the Presidency of the United States.
In 1923, one vote gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.
In 1941, one vote saved Selective Service just weeks before Pearl Harbor was attacked.
In 1960, John Kennedy's national plurality was less than one vote per precinct.

2000 years ago, there was one little boy who had a few fish and a few little loaves of bread. But he was willing to give them to Jesus, and Jesus did a great miracle. Martin Luther was just one person. When he tacked his 95 Theses on the church door, he had no idea of what was about to happen. You are just one person. But if you are willing to serve the Lord, God can use you to accomplish something greater than you can imagine. May God help us to appreciate the Reformation, and remember its lessons. Amen.