What is your favorite Reformation story? Do you like hearing about young Martin Luther singing for his supper as a student in Magdeburg? Or do you like the one where he is so frightened of a storm that he cries “St. Anne save me, and I will become a monk!” Maybe you like hearing about how Luther was willing to walk through the Alps in order to visit the holy city, only to be disillusioned by the corruption of the church and the exploitation of the people. Or maybe you like hearing about Luther’s “tower experience” (what some believe to be the toilet) where while contemplating Romans 1:17 he came to understand that we are save by grace alone. Probably one of your favorite stories is how, on October 31st 1517, Luther, in opposition to the shameless selling of indulgences, nailed ninety-five Theses to the castle church door in Wittenberg and began the great Reformation of the church. Very likely one of your favorite reformation stories is the one where Luther stands in opposition to both Pope and Emperor who have threatened him with both death and damnation, and Luther says, “I am bound by scripture… my conscience is captive to the Word of God… I cannot and will not recant anything…. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen”. There are other Reformation stories; Luther’s kidnapping, his smuggling of nuns in pickle barrels, his translation of the bible, his deathbed confession, but it’s hard to compete with the “here I stand” story.

The only Reformation story, in my opinion, that might possibly surpass them all is the one that is still being told. You see, the Reformation is more than a series of historical event that center around one colorful character. The Reformation, at its core, is a confession of faith that is shared by millions of people; it is a confession that we are saved by grace alone, a confession that the forgiveness Christ won on the cross is ours by faith alone, a confession that all of our beliefs and teachings are found in Scripture alone. For over 500 years the story of the Reformation has been preserved in the confession of the Lutheran church; it is a story that has been told and retold from one generation to the next; a story that grounds us in truth and guides us through time.

The Reformation confession upon which we Lutherans make our stand is a blessing, a blessing that not every church body enjoys. I was reminded of this fact earlier this week as I was studying our text from Jeremiah for this morning’s sermon. As I was in the midst of studying about the “lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds” I received a text message from Paul Lemke. The text read, “FYI, the Pope just endorsed same sex civil union”. While I was in the process of fact checking Paul’s text (no offense intended to Paul, but I have learned to factcheck everything), while I was factchecking, I received an e-mail from a member at one of our sister congregations here in Atlanta. The e-mail contained a link to a homily that a Catholic priest delivered last week in which the priest states that according to Pope Benedict’s 2012 Apostolic Constitution, the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong union of one man and one woman is one of the Catholic Church’s “non-negotiable values”. Considering the conflicting confessions of these two popes It seems the Catholic church uses the word “non-negotiable” differently than the rest of us.

As I considered the conflicting confessions of the Catholic church, it occurred to me that I have never seen something like that happen in our church body. As a pastor, I have never voted on doctrine. I have voted on budgets, bible translations, and hymnals, but I have never voted on doctrine. I have voted where to preach the Word, when to preach the Word, and who should be sent to preach the Word, but I have never in my entire ministry voted on the Word that would be preached. We don’t do that. Why? Is it because we don’t care about doctrine; is it because we don’t care about the Word that is preached? No, quite the contrary, we care very much. We don’t vote on doctrine because we don’t need to. You see, when you have a confession that clearly states that all of your teaching must come from the Word of God and only from the Word of God there is no doctrine that can be voted on. If God’s Word says it then, regardless of opinion or preference, it is what God’s Word says it is. This is the confession upon which Lutherans have stood for over 500 years.

Today, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, encourages us to cling to our Lutheran confession that grounds us in the truth and guides us through time.

Take another look at verses 25-26 of our text. There God says, “25 I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?” The job of a prophet was to tell God’s people what God wanted them to know. A prophet was to be a spokesman, a herald, a messenger who took the Words of God and shared them with the people. There was to be no adlibbing, no adding too, and no subtracting from the Words God wanted His people to hear. The problem in Jeremiah’s day was, that’s not what every prophet was doing. Instead of speaking God’s Word to God’s people they spoke false dreams, reckless lies, and the delusions of their own minds. They based their confession on something other than the Word of God.

