It has stood the test of time.
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God's book, the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It Is Written,
sharing hope around the globe.
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[Accordion music
in the background]
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me
today on It Is Written.
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Have you ever noticed
how many idioms or figures of
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speech that we use today in
the English language come to
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us straight out of the Bible?
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I'll give you a for-instance.
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The writing is on the wall.
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Now, we use that to
express the idea that the end of
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something or the demise of
something is assured and is
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imminent.
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It's kind of a portend of doom.
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When Team A scored that
touchdown and went ahead by
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10 points, the writing
was on the wall for Team B.
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When Company A released that
product and it failed to gain
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any ground in the
marketplace, the writing was
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on the wall for Company A.
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It's over.
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It's done.
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Things aren't going to
work out, something is doomed.
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The idea comes
straight from Daniel, chapter 5.
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In Daniel 5 Belshazzar, the
king of Babylon, had a feast,
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a great big
riotous, drunken feast.
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He invited a whole lot of
important people together,
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and while he was partying, a
mysterious hand appeared from
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out of nowhere and
wrote some words on a wall.
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Those words, when
interpreted, were a message
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to the king that his kingdom
was over, that he was done as
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king.
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In other words, the
writing was on the wall, and for
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Babylon things were history.
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There's all kinds of
other figures of speech, idioms,
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expressions that we use
commonly today that you can
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find in the Bible.
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"The salt of the earth."
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Straight out of the Bible.
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"Pride goes before a
fall", that's another one.
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"The leopard can't change its
spots" -- you read about that
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in Jeremiah, chapter 13.
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Now, here's another commonly
used figure of speech and
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expression that I
want you to think about.
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"Your goose is cooked."
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Now, when we say that, what
we mean is, it's all over for
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you.
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You are done.
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History.
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The phrase so well known in
the English language that it
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appeared in a number one
hit song in 1957, the Everly
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Brothers' song
"Wake Up, Little Suzy."
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"We fell asleep, our goose
is cooked, our reputation is
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shot."
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We're in big trouble.
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Our goose is cooked.
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Now, you might be wondering,
what chapter and verse or
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what book of the Bible do
you read your goose is cooked?
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Well, you don't.
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It's not in the Bible.
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But it does have
biblical implications.
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[Music in the background]
JB: I'm glad you've joined me
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today.
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I'm in Prague in
the Czech Republic.
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This is a beautiful
city that oozes history.
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And much of the history
here in Prague is centered on
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Prague's religious past.
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John Huss is
Prague's most famous son.
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He was born around the year
1370, and he died in the year
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1415 at the hands of the
state and the ruling church.
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John Huss was one of
the early key figures of the
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Protestant Reformation.
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Many churches and church
groups today had their roots
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in the protestant
reformation or, in fact, called
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themselves Protestant.
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[Music in the background]
So what was the Protestant
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Reformation?
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What is a Protestant?
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And how did the Protestant
Reformation come about?
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There were three primary
things that were being fought
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against.
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One was simony, which
meant that you paid to get a
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particular position.
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So if I wanted to be,
let's say, a canon in the
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cathedral, or even the
archbishop, I would have to
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pay a large amount of money.
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But that was okay because
that was an investment in a
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job that brought with
it lots and lots of money.
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So you might have to
pay a small fortune but you
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recuperated that in a
relatively small number of
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years.
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But still we know from
Simon Magus in The Acts that we
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don't buy offices.
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We can't buy positions of grace.
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Secondly, once you had
the position, for many people
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they weren't satisfied
with simply one position.
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So you had what
was called pluralism.
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You bought place X and
you bought place Y, and maybe
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bought place Z, and you
acquired income from all
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three places.
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Which was fine except it
posed a third problem, was
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that most of us can't
tri-locate or even bi-locate.
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So you had to employ some
other priest to do your job
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in the place
you weren't serving.
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And what tended to happen
very often was you employed
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some rather poor priest,
paid him only a pittance of what
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you were receiving, which
led, of course, to a problem
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of great clerical unhappiness.
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So these were the three
things that became the light
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motif that were of the
clerical reform movement
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here.
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There were various preachers,
including Huss who would
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attack these.
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And so that was one of the
great questions of the Reform
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was the morals of the clergy.
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We're looking at a time
that has more spiritual variety
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than perhaps any time
since Christianity is formed,
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within this
monotheistic tradition.
