Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001330
00:06 It has stood the test of time.
00:11 God's book. 00:13 The Bible. 00:16 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It is written sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today. 00:38 I4m John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. 00:42 In the north of England, about half way between Leeds 00:45 and Newcastle in North Yorkshire, is the little 00:47 village of Hipswell. 00:49 It's an unremarkable place as far as English villages go - 00:53 bucolic, surrounded by beautiful countryside, 00:56 it4s slow, it4s peaceful... 00:58 nothing you wouldn't expect to see in an English village. 01:01 But there's something that sets little Hipswell apart. 01:05 It's the home of one of the most remarkable men in all 01:09 of history, certainly in terms of his contribution to British 01:12 society and his role in Christianity. 01:15 In Hipswell long ago, a fire began burning that would 01:19 eventually burn so bright it would illuminate all 01:22 of England, and by extension, the entire world. 01:26 John Wycliffe was born here or hereabouts. 01:28 His family most likely hailed from the area known 01:31 as Wycliffe, about half an hour north of here on the Tees River. 01:35 And from this unlikely place of origin John Wycliffe went 01:38 on to become known as the Morning Star 01:40 of the Reformation - an advocate for the rights of the people, 01:44 a denouncer of the abuses in the church, a defender 01:48 of the King of England and a fearless preacher 01:51 of God's word. 01:57 Wycliffe's greatest contribution to the world 02:00 is that he put the word of God into the hands of the people 02:04 - a people who didn't have the word of God and who were 02:07 held in tradition and superstition. 02:09 If you've ever held a Bible in your hands, if you've ever 02:13 treasured the precious promises found in the Word 02:16 of God, if your heart has ever been warmed by the beauty 02:19 of Scripture, you probably find it hard to imagine a society 02:22 where God's word is not welcomed. 02:25 But 14th Century England was a different world. 02:29 John Wycliffe was born in around 1328 - that's shortly 02:32 after the death of Marco Polo. 02:36 The king at the time was Edward the 3rd, who came to the throne 02:39 when he was just 15 years of age. 02:42 England was locked in some bitter disputes. 02:45 This was just after the time of William Wallace - 02:48 Braveheart - and around the time of Robert the Bruce - 02:51 and wars with Scotland and France raged during 02:54 Wycliffe's early life. 02:58 Then in the middle of the 14th Century 02:59 the Black Death struck England, killing somewhere between 03:03 a third or a half of England's population. 03:08 The peasant class at the time were essentially slaves, 03:12 and the influence of the ruling church was enormous. 03:16 The Catholic Church essentially controlled 03:18 the country, and by later in the 14th Century the pope 03:20 was receiving 5 times as much gold from the government 03:24 of England as was the King. 03:27 And when it came to the teaching of God's word... 03:30 well the people were living in superstition and fear, 03:33 as priests as well as traveling monks and friars kept the 03:36 people in spiritual darkness. 03:38 It was a common practice for these monks to sell pardon 03:42 for sins. 03:43 As a result, they often lived a luxurious life, fleecing 03:47 the flock instead of teaching the flock instead of teaching 03:49 the flock. 03:50 The monks were barely less ignorant of the things 03:52 of heaven than the people were, and the people were kept 03:56 in spiritual darkness. 03:57 But out of the darkness that was 14th Century England, 04:03 God caused a bright light to shine. 04:06 The Morning Star of the Reformation brought light 04:09 to a nation and truth to the world - and from England, 04:15 John Wycliffe's teachings would shine light 04:18 into the hearts of men and women everywhere. 04:22 John Wycliffe was a revolutionary. 04:25 And what John Wycliffe gave the world still speaks 04:29 to us today.... 04:42 When Wycliffe arrived here as a student at Oxford, 04:46 the University was already 150 years old. 04:49 When he came here there were 30,000 students here. 04:51 By the time the Black Death had done its work, 04:55 there were only 10,000. 