Hello, everyone.
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I'm Graham Weir.
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Welcome to part
one of the six-part
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Reformation Revisited series.
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This is a dynamic series
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examining the Great
Protestant Reformation
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and its vital implication
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for the survival
of Christianity today.
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And today we'll be talking
about that great reformer,
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Martin Luther.
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Let's begin with a prayer.
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Loving Father in heaven,
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we thank You once again
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for the privilege
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of remembering that mighty path,
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that mighty heritage
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that you've
given us as Christians.
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Our conscious, Lord,
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that if we don't
remember the lessons of history,
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we're in danger of
repeating the mistakes.
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So please bless us.
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Give us ears to hear and
eyes to see and more than this,
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incline our hearts
to want to do Your work
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because we ask these
things in Jesus' precious name.
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Amen.
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Our text today comes from
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the Book of 2
Thessalonians 2:1-4.
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In this text,
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Paul was obviously
worried about something strange
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going on among the
believers in Thessalonica
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when he wrote this letter.
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Let's take a look at verse 1
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and he says, "Now we
beseech you brethren,
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by the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
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and by our
gathering together unto him."
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So we see here
in this little piece
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that Paul is talking about
the second coming of Christ
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and he has spoken
about this previously
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in 1 Thessalonians 4
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when he encouraged them
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to keep the
second coming in mind,
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so what he says
here in his second letter
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was something that his
readers were not expecting.
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Looking at verse 2,
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he says, "That ye be
not soon shaken in mind,
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or be troubled,
neither by spirit,
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nor by word, nor
by letter as from us,
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as at the day of
Christ is at hand."
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Now Paul is
telling them in this text
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to be careful about
becoming disturbed in mind
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by any news that
Jesus is on his way back,
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even if they receive a letter
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which appears to
be signed by Paul.
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Now that would come as a
shock to the Thessalonians.
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They'd be thinking about
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what he had already
said in his first letter
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but verse 3 and 4
explain why he said this.
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He says, "Let no man deceive you
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by any means:
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for that day shall not come
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except there come
a falling away first,
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and that man of sin be revealed,
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the son of perdition
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who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God,
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or that is worshipped,
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so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God
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showing himself or
pretending that he is God."
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So Paul was telling them
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that before the second
coming of Jesus could happen,
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the truth of God's
word will be so overwhelmed
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with the tide of
corruption so bad
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that a man would arise
sitting in the place of God
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and claiming to be God.
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Can you imagine this shock,
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this news would give the
believers in Thessalonica?
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Paul had written
a similar warning
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to his younger
fellow worker Timothy,
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in the Book of 1 Timothy 4:1
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when he said this,
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"Now the spirit
speaketh expressly,
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that in the latter times
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some shall depart from the faith
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giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils."
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And as we look at
the early church history,
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this is exactly what happened,
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and I'm going to
show you a brief example.
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In AD 321, the first
Sunday Law was introduced.
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In AD 416,
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the concept of infant
baptism was introduced,
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that ignored the Bible
example of adult baptism
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by full immersion.
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A downward spiral had begun.
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In 593,
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the concept of
purgatory became doctrine
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and this idea was the idea
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that at death a
person didn't really die
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but their soul
went to some place
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between heaven and
hell called purgatory
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where they supposedly
suffered continual torment
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until someone paid money
for their soul to be released
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to go to heaven.
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And this false doctrine
caused misery for millions.
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Friends, let's think about this.
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If it is true that at death
the body doesn't really die,
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but simply take
some other life form
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called the soul,
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then we would have to say
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that the devil must have
told the truth to Eve in Eden
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when he said thy
shall not surely die.
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But do you really think
the devil told the truth?
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Of course, he didn't.
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The Bible calls
him the father of lies.
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In AD 787, the
worship of images and statues
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was declared acceptable ignoring
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the second commandment.
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And in AD 1190
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the sale of
indulgences was introduced.
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This false doctrine
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was supposed to
enable dead souls
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to be released from purgatory,
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and it also granted
freedom from sin for the buyer,
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the person who
put money in the box,
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but thankfully some
wise people were not fooled
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and they called these
things "ticket to sin."
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And in 1545,
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one of the worst
errors were introduced.
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This was the teaching
that manmade tradition
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was more important
than what the Bible said.
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And there were many more
than we have time for here.
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Whereas the false doctrine
became more and more corrupted
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and people sank
into spiritual darkness,
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the deluded church leaders,
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many convinced
governments that the heretics
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were a danger to the
state and had to be killed.
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And as a
consequence of that decision,
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over the period
of AD 336 to 1487,
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a grand total of more
than 100 million people,
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more than four times
the population of Australia
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were branded heretics and killed
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just because they
didn't agree with the teachings
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of the
religious-political system
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that claimed to be Christ's
representatives on earth.
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It was just as the
Bible had prophesied
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in Revelation 17:6,
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which says,
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"And I saw the woman drunk
with the blood of the saints,
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and the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus
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and when I saw her,
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I wondered with
great admiration."
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And we know that in
Bible prophetic symbolism,
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the word woman is just
a symbol or a code word
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that really means a church.
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And as the tide of
corruption swelled,
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the man of sin emerged
like a monster from the deep
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as the leaders of
the church became known
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for their
depravity and their sin.
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And in this list
you're about to see,
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we'll see a
brief list of the sins
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of the head of the church.
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Murder, adultery, stealing,
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sexual depravity,
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and there were many other things
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and these were just the popes.
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The man who claimed
to be God on the earth
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and pretended to
be God in heaven,
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just as the Apostle Paul told
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to Thessalonians it will happen.
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Friends, Pope did
not invent these lists
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and I'm just
showing you history.
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Plenty of evidence
is available for anyone
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to read in
classic books like these.
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The decline and fall of
the Roman Empire by Gibbon,
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Saints and Sinners,
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A History of the
Popes by Eamon Duffy,
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Truth Triumphant by Wilkinson,
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and this book list
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some of the grim
details typically suffered
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by many of the martyrs.
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This isn't bedtime reading
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but it's very enlightening.
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Well by the 15th century,
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the church had become swamped
by an ocean of corruption.
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The truth of God's
word had become grand
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and a thief tradition
and meaningless rituals.
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And upon this scene
entered the early reformers
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like John Wycliffe, Jann Hus,
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and Jerome of Prague.
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These early
reformers protested strongly
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against the
excesses of the church
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and in particular the
selling of indulgences
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and the immoral living of
the popes and the priests,
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and the misuse of offering money
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to support evil lust out.
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This didn't win them any friends
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among the corrupt
leaders of the church
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and after Wycliffe's death
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from a stroke at the age of 64,
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the enraged church
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actually dug up
his bones, burned them,
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and threw them
into the River Swift
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in Lutterworth.
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Hus and Jerome
were given mock trials
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and they were
burned at the stake.
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About 100 years
after these events,
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there was a young man in Germany
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by the name of Martin Luther.
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He was growing up in
the home with parents
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who did their best to
instruct their children
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in the knowledge of God
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and the practice
of Christian virtue.
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In fact, Martin's
father, who was a copper miner,
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often prayed in
the hearing of his son
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that the boy must
remember the name of the Lord
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and one day
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aid in the advancement of truth.
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Little did he know
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what the Lord had
in store for his son.
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Unfortunately, it was common
for most people at that time
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to have gloomy
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superstitious ideas of religion.
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These ideas filled
Martin with fear and dread
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and made him think
of God as a cruel tyrant
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rather than a
kind heavenly Father.
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These were common
views in those days.
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In spite of this,
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Martin spent several
years at Erfurt University.
00:10:36.56\00:10:39.37
He was training to be a lawyer,
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but in spite of these gloomy
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spiritual
attitudes surrounding him,
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he still was deeply religious
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and he never failed
to seek the hope of God
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on a daily basis with prayer,
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and little did he
imagine the great mission
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that God was preparing him for.
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Well, one day examining
the books in the library
00:10:58.39\00:11:00.82
of the university,
00:11:00.86\00:11:02.19
Luther discovered a Latin Bible.
00:11:02.22\00:11:05.73
And this was a book
he had never seen before.
00:11:05.76\00:11:09.23
Now for the first time,
00:11:09.26\00:11:10.60
he looked upon the
whole of God's Word
00:11:10.63\00:11:14.64
and in awe he exclaimed,
00:11:14.67\00:11:16.50
"O that God would give
me such a book for myself!"