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You have, it's the
most popular book that's
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published, is the Bible.
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In the 14th century, the
second most popular are books
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of hours.
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Books that tell you how to pray.
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Books that are designed
to allow you to pray and make
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your own spiritual
connection with God.
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And it's because of this
kind of desire, you have an
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authority within the church
that's really fallen apart,
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an authority that is
laughable, an authority that
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really does not have authority.
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And you don't know who
the authority is for the
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sacraments that you are
told are crucial to salvation.
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Instead, you are trying
to find your own link to the
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divine.
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You are trying to find your
own personal connection with
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your Savior.
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So there is such an explosion
of different ways of devotion
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at this time that
simply cannot be contained or
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controlled by a
fractured church.
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About 600 years ago there
lived in this city, the city
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of Prague in the Czech
Republic, a man by the name
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of John Huss.
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John Huss was born in
Bohemia, and he went on to
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become a
tremendously popular preacher.
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Now, in that day, that meant
one of two things: either you
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had ingratiated yourself
with the church and with church
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leaders and with the
people by compromising certain
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standards, or you had dared
to boldly proclaim the Word
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of God.
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And that's what John Huss did.
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In a day when the Bible was
hardly even taught at all, in
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a day when the corrupt
practices of the church had
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made it very unpopular
with many people, John Huss was
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very forthright in condemning
the abuses of the clergy and
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in holding up the Word of
God as God's rule of faith and
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practice for the believer.
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Now, I'm calling him
John Huss, but his name was
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actually Jan Hus, and
that word Huss in the Czech
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language means goose.
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Now, John Huss had some fun
with this, and he would very
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often sign his communications
or refer to himself to his
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friends as "the goose."
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John Huss, Jan Hus, the goose.
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John Huss created a
huge controversy in his day
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through his writings
and through his sermons.
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How well do you think that
went down with the leaders of
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the establishment church?
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Not very well at all.
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John Huss, as a matter of
fact, ended up being burned
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at the stake.
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It is said that when the
execution was about to light
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the funeral pyre, he said,
"Now we will cook the goose."
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Which explains where we
get that figure of speech from,
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"Now your goose is cooked."
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It is said that that's
exactly where it came from.
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Well, what was it about
what John Huss said that made
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people so excitable?
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Maybe that's the wrong word.
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What was it about what John
Huss said that got people so
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riled up, so wildly offended,
so bitterly opposed to what
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he was doing?
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What was it that led
a church to condemn him?
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What was it that led an
emperor to deceive him, to
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lie to him?
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When John Huss went to his
trial in Constance, Germany,
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the emperor
pledged to protect him.
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But he reneged on that promise.
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What would drive
a man to do that?
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What was it that led
the establishment church to
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demand that John Huss recant
his teachings and turn his
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back on the very
things that he'd been saying?
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What was it that led this
peace-loving man to be burned
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at the stake?
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What could a person do to
lead people to treat him like
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that?
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Wycliffe, as I mentioned,
is kind of what will end up as,
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I believe, the catalyst
for what gets Hus in trouble.
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You have a Wycliffe party
that forms at the university,
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that they take these writings
from England, there is an
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exchange between
England and Bohemia.
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Bohemia will give England a
queen, and in return you will
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have an exchange of scholars
and books, and Wycliffe-ite
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ideas will arrive in Bohemia,
and the scholars here will
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kind of fall on two sides.
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And many of the
Czech scholars will embrace
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Wycliffe, and find it
as something interesting to
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debate.
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They won't take every
idea of Wycliffe; for example,
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Wycliffe will deny
transubstantiation, something
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that is shocking.
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And it's one of those
last things that Wycliffe will
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really write against.
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Well, Hus is a firm
believer in the Eucharist.
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Hus and most of his
contemporaries will defend
00:11:08.63\00:11:11.90
the Eucharist and it
will become a major part of
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religious devotion in
Bohemia going forward.
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But there are other issues
where Wycliffe will challenge
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authority.
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He will state that the
sinful authority is no longer an
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authority.
00:11:27.36\00:11:28.30
So if you have sinful
priests, a sinful pope, you
00:11:28.30\00:11:31.53
have a schism in the church
where you have three popes at
00:11:31.53\00:11:35.83
the time that Hus is
doing much of his preaching.
