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Every year in the 31st of 
October, we remember one of the 

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most momentous events in human 
history. 

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This was an event that shook the
known world and changed the 

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course of human events. 
This event had nothing to do 

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with war or politics or money. 
No, this event was far more 

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important because this event was
connected to the rediscovery of 

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the true Gospel of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

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On the 31st of October 1517, the
Protestant Reformation began. 

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508 years ago, a German Roman 
Catholic monk by the name of 

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Doctor Martin Luther nailed his 
95 theses to the church door at 

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Wittenberg in Saxony, Germany. 
These 95 theses were 95 truthful

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propositions about to return to 
the Word of God against the 

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selling of indulgences and the 
doctrine of purgatory. 

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Martin Luther was born in the 
10th of November 1483 in 

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Estlieben in Germany. 
His father was called Hans, He 

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was a miner, he owned an iron 
ore mine. 

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His mother was called Margaret, 
and at the age of 7 a young 

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Martin entered school at 
Mansfield. 

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At 14 he went N to Magdeburg. 
In 1498, age 15, he returned to 

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Esley Ben Saxony and began to 
study Grammar, Rhetoric and 

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Logic in 15 O1. 
At the age of 18, he went to the

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University in Irford to study 
law to become a lawyer. 

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His law degree was in Rhetoric 
and Logic and Grammar. 

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In 15 O 5 something terrible 
happened. 

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His best friend died. 
Martin Luther also died himself 

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through a very serious illness. 
And in the same year, on his way

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home from Esley Ben to Erfurt, 
he was caught up in a 

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thunderstorm. 
He feared for his life. 

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He cried out St Anne to save 
him. 

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That was the only mediator he 
knew. 

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She was the patron St of miners.
He offered if she saved him, 

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he'd become a monk. 
His life was spared and Martin 

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Luther kept his word. 
In 15 O five he joined the 

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Augustinian monastery at Erfurt.
The same year he also became the

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University professor for 
Biblical Studies at the 

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University of Wittenberg. 
There he began to study the book

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of Romans. 
There he focused on the belief 

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in God and began to ponder God's
righteous, holy nature. 

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Between the year of 1510 and 
1517, Martin Luther became 

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convinced of the doctrine of 
justification by faith alone. 

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He stood up for the sole 
authority of the Word of God. 

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He understood that he was 
accountable solely to God. 

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He believed that grace was 
mediated by Christ alone and not

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by the church. 
So in the 31st of October 1517, 

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Martin Luther kneeled his 95 
Theses to the church door at 

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Wittenberg. 
This was a protest against the 

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seal of indulgences. 
John Tetzel had come to Saxony, 

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Germany. 
He had offered people pardons on

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behalf of the Pope. 
They were raising money to build

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Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. 
And these paper pardons exempted

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people from punishment for 
future sins they exempted people

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from punishment for present 
sins. 

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They exempted people from 
punishment in time and 

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purgatory, and the John Tetzel 
even said that even loved ones 

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in purgatory could be released 
on the basis of buying a paper 

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pardon on their behalf. 
His little rhyme was such 

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whenever the coin in the coffer 
rings, then the soul from 

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purgatory springs. 
Martin Luther, of course, was 

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furious. 
He was troubled about this, and 

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he wrote out his 95 theses in 
Latin, posted them in the church

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toward Wittenberg, wanting the 
scholars to enter into a debate.

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But you know what Martin Luther 
didn't understand? 

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Someone took them, translated 
them into German, and they were 

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then printed on the newly 
discovered printing pass the 

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Guttenberg printing press, and 
they went all over Germany and 

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eventually that hammer blow of 
the hammer kneeling, the kneel 

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to the door, eventually come to 
the ears of Rome and to the 

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Pope. 
This was a rediscovery of an old

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message. 
It was not a rebellion, but a 

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call to return to the Word of 
God, to the Word that is able to

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make men and women mis unto 
salvation. 

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Not a new message, but a 
rediscovery of an old message. 

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A message that was true from the
beginning. 

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Did you know that in the year 
1510, Martin Luther was in Roman

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pilgrimage? 
He was climbing the stairs 

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there, the scale of Santa. 
He was there attempting to gain 

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merit, less time and purgatory, 
less punishment for his sin. 

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And as he climbed those stairs, 
the word of God that he had 

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studied came to his mind. 
It thundered into his ears, and 

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this is what it said, That just 
shall live by faith. 

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He discovered that in Romans 116
and 17, the reference to the 

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righteousness of God was not a 
reference about God's holy 

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nature at all. 
It was not about God's righteous

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nature, but a gospel 
righteousness that was revealed 

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in the gospel, a righteousness 
rooted in the person and work of

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the Lord Jesus Christ, who had 
earned a perfect righteousness 

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by his sinless life and his 
atoning death. 

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He fulfilled the precepts of the
law. 

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He fulfilled the penalty of the 
law. 

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And in this basis the righteous 
life of Christ that was earned 

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is put to the account of all who
rest upon Christ and receive him

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alone for salvation. 
Martin Luther in a moment 

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understood that this 
righteousness was not to be 

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achieved by merit, but to be 
received by a mediator. 

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And that mediator was Christ. 
He realised the gospel doesn't 

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tell us to claim our way to God,
but that the gospel has come to 

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us in the Word that was made 
flesh. 

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Six of the most important words 
that people could hear. 

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Is this the just shall live by 
faith? 

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And this was the very text that 
I presented today on Reformation

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Day down in front of the City 
Hall in Belfast. 

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I thank Brian and I thank Simon 
who came and stood with us in 

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the gospel. 
You can see me preaching from 

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the picture. 
And I trust and pray that God 

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will bless His word to the folks
that would listen. 

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We shared our thoughts about the
importance of this word, how 

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it's about being right with God 
and entering into a right 

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relationship with God, how to 
find peace with God, how to know

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the way to heaven. 
And we also talked about the 

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instruction from the text, how 
that it deals solely with the 

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subject of justification by 
faith alone. 

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We then closed with the 
intention of the text. 

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And that is to do with life. 
And people can have life and 

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life abundantly, eternal life, 
but only through faith in Jesus 

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Christ. 
It was great to be out in the 

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open air today. 
It was great to be in our city 

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of Belfast and we pray for the 
people there. 

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That the Lord would send light 
and send truth into the hearts 

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of not just hundreds, but 
thousands and men of No Fear and

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thought and time for God would 
come to a saving knowledge of 

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Jesus Christ as Lord and 
Saviour. 

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Amen.