Title Ezra's Reform Movement (Esther 07:1-10)
Contents Today is Reformation Sunday. To commemorate the day Martin Luther initiated the Reformation on October 31, 1517, the last Sunday of October is celebrated by Protestants as Reformation Sunday. Today, on this day, I would like to testify to the words of 'Ezra's reform movement' in Ezra chapter 7.
Recently, the word 'reform' is pouring out like a flood in Korea. The government implemented the real-name system as the blade of reform, and the winds of reform were blowing, and the winds of reform are blowing everywhere in society and in denominations. In the Korean dictionary, the word “reform” is defined as “to change the direction of going on the wrong road to the right one. Reform is to make things right. This word is really good. We need to reform at least 10 times. However, in today's society, the word "reform" is used and appears countless times, but there is no reform. Every time a government comes into power, they say, "Let's uproot corruption" and "Let's realize a just society", but after that, only a few leaves are ripped off.
Martin Luther's Reformation was also the Word movement. When Luther was reforming the Reformation, he made these three principles: “Word alone, grace alone, and faith alone.”
1. Was there no word in the past?
The question arises as to why Luther said "the Word alone". In the past, there were words. However, this word has been changed. The Holy See in Rome has corrupted this word of God, this pure and precious word of life. As children of God, what do we eat for a living? We eat the word of God as food (Matthew 4:3-4).
Humans have a spirit, soul, and body. Animals have body and soul, but no spirit. In other words, animals have minds. Jindo dog recognizes the owner because he has a spirit, but no matter how clever he is, he has no spirit. Only humans who come from God have a spirit. Man eats three things to live, and he eats food for the flesh and knowledge for the food of the mind. By reading books, you learn and study philosophy and truth, and acquire a form of knowledge.
People in the world say you only need to eat these two things. However, we believers must eat spiritual food. You do not come to church to eat rice or bread. Hearing the word of God, this spiritual food, He came to gain weight and strength. However, no matter how delicious and healthy the food is, if you eat the spoiled food, you will get sick. If you eat something that is rotten, rotten, or moldy, you may die. The same is true of the Word of God.
However, the Catholic Church has changed this word. Originally, Martin Luther did not intend to become a monk. Born as the son of a blacksmith to a poor family, he went to law school to earn money and pursue his dream of becoming a judge. Then, one day, while hiking with a friend, I saw that a friend who was going in front was struck by lightning in front of Luther and died on the spot. Luther, shocked by the appearance, pondered, "What is life, what is a person, what do I do to earn money as a prosecutor and judge, and what do I mean when people die in such an instant?" has been Even though he later became a Catholic university professor, there was a problem that could not be erased from his heart.
It was a 'problem of sin'. How much would a person who enters a monastery commit a sin? Even so, Luther was always worried about “what to do with this sin”, and whenever that happened, he went to the priest and confessed his sin. He did not solve the problem of sin to such an extent that the priest said, "Gather all at once and come" because he does the sacrament of confession. Then I went to Rome and stopped by the 'Stairway' there. There is a stairway where Constantine the Great's mother restored the stairway from which Jesus was shed after Jesus was tried in Pilate's court, and it is still included as a pilgrimage course.
Catholics believed that their sins would be forgiven if they repeatedly climbed up and down the stairs on their bare knees and blood bleeds and the blood dries on the wooden stairs. So Luther went up and down countless times, and later, his knee bled all over. However, I did not feel the peace and forgiveness of sins. Then, suddenly, there is a saying that comes to mind. “But the righteous will live by faith” Romans 1:17. Luther jumped up. He was happy to fly.
"Now my sins are forgiven by Jesus Christ. Now I will live by faith. I do not live by works or penance." It is not living by anything else. This is the gospel.
2. If someone asks you what happens when you believe in Jesus, what would you say?
If you believe in Jesus, God will bless you and say that your business will go well and you will earn money. If you say that you can live a long and healthy life if you believe in Jesus, you will say that there are many people who do not believe in Him and live long and healthy lives. I believed in Jesus and said, "I am happy. I have a taste of flesh. My sins are forgiven." This is probably the right answer of the saints.
It's not about money, power, or health. This was the starting point of the Reformation that Luther experienced. Luther, rejoicing with his precious realization, went to Peter's Basilica, and at the entrance there was a large atonement sanctuary and an offering box, and he heard a priest shout at the pilgrims. "Your parents or relatives have gone to hell. When you drop a heavy purse or a gold nugget into this collection box and make a clunking sound in the collection box, your parents in hell will gasp and go to purgatory or purgatory to heaven" They were selling the right to atonement because they ran out of money while building the temple. Luther's eyes caught fire when he saw the scene. So he wrote 95 Articles and declared war on the Holy See. "It's a scam! You are deceiving. You corrupted the word of God where there is such a verse."
Luther strongly advocated a return to the Bible. At that time, the Bible was in Latin, so foolish people and believers could not read the Bible, only priests. The priests told their followers not to read the Bible and not to read it, but Luther translated the Bible into German and opened the way for it to be read.
Why was the early church so powerful? The core of the gospel of the early church is, "Jesus Christ is our Savior. He is the Messiah. Jesus died on the cross for me for my sins. Jesus rose again and ascended to heaven. That Jesus This is coming again." We too must return to the early church. We must return to pure faith.
3. Returning to the Word is reform.
In order for Christianity to become right in the future and this nation to become right, reforms must take place from above. We must repent from the pastor and the president. When Ezra gathered the Israelites together and cried out the word of God, not only did the people beat their breasts in contrition, but Ezra himself repented before God by ripping off his beard and hair and torn his clothes. Reform comes from the Word of God. We must all stand before the Word of God and return to the Word. Reform is to have our countless sins washed away by the blood of the cross, repent before God, and walk on the right path.
If I go right away, the church, the denomination, and even the nation become a new reformer through me. When reform begins with me and goes to all the people, and from the top to the bottom, I believe that the true history of this nation will come true and the work of God's blessing of renewing the church will take place.