00:11:35.83\00:11:39.13
And so he can point to a
lot of these issues, and there's
00:11:39.13\00:11:42.76
obvious issues with
authority, there's obvious
00:11:42.76\00:11:45.53
problems that are
going on throughout Europe.
00:11:45.53\00:11:48.70
And Hus will point those
out, and he will become kind of
00:11:48.70\00:11:52.66
the focal point for a lot
of the conservative movement,
00:11:52.66\00:11:56.63
and lot of those people who
are trying to maintain their
00:11:56.63\00:11:59.53
positions, often purchased
through simony, or many of
00:11:59.53\00:12:05.10
his ardent critics were
actually former friends of
00:12:05.10\00:12:08.53
his.
00:12:08.53\00:12:09.53
Where authorities will
come down on them, they will
00:12:09.53\00:12:13.03
buckle under the pressure
and in turn give up Hus as sort
00:12:13.03\00:12:17.13
of the sacrificial
lamb for these arguments.
00:12:17.13\00:12:20.16
And so he really is wrapped
up within these arguments and
00:12:20.16\00:12:23.56
is accused of things
that he never promotes.
00:12:23.56\00:12:27.66
He's accused of ideas of
Wycliffe that his party wants
00:12:27.66\00:12:32.33
to discuss and wants to
really debate, while the
00:12:32.33\00:12:35.00
papacy, whichever one at
the time, because it changes,
00:12:35.00\00:12:37.90
wants burned.
00:12:37.90\00:12:39.66
And so they are supporting
this discussion of, well,
00:12:39.66\00:12:42.33
let's discuss these ideas.
00:12:42.33\00:12:43.53
The papacy is really trying
to stop with the spread of
00:12:43.53\00:12:45.93
Wycliffe's ideas.
00:12:45.93\00:12:46.96
So Hus is put into the
position of leader, the most
00:12:46.96\00:12:51.80
visible figure, because
of the Bethlehem chapel, of
00:12:51.80\00:12:54.60
those who are supporting
the discussion of these ideas.
00:12:54.60\00:12:58.20
John Wycliffe's
greatest contribution to the
00:12:58.20\00:12:59.93
Protestant reformation was
when he translated the Word
00:12:59.93\00:13:03.66
of God into the common
language of the people.
00:13:03.66\00:13:05.66
Until that time, people
simply couldn't access the
00:13:05.66\00:13:08.46
Word of God.
00:13:08.46\00:13:09.86
But all of that changed.
00:13:09.86\00:13:12.00
This was back before
the printing press had been
00:13:12.00\00:13:13.96
invented.
00:13:13.96\00:13:14.86
The Scriptures had to be
copied out laboriously by
00:13:14.86\00:13:17.70
hand.
00:13:17.70\00:13:18.83
But as they were, lives
were changed as now people had
00:13:18.83\00:13:22.60
access to the Word of God.
00:13:22.60\00:13:24.30
The Bible was again in
the hands of the people.
00:13:24.30\00:13:29.83
There was no law preventing
people, forbidding people
00:13:29.83\00:13:33.36
from owning the Bible when
Wycliffe translated the Word
00:13:33.36\00:13:35.83
of God.
00:13:35.83\00:13:37.03
But all of that did
change, and the penalties were
00:13:37.03\00:13:40.36
severe.
00:13:40.36\00:13:41.50
However, now the Bible
was able to do its work.
00:13:41.50\00:13:47.40
John Wycliffe untiringly
preached the key doctrines of
00:13:47.40\00:13:50.16
the reformation.
00:13:50.16\00:13:51.36
He preached that salvation
was by faith in Jesus Christ.
00:13:51.36\00:13:55.73
And he taught that the
holy Scriptures were the
00:13:55.73\00:14:00.93
authority, not the
voice of the church.
00:14:00.93\00:14:03.00
The power of the state church
was broken in the lives of
00:14:03.00\00:14:05.50
those people who trusted in
Jesus and not in their works
00:14:05.50\00:14:08.23
for salvation, and those
who trusted in the authority of
00:14:08.23\00:14:11.23
the Bible rather than in the
authority of church teachers.
00:14:11.23\00:14:15.66
It was very obvious in John
Wycliffe's day that the Word
00:14:15.66\00:14:20.26
of God and the traditions
of the church were in very
00:14:20.26\00:14:23.33
serious conflict.
00:14:23.33\00:14:25.10
John Wycliffe was a Protestant.