04:56 At it was while he was a student at Oxford that John Wycliffe 05:00 started to develop as a champion of the word of God. 05:04 John Wycliffe studied here at Balliol College, 05:07 which was founded in 1263. 05:11 Five Balliol Students have gone on to win the Nobel 05:13 Prize - the most of any of Oxford's colleges - 05:17 as have 7 faculty members. 05:19 Three British Prime Ministers studied here, including 05:22 Edward Heath and Harold McMillan, London's Lord 05:25 Mayor, Boris Johnson, as well as authors Aldous Huxley 05:28 and Graham Greene, and - curiously - the noted atheist 05:31 Richard Dawkins also studied here. 05:34 Wycliffe was a brilliant student, and studied not only 05:40 philosophy and civil law, but church law as well. 05:44 He became known as "The Flower of Oxford" owing 05:48 to his academic excellence. 05:50 And it was here at Balliol in Oxford that John Wycliffe 05:56 began to study the Bible. 05:58 In those days, the Word of God was only written 06:00 in the ancient languages - and while the uneducated 06:03 masses couldn't access or understand the Word of God, 06:06 scholars in some cases, could. 06:10 Wycliffe found in the Bible clear evidence demonstrating 06:15 that the Bible as the Word of God and that Jesus Christ 06:19 as the only hope for the sinner. 06:22 He wrote these words, "Trust wholly in Christ, 06:27 rely altogether on His sufferings; beware of seeking 06:31 to be justified in any other way than by His righteousness. 06:36 Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient 06:39 for salvation." And he came to the conclusion 06:42 that confession to a priest was not necessary. 06:46 "Privy confession made to priests is not needful," 06:49 he wrote, "but brought in late by the Fiend: for Christ used 06:54 it not, nor any of His apostles after Him." 07:02 While early in his career at Oxford these thoughts 07:03 did not become issues for John Wycliffe, his study 07:07 of the Word of God soon set him on a collision course 07:10 with the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated 07:13 not only British life and religion, but also British 07:16 politics as well. 07:18 At the time, the papacy controlled both the church 07:26 and the state in England. 07:28 Many church leaders were fabulously wealthy 07:29 and acted essentially as lords over the nation. 07:33 Growing up, Wycliffe likely thought little of this, 07:37 but exposure to the Bible caused him to think carefully. 07:42 As a child what he learned of religion wouldn't have been 07:45 much better than myths and stories and moral lessons. 07:50 The clergy themselves were not generally noted for their piety, 07:53 and Wycliffe realized there was a serious blight on 07:57 society that was going to have to be confronted - 08:00 the swarms of friars, men who belonged to religious orders 08:04 and depended on the charity of the population to survive. 08:09 Now while the general principle of the orders 08:12 of the friars doesn't seem to be harmless enough - men who 08:15 were devoted to living lives of poverty and devoted 08:17 to helping the poor - Wycliffe realized that these men were 08:20 a drain on society. 08:21 They were a corrupting influence. 08:24 They were idle, and rather than helping anybody at all, 08:27 they spent their time getting and gaining and living 08:30 riotous lives. 08:31 The pope had given the friars the authority to hear 08:36 confessions and grant pardon for sins. 08:38 This unBiblical system could only be corrupted - 08:43 and it was. 08:44 The worst sinners were "absolved" of their sins 08:45 for sums of money, while the friars continued 08:49 to invent stories and legends and tales so they could further 08:54 manipulate the ignorant masses. 08:57 This further strengthened the hold of the ruling church. 08:59 Ignorant people can't find answers when they don't even 09:03 know what questions to ask. 09:05 Being told that all you had to do to go to heaven 09:07 was to acknowledge the supremacy of the pope, give money 09:09 to the friars and adore the saints, 09:11 didn't cause people to rely on Jesus or be interested 09:15 in genuine conversion. 09:17 Who needed any of that when you can buy your way 09:20 into heaven? 09:21 Now John Wycliffe wasn't the first to notice 09:22 or to protest the corruptions of the friars, but he would 09:26 be the one to do the most to curb their excesses. 