Welcome to the ministry of First Reformed Church of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Our worship services are at nine o'clock every Sunday morning. Now we join Pastor Hank Bone as he brings us God's word. For our Bible reading this morning, we turn to the book of Acts chapter four. As this is Reformation Sunday, I decided to take a little reprieve and look to this section in Acts chapter four. I want to read the first 22 verses But by way of preface, I need to just mention to you, and I'll get into this into the context in the sermon, but Acts chapter four follows upon Acts chapter three, where John and Peter are going to the temple about three o'clock in the afternoon, and there's this lame man, since he was a child, he's been lame, and he would sit at the temple gate, and he would beg. in the promised land, begging to keep alive. If you were lame in the promised land, your life was viewed as being over. You were of no value. And so here he is at the temple, unable to go into the presence of God, begging. And of course, they say in that chapter, gold and silver we don't have, but what we have is be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. And of course, he's healed. And that becomes the background, the backdrop to chapter four, where the scribes and Pharisees are responding to John and Peter, speaking about how it's through this power of the resurrected Jesus Christ that this lame man now walks and exuberantly is prancing around in the temple praising God. So let us turn to Acts chapter 4, to God's infallible and inspired word. Now, as they spoke to the people, as John and Peter spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them greatly disturbed, that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and they put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about 5,000, and it came to pass on the next day. that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked them, by what power or by what name have you done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus, and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. but when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, what shall we do to these men? For indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name, So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God you judge, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when They had further threatened them. They let them go, finding no way of punishing them because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed." May God add his blessing unto his word. Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, every year, When October 31st comes upon us, we celebrate a Reformation Day service where our thoughts drift back to that pivotal eve when an Augustinian monk and professor of theology nailed a document on the Wittenberg Castle church door. Never did he envision in the year 1517 how God would cause the concerns he raised to change the very core and direction of the practice of the Church. As the Protestant Church looks back upon history, they identify that night as the beginning of the Reformation of the Church, as the Reformation progressed. Over the next 100 years, the biblical doctrines of who God is, who man is, and in particular, what salvation is, became more intensely defined than at any time in the church's history. Often associated with the Reformation doctrine are the five solas, the five doctrines that stand alone as the heart of Reformed teaching. The first is sola scriptura. Scripture alone. This is the teaching that the Bible is the only source and final authority of the Church's doctrine and teaching. All that we believe and all that is to direct our lives must begin and end in seeking to live biblically, thinking God's thoughts after what God has revealed in His Word. It is the belief that Scripture is sufficient to make us wise unto salvation for faith and life through Jesus Christ. The second is sola Christus, Christ alone, the commitment that all theology must be Christ-centered. It is the conviction that the Bible points to Jesus as the only Savior and that He alone is the way to restoration to God. It is this point that will be the focus of our sermon this morning. The third is sola fide, meaning faith alone. Sola fide meaning that what we believe must be faith-driven. Hebrews 11, 6 states that without faith it is impossible to please God. that we are not saved by our works, but through a gift of faith that comes from God, as declared by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2, 8 through 10, which states, by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. The fourth is sola gratia. by grace alone as God's generous pouring out of all the blessings of His mercy on sinners who deserve only wrath. For no other reason than it pleased Him to reveal His goodness and love through His Son, Jesus Christ. God delivers grace to us through the working of His Holy Spirit to empower us to repent of our sins and follow God through His only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior. And fifth is sola deo gloria, to the glory of God alone. For the glory of God is His calling, it is His desire, it is His commission to us. Though we are blessed by God's salvation beyond measure, God does not save us for our glory. It is the chief end of man to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Therefore, our faith must be God-centered. But are these doctrines of the Reformed Church relics of the past like those stored in the Wittenberg Castle by which those who visited them would get years out of purgatory? Is the Reformed Church a thing of the past and the world has moved on? Are we living in the past clinging to a doctrine that is no longer relevant in our day or culture? The answer is absolutely not. God's Word changes not. God's truth changes not because God