The Catholic church was guilty of the same practice in Luther’s day and quite frankly continues to be guilty of it still today. Instead of building a confession on the Word of God alone, the Catholic church builds its confession also on what they call “sacred tradition”. You see, according to the Catholic encyclopedia there are “certain revealed truths apart from those contained in the Bible.[1]” Throughout history these so-called truths seem to manifest themselves in the opinions and preferences of the popes. Therefore, while it might sadden us to see, it ought not surprise us that there are as many conflicting confessions within the Catholic church as there have been popes.

However, what should be an even greater concern for us, is whether or not we see something similar inside of us. Over the years I have noticed that there are a few phrases that people say that threaten to cloud a clear confession. See if any of these phrases sound familiar to you. “I have always thought that…”, “My personal opinion is…” and my all-time favorite, “the Lord has put it on my heart to…”. Do any of those sound familiar? Have you maybe even heard something like that come out of your own mouth? Now, I’m not saying that it is wrong for you to have thoughts, opinions, and feelings, but if you begin to base your confession on your thoughts, opinions, and feelings instead of the truth of God’s Word than you really are no different than the popes of the Catholic church or the false prophets in Israel.

You want to be very careful that your confession is based on the Word of God and only the Word of God because listen to what God says in verse 31, “Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’” In this verse and in two others God tells us that He is “against” anyone who does not build their confession on the Word of God. In his letter to the Romans saint Paul once asked, “if God is for us, who can be against us?[2]” In light of this verse I might ask, “If God is against us, who can be for us?” I mean, God was against the devil and the demons and look what happened to them. The last thing we want is for God to be against us.

Thankfully, being against us is the last thing God wants as well. Which is why He is so adamant about us building our confession on the Word of God. Because the only thing that prevents us from sharing the same fate as the popes of the Catholic church and the false prophets of Israel is the Word of God. Listen to what God says in verse 29, “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” When I read this verse, I see myself standing in an old-fashioned blacksmith’s shop. God tells us His word is like a fire. Throughout scripture, fire is used as a purifying agent; it burns up that which is impure and refines an object so that it is suitable for use. It’s not difficult for us to see how God’s Word does the same thing to us. God’s Word shows us our sins, it shows us our impurities, it drives us to repentance so that we can be refined by its fire. Having the slag of our sin removed by the refiner’s fire, God then compares His word to a hammer. Still seeing myself standing in the blacksmith’s shop I imagine a forge hammer that breaks away the remaining dross and forges a shape out of the metal. Again, it is not difficult to see how God’s Word does the same thing to us. God’s Word forms our opinions and fashions our thoughts, it gives purpose to our days and meaning to our lives, it guides our desires and directs our actions. God’s Word is like a fire and a hammer that guides us through time.

But in verse 28 we see God’s Word does even more than that. There instead of comparing His word to a fire or hammer a gentler comparison is made. There God says, “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD.” Here God compares our thoughts, opinions and feelings, the so-called sacred tradition of the Catholic Church, and the false dreams, reckless lies, and dangerous delusions of Israel’s false prophets with straw; God compares a confession that is built on anything other than God’s Word with something that is utterly and completely worthless. In contrast, God compares His Word with grain; He compares His Word with something the feeds, nourishes, and sustains. Immediately my memory searches for John 6:35 where Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” You see, God’s Word not only guides us through time, it guides us into eternity. It guides us to life everlasting because God’s Word shows us our Savior. It shows us Jesus whose body was broken, and whose blood was shed so that we can feast on forgiveness and savor salvation. Why would we ever settle for straw when we can have grain?

Every year I enjoy hearing the classic stories of the Reformation. My favorite Reformation story is the one that is still being told. It is a story that is perhaps not as inspirational as the one where a simple monk throws caution to the wind and faces off against the two most powerful men in the world, but it is a story that by the grace of God I get to be a part of, and by the grace of God so do you. For over 500 years Lutheran have made there stand on the Word of God. It has grounded them in truth and guided them through time. By the grace of God this remains the clear confession of the Lutheran church today. Here we stand. Amen.

[1] https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15006b.htm

[2] Romans 8:31