00:14:25.10\00:14:27.60
He protested against what
he saw as the errors and the
00:14:27.60\00:14:30.63
abuses of the church,
and he would not comply with
00:14:30.63\00:14:34.40
doctrines and dogmas and
teachings that he perceived
00:14:34.40\00:14:37.76
to be out of line
with what the Bible taught.
00:14:37.76\00:14:40.96
If men like John Wycliffe
had not done what they had done,
00:14:40.96\00:14:44.33
it's hard to imagine
that today we would enjoy the
00:14:44.33\00:14:47.53
spiritual
freedoms that we now enjoy.
00:14:47.53\00:14:50.53
John Wycliffe taught
that rather than the church
00:14:50.53\00:14:54.60
speaking through a pope or
the church speaking through a
00:14:54.60\00:14:58.20
priest, true spiritual
authority came wn God spoke
00:14:58.20\00:15:01.93
through the holy Bible.
00:15:01.93\00:15:05.13
And Wycliffe taught that
the true interpreter of the holy
00:15:05.13\00:15:08.73
Scriptures was the Holy
Spirit, rather than a church
00:15:08.73\00:15:13.10
leader.
00:15:13.10\00:15:15.10
Those Protestant principles
are as important today as
00:15:15.10\00:15:19.60
they were in
John Wycliffe's day.
00:15:19.60\00:15:22.06
Now, try as it might, the
church was not able to secure
00:15:22.06\00:15:26.43
the demise, the
execution of John Wycliffe.
00:15:26.43\00:15:31.23
However, 40 years after
he died, at the Council of
00:15:31.23\00:15:35.30
Constance, it was decreed
that John Wycliffe's bones
00:15:35.30\00:15:39.40
should be exhumed
and publically burned.
00:15:39.40\00:15:44.16
In a moment, the Protestant
Reformation takes the world
00:15:44.16\00:15:47.90
by storm, and the world
would never be the same again.
00:15:47.90\00:15:52.46
I'll be right back.
00:15:52.46\00:15:56.00
In Matthew 4:4 the Word of
God says "It is written 'Man
00:15:56.00\00:16:00.26
shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that
00:16:00.26\00:16:03.56
proceeds out of
the mouth of God'."
00:16:03.56\00:16:06.23
Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:16:06.23\00:16:08.76
presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:16:08.76\00:16:11.76
especially for
busy people like you.
00:16:11.76\00:16:14.20
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch it
00:16:14.20\00:16:17.16
on-line everyday on our
website itiswritten.com.
00:16:17.16\00:16:21.50
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:16:21.50\00:16:23.60
Watch Every Word.
00:16:23.60\00:16:24.83
You'll be glad you did.
00:16:24.83\00:16:29.80
It Is Written is dedicated
to sharing the gospel around the
00:16:29.80\00:16:31.30
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00:16:31.30\00:16:34.26
Our dream is to
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00:16:34.26\00:16:36.70
Our television program is
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00:16:36.70\00:16:39.63
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00:18:15.16\00:18:21.70
Thanks for joining me today.
00:18:21.70\00:18:23.00
I'm in Prague, in the
Czech Republic, the home of John
00:18:23.00\00:18:26.60
Hus, an early Protestant
reformer who, along with John
00:18:26.60\00:18:28.83
Wycliffe and others, laid the
foundation for the Protestant
00:18:28.83\00:18:31.73
Reformation, that great
movement that pitted preacher
00:18:31.73\00:18:34.30
against pope, the Word of God
against the traditions of the
00:18:34.30\00:18:37.43
early church.
00:18:37.43\00:18:39.23
[Noises from crowds]
Now, Martin Luther is the name
00:18:39.23\00:18:42.10
that you hear most
often associated with the
00:18:42.10\00:18:43.93
Protestant Reformation.
00:18:43.93\00:18:45.63
As a younger man studying
at university, Martin Luther
00:18:45.63\00:18:48.46
came across a Bible.
00:18:48.46\00:18:50.10
And as he read that
Bible he was filled with awe.
00:18:50.10\00:18:53.53
He was also filled
with a sense of conviction.
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.90
He recognized in a very
stark way his own personal
00:18:55.90\00:19:01.10
sinfulness.
00:19:01.10\00:19:02.90
And so Martin Luther made
the decision that he would study
00:19:02.90\00:19:05.16
for the priesthood.