00:11:16.54\00:11:21.84
And as he read,
00:11:21.88\00:11:23.21
a great desire to be
free from sin and find peace
00:11:23.24\00:11:25.71
with God took hold of him,
00:11:25.75\00:11:28.45
and then something
happened to Martin Luther
00:11:28.48\00:11:31.79
that would change his
life's direction in a way
00:11:31.82\00:11:35.36
he could never have imagined.
00:11:35.39\00:11:37.83
On 2nd of July, 1505,
00:11:37.86\00:11:40.40
he was returning to
university after a trip home
00:11:40.43\00:11:44.17
when during a thunderstorm
00:11:44.20\00:11:46.00
a lightning
bolt struck near him.
00:11:46.03\00:11:49.24
It terrified him
00:11:49.27\00:11:50.84
and he fell to
his face on the earth,
00:11:50.87\00:11:52.51
he was terrified
at divine judgment.
00:11:52.54\00:11:53.94
In fact he thought
00:11:53.98\00:11:55.31
this was the
Lord with a big stick
00:11:55.34\00:11:56.75
trying to strike him
out because he was a sinner.
00:11:56.78\00:11:59.75
He fell to the
ground and in desperation
00:11:59.78\00:12:01.75
he cried out, "Help!
00:12:01.78\00:12:03.12
Saint Anna, I
will become a monk!"
00:12:03.15\00:12:07.16
And at that point we might
ask, well, hang on a minute,
00:12:07.19\00:12:09.06
why did he pray to
Saint Anna instead of God.
00:12:09.09\00:12:12.46
While the Bible talks
about the dead knowing nothing,
00:12:12.49\00:12:15.33
it was still hidden
by generations of error
00:12:15.36\00:12:17.50
in those days,
00:12:17.53\00:12:19.23
so it was common
practice for people
00:12:19.27\00:12:20.74
to pray to dead saints.
00:12:20.77\00:12:23.00
But I believe God understood
this lack of knowledge
00:12:23.04\00:12:25.64
and still allowed
the young Martin Luther
00:12:25.67\00:12:27.98
to enter into an experience
00:12:28.01\00:12:29.61
that would eventually
share a great flood of light
00:12:29.64\00:12:33.65
upon himself and the world.
00:12:33.68\00:12:36.99
While he survived the storm,
00:12:37.02\00:12:39.75
and because he felt he
could never break his vow,
00:12:39.79\00:12:43.16
and in spite of the fact
00:12:43.19\00:12:44.53
his father was
disgusted with him
00:12:44.56\00:12:45.89
and was so angry
00:12:45.93\00:12:47.26
about Martin
giving up his education
00:12:47.30\00:12:49.36
that he wouldn't even
talk to him for two years.
00:12:49.40\00:12:52.27
In spite of all this,
00:12:52.30\00:12:53.77
Martin dropped
out of the law school,
00:12:53.80\00:12:55.84
sold his books, and a few days
later on 17th of July, 1505,
00:12:55.87\00:13:01.88
he entered St.
Augustine's Monastery
00:13:01.91\00:13:04.51
and offered to become a monk,
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.42
and in here he was required
to perform the lowest drudgery
00:13:07.45\00:13:10.99
and to beg from house to house,
00:13:11.02\00:13:13.89
but he patiently endured
this humiliation believing
00:13:13.92\00:13:17.79
that it was necessary
00:13:17.83\00:13:19.16
because he felt
he was so sinful.
00:13:19.19\00:13:22.10
Years later, looking
back on his early experience
00:13:22.13\00:13:25.07
in his monastery, he said this,
00:13:25.10\00:13:28.24
"I was indeed a pious monk
00:13:28.27\00:13:30.51
and I followed
the rules of my order
00:13:30.54\00:13:32.24
more strictly
than I can express.
00:13:32.27\00:13:34.91
If ever a monk
could obtain heaven
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.78
by his monkish works,
00:13:36.81\00:13:38.41
I should certainly
have been entitled to it."
00:13:38.45\00:13:42.55
Well, with all his efforts
00:13:42.58\00:13:43.92
to make himself
worthy of salvation,
00:13:43.95\00:13:45.45
he found no relief
in the guilt of sin.
00:13:45.49\00:13:49.09
But God didn't fail to help him.
00:13:49.12\00:13:51.99
His mentor Staupitz opened
the Word of God to his mind
00:13:52.03\00:13:55.36
and this is what he said to him.
00:13:55.40\00:13:57.93
He said, "Instead
of torturing yourself
00:13:57.97\00:13:59.60
on account of your sins,
00:13:59.63\00:14:01.64
throw yourself into
the Redeemer's arms.
00:14:01.67\00:14:04.44
Trust in Him,
00:14:04.47\00:14:05.81
in the
righteousness of His life,
00:14:05.84\00:14:07.64
in the atonement of His death.
00:14:07.68\00:14:10.21
Listen to the Son of God.
00:14:10.25\00:14:12.21
He became man to give you
the assurance of divine favor.
00:14:12.25\00:14:16.69
Love him who first loved you."
00:14:16.72\00:14:20.49
Well, at this
stage, Martin's experience,
00:14:20.52\00:14:23.19
he was still a true
son of a papal church
00:14:23.22\00:14:25.59
and he had no thought
00:14:25.63\00:14:26.96
that he would
ever be anything else.
00:14:27.00\00:14:29.70
And the providence of
God, he was led to visit Rome.
00:14:29.73\00:14:33.34
He pursued his journey on foot,
00:14:33.37\00:14:35.57
lodging at the
monasteries on the way.
00:14:35.60\00:14:38.54
He entered the city,
visited the churches,
00:14:38.57\00:14:42.04
listened to
fantastic stories repeated
00:14:42.08\00:14:44.25
by priests and monks,
00:14:44.28\00:14:45.81
and he performed all
the ceremonies required.
00:14:45.85\00:14:49.35
But everywhere he looked,
00:14:49.38\00:14:50.92
he saw sins that filled him
with astonishment and horror.
00:14:50.95\00:14:55.32
He saw that inequity
existed among all classes
00:14:55.36\00:14:58.03
that were clergy.
00:14:58.06\00:14:59.76
He heard indecent
jokes from pulpits
00:14:59.79\00:15:03.06
and was filled with horror
00:15:03.10\00:15:04.43
at the awful
profanity even during mass.
00:15:04.47\00:15:09.10
Turn where he would,
00:15:09.14\00:15:10.47
in the place where
he expected holiness,
00:15:10.51\00:15:12.34
he found evil.
00:15:12.37\00:15:14.91
Writing about his
experiences later,
00:15:14.94\00:15:16.64
he said, "No one
can imagine what sins
00:15:16.68\00:15:19.51
and infamous actions
are committed in Rome.
00:15:19.55\00:15:21.95
They must be seen
and heard to be believed.
00:15:21.98\00:15:26.82
But at this time
the pope had promised
00:15:26.86\00:15:28.46
an indulgence to all
00:15:28.49\00:15:29.82
who would climb
up Pilate's staircase
00:15:29.86\00:15:31.56
when they need.
00:15:31.59\00:15:33.40
And the church
claimed that these stairs
00:15:33.43\00:15:36.03
were the very stairs
00:15:36.06\00:15:37.40
that Jesus descended
00:15:37.43\00:15:38.77
as he left the
Rome in judgment hall.
00:15:38.80\00:15:41.60
And that they
were miraculously moved
00:15:41.64\00:15:43.41
from Jerusalem to Rome.
00:15:43.44\00:15:45.64
They're still there
today and the devout tourists
00:15:45.67\00:15:49.54
still climb up these
stairs on their knees.
00:15:49.58\00:15:53.58
While Luther was
devoutly climbing these steps,
00:15:53.62\00:15:57.12
unaware that the
Lord was about to give him
00:15:57.15\00:15:59.42
an unforgettable
conversion experience,
00:15:59.45\00:16:03.19
as he climbed,
00:16:03.22\00:16:04.99
suddenly a voice-like
thunder seemed to say to him,
00:16:05.03\00:16:09.46
"The just shall live by faith."
00:16:09.50\00:16:15.70
Deeply shocked
at the realization
00:16:15.74\00:16:17.61
of what he was doing,
00:16:17.64\00:16:19.24
he sprang to his feet
00:16:19.27\00:16:20.61
and hastened from the
place in shame and horror
00:16:20.64\00:16:23.24
and immediately
began his journey home.
