One of the servants that the good Lord used to restore the truth of the Gospel to the Church was Martin Luther. Even our secular society recognizes Luther's contribution and influence. A few years ago, at the dawn of the new millennium, they listed the most influential people of the last 1000 years. Luther was ranked near the top, by Albert Einstein and Thomas Jefferson.

In any Reformation Sermon, it is often difficult to decide what to emphasize. We could focus upon Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. These theses declared that you "cannot earn or buy forgiveness from God. In Jesus Christ you have full and free forgiveness."

We could focus on the 3 hallmarks of the Reformation that shaped the entire body of work of Martin Luther: By Scripture alone, By Grace alone, By Faith alone.

But this morning I want to explore Psalm 46, one of Luther's favorite psalms, the psalm upon which he based the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." We sung this psalm a few minutes ago.

If we look at the psalm, it contains paintings. The first painting is frightening and painful portrait of our world. The second painting is similar, but something has been added that gives us hope. And the third painting shows the work and the power and the glory of God who brings an end to fear and sin and hate.

The psalm begins with the painting of this world:

It's not a very pretty picture. The psalm was written when King Jehoshaphat was on the throne. The Moabites and the Ammonites and the Edomites were attacking the people of Judah. The king turned to the Lord for help, in the midst of a frightening battle.

I think Luther could relate to a seemingly impossible battle. The God that Luther knew early in his life was not the God of love found in Scripture. He had been raised to believe that God was only an angry judge.

At the time of Luther, the Islamic Turks were invading Europe and in a few years would make it to the gates of Vienna. Would they continue to Germany? Luther spent much of his early life trying to win the love and support of his father. He was pressured to become a lawyer and make money for his parents.

In 1505, in a lightning storm Luther was so afraid that he bargained with St. Anne that if he was spared, he would become a monk. He did this, but his fear did not subside. At the monastery, Luther tried to appease God through good works. He punished himself, sleeping on a cold floor, beating himself until he bled, going to confession every day, sometimes twice a day. Nothing took away his fear.

Do we fear anything? Of course.

But he doesn't stop there. The second painting is a painting of hope. The passage shows the same scene of pain and fear and destruction, but in the center of the scene there was something else: The river of God. It is a painting of God's presence with us, even when we are afraid. God will never leave us.

You see, the Psalmist had just witnessed the presence of God in the midst of fear. These other nations were gathering and readying to attack. But during the hours of the night, before they attacked, God confused these armies. These enemies of God's people were so disoriented that they began to fight one another. These enemies of God destroyed themselves. The people of Judah saw what happened. They knew the victory was not theirs. It was God's victory for them.

How Luther could relate! His fight to earn God's love and approval was a battle that he could not win. Luther was a sinner. All of his works were like filthy rags before God. And as Luther studied Scriptures, as he read Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, he found the God of all grace and mercy.

He found passage after passage that told him that "I cannot by my own reason of strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him." The Holy Spirit showed him Scripture and the peace and forgiveness that he sought. It has already been earned by Jesus Christ our Savior. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, forgiveness of sins and eternal life are free gifts from the Lord. The more Luther read God's Word, the more clearly he saw that God was His refuge and strength, especially when it came to the matter of his own salvation.

Those promises that Luther discovered, are promises that the Bible shares with us -- including some of the promise that we read just a bit earlier. The free gift of God's love and grace is ours. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. And He reigns forever for us.

The third painting in Psalm 46 is a painting of end times:

Luther understood Christ's victory. He understood that heaven is the goal of our faith, the salvation of our soul. He applied this in so many ways. One touching way was when his daughter Magdalena, his little girl, was dying. With tears flowing, he said, "Oh, how it hurts to lose my little Lena. But God wants her, and she is his. Therefore, I release her into the hands of a gracious and merciful God. God is our refuge and strength, even in times as this!"

God is our refuge and strength. He has prepared for each of us a home, an eternal home, which is His free gift to us through the merits of Christ our Savior.

There's a verse that divides each of the paintings found in Psalm 46. "The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our Fortress." What a glorious refrain. A chorus we can sing when we are afraid, when circumstances tempt us to doubt, when our sinful eyes cannot see past the challenge at hand.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can have

Confident Courage in Times of Trouble

Joy in the midst of change

Certain hope in anticipation of a glorious future.