“Bible promises: I am not ashamed of the gospel
Romans 1:16
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
They say that history can change in a moment. One wrong turn, one off-the-cuff remark, or even a single shot can alter the course of the world and the people in it. And while history is often done on purpose, sometimes it’s changed completely by accident.
Take Teddy Roosevelt, for example. Apparently, he loved to make really long speeches. And in 1912, while he was making another run for the presidency, he wrote a fifty-page speech that he was planning to give to a large, enthusiastic crowd. And on his way there, he just happened to fold it up and tuck it into his coat pocket--a small decision that was about to save his life.
For just a few moments later, a Bavarian-born barkeeper named John Flammang Schrank drew out a gun, took aim, and fired. However, that fifty-page speech folded in half slowed down the bullet. And somehow Roosevelt still managed to get up on stage to speak for fifty minutes before seeing a doctor. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a bull moose.”
Or think of the Titanic--one of history’s greatest naval tragedies.
Now it’s easy to say that it sank for a number of different reasons, but apparently, a man named David Blair had been given the job of second officer, but was replaced at the last minute with another man who had more experience. But when Blair left, he accidently kept the keys to his locker in his pocket. And in that locker were binoculars intended to be used by the crew’s nest lookout. And with no binoculars, it meant the crew had to watch for icebergs using only their eyes.
Later at the inquiry, when asked, “Suppose you had glasses, could you have seen this black object at a greater distance?” an officer replied, “Yes, we could have seen it a bit sooner.”
“How much sooner?”
“He said, “Enough to get out of the way.”
And one more--you know the storming of Normandy beach on D-Day was perhaps the single most important event in World War II. But it all could have gone a completely different way.
For just a few days before June 6th of 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox,” decided on a whim to surprise his wife with a vacation for her birthday. And that vacation made him leave his post as commander of defense at Normandy right before the Allies invaded. And today we wonder--had Germany’s most skilled military officer been there that day, would things have returned out differently?
Even the small things--a word or a single shot--can change the course of history.
So it was on that day in October of 1517.
Luther’s story began in November of 1483 in a small, two-story house in Eisleben, Germany. And just as soon as he was born, his father, Hans, took him to St. Peter’s church to be baptized. And since that day happened to be the Festival of St. Martin, he called him Martin Luther.
Now his father, Hans, was a hard-working man and a well-respected member of his community. And he was proud of his young, intellectually-gifted son. And with such gifts and promise, he knew he would do well in life. Nothing was too far out of reach for him.
But for young Martin, it wasn’t quite that easy, for there was always one thought on his mind--was he good enough to earn his salvation? When the day of judgment came, and it would come, could he stand before God’s throne? Nothing he did ever seemed good enough.
Then came that day in July of 1505 that would forever change his life. For as rain fell in torrents, and lightning and thunder literally knocked him to the ground, he was so afraid for his life that he cried out to heaven and said, “St. Ann, help me, and I will become a monk.”
And to his friends’ surprise and his father’s disgust, Luther became a monk.
But life in the monastery gave him none of the hope and comfort he so desperately longed for. He tried to be good. He fasted and prayed. He went without sleep and spent long, cold nights without even a blanket. And to somehow cleanse himself from sin, he beat himself with a whip. Years later, he said, “If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I.”
But the more he tried to please God, the more he realized he could never be good enough. No matter how many sacrifices he made, and no matter how many prayers he prayed or sins he confessed, he knew he was what he had always been--a poor, miserable sinner.
But one day in 1515, when he went to Wittenberg to teach the Bible, something happened that would forever change his life, for it was there that he read the words of Romans chapter 1.
This is what it said: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes: first, for the Jew; then, for the Gentile. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that comes by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17).
And as he read those words and understood what they meant, that’s when it hit him. I can’t be saved by what I do. I can only be saved by what God has done for me through His Son Jesus. It’s all a gift of His grace.