00:16:23.28\00:16:26.55
Well, it takes never
lost its power upon his soul.
00:16:26.58\00:16:29.82
From that time on
he saw more clearly
00:16:29.85\00:16:31.95
than ever before
00:16:31.99\00:16:34.46
the futility of trusting
to human works for salvation
00:16:34.49\00:16:40.06
and the
necessity of constant faith
00:16:40.10\00:16:41.93
in the merits of Christ.
00:16:41.96\00:16:43.97
His eyes had been opened
00:16:44.00\00:16:46.33
and were never
again to be closed
00:16:46.37\00:16:48.14
to the delusions of the papacy.
00:16:48.17\00:16:51.04
When he turned
his face from Rome,
00:16:51.07\00:16:53.78
he had turned
away also in heart,
00:16:53.81\00:16:56.48
and from that time
00:16:56.51\00:16:57.85
the separation
grew wider and wider
00:16:57.88\00:17:01.15
until eventually
00:17:01.18\00:17:02.52
he severed all connection
with the papal church.
00:17:02.55\00:17:07.09
Eventually,
00:17:07.12\00:17:08.46
he received the
degree the Doctor of Divinity
00:17:08.49\00:17:10.46
from the
University of Wittenberg
00:17:10.49\00:17:13.13
where he was employed as
the professor of theology
00:17:13.16\00:17:16.77
and with the thunderous words
00:17:16.80\00:17:18.17
"The just shall live by faith,"
00:17:18.20\00:17:20.40
still ringing in his mind,
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.10
he began to teach that
00:17:22.14\00:17:23.51
"Christians should receive
no other doctrine than those
00:17:23.54\00:17:26.81
which rest on the authority
of the Sacred Scriptures."
00:17:26.84\00:17:29.21
That's good advice, isn't it?
00:17:29.24\00:17:30.88
Amen. Amen.
00:17:30.91\00:17:32.81
These words struck
00:17:32.85\00:17:34.18
at the very
foundation of papal supremacy.
00:17:34.22\00:17:37.19
They contained divided principle
00:17:37.22\00:17:38.89
of the mighty
Protestant Reformation,
00:17:38.92\00:17:42.12
presses with the message
00:17:42.16\00:17:43.49
which he brought
to the eager crowds
00:17:43.53\00:17:45.49
that hung upon his words.
00:17:45.53\00:17:47.13
Never before
00:17:47.16\00:17:48.50
had such teachings
fallen upon their ear.
00:17:48.53\00:17:51.70
The glad tidings
of Savior's love,
00:17:51.73\00:17:54.34
the assurance of pardon
and peace to his atoning blood
00:17:54.37\00:17:58.24
rejoiced their hearts
00:17:58.27\00:17:59.61
that inspired within
them an immortal hope.
00:17:59.64\00:18:04.25
At Wittenberg, a
light was kindled
00:18:04.28\00:18:06.95
whose rays should extend
00:18:06.98\00:18:08.68
to the uttermost parts the earth
00:18:08.72\00:18:11.32
and which was to
increasing brightness
00:18:11.35\00:18:13.56
to the close of time.
00:18:13.59\00:18:16.89
Meanwhile, the Roman Church
00:18:16.93\00:18:19.13
will be making
merchandise of the grace of God.
00:18:19.16\00:18:22.73
Under the excuse of raising fund
00:18:22.76\00:18:24.47
for the erection of
St. Peter's Church at Rome,
00:18:24.50\00:18:27.70
indulgences to sin were
publicly offered for sale
00:18:27.74\00:18:30.54
by the authority of the pope.
00:18:30.57\00:18:33.48
By the price of crime,
00:18:33.51\00:18:34.84
a temple was to be
built for God's worship.
00:18:34.88\00:18:39.08
The cornerstone laid
with the wages of inequity.
00:18:39.11\00:18:44.05
The official
appointed to conduct
00:18:44.09\00:18:45.42
the sale of
indulgences in Germany,
00:18:45.45\00:18:47.76
the chief
salesman, Tetzel by name,
00:18:47.79\00:18:51.13
he had been convicted
00:18:51.16\00:18:52.49
of basest
offences against society
00:18:52.53\00:18:54.96
and against the law of God
00:18:55.00\00:18:56.90
but he was still employed
00:18:56.93\00:18:58.27
to further the
mercenary projects
00:18:58.30\00:19:00.04
of the pope in Germany.
00:19:00.07\00:19:02.54
He repeated glaring
falsehoods and marvelous tiles
00:19:02.57\00:19:05.44
to deceive an ignorant
and superstitious people.
00:19:05.47\00:19:08.84
In fact, at the end of the town
00:19:08.88\00:19:10.91
a messenger went
before him announcing,
00:19:10.95\00:19:13.18
"The grace of God
and of the Holy Father
00:19:13.21\00:19:15.15
is at your gates."
00:19:15.18\00:19:17.45
And the people
walk on the blessings
00:19:17.49\00:19:19.05
pretending as if
he were God himself
00:19:19.09\00:19:21.79
come down from heaven to them.
00:19:21.82\00:19:24.73
He set off this
dishonorable traffic
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.36
in the church and
ascended to pulpit,
00:19:26.39\00:19:29.53
and extolled the indulgences
00:19:29.56\00:19:31.17
as the most
precious gift of God.
00:19:31.20\00:19:35.34
He even declared that
00:19:35.37\00:19:36.71
by virtue of his
certificates of pardon,
00:19:36.74\00:19:38.81
all the sins
00:19:38.84\00:19:40.18
which a purchaser should
afterward desire to commit
00:19:40.21\00:19:43.41
would be forgiven to him
00:19:43.45\00:19:45.01
and that not even
repentance was necessary.
00:19:45.05\00:19:47.62
Imagine that.
00:19:47.65\00:19:49.12
You can do anything you liked
00:19:49.15\00:19:51.22
and you'd be quite confident
00:19:51.25\00:19:52.59
that it didn't
matter what you did,
00:19:52.62\00:19:54.16
you'll be forgiven as long as
you put some money in the box.
00:19:54.19\00:19:58.99
More than this,
00:19:59.03\00:20:00.36
he assured his
hearers that the indulgences
00:20:00.40\00:20:02.26
even had the power to save
00:20:02.30\00:20:03.97
not only the
living but the dead.
00:20:04.00\00:20:07.24
At the very moment
the money should click
00:20:07.27\00:20:08.97
against the bottom of his chest,
00:20:09.00\00:20:11.04
the soul on whose behalf
00:20:11.07\00:20:12.51
it had been paid
would escape from purgatory
00:20:12.54\00:20:15.58
and make its way to heaven.
00:20:15.61\00:20:18.45
And believe it or not,
00:20:18.48\00:20:19.81
Tetzel's offer was
grasped by eager thousands,
00:20:19.85\00:20:22.88
and gold and silver
flowed into his treasury.
00:20:22.92\00:20:26.79
Now the salvation that
could be bought with money
00:20:26.82\00:20:29.39
was more easily obtained
00:20:29.42\00:20:30.76
than that which
requires repentance, faith,
00:20:30.79\00:20:33.66
and diligent effort to
exist and overcome sin.
00:20:33.70\00:20:38.20
Luther, though still
a papacy of the state
00:20:38.23\00:20:40.10
of sort was filled with horror
00:20:40.14\00:20:42.67
at the blasphemous
assumptions of the indulgence.
00:20:42.70\00:20:47.14
And many of his own congregation
00:20:47.18\00:20:49.14
had purchased
certificates of pardon
00:20:49.18\00:20:51.91
and they soon began
to come to their pastor
00:20:51.95\00:20:54.22
confessing their various
sins and expecting absolution,
00:20:54.25\00:20:58.99
not because they
repented and wished to reform,
00:20:59.02\00:21:02.16
but on the
grounds of the indulgence.
00:21:02.19\00:21:05.36
Now Luther
refused them absolution,
00:21:05.39\00:21:07.50
and he warned them
00:21:07.53\00:21:08.86
that unless they should
repent and reform their lives,
00:21:08.90\00:21:11.20
they must perish in their sins.
00:21:11.23\00:21:14.37
Well, in great perplexity,
00:21:14.40\00:21:15.74
they returned to Tetzel
00:21:15.77\00:21:17.31
with the complaint
that their confessor
00:21:17.34\00:21:19.07
had refused the certificate,
00:21:19.11\00:21:22.34
and some of them
even boldly demanded
00:21:22.38\00:21:24.08
they get their money back.