00:19:05.16\00:19:07.00
While in a monastery, Martin
Luther found a Bible chained
00:19:07.00\00:19:09.53
to the monastery wall.
00:19:09.53\00:19:10.86
He read it again, filled
with conviction, filled with a
00:19:10.86\00:19:13.56
sense of his own sinfulness.
00:19:13.56\00:19:15.33
Luther did everything he
could to get out from under
00:19:15.33\00:19:17.23
that sense of sinfulness.
00:19:17.23\00:19:18.83
He practiced
self-denial, even scourging.
00:19:18.83\00:19:21.70
He fasted often.
00:19:21.70\00:19:23.53
But Luther was left
with a very strong sense of
00:19:23.53\00:19:26.50
conviction for sin.
00:19:26.50\00:19:29.60
As a loyal Roman Catholic
priest, Martin Luther had the
00:19:29.60\00:19:31.96
opportunity to travel to Rome.
00:19:31.96\00:19:35.60
On the way to Rome, he
encountered some things that
00:19:35.60\00:19:38.36
left him conflicted.
00:19:38.36\00:19:40.20
He thought about his own
life of self-denial and then
00:19:40.20\00:19:45.86
compared that to the
luxurious living of many of
00:19:45.86\00:19:47.96
the priests he encountered.
00:19:47.96\00:19:50.00
And it made him wonder.
00:19:50.00\00:19:51.76
But it was when he got to
Rome that he was absolutely
00:19:51.76\00:19:54.23
scandalized.
00:19:54.23\00:19:55.73
He witnessed among the
priests and church leaders
00:19:55.73\00:19:58.60
there the sorts of
things that left him horrified.
00:19:58.60\00:20:01.80
These were the very people
that Martin Luther believed
00:20:01.80\00:20:05.66
ought to be the
holiest people of all.
00:20:05.66\00:20:09.46
It was while Martin Luther
was in Rome that the great
00:20:09.46\00:20:12.10
turning point of his life came.
00:20:12.10\00:20:14.26
The pope had promised a
special indulgence to anyone
00:20:14.26\00:20:16.76
who would walk up Pilot's
staircase on their knees.
00:20:16.76\00:20:20.80
Now, Pilot's staircase was
the staircase on which Jesus
00:20:20.80\00:20:23.80
walked shortly before he died.
00:20:23.80\00:20:26.83
Now keep something in mind.
00:20:26.83\00:20:28.33
Pilot's
staircase was in Jerusalem.
00:20:28.33\00:20:31.43
Martin Luther was in Rome.
00:20:31.43\00:20:35.00
The church's story was
that the staircase had been
00:20:35.00\00:20:37.50
transported from Jerusalem
to Rome by a special miracle of
00:20:37.50\00:20:41.83
God.
00:20:41.83\00:20:43.73
And now here was
Martin Luther climbing this
00:20:43.73\00:20:46.63
staircase on his knees.
00:20:46.63\00:20:48.90
As Luther ascended those
stairs, he seems to hear a
00:20:48.90\00:20:51.40
voice speaking to his heart,
saying, "The just shall live
00:20:51.40\00:20:54.96
by faith."
00:20:54.96\00:20:56.73
He thought about
what he was doing.
00:20:56.73\00:20:58.96
He was trying to earn
favor with God by his own works.
00:20:58.96\00:21:02.36
The voice said, "The
just shall live by faith."
00:21:02.36\00:21:05.86
Luther got up off his
knees and he left Rome a changed
00:21:05.86\00:21:11.06
man.
00:21:11.06\00:21:12.60
Luther saw like never
before the great importance of
00:21:12.60\00:21:15.70
exercising faith in
Christ for salvation, and the
00:21:15.70\00:21:19.10
tremendous importance of
following the Word of God.
00:21:19.10\00:21:23.00
The blinders had been removed.
00:21:23.00\00:21:26.20
Even though he went back to
his work as a priest, Martin
00:21:26.20\00:21:28.80
Luther determined that
from then on he would only teach
00:21:28.80\00:21:32.63
the truths of the Bible,
and he would no longer teach the
00:21:32.63\00:21:36.60
truths and doctrines of the
church if they did not square
00:21:36.60\00:21:40.16
with what the Bible said.
00:21:40.16\00:21:43.20
Martin Luther built on
the work of those who had come
00:21:43.20\00:21:45.40
before him.
00:21:45.40\00:21:46.40
People like Huss and
Jerome and John Wycliffe.