And that’s why this thirty-three year-old professor of theology made his way through the city streets, drew out a document from the folds of his monk’s robe and nailed it to the Castle Church door.
This is what it said: “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.”
Within two weeks, those 95 theses were published throughout Germany. In a month, they were published throughout Europe. It was the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation.
So what did Paul mean when he wrote those words, “I am not ashamed of the gospel”?
Think about his past. He had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, mocked in Athens, ridiculed in Corinth, and stoned and left for dead in Lystra. And he, of all people, wrote to the Romans, “I am not ashamed of the gospel”?!
Besides, this is Rome! It’s the heart of the empire, a city built on power. It’s the home of philosophers and poets, emperor worship, and every conceivable god. So what can Paul, a mere man, offer them?
The power of God! That’s what he wrote: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God” (Romans 1:16).
And what does the gospel do? Nothing less than this--it saves sinners.
Science can’t save us. Education can’t save us. There’s nothing that fame, power, or money can do. But the gospel and only the gospel can save sinners. It’s the power of God for everyone who believes.
In his book Finding Freedom through the Joy of Grace, Pastor Tim Jones said he never dreamed that taking a child to Disney World could be so difficult, or that such a trip could teach him so much about God’s grace.
His middle daughter had been previously adopted by another family. And though they had the best of intentions, they never quite welcomed her into their family of biological children. So after a rough couple of years, they dissolved the adoption. That’s when Tim welcomed her into his home.
For one reason or another, whenever her former family vacationed at Disney World, they took their biological children with them, but left her home with a family friend. Usually, at least in her eight-year-old mind, it was because she did something wrong.
So by the time he adopted her, she had seen a lot of pictures of Disney World and had heard about the rides and characters and parades. But when it came time to walk through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, she was left standing outside. When he heard about her story, he made it a point to take her there the next chance he got.
He thought he had mastered the Disney World drill. He knew from previous experience that seeing characters dressed in oversized mouse and duck costumes could scare almost anyone. What he didn’t expect was that the trip would turn his world upside down.
You see, in the month leading up to the trip, she became an outright terror. She hurt everyone in the family as deeply as she could.
Then just a couple of days before leaving, he pulled her onto his lap to talk about her behavior. She said, “I know what you’re going to do. You’re not going to take me to Disney World, are you?”
Though the thought hadn’t really crossed his mind, her behavior started to make sense. She had wanted to go so many times before, but had failed every time. So she chose to live in a way that put her as far away as possible from the ones she should have loved.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he was tempted to turn her fear to his advantage. For a moment, he thought to say, “If you don’t start behaving better, you’re right! We won’t take you.” But he didn’t say that. Instead, he said, “Is this trip something we’ll do together as a family? And are you part of this family?”
Then he said, “Then you’re going with us. We will not leave you behind!”
Now he’d like to say that her behavior got better after that moment, but it didn’t. She was still a little terror at every hotel and rest stop along the way.
And when they finally arrived, it was a typical Disney day--overpriced everything and lots of long, boring lines.
Then in their hotel room that evening, she became a much different girl. She was exhausted, but her month-long rebellion had finally come to an end.
When bedtime rolled around, he held her, prayed with her, then asked, “So how was your first day at Disney World?”
For a moment, she closed her eyes. Then she said, “Finally, I got to go to Disney World. But it wasn’t because I was good. It’s because I’m yours.”
And that’s the message of grace.
Grace is a landowner who pays a full day’s wage to those who worked for only an hour. It’s the wonder of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep just to rescue that one, little lamb. It’s a father who gives his finest ring and robe to a son who’s thrown away his inheritance. And it’s a King who calls you into His kingdom, not because you’re good, but because you belong to Him. And no matter what you say or do, His love will never change.
So it’s no wonder that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
We thank You, Father, for the grace and mercy You show every day of our lives. Help us to live as Your people as we seek to faithfully follow You, for Jesus’ sake. Amen