00:21:24.11\00:21:26.68
Well, the friar
was filled with rage.
00:21:26.72\00:21:29.18
He hurled at
them terrible curses,
00:21:29.22\00:21:31.19
he even caused fires to
be lighted in public squares
00:21:31.22\00:21:34.59
and he declared that
he had received this order
00:21:34.62\00:21:36.59
from the pope to
burn all heretics
00:21:36.62\00:21:38.79
who presumed to oppose
his most holy indulgences.
00:21:38.83\00:21:42.93
This is the trigger for Luther
00:21:42.96\00:21:45.13
to boldly begin his work
as a champion of the truth.
00:21:45.17\00:21:49.00
He told the people
not to buy indulgences
00:21:49.04\00:21:51.94
but to look in faith
to a crucified redeemer.
00:21:51.97\00:21:55.48
He told them about his
own painful experiences
00:21:55.51\00:21:57.71
and vainly
trying to end salvation
00:21:57.75\00:21:59.95
by painfully climbing
up those stairs on his knee
00:21:59.98\00:22:03.52
and many other works
of humiliation and penance
00:22:03.55\00:22:06.96
and he assured his heirs
00:22:06.99\00:22:08.66
that he was by
looking away from himself
00:22:08.69\00:22:11.26
and believing in Christ
00:22:11.29\00:22:13.16
that he found peace and joy.
00:22:13.19\00:22:16.70
But as Tetzel
continued his deceptions,
00:22:16.73\00:22:19.33
Luther determined to make
a bolder protest against him.
00:22:19.37\00:22:23.41
First of all saints with
depressing sin, so Luther,
00:22:23.44\00:22:27.31
knowing that Tetzel
00:22:27.34\00:22:28.81
would try to
sell his indulgences
00:22:28.84\00:22:30.18
to the people who
came to see the relics,
00:22:30.21\00:22:32.88
on the day before the festival,
00:22:32.91\00:22:34.95
he joined the crowds
walking to the church
00:22:34.98\00:22:37.35
and posted on its door
00:22:37.39\00:22:39.35
a paper
containing 95 propositions
00:22:39.39\00:22:42.96
against the
doctrines of indulgences
00:22:42.99\00:22:45.99
and he declared his
willingness to defend these
00:22:46.03\00:22:48.26
theses next day
at the university
00:22:48.30\00:22:51.13
against all who
should see fit to attack him.
00:22:51.17\00:22:54.74
Well, in these theses
00:22:54.77\00:22:56.10
it was shown that
the power to grant
00:22:56.14\00:22:57.87
the pardon of sin
and to remit its penalty
00:22:57.91\00:23:01.44
had never been committed
00:23:01.48\00:23:02.81
to the pope or to any other man.
00:23:02.84\00:23:05.48
Now I will
scream with the facts,
00:23:05.51\00:23:07.62
a deception to extort money
00:23:07.65\00:23:09.18
by playing upon
00:23:09.22\00:23:10.55
the superstitions of the people,
00:23:10.59\00:23:13.49
and it was also clearly shown
this important statement that
00:23:13.52\00:23:17.46
"The gospel of Christ
00:23:17.49\00:23:18.96
is the most valuable
treasure of the church
00:23:18.99\00:23:22.20
and that the grace
of God, it revealed,
00:23:22.23\00:23:24.20
is freely granted to all
00:23:24.23\00:23:25.83
who seek it by"
money, is that what it says?
00:23:25.87\00:23:29.77
No.
00:23:29.80\00:23:31.14
it says by
"Repentance and faith."
00:23:31.17\00:23:36.38
Luther could not have imagined
what the Lord would now do.
00:23:36.41\00:23:39.71
Because remember
this was the time
00:23:39.75\00:23:41.22
when printing had
just been invented.
00:23:41.25\00:23:43.92
In a few days,
they were being copied
00:23:43.95\00:23:46.09
and they were being
spread all over Germany
00:23:46.12\00:23:49.06
and a year after the posting
of his theses on the door,
00:23:49.09\00:23:52.53
Luther's
writings and his doctrines
00:23:52.56\00:23:55.16
were extending to
every nation in Christendom.
00:23:55.20\00:23:58.87
The work spread to
Switzerland and Holland,
00:23:58.90\00:24:02.64
copies of his writings found
their way to France and Spain.
00:24:02.67\00:24:06.41
In England his
teachings were received
00:24:06.44\00:24:08.51
as the word of life,
00:24:08.54\00:24:10.58
to Belgium and Italy
also the truth had extended.
00:24:10.61\00:24:14.82
Thousands were awakening
from the death-like stupor
00:24:14.85\00:24:18.09
to the joy and
hope of a life of faith.
00:24:18.12\00:24:21.36
The climb out of
the Dark Ages had begun.
00:24:21.39\00:24:26.66
Rome was bent upon
the destruction of Luther,
00:24:26.70\00:24:29.70
but God was his defense.
00:24:29.73\00:24:32.27
His doctrines
were heard everywhere,
00:24:32.30\00:24:33.90
in cottages, in conference,
00:24:33.94\00:24:35.87
in the castle of the
nobles, in the universities,
00:24:35.90\00:24:39.07
and in the palaces of the kings,
00:24:39.11\00:24:41.38
and the noble men
were rising on every hand
00:24:41.41\00:24:43.95
to sustain his effort.
00:24:43.98\00:24:47.05
Now Luther felt confident
00:24:47.08\00:24:48.42
that the church
leaders were reasonable men
00:24:48.45\00:24:50.82
and they would gladly
unite with him in reform
00:24:50.85\00:24:53.86
but how mistaken he was.
00:24:53.89\00:24:56.69
Crafty ecclesiastics
seeing their games endangered,
00:24:56.73\00:25:00.26
they were enraged.
00:25:00.30\00:25:02.36
They quickly saw that the people
00:25:02.40\00:25:04.30
looked to Christ
alone for salvation
00:25:04.33\00:25:07.10
would stop
thousands of streams of money
00:25:07.14\00:25:09.37
from flowing into
the church's coffin.
00:25:09.40\00:25:12.14
They would
overthrow the pontiff's throne
00:25:12.17\00:25:14.64
and eventually
destroy their own authority
00:25:14.68\00:25:17.88
so their
writings of against Christ
00:25:17.91\00:25:19.78
and the truth
by opposing the man
00:25:19.81\00:25:22.28
that God had so
cleanly sent to enlighten them.
00:25:22.32\00:25:26.76
The writings of
Luther had kindled everywhere
00:25:26.79\00:25:28.96
a new interest in
the Holy Scriptures.
00:25:28.99\00:25:31.76
Not only from
all parts of Germany
00:25:31.79\00:25:33.93
but from other lands
00:25:33.96\00:25:35.30
students flocked
to the university.
00:25:35.33\00:25:38.63
Young men coming
inside of Wittenberg
00:25:38.67\00:25:40.44
for the first time
00:25:40.47\00:25:41.80
would raise
their hands to heaven,
00:25:41.84\00:25:43.74
and bless God for
having caused a lot of truth
00:25:43.77\00:25:46.68
to shine forth from Wittenberg.
00:25:46.71\00:25:49.44
But Luther's opponents burning
with a desire for revenge,
00:25:49.48\00:25:53.35
urged the pope to take
decisive measures against him,
00:25:53.38\00:25:57.65
and it was
decreed that his doctrines
00:25:57.69\00:26:00.22
should be immediately condemned.
00:26:00.26\00:26:02.76
Sixty days were
granted to reformer
00:26:02.79\00:26:04.93
and his adherence,
00:26:04.96\00:26:06.80
after which if
they did not recant
00:26:06.83\00:26:09.66
they were all to
be excommunicated.
00:26:09.70\00:26:13.23
That was the curve of
crisis for the reformation.
00:26:13.27\00:26:17.07
But when the papal
bull reached Luther,
00:26:17.11\00:26:19.47
with terrible power,
00:26:19.51\00:26:20.84
he flung back upon Rome herself
the sentence of condemnation.
00:26:20.88\00:26:26.51
In the presence of a
crowd of citizens of all ranks,
00:26:26.55\00:26:29.62
Luther burned the
papal bull and he said this,
00:26:29.65\00:26:33.79
"A serious
struggle has just begun.
00:26:33.82\00:26:36.69
Before this,
00:26:36.73\00:26:38.06
I've been only
playing with the pope.