09:36 [Music] 09:52 Wycliffe understood that what the people needed 09:54 was the word of God. 09:55 This was the one thing that could free them from 09:58 the tyranny of the friars. 09:59 It would liberate them from popes and from purgatory 10:02 and from purchase for pardon. 10:05 But how in the world could he get the word of God into 10:07 the hands of the people? 10:08 Wycliffe knew what the Bible meant when it said in Psalm 10:11 119:130, "The entrance of Your words gives light; 10:17 It gives understanding." 10:22 What the people needed was God's word. 10:25 The one thing that not even money couldn't buy. 10:28 So John Wyycliffe took the word of God to the people. 10:31 He preached to them publicly in places such as St Paul's 10:34 Cross, in the church out here in St Paul's 10:38 Cathedral in London. 10:39 Now this is not the same St Paul's as stood when 10:42 John Wycliffe was here - this is the new model, designed 10:45 by Sir Christopher Wren and rebuilt after the Great Fire 10:48 of London in 1666. 10:50 But it was here in the church yard at St. Paul4s Cathedral, 10:55 at St. Paul4s Cross, that John Wycliffe publicly 10:58 preached God4s Word. 10:59 A plaque commemorates the very spot that he stood 11:03 and preached. 11:04 His preaching had a dramatic effect on those who heard. 11:07 It wasn't the pointless prattle of the friars, 11:11 it was the pure word of God. 11:13 Those who listened knew that they were listening 11:16 to something of divine origin. 11:18 But how would the Bible get into the hands 11:21 of the people? 11:22 Wycliffe had an idea. 11:23 It was a bold idea. 11:25 It was an idea that would change England forever. 11:33 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 11:37 'Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 11:41 proceeds out of the mouth of God'." Every Word is a one 11:45 minute Bible-based daily devotional presented 11:47 by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially for busy 11:50 people like you. 11:51 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 11:55 everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 11:58 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 12:01 Watch Every Word. 12:02 You'll be glad you did. 12:07 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 12:09 I4m John Bradshaw and today, we're looking at the life 12:13 and the ministry and the message of John Wycliffe, the Morning 12:16 Star of the Reformation - the man who brought the Bible 12:19 to the people of England. 12:21 Wycliffe realized that the Bible could be powerful, 12:24 not only in the life of the individual 12:25 but in a society, and also in an entire nation. 12:34 After becoming the Master at Balliol College in Oxford, 12:37 Wycliffe pursued his theological studies, 12:40 eventually becoming a Doctor of Divinity. 12:42 And not only was he relentless in his condemnation 12:45 of the practices of the mendicant friars, 12:47 Wycliffe believed strongly that the church had no 12:51 business receiving tribute money from a sovereign 12:53 government. 12:55 In the year 1365, Pope Urban the 5th demanded that England 12:59 submit entirely to the authority of the Church of Rome 13:04 - which would be an admission that the pope was 13:06 the legitimate sovereign of England. 13:15 John Wycliffe was strenuous in his opposition to the Roman 13:18 Church exercising power over the English crown. 13:22 Add to that his Bible teachings that collided 13:24 with the doctrines of the Catholic Church, 13:26 and Wycliffe became to be viewed as more than a thorn 13:29 in the flesh of the Church of Rome - by the time he became 13:32 the rector of the church in Lutterworth, 13:34 Wycliffe was considered to be a heretic. 13:37 Which was not surprising - after all, Wycliffe had begun 13:40 to teach that the pope of Rome was the antichrist of the Bible. 13:45 He even claimed the pope was the man of sin in 13:47 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 13:52 [Music] 14:01 Things have changed a little since John Wycliffe 14:03 came here to petition Parliament to remove all 14:05 of the wealth of the church and bring it under the power 14:07 of the Crown. 14:11 The Parliament Buildings you see today weren't here 14:14 in the 14th Century. 14:15 The Palace of Westminster - as Parliament is known - 14:19 was built in the 19th Century. 