Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. On this episode we are on location and we are at quite a location. This is St. Andrea's Church here in the town of Ice Laben in Saxon, Germany. Now we know that this is the

town of the birth of Luther and it also is the town of his death. But we are in the

church and this is a significant place because it is here in fact it is in this very pulpit that is right behind me

it is from that pulpit that Luther preached his final four sermons. Now Luther was not brought here to preach

sermons. In fact, the reason he was brought to this town or came to this town was to settle

a dispute. A dispute had arisen over an inheritance

among two of the counts in this area. And if this dispute did not get settled,

it would threaten this area and it would threaten this town and maybe even

the folks in this church. And of course Luther cares about this place. This is the home of his

birth, Ice Laban and he cares about this church. He was tired, he was worn out, he wrote

in a letter that he was a worn out sluggish, cold, tired, one-eyed man at the end of his life.

And he probably should have stayed in Vittenberg,

but he came here.

We'll find out in a little bit about his death, but it was here that he preached four sermons between

January 28, 1546, and February 14.

And one of those sermons, Luther, with his typical humor, makes the point that

God must be a terrible teacher. In fact, he tells us that God must be one of the most terrible teachers

of all time because his pupils, his students, are constantly trying to improve upon his teaching.

That they're constantly trying to improve upon his word,

upon God's revelation to us.

Now what Luther meant by that was especially the teachings of God doctrine

that comes to us through his work.

...