00:26:38.09\00:26:40.63
I began this work in God's name,
00:26:40.66\00:26:43.37
it will be ended
without me, and by his might.
00:26:43.40\00:26:47.64
Who knows if God has
not chosen and called me
00:26:47.67\00:26:51.41
and if they ought not to
fear that by despising me,
00:26:51.44\00:26:53.81
they despise God himself."
00:26:53.84\00:26:56.95
While there was peace
for Luther for a while,
00:26:56.98\00:27:00.82
the pope's edict was not enacted
00:27:00.85\00:27:02.42
because the princes of
Germany were supportive of him.
00:27:02.45\00:27:05.59
But after a few
years a new emperor,
00:27:05.62\00:27:07.92
Charles V ascended
the throne of Germany.
00:27:07.96\00:27:11.93
The Electorate of Saxony to him,
00:27:11.96\00:27:13.40
Charles was in great degree
indebted to for his crown,
00:27:13.43\00:27:17.67
he entreated the
emperor and he said,
00:27:17.70\00:27:20.34
"Don't take any
steps against Luther
00:27:20.37\00:27:23.17
until you give him a
hearing and a safe conduct."
00:27:23.20\00:27:28.51
So Luther was summoned to appear
00:27:28.54\00:27:30.25
before the assembly
00:27:30.28\00:27:33.15
at the city of
Worms on April 17, 1521.
00:27:33.18\00:27:40.02
And at length Luther
stood before the council.
00:27:40.06\00:27:44.16
The emperor occupied the throne.
00:27:44.19\00:27:46.49
He was surrounded
00:27:46.53\00:27:47.86
by the most illustrious
personalities in the empire.
00:27:47.90\00:27:51.70
Never had any man appeared
00:27:51.73\00:27:53.44
in the presence of a
more imposing assembly
00:27:53.47\00:27:56.47
but not before
which Martin Luther
00:27:56.50\00:27:58.11
was to answer for his sake.
00:27:58.14\00:28:00.78
And his appearance of
itself a signal of victory
00:28:00.81\00:28:04.21
over the papacy.
00:28:04.25\00:28:06.41
The pope had condemned the man
00:28:06.45\00:28:08.52
and he was now asked to
appear before a tribunal
00:28:08.55\00:28:11.29
which by this very
activities about the pope.
00:28:11.32\00:28:15.26
The pope had laid
him and do a indict
00:28:15.29\00:28:17.69
and cut him off
from all human society
00:28:17.73\00:28:21.10
and yet he was
summoned in respectful language
00:28:21.13\00:28:24.27
and received before
the most august assembly
00:28:24.30\00:28:27.07
in the world.
00:28:27.10\00:28:29.27
The pope had condemned
him to perpetual silence
00:28:29.30\00:28:32.47
and he was now about to speak
00:28:32.51\00:28:33.84
before thousands
of attentive hearers,
00:28:33.88\00:28:36.24
drawn together
00:28:36.28\00:28:37.61
from the furthest
parts of Christendom
00:28:37.65\00:28:40.48
and immense revolution
had best been affected
00:28:40.52\00:28:43.39
by Luther's instrumentality.
00:28:43.42\00:28:46.22
Rome was already
descending from her throne
00:28:46.25\00:28:49.69
and it was the voice of a monk
that caused this humiliation.
00:28:49.72\00:28:54.76
In the presence of that
00:28:54.80\00:28:56.13
powerful entitled assembly
00:28:56.16\00:28:58.03
the lowly born reformer
seemed at odd and embarrassed.
00:28:58.07\00:29:02.90
Several of the
princes, observing his emotion,
00:29:02.94\00:29:05.54
they approached him
and one of them whispered
00:29:05.57\00:29:08.24
"Fear not them
which kill the body
00:29:08.28\00:29:10.61
but are not able
to kill the soul."
00:29:10.65\00:29:13.52
Another said,
00:29:13.55\00:29:14.88
when you shall be brought
00:29:14.92\00:29:16.25
before governors
and kings for My sake,
00:29:16.28\00:29:18.19
it shall be given you
00:29:18.22\00:29:19.92
by the Spirit of your
Father, what you shall say."
00:29:19.95\00:29:24.23
So in this way
the words of Christ
00:29:24.26\00:29:26.23
were brought by
the world's great men
00:29:26.26\00:29:28.66
to strengthen his
servants in the hour of trial.
00:29:28.70\00:29:33.40
When Luther was
conducted to a position directly
00:29:33.44\00:29:35.64
in front of the
emperor's throne,
00:29:35.67\00:29:38.11
a deep silence fell
upon the crowded assembly.
00:29:38.14\00:29:42.14
Then an imperial officer arose
00:29:42.18\00:29:44.48
and pointing to a
collection of Luther's writings,
00:29:44.51\00:29:47.45
he demanded that
the reformer answer
00:29:47.48\00:29:49.22
two questions.
00:29:49.25\00:29:51.32
The first question was whether
00:29:51.35\00:29:52.85
he acknowledges
the books as his own,
00:29:52.89\00:29:56.19
and the second one
was whether he proposed
00:29:56.22\00:29:58.23
to retract the opinions
00:29:58.26\00:30:00.16
which he had expressed in them.
00:30:00.20\00:30:03.30
After the officer read
out the titles of the books,
00:30:03.33\00:30:06.43
Luther replied to
answer the first question,
00:30:06.47\00:30:08.94
he acknowledged
the books to be his.
00:30:08.97\00:30:12.07
As to the second, he said,
00:30:12.11\00:30:14.81
"Seeing that it is a question
00:30:14.84\00:30:16.64
which concerns faith
and salvation of souls,
00:30:16.68\00:30:20.22
and in which the Word of God,
00:30:20.25\00:30:22.48
the greatest and
most precious treasure
00:30:22.52\00:30:25.05
either in heaven
or earth is involved,
00:30:25.09\00:30:28.82
I should act imprudently
00:30:28.86\00:30:30.99
were I to reply
without reflection.
00:30:31.03\00:30:34.40
I might affirm less than
the circumstance demands,
00:30:34.43\00:30:38.10
or more than the truth requires,
00:30:38.13\00:30:40.54
and so sin against this
saying of Christ who said,
00:30:40.57\00:30:43.74
"Whosoever shall
deny Me before men,
00:30:43.77\00:30:46.24
him will I also
deny before My Father
00:30:46.27\00:30:48.48
which is in heaven."
00:30:48.51\00:30:50.41
And that was in Matthew 10:33.
00:30:50.45\00:30:53.85
"For this reason I
entreat your Imperial Majesty,
00:30:53.88\00:30:57.09
with all
humility, to allow me time,
00:30:57.12\00:30:59.85
that I may
answer without offending
00:30:59.89\00:31:02.12
against the Word of God."
00:31:02.16\00:31:04.59
Well, he got, he
was given some time.
00:31:04.63\00:31:07.06
And the next day
00:31:07.10\00:31:08.43
he was to appear to
render his final answer.
00:31:08.46\00:31:11.53
But that night in his room,
00:31:11.57\00:31:13.74
his heart sank within him
as he contemplated the forces
00:31:13.77\00:31:18.37
that were
combined against the truth.
00:31:18.41\00:31:21.38
His faith faltered, fearfulness
and trembling came upon him,
00:31:21.41\00:31:26.28
and horror overwhelmed him,
dangers multiplied before him,
00:31:26.31\00:31:32.19
his enemy seemed
about to triumph,
00:31:32.22\00:31:35.29
and the powers of darkness
appeared about to prevail.
00:31:35.32\00:31:39.26
Clouds gathered about him
00:31:39.29\00:31:41.10
and seemed to
separate him from God.
00:31:41.13\00:31:43.77
He longed for the assurance
00:31:43.80\00:31:45.13
that the Lord of
hosts would be with him.
00:31:45.17\00:31:47.90
In an anguish of spirit
00:31:47.94\00:31:49.27
he threw himself with
his face upon the earth
00:31:49.30\00:31:52.14
and poured out those
broken, heart-rending cries,
00:31:52.17\00:31:55.64
which none but God
can fully understand.
00:31:55.68\00:31:58.48
This is what he prayed,
listen carefully to his prayer.
00:31:58.51\00:32:03.22
He said, "Oh,
almighty and everlasting God,
00:32:03.25\00:32:06.09
how terrible is this world!