14:22 Big Ben is just over 150 years old. 14:27 Westminster Abbey was standing when Wycliffe came here 14:30 to Parliament - in fact, Richard the 2nd, the king 14:33 who was reigning when Wycliffe died, is buried in there 14:37 but there was no Buckingham Palace, or much that you'd 14:41 recognize in London today. 14:42 It was a very different place. 14:45 In 1377 John Wycliffe came here to this area to address 14:50 the Parliament with regard to the pope's claims to have 14:53 authority over England. 14:54 John Wycliffe lead the movement to turn back the demands 14:58 of Rome, and in fact he called upon Parliament to reform 15:02 the relationship between church and state. 15:05 And that was truly historic. 15:13 Wycliffe told Parliament that the national resources 15:15 were for the nation, and not for a foreign power 15:18 like the church of Rome. 15:20 He said that Rome was wealthy enough already, and that if 15:23 anyone should be entitled to the type of taxes 15:26 that Rome was demanding, it ought be the government 15:29 and not the church. 15:30 Especially at a time that England was trying 15:31 to finance a war very expensive war against France. 15:35 And Wycliff believed that the people really needed 15:39 to be able to read and study and interpret the Scriptures 15:43 for themselves. 15:45 But how were they ever going to be able to do that? 15:50 [Music]♪♪♪♪♪♪ Wycliffe incurred the 16:07 wrath of the church. 16:08 He had been teaching that the friars were a blight 16:10 on society. 16:11 He taught and wrote that priests had no authority to forgive 16:14 sins. 16:15 And he was strenuously opposed to the sale of indulgences, 16:17 when people would buy forgiveness, 16:21 when the monks would sell the pardon of God. 16:26 ""It is plain to me that our prelates in granting indulgences 16:29 do commonly blaspheme the wisdom of God," 16:32 he said. 16:33 Related to this he said, "Private confession ... was not 16:37 ordered by Christ and was not used by the apostles." 16:41 He taught that the mass was blasphemous 16:44 and that the eucharist - the communion wafer 16:46 - was not really the actual body of Jesus. 16:50 The Roman Catholic Church taught - teaches - 16:52 that when the bread and wine are consecrated 16:54 they become the true body and the true blood of Jesus. 16:58 Wycliffe's understanding was different. 17:02 "The bread while becoming by virtue of Christ's words 17:05 the body of Christ does not cease to be bread," he stated. 17:09 And Rome was not happy. 17:12 In fact, even some of Wycliffe's defenders urged him to turn down 17:16 the volume, but by now he was committed 17:20 to speaking against what he believed to be 17:22 the inconsistencies of the church. 17:30 Wycliffe was eventually kicked out of Oxford - which 17:32 had been pressured by the church to have nothing to do with him. 17:35 After speaking to Parliament, he was summoned to a church 17:38 trial here at Lambeth Palace - the official residence 17:43 of the Archbishop of Canterbury and just across the river 17:46 from Parliament buildings- but his enemies were unable 17:49 to silence him. 17:50 The Morning Star would continue to shine for truth. 17:57 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect 18:00 of Christian Stewardship. 18:02 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free 18:04 planned giving and estate services. 18:07 For information on how we can help you, please call 18:11 1.800.992.2219. 18:12 To receive additional material on the advantages 18:15 of life-income plans such as a Charitable Gift Annuity, 18:18 which can provide you with tax benefits and income for 18:22 life, Call today or visit our special website: 18:25 www.hislegacy.com. 18:29 You could also write to It Is Written, Planned Giving 18:32 and Trust Services, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 18:38 Our toll-free number again is 1-800-992-2219 and our web 18:43 address: www.hislegacy.com 18:52 He returned here to his parish in Lutterworth. 18:55 His 'poor priests' - the Lollards - were sent 18:58 by Wycliffe to preach the gospel all over England, and truth 19:02 began to flourish where error and superstition had been 19:06 so powerful. 19:07 Wycliff not only preached but he wrote prodigiously 19:11 in an effort to share the Word of God and its liberating power 19:15 with as many people as possible. 