changes not, nor does truth change. The five solas are not a quaint summary of Reformed theology that is without any real value. They are the nuts and bolts that hold the gospel together and equip us with the knowledge we need to confront an unbelieving world and resist our chief adversary, the devil. This morning, as we come also to remember the death of our Savior in the Holy Supper, I want us to consider the second sola, sola Christus, or Christ alone. I turn your attention here in Acts chapter 4 to Peter's response to the Sanhedrin's question, by what power or by what name have you done this, healed this 40-plus-year-old man who has been lame since birth? We find the capstone of Peter's response in verse 12. where he declares, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. The first thing we consider here is Jesus alone, and Jesus alone is forgiveness found. The greater context of Peter's statement is found in Acts 3, as we mentioned. and the healing of the lame man at the entrance of the temple. And the temple stood as the great sign of God dwelling in the midst of His people to bring life and blessing. And yet, here is a man who is begging at the entrance of the temple. His condition renders him dead in society, unable to contribute and wholly dependent upon others to sustain and support him. But in this one lame man who sits begging, we find the whole of mankind pictured. As sinners, we sit outside the temple of God unable to enter because we are dead in trespasses and sins, rendered spiritually unable to enter into God's presence. That is, until one comes with the words of life, as did Peter and John, as recorded in Acts 3.6. Then Peter said, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And the beggar was immediately up and he was hopping around. Here this beggar who was hoping for some coin to perpetuate his misery is immediately restored and healed. What the apostle gave was a full restoration to life. And so he arose, leaping, and entered into the temple, into the presence of God, with Peter and John by his side, entered into the presence of God before, forbidden him because of his condition, but now being restored to life, he is exuberantly praising God." In the lame man, you have a picture of the restoration of the sinner whose sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This is what new life in Christ looks like, only in a spiritual way. That which takes place inside you must burst forth in outward actions of praising God exuberantly. The surprising element is that the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, upon John and Peter, being greatly disturbed. Why? Because they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They arrested Peter and John because they preached of the resurrected Christ who alone can make one whole. and the power of Jesus' name had made this one whole. The people were amazed by the lame man's miraculous healing, but through this miracle, Peter finds the opportunity to preach concerning the resurrection of Jesus, and that through his name alone comes power unto complete restoration. True restoration to God comes through the forgiveness of sins. The words of Peter hold just as true today. Those words found in chapter 3, verse 19, where Peter says, repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Though you've taken the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and you've crucified Him, yet now repent and let your sins be blotted out. even for the most heinous of crimes and assaults against God, there is provided the opportunity for forgiveness. True repentance is that action triggered by the work of the Holy Spirit in you, causing you to see your sin and rebellion against God so that you turn from it unto faith in the only Savior, Jesus, for the forgiveness of your sins. As long as you remain in your sins, you are in a state of misery. It is a spiritual misery that you may not sense so much, but it is a mystery that will lead you to utter destruction in eternal hell if you do not repent and believe in Jesus. But there is hope, which is our second point. In Jesus alone is hope found. True religion is about salvation. But salvation from what? It is normally from a desperate condition or situation which we are unable to free ourselves from. And there is no greater need in your life than to be saved from the condemnation to which all are born and entrenched themselves into through their own sin. Paul makes that point in Romans 8. where he speaks of man's current sufferings compared with the glory that will come in the final deliverance. He speaks of it in the theme of the hope of deliverance that is yet to be seen. The Christian senses their deliverance, but it is yet to be fully realized and will not be until the return of Christ. But we live our lives with the sense that God has done this tremendous work within us. And we live in that expectation, that eschatological hope of Christ's return when we shall go to be with Him in heaven forever. And the culmination of that, when Christ returns, our bodies are resurrected and caught up with our souls, reunited, and we live forever with the Lord. We live in that hope, but it's a hope that we haven't seen yet. and thus we are a people of hope. But it is that yearning that groans within us because Christ has renewed us. The hope of the Christian is grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. There is no other Savior for the world, only Christ. Jesus is the object of saving faith because in Him is all that is needed for one to be saved. You know, one of the greatest sins that we must deal with is pride. The original sin was one in which the devil tempted us with becoming as God. That is, we could be our own authority, determining for ourselves what was right and wrong. There are many versions of Christianity out there, but one of the marks of