00:32:06.12\00:32:08.52
Behold, it openeth its
mouth to swallow me up,
00:32:08.56\00:32:11.76
and I have so
little trust in Thee.
00:32:11.79\00:32:14.83
If it is only in the
strength of this world
00:32:14.86\00:32:17.07
that I must put my
trust, all is over.
00:32:17.10\00:32:20.64
My last hour's come,
00:32:20.67\00:32:22.60
my condemnation
has been pronounced.
00:32:22.64\00:32:25.37
Oh, God, do thou help me
00:32:25.41\00:32:27.44
against all the
wisdom of the world.
00:32:27.48\00:32:29.94
Do this, thou alone,
00:32:29.98\00:32:31.91
for this is not
my work, but thine.
00:32:31.95\00:32:34.65
I have nothing to do here,
00:32:34.68\00:32:36.25
nothing to contend
00:32:36.28\00:32:37.62
for with these
great ones of the world.
00:32:37.65\00:32:40.12
But this cause is thine,
00:32:40.16\00:32:42.42
and it is a
righteous and eternal cause.
00:32:42.46\00:32:45.23
"Oh, Lord!" He says, "Help me!"
00:32:45.26\00:32:48.13
Faithful and unchangeable God,
in no man do I place my trust.
00:32:48.16\00:32:53.07
All that is of man is uncertain,
00:32:53.10\00:32:56.07
all that cometh of man fails.
00:32:56.10\00:32:59.64
Thou hast chosen
me for this work,
00:32:59.67\00:33:02.18
stand at my side for the sake
00:33:02.21\00:33:03.55
of thy
well-beloved Jesus Christ,
00:33:03.58\00:33:05.31
who is my defense, my
shield, and my strong tower."
00:33:05.35\00:33:10.85
In his utter hopelessness,
00:33:10.89\00:33:12.22
his faith fastened upon
Christ, the mighty deliverer,
00:33:12.25\00:33:15.22
he was
strengthened with the assurance
00:33:15.26\00:33:17.56
that he would not appear
alone before the council.
00:33:17.59\00:33:21.56
Peace returned to his soul,
00:33:21.60\00:33:24.13
and he rejoiced
that he was permitted
00:33:24.17\00:33:25.80
to uplift the Word of God
00:33:25.83\00:33:27.90
before the
rulers of the nations.
00:33:27.94\00:33:31.97
While his mind stayed upon God,
00:33:32.01\00:33:33.71
Luther prepared for
the struggle before him.
00:33:33.74\00:33:36.61
He thought upon
the plan of his answer.
00:33:36.64\00:33:39.01
He examined
passages in his own writing,
00:33:39.05\00:33:42.12
and drew from
the Holy Scriptures
00:33:42.15\00:33:44.29
suitable proofs to
sustain his position.
00:33:44.32\00:33:47.92
Then, laying his left
hand on the Sacred Volume,
00:33:47.96\00:33:51.03
which was open before him,
00:33:51.06\00:33:53.80
he lifted his right
hand to heaven and he vowed,
00:33:53.83\00:33:57.40
"To remain
faithful to the gospel,
00:33:57.43\00:33:59.93
and freely to confess his faith,
00:33:59.97\00:34:02.47
even should he
seal his testimony
00:34:02.50\00:34:05.77
with his blood."
00:34:05.81\00:34:08.51
Well, the next morning,
00:34:08.54\00:34:09.88
when he was again ushered
into the presence of the Diet,
00:34:09.91\00:34:12.68
his countenance bore
00:34:12.71\00:34:14.05
no trace of fear
or embarrassment.
00:34:14.08\00:34:16.62
Calm and peaceful, yet
grandly brave and noble,
00:34:16.65\00:34:20.26
he stood as God's witness
00:34:20.29\00:34:21.86
among the great
ones of the earth.
00:34:21.89\00:34:24.79
The imperial officer
now demanded his decision
00:34:24.83\00:34:27.50
as to whether he desired
to retract his doctrines.
00:34:27.53\00:34:31.33
Luther made his answer in
a subdued and humble tone,
00:34:31.37\00:34:35.50
without violence or passion,
00:34:35.54\00:34:38.34
his demeanor was
diffident and respectful,
00:34:38.37\00:34:41.94
yet he manifested a
confidence and a joy
00:34:41.98\00:34:44.81
that surprised the assembly.
00:34:44.85\00:34:48.28
Proceeding to the question,
00:34:48.32\00:34:49.75
he stated that
his published works
00:34:49.78\00:34:51.39
were not all of
the same character.
00:34:51.42\00:34:54.52
In some he had treated
of faith and good works,
00:34:54.56\00:34:57.66
and even his
enemies declared them
00:34:57.69\00:34:59.39
to be not only
harmless but profitable.
00:34:59.43\00:35:02.60
To retract these
would be to condemn truth
00:35:02.63\00:35:05.27
which all parties confess.
00:35:05.30\00:35:08.30
And the second
class consisted of writing
00:35:08.34\00:35:10.71
exposing the corruptions
and abuses of the papacy.
00:35:10.74\00:35:14.74
To revoke these works
00:35:14.78\00:35:16.11
would strengthen
the tyranny of Rome,
00:35:16.14\00:35:18.21
and open a wider door to
many and great impieties.
00:35:18.25\00:35:22.72
In the third class of his books,
00:35:22.75\00:35:24.79
he had attacked individuals
00:35:24.82\00:35:26.32
who had defended existing evils.
00:35:26.35\00:35:29.49
And concerning these,
00:35:29.52\00:35:30.86
he freely confessed
00:35:30.89\00:35:32.23
that he had been more
violent than was becoming.
00:35:32.26\00:35:35.60
He did not claim
to be free from fault,
00:35:35.63\00:35:38.03
but even these
books he could not revoke,
00:35:38.07\00:35:41.20
for such a course would embolden
00:35:41.24\00:35:42.70
the enemies of truth,
00:35:42.74\00:35:44.17
and they would
then take occasion
00:35:44.21\00:35:45.67
to crush God's people
with still greater cruelty.
00:35:45.71\00:35:50.01
"Yet," he said, "
00:35:50.05\00:35:51.91
I am but a mere
man, and I'm not God.
00:35:51.95\00:35:55.48
I shall therefore
defend myself as Christ did,
00:35:55.52\00:35:58.75
'If I have spoken evil,
and bear witness of evil.'
00:35:58.79\00:36:04.26
By the mercy of God,
00:36:04.29\00:36:05.63
I conjure you,
most serene emperor,
00:36:05.66\00:36:08.60
and you most
illustrious princes,
00:36:08.63\00:36:11.83
and all men of every degree,
00:36:11.87\00:36:13.27
to prove from the writings
of the prophets and apostles
00:36:13.30\00:36:16.60
that I have erred.
00:36:16.64\00:36:18.84
As soon as I'm
convinced of this,
00:36:18.87\00:36:21.11
I will retract every error,
00:36:21.14\00:36:22.91
and be the first
to throw my books
00:36:22.94\00:36:25.35
into the fire."
00:36:25.38\00:36:27.88
"What I've just said
plainly shows, I hope,
00:36:27.92\00:36:30.49
that I've carefully weighed
in considered the dangers
00:36:30.52\00:36:32.79
to which I exposed myself,
00:36:32.82\00:36:35.52
but far from being dismayed,
00:36:35.56\00:36:37.03
I rejoice to see
that the gospel is now,
00:36:37.06\00:36:40.13
as in former times,
00:36:40.16\00:36:42.10
a cause of
trouble and dissension.
00:36:42.13\00:36:45.33
This is the character,
00:36:45.37\00:36:46.70
this is the
destiny of the Word of God.
00:36:46.74\00:36:49.54
He said,
00:36:49.57\00:36:50.91
"I came not to
send peace on the earth,
00:36:50.94\00:36:52.27
but a sword" said Jesus Christ.
00:36:52.31\00:36:54.21
God is wonderful and terrible
in his counsels, beware lest,
00:36:54.24\00:36:57.71
by presuming to
quench dissensions,
00:36:57.75\00:37:00.48
you should persecute
the holy word of God,
00:37:00.52\00:37:02.92
and draw down upon
yourselves a frightful deluge
00:37:02.95\00:37:06.69
of insurmountable dangers,
00:37:06.72\00:37:09.16
of present disasters
and eternal damnation.
00:37:09.19\00:37:12.26
I might quote many examples
from the Oracles of God.