00:21:46.40\00:21:50.10
And there were
other Protestants.
00:21:50.10\00:21:53.50
Menno Simons, the
Anabaptists, Knox, Zwingli,
00:21:53.50\00:21:57.63
Calvin, John Wesley.
00:21:57.63\00:22:00.43
What these men and women
all had in common was that they
00:22:00.43\00:22:04.26
had a resolute belief
that the Bible was the Word of
00:22:04.26\00:22:07.20
God, and they believed
that salvation was a gift of God
00:22:07.20\00:22:10.66
that came by God's grace
and was received by the faith of
00:22:10.66\00:22:13.86
the believer.
00:22:13.86\00:22:16.06
Thanks to the reformists,
these bold, faithful ones who
00:22:16.06\00:22:20.86
stood upon the Word
of God, and thanks to the
00:22:20.86\00:22:23.73
Reformation, a time in
which God's Word became primary
00:22:23.73\00:22:27.43
again, men and women were
able to get out from under
00:22:27.43\00:22:30.73
the tyranny of the medieval
church, and they could stand
00:22:30.73\00:22:34.23
upon the Word of God and
receive Jesus Christ by faith
00:22:34.23\00:22:38.83
and live lives of
spiritual freedom.
00:22:38.83\00:22:41.83
The Bible still teaches that
salvation is a gift given to
00:22:41.83\00:22:43.93
us by God.
00:22:43.93\00:22:45.16
1 John 1:9 says, "If
we confess our sins, he is
00:22:45.16\00:22:50.76
faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us
00:22:50.76\00:22:53.13
from all unrighteousness."
00:22:53.13\00:22:54.26
And Romans 6:23 says,
"The wages of sin is death, but
00:22:54.26\00:23:01.56
the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ,
00:23:01.56\00:23:05.63
our Lord."
00:23:05.63\00:23:06.83
The leaders of the Protestant
Reformation taught that
00:23:06.83\00:23:09.30
church leaders were not
to fleece their flocks, but
00:23:09.30\00:23:12.36
instead they were
to feed their flocks.
00:23:12.36\00:23:15.90
And the spirit of the
Protestant Reformation taught
00:23:15.90\00:23:18.86
this: the Christian believer
doesn't believe what he or
00:23:18.86\00:23:21.10
she believes because that's
what he or she is being told
00:23:21.10\00:23:24.13
to believe.
00:23:24.13\00:23:25.23
We don't believe what we
believe based on the say-so
00:23:25.23\00:23:27.06
of a priest or a pastor
or a theologian or a cleric.
00:23:27.06\00:23:33.13
Instead, we believe what
we believe because the Holy
00:23:33.13\00:23:37.93
Spirit has guided us in
the Bible to believe what God
00:23:37.93\00:23:40.96
wants us to believe.
00:23:40.96\00:23:42.26
It's remarkable that many
people do not value religious
00:23:42.26\00:23:45.73
freedom today, perhaps
because they just get used to
00:23:45.73\00:23:48.56
it and get used to living
this way; they don't realize
00:23:48.56\00:23:50.93
what it would be
like not to have it.
00:23:50.93\00:23:53.16
Whereas there are millions,
multiplied millions of people
00:23:53.16\00:23:55.96
around this world who know
nothing of religious freedom
00:23:55.96\00:23:59.60
because they have
never experienced religious
00:23:59.60\00:24:01.73
freedom.
00:24:01.73\00:24:03.03
Many people don't realize
what a high price was paid
00:24:03.03\00:24:05.93
for our religious freedom.
00:24:05.93\00:24:07.50
For one, Jesus
died on the cross.
00:24:07.50\00:24:10.60
That's the greatest price
that could possibly be paid
00:24:10.60\00:24:13.06
for anything.
00:24:13.06\00:24:14.63
And then during the Middle
Ages there were many, many
00:24:14.63\00:24:17.26
millions of people who
gave their lives so that they
00:24:17.26\00:24:21.16
could experience
religious freedom.
00:24:21.16\00:24:23.06
Instead of being told what
to believe, instead of doing
00:24:23.06\00:24:25.66
what the church mandated they
do, they stood up and boldly
00:24:25.66\00:24:31.53
declared their faith in the
Son of God and their faith in
00:24:31.53\00:24:35.30
the Bible.
00:24:35.30\00:24:36.83
For that they paid
the ultimate price.