error is that most includes some form of your effort as gaining your salvation. It brings God down a little bit and makes God subject to man who brings himself up. God can't do anything until I act first. And thus, in some way or another, through self-will, we subject God to our will. But the Bible puts to rest any hope that God honors our efforts when saving us. God's plan of salvation is designed to strip away all human pride so that we might see the glory of God and His goodness and grace. How does He do that? By sending His only begotten Son to accomplish complete redemption for us upon the cross. Our Heidelberg Catechism sums this up in questions 29 and 30. In question 29, we are asked, why is the Son of God called Jesus, that is, Savior? Of course, the word Jesus means Savior. And the answer, because He saves us from all our sins and because salvation is not to be sought or found in any other. Now, the wording is very particular, very precise when it says, from all our sins. Remember, at the time of the Reformation, they were contending against a Roman Catholic church that contended Jesus took care of some of the sins, but that the individual had to take care of them through confession and penance and all kinds of different practices. One of those practices being the coming to the castles where the relics were. And as they walked through and were in the presence of the relics, they would get thousands of years out of purgatory. Well, what is purgatory? It's not our doctrine, but it was a doctrine at that time held by the church that basically viewed purgatory as hell of a limited duration. The unbeliever, the non-Roman Catholic, would go to hell forever, but the Roman Catholic would go to purgatory where the sins that they hadn't been accounted for, they would burn off over a period of time. And then there was a whole bunch of systems by which through the working in the church, you could take and lessen your sentence more and more. So the seeing of the relics was one of them. And so on that particular day, October 31st, when the people would all come to the castle to see the relics and thus ward off the evil spirits, the witches and the goblins and all those things, what do we call that now? Oh, Halloween, right? It was a round of Martin Luther's Day. They were doing it then. Hallow's Eve, Halloween, Hallow's Eve, was to chase off the evil spirits, superstitions. There was also, as we'll learn on Wednesday at the movie night, the selling of indulgences, where you could literally buy time out of purgatory for good old Auntie Ruth. How can you dare let Auntie Ruth suffer for so long in purgatory when if you simply drop The silver coin in the box, her soul would spring up into heaven. These were the things that were common in that day. And so our catechism speaks of the fact that He saves us from all our sins. There are none left over. He accounts for them all. This idea is further explained when question 30 asks, do those also believe in the only Savior Jesus who seek their salvation and welfare from saints, themselves, or anywhere else? The answer is no. Although they make their boast of him, yet in their deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus. For either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation." We don't add anything to it. He does it all. True faith is that certain knowledge that all of Scripture teaches salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. God is a jealous God in the sense that He will not share His glory with another. Any mingling of the sinner's efforts in salvation and the gospel ceases to be gospel. Which brings us to our third point. In Jesus alone is the gospel found. But when the sinner's eyes are opened by the working of the Holy Spirit, Then the proclamation of the gospel, the good news that God sent his son in the world so that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but shall inherit eternal life, comes as a life-restoring revelation. Remember that we trust in scripture alone, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But how shall they believe unless one is sent? And we often see in that those words, the commission of the minister, the preacher, the minister of the word. But it's more. It's the church's voice going forward. It's the voice of the shepherd through the church going forward. It's each and every one of us going to our neighbors and our friends, and when we have opportunity, speaking of Christ. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Like the lame man healed, we leap and walk in the Lord and praise our God and His holy temple through our risen King and Savior Jesus. For grace to be grace, it must not in any way be deserved or earned. And for gospel to be gospel, it must be the result of the whole work of Christ, redeeming you of your sins and purchasing a place for you in heaven. In Acts 4.12, Peter declared that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Your salvation cannot arise out of a fallen world. but it is provided by an eternal Savior who comes down out of heaven to take upon Himself our human nature, becoming not only a righteous man, but more being true God, so that in this one person, Jesus Christ, we have a mediator who can satisfy for all our sins and restore us to our God." That is the heart of the Lord's Supper of Servants. It is a remembrance that in this one person, through His death upon the cross, He satisfied the justice of God for our sins. He paid the price and He set us free. But it is more. more than remembering Jesus' death. It is also looking to His resurrection through which you are called to believe and to live in this hope that even as God has raised this Jesus from the dead, so all who are in Christ as the only Savior live in the expectation of our future resurrection and the dwelling in heaven with the Lord forever and ever. Amen.