00:37:16.00\00:37:20.04
I might speak of the
Pharaohs, the kings of Babylon,
00:37:20.07\00:37:22.90
and those of Israel,
00:37:22.94\00:37:24.27
whose labors never
more effectually contributed
00:37:24.31\00:37:26.57
to their own destruction
00:37:26.61\00:37:28.11
than when they
sought by counsels,
00:37:28.14\00:37:30.75
to all appearance most wise,
to strengthen their dominion.
00:37:30.78\00:37:35.12
But God removed
mountains, and they know it not.
00:37:35.15\00:37:39.65
Interestingly Luther
had spoken always in German.
00:37:39.69\00:37:43.32
And he was now
requested to repeat
00:37:43.36\00:37:45.16
the same speech in Latin.
00:37:45.19\00:37:48.60
He was exhausted by
the previous effort,
00:37:48.63\00:37:50.47
but he complied with this,
00:37:50.50\00:37:52.43
and he again
delivered his speech
00:37:52.47\00:37:54.34
with the same clearness
and energy as at the first.
00:37:54.37\00:37:58.37
God's providence
directed in this matter.
00:37:58.41\00:38:01.01
And the minds of
many of the princes
00:38:01.04\00:38:02.74
were so blinded by
error and superstition
00:38:02.78\00:38:05.71
that at the first delivery
00:38:05.75\00:38:07.08
they didn't see
00:38:07.12\00:38:08.45
the force of Luther's
words or his reasoning.
00:38:08.48\00:38:11.62
But the repetition
in Latin enabled them
00:38:11.65\00:38:14.09
to perceive clearly the points
he was trying to point out.
00:38:14.12\00:38:18.33
Those who stubbornly
closed their eyes to the light,
00:38:18.36\00:38:21.43
and determined
not to be convinced
00:38:21.46\00:38:23.26
of the truth,
00:38:23.30\00:38:24.63
were enraged at the
power of Luther's words.
00:38:24.67\00:38:28.40
As he stopped speaking,
00:38:28.44\00:38:30.81
the spokesman of
the Diet said angrily,
00:38:30.84\00:38:33.44
"You have not answered
the question put to you.
00:38:33.48\00:38:36.48
You are required to give a clear
00:38:36.51\00:38:38.01
and precise answer.
00:38:38.05\00:38:39.38
Will you or will
you not retract?"
00:38:39.41\00:38:43.55
The reformer answered,
00:38:43.59\00:38:45.99
"Since your most serene majesty
00:38:46.02\00:38:47.59
and your high
mightiness's require
00:38:47.62\00:38:49.82
from me a clear,
simple, and precise answer,
00:38:49.86\00:38:54.13
I will give you
one, and it is this.
00:38:54.16\00:38:57.87
I cannot submit my
faith either to the pope
00:38:57.90\00:39:01.04
or to the councils
00:39:01.07\00:39:03.17
because it is clear as the day
00:39:03.20\00:39:04.71
that they have frequently erred
and contradicted each other.
00:39:04.74\00:39:09.74
Unless, therefore,
00:39:09.78\00:39:11.11
I am convinced by the
testimony of Scripture
00:39:11.15\00:39:14.08
or by the clearest reasoning,
00:39:14.12\00:39:16.65
unless I am persuaded
00:39:16.69\00:39:18.02
by means of the
passages I have quoted,
00:39:18.05\00:39:21.36
and unless they thus
render my conscience,
00:39:21.39\00:39:23.66
bound by the Word of God,
00:39:23.69\00:39:26.23
I cannot and I will not retract,
00:39:26.26\00:39:30.07
for it is not
safe for a Christian
00:39:30.10\00:39:32.00
to speak against his conscience.
00:39:32.03\00:39:35.54
Here I stand, I can do no other.
00:39:35.57\00:39:39.47
God, help me.
00:39:39.51\00:39:41.31
Amen."
00:39:41.34\00:39:44.28
Well, at this speech,
00:39:44.31\00:39:45.65
the agents of
Rome had been roasted.
00:39:45.68\00:39:48.52
They sought to
maintain their power,
00:39:48.55\00:39:50.29
not by appealing to Scripture,
00:39:50.32\00:39:52.52
but by threats,
Rome's unfailing argument.
00:39:52.55\00:39:58.13
Said the spokesman of the Diet,
00:39:58.16\00:39:59.76
"If you do not retract,
00:39:59.79\00:40:01.20
the emperor and the
states of the empire
00:40:01.23\00:40:03.87
will consult
what course to adopt
00:40:03.90\00:40:06.50
against an
incorrigible heretic."
00:40:06.53\00:40:11.61
But Luther said calmly,
00:40:11.64\00:40:14.11
"May God be my helper,
for I can retract nothing."
00:40:14.14\00:40:19.08
He was directed to withdraw
00:40:19.11\00:40:21.42
while the princes
consulted together.
00:40:21.45\00:40:24.35
And Luther's
persistent refusal to submit,
00:40:24.39\00:40:26.96
might affect the
history of the church for ages.
00:40:26.99\00:40:30.89
It was decided to give him
00:40:30.93\00:40:32.26
one more opportunity to retract.
00:40:32.29\00:40:34.46
So he was brought
back into the assembly.
00:40:34.50\00:40:37.27
And again the question was put,
00:40:37.30\00:40:39.93
would he renounce his doctrines?
00:40:39.97\00:40:42.70
"I have no other reply to make,"
00:40:42.74\00:40:44.21
he said, "than that
which I have already made."
00:40:44.24\00:40:48.38
Well, as the
Roman legate perceived
00:40:48.41\00:40:49.94
the effect
produced by Luther's speech,
00:40:49.98\00:40:52.91
he resolved to employ
every means at his command
00:40:52.95\00:40:55.82
to affect the
Reformer's overthrow.
00:40:55.85\00:40:58.75
So with all his
eloquence and diplomatic skill,
00:40:58.79\00:41:02.52
he went to the youthful emperor
00:41:02.56\00:41:04.83
and he whispered to
him and spoke to him
00:41:04.86\00:41:07.26
about the danger of
sacrificing the friendship
00:41:07.30\00:41:10.30
and support of Rome
00:41:10.33\00:41:12.40
for the cause of
an insignificant monk.
00:41:12.43\00:41:15.90
And unfortunately,
00:41:15.94\00:41:17.61
this did have an
effect on the emperor
00:41:17.64\00:41:20.51
because the next day
Charles caused a message
00:41:20.54\00:41:24.05
to be presented to the Diet,
00:41:24.08\00:41:25.98
announcing his determination
to carry out the policy
00:41:26.01\00:41:28.78
of his predecessors to
protect the Catholic religion,
00:41:28.82\00:41:32.65
and use the most
vigorous measures
00:41:32.69\00:41:34.49
to oppose Luther
and his heresies.
00:41:34.52\00:41:38.39
With this decision,
00:41:38.43\00:41:39.76
the ruler of Germany decided
00:41:39.79\00:41:41.13
that he would not step
out of the path of custom,
00:41:41.16\00:41:43.93
even to walk in the way of
the truth and righteousness.
00:41:43.97\00:41:47.67
Because his
fathers upheld the papacy,
00:41:47.70\00:41:50.11
he would do the same,
00:41:50.14\00:41:52.21
even with all its
cruelty and corruption.
00:41:52.24\00:41:56.31
So he refused to
accept any light in advances
00:41:56.34\00:41:58.98
for his fathers had received
00:41:59.01\00:42:00.92
or to perform any duty
00:42:00.95\00:42:03.32
that they had not performed.
00:42:03.35\00:42:06.25
It's like
Pilate, centuries before,
00:42:06.29\00:42:09.39
permitted pride and
popularity to close his heart
00:42:09.42\00:42:13.76
against the world's Redeemer,
00:42:13.80\00:42:16.93
just like the proud Agrippa
confessed to the Apostle Paul,
00:42:16.97\00:42:21.50
"Almost they
persuaded me to be a Christian,"
00:42:21.54\00:42:25.07
and yet he turned away
from the heaven-sent message.
00:42:25.11\00:42:29.24
The same divine power
had spoken through Luther
00:42:29.28\00:42:32.58
to the emperor and
the princes of Germany.
00:42:32.61\00:42:36.02
And as the light
shone forth from God's Word,
00:42:36.05\00:42:38.85
his spirit
pleaded for the last time
00:42:38.89\00:42:41.89
with many in that assembly.