00:24:36.83\00:24:39.30
They valued salvation that much.
00:24:39.30\00:24:43.30
Well, today many
people do have a Bible.
00:24:43.30\00:24:46.90
It is true that the great
amount of people don't value
00:24:46.90\00:24:52.83
that Bible enough to read
it and to study it and base
00:24:52.83\00:24:56.43
their lives on it.
00:24:56.43\00:24:59.33
If you're a Protestant,
what are you protesting?
00:24:59.33\00:25:03.90
What does the
Reformation mean to you?
00:25:03.90\00:25:07.13
It happened
hundreds of years ago.
00:25:07.13\00:25:10.73
Has it changed your life?
00:25:10.73\00:25:12.13
Does it mean anything in
practical terms in your life
00:25:12.13\00:25:14.63
today?
00:25:14.63\00:25:16.20
If you allow it to, the
Bible can become the greatest
00:25:16.20\00:25:20.90
priority in your life.
00:25:20.90\00:25:23.00
You'll know God like you
have never known him before.
00:25:23.00\00:25:26.00
You will experience true
closeness with Jesus, and you
00:25:26.00\00:25:28.76
will experience
great spiritual freedom.
00:25:28.76\00:25:31.90
Perhaps the greatest thing
that the reformation can do
00:25:31.90\00:25:34.63
for you is to help you value
the Word of God, to help you
00:25:34.63\00:25:39.73
value this great gift
of salvation, that you can
00:25:39.73\00:25:43.23
experience through faith
the great grace of the God of
00:25:43.23\00:25:47.63
heaven.
00:25:47.63\00:25:49.03
And the truth is, you can
experience that right now.
00:25:49.03\00:25:53.96
Let me pray for you.
00:25:53.96\00:25:55.53
[Music] Our Father in Heaven,
we thank you that through
00:25:55.53\00:25:58.43
Jesus, and then through
the faith, the bravery, the
00:25:58.43\00:26:01.80
actions of great men and
women down through time, we
00:26:01.80\00:26:05.10
have been given your Word
and we have been given the
00:26:05.10\00:26:08.60
freedom to practice our
faith in you according to the
00:26:08.60\00:26:13.80
leading of the Holy Spirit.
00:26:13.80\00:26:15.80
Father, I don't know how
long we will have that freedom,
00:26:15.80\00:26:18.86
but while we do, help us
to treasure it and value it.
00:26:18.86\00:26:22.30
And while we may, while we
have the Word of God in our
00:26:22.30\00:26:25.83
hands, I pray that it will
become the counselor of our
00:26:25.83\00:26:30.56
lives, the guide of our
lives, and will truly be to
00:26:30.56\00:26:35.20
us as the voice of God himself.
00:26:35.20\00:26:40.56
We thank you for these
blessings and we pray today
00:26:40.56\00:26:42.23
in Jesus' name.
00:26:42.23\00:26:46.56
Amen.
00:26:46.56\00:26:50.56
[music]Perhaps our program
today has impressed you with
00:26:50.56\00:26:52.96
a personal need
for deeper Bible study.
00:26:52.96\00:26:54.43
If you desire to listen
to God and follow where he
00:26:54.43\00:26:56.33
leads, we've got a wonderful
resource that can help you to
00:26:56.33\00:26:58.63
do that in a systemic
way, the Discover Bible Guides.
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These Bible Guides are
easy to use and can be yours
00:27:01.06\00:27:02.60
absolutely free.
00:27:02.60\00:27:03.73
If you live in North
America, we'll send you these
00:27:03.73\00:27:11.63
full-color guides or you
can find them on our website
00:27:11.63\00:27:14.30
itiswritten.com.
00:27:14.30\00:27:15.70
Request The Discover
Bible Guides by calling our toll
00:27:15.70\00:27:19.06
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00:27:19.06\00:27:22.63
Lines are open 24 hours.
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They may be busy so keep trying.
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00:27:26.90\00:27:29.43
Written, Box O,
Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
00:27:29.43\00:27:34.56
Thank you for your
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00:27:36.90\00:27:37.80
Our toll free number is 1
800 253 3000 and our web address
00:27:37.80\00:27:43.30
is itiswritten.com [Music]
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:43.30\00:27:48.30
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:48.30\00:27:50.66
Until then, remember, "It
is written, man shall not live
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by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds from the
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mouth of God."
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