00:42:41.92\00:42:46.13
So Charles V,
00:42:46.16\00:42:47.73
yielding to the dictates
of worldly pride and policy,
00:42:47.76\00:42:50.90
decided to reject
the light of truth.
00:42:50.93\00:42:56.67
Well the take home message
of this story for us today
00:42:56.71\00:42:58.87
is what.
00:42:58.91\00:43:00.61
It is this.
00:43:00.64\00:43:02.94
Many people today still cling
to the customs and traditions
00:43:02.98\00:43:06.92
of their fathers.
00:43:06.95\00:43:09.15
So when the Lord
sends a medicinal light,
00:43:09.18\00:43:11.05
they refuse to accept it
00:43:11.09\00:43:13.69
because not having
been graded to their fathers
00:43:13.72\00:43:15.72
it was not received by them.
00:43:15.76\00:43:18.69
Friends, we are not
placed in the same time period
00:43:18.73\00:43:21.80
or in the same circumstances
that our fathers were.
00:43:21.83\00:43:26.10
Our duties and responsibilities
are not the same as this.
00:43:26.13\00:43:30.64
We shall not be approved of God
00:43:30.67\00:43:32.27
if we continue to look at
the example of our fathers
00:43:32.31\00:43:35.54
to determine our duty
00:43:35.58\00:43:37.68
instead of searching the
word of truth for our souls.
00:43:37.71\00:43:42.65
Our responsibility is greater
00:43:42.68\00:43:44.22
than with that of our ancestors.
00:43:44.25\00:43:47.36
We are accountable for the light
00:43:47.39\00:43:48.82
which they received
00:43:48.86\00:43:50.43
and which was handed
down as inheritance for us.
00:43:50.46\00:43:54.10
And we are accountable
also for the additional light
00:43:54.13\00:43:57.43
which is now shining
upon us from the Word of God.
00:43:57.47\00:44:00.94
The most prolific
woman author in all history,
00:44:04.51\00:44:07.04
Ellen G. White,
00:44:07.08\00:44:08.64
she summed it up very
well when she said this,
00:44:08.68\00:44:12.45
"The banner of
truths and religious liberty
00:44:12.48\00:44:14.85
which these
reformers held aloft has,
00:44:14.88\00:44:17.65
in this last conflict,
being committed to us."
00:44:17.69\00:44:22.36
The responsibility
for this great gift
00:44:22.39\00:44:25.23
rests with those
00:44:25.26\00:44:26.59
whom God has blessed with
the knowledge of His Word.
00:44:26.63\00:44:29.20
Friends, that is
you, and that is me.
00:44:29.23\00:44:33.84
She said, "We are
to receive God's word
00:44:33.87\00:44:35.77
as supreme authority.
00:44:35.80\00:44:38.17
We must accept its
truth for ourselves.
00:44:38.21\00:44:40.88
And we can
appreciate these truths
00:44:40.91\00:44:42.94
only as we search
them out by personal study.
00:44:42.98\00:44:46.68
And then, if we make God's
word the guide of our lives,
00:44:46.72\00:44:50.15
for us is they
answered the prayer of Christ,
00:44:50.19\00:44:52.75
'Sanctify them
through thy truth.
00:44:52.79\00:44:55.56
Thy word is truth."
00:44:55.59\00:44:59.03
So the question for
you and me today is this,
00:44:59.06\00:45:03.33
"Are you willing to
search for truth in God's Word
00:45:03.37\00:45:06.80
as studiously as
did Martin Luther
00:45:06.84\00:45:10.07
and the reformers of old?"
00:45:10.11\00:45:12.57
Think about this question.
00:45:12.61\00:45:16.31
And,
00:45:16.34\00:45:17.81
"Are you willing
to stand for the truth
00:45:17.85\00:45:19.58
in God's strength alone,
00:45:19.61\00:45:21.92
whenever and
wherever He calls you?"
00:45:21.95\00:45:26.32
Please, consider these questions
00:45:26.35\00:45:28.56
as you watch this beautiful hymn
00:45:28.59\00:45:30.76
written by Martin Luther
00:45:30.79\00:45:32.69
and sung by the
Fountainview Choir
00:45:32.73\00:45:34.50
and Orchestra, our
mighty fortress is our God.
00:45:34.53\00:45:39.23
Welcome, I'm your
host John Bradshaw.
00:46:08.43\00:46:11.40
And I'm so glad you've joined us
00:46:11.43\00:46:13.00
for The Great
Controversy production,
00:46:13.03\00:46:15.40
presented by
Fountainview Academy
00:46:15.44\00:46:17.81
Orchestra and Singers.
00:46:17.84\00:46:19.51
A mighty fortress is our God
00:47:23.44\00:47:28.61
A bulwark never failing
00:47:28.64\00:47:33.78
Our helper He Amid the flood
00:47:33.82\00:47:38.92
Of mortal ills prevailing
00:47:38.95\00:47:45.16
For still our ancient foe
00:47:45.19\00:47:49.36
Doth seek to work us woe
00:47:49.40\00:47:53.67
His craft and pow'r are great
00:47:53.70\00:47:58.01
And armed with cruel hate
00:47:58.04\00:48:02.74
On earth is not his equal
00:48:02.78\00:48:10.45
Did we in our
own strength confide
00:48:10.49\00:48:15.79
Our striving would be losing
00:48:15.82\00:48:21.56
Were not the
right Man on our side
00:48:21.60\00:48:27.04
The Man of God's own choosing
00:48:27.07\00:48:32.84
Dost ask who that may be?
00:48:32.87\00:48:36.91
Christ Jesus it
is He Lord Sabaoth
00:48:36.95\00:48:43.52
His Name
00:48:43.55\00:48:45.29
From age to age the same
00:48:45.32\00:48:49.76
And He must
00:48:49.79\00:48:51.66
Win the battle
00:48:51.69\00:48:59.00
And though this world
00:48:59.03\00:49:01.27
With devils filled
00:49:01.30\00:49:06.98
Should threaten
00:49:07.01\00:49:08.78
to undo us
00:49:08.81\00:49:13.42
We will not fear
for God hath willed
00:49:13.45\00:49:20.12
His truth to triumph through us
00:49:20.16\00:49:26.70
The Prince of Darkness grim
00:49:26.73\00:49:32.03
We tremble not for him
00:49:32.07\00:49:37.54
His rage we can endure
00:49:37.57\00:49:42.81
For lo, his doom is sure
00:49:42.84\00:49:48.15
One little word
00:49:48.18\00:49:50.89
Shall fell him
00:49:50.92\00:49:55.36
That word above
00:50:15.01\00:50:19.61
All earthly pow'rs
00:50:19.65\00:50:24.75
No thanks to them
00:50:24.79\00:50:28.76
Abideth
00:50:28.79\00:50:34.16
The Spirit
00:50:34.20\00:50:36.26
And the gifts are ours
00:50:36.30\00:50:43.74
Through Him
00:50:43.77\00:50:45.67
Who with us sideth
00:50:45.71\00:50:53.15
Let goods and kindred go
00:50:53.18\00:50:58.12
This mortal life also
00:50:58.15\00:51:02.82
The body they may kill
00:51:02.86\00:51:07.60
God's truth abideth still
00:51:07.63\00:51:13.57
His kingdom
00:51:13.60\00:51:16.34
Is forever
00:51:16.37\00:51:24.08
Let us pray.
00:51:42.16\00:51:43.50
Loving Father in heaven,
00:51:46.74\00:51:48.07
we pray thee and
thank you so much
00:51:48.10\00:51:49.64
for the mighty
heritage of history,
00:51:49.67\00:51:52.71
the mighty price
that had been paid
00:51:52.74\00:51:55.38
for the Reformation.
00:51:55.41\00:51:57.21
A great light that has shone
out of darkness upon us today,
00:51:57.25\00:52:00.72
help us Lord to appreciate
it, to apply to our lives.
00:52:00.75\00:52:04.69
Lord, we pray
that you will fill us
00:52:04.72\00:52:06.12
with zeal and enthusiasm
00:52:06.15\00:52:08.66
that we might live
according to the light
00:52:08.69\00:52:10.46
you've given us
00:52:10.49\00:52:11.83
and spread that light to others
00:52:11.86\00:52:13.56
because we ask these
things in Jesus' precious name.
00:52:13.60\00:52:16.97
Amen.
00:52:17.00\00:52:18.33