19:20 [Music] 19:27 From this now very historic building John Wycliffe 19:30 ministered to the world. 19:32 His influence was felt, obviously, here in England, 19:35 but it was Wycliffe's ideas that influenced another 19:38 great early reformer, John Huss, in what is now the Czech 19:41 Republic. 19:45 The Queen of England, in Wycliffe's later years, 19:48 was Anne of Bohemia, which is where Huss was from. 19:52 Oxford students from Bohemia took Wycliffe's ideas back 19:55 to their homeland, where they were shared by Huss and had 19:59 a major impact in Europe. 20:00 But Wycliffe's work was suddenly stopped. 20:05 Just short of his 60th birthday John Wycliff came down 20:08 with an illness that appeared as though it was going 20:10 to take his life. 20:12 The monks were jubilant. 20:14 They came here to Lutterworth and they gathered around 20:17 Wycliffe's -- what they thought was Wycliffe's 20:19 deathbed, and they said to him, "You have death 20:23 on your lips. 20:24 Retract now in our presence all the things that you have 20:28 said to our hurt." Wycliffe raised himself up from his 20:32 bed and he said, "I shall not die, but live; and again 20:39 declare the evil deeds of the friars." 20:41 The monks hurried out, and Wycliffe recovered 20:44 and went to work on the project that would have the greatest 20:47 influence of anything that he had ever done 20:49 in England. 20:51 With the help of some close friends, John Wycliffe went 20:54 to work on translating the Bible into the language 20:57 of the day. 20:58 The one who had been known as the 'Gospel Doctor" committed 21:02 himself to sharing that gospel with as many people 21:05 as he possibly could. 21:06 John Wycliffe's dream was that everybody in England 21:10 would have the opportunity to read the Scriptures in their 21:14 own language. 21:18 Still a couple of hundred of years before the invention 21:21 of the printing press, it was here in Lutterworth 21:23 that John Wycliffe translated the Bible from the Latin 21:26 into English. 21:29 The Scriptures were copied slowly by hand. 21:32 There were some people who were able to buy an entire 21:34 copy of the Bible while others were able to secure 21:36 just a portion. 21:38 But John Wycliffe's dream was being realized. 21:41 The Word of God was making its way into the hands 21:44 of the people. 21:46 It was still going to be some years before laws were passed 21:49 banning the production of or the possession 21:53 of the Bible and the Scriptures was distributed widely. 21:56 While England was fighting battles on various fronts, 22:00 one of the greatest victories in her history was realized 22:04 when the Word of God was translated and made available 22:08 in the English language to the people of England. 22:11 Long after John Wycliffe was dead the establishment church 22:15 had to reckon with a force that was far more powerful 22:19 than he ever was. 22:21 "The entrance of your word gives light. 22:25 It gives understanding." 22:27 People began to learn the great principles 22:28 of Scripture - "Man shall not live by bread alone, 22:32 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 22:35 of God." Matthew 4:4. 22:37 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," 22:41 2 Timothy 3:16. 22:46 [Music] 23:06 Principles that are the foundation of Biblical 23:08 Christianity were heard by the masses for the first time 23:12 throughout England. 23:13 While it is true not all of John Wycliffe's teachings 23:16 were perfect, and while the Reformation wouldn't take 23:18 hold for some time yet, the foundation 23:21 for the Reformation was laid in England and throughout Europe 23:25 by John Wycliffe, the Morning Star of the reformation. 23:29 And here in St. Mary's Church where John Wycliffe 23:31 was the pastor many hundreds of years ago, 23:34 in the pews of this church today are English language 23:38 Bibles and anybody who picks up one of these Bibles 23:41 and leafs through its pages owes a great debt to John 23:45 Wycliffe without whom Biblical Christianity 23:49 and Christianity itself would have unfolded in a rather 23:52 different fashion. 23:55 At his third trial, John Wycliffe met his accusers 23:57 with these words: "With whom, think you, are you contending? 24:03 With an old man on the brink of the grave? 24:06 No! 24:07 -- he said -- with Truth-- with Truth that is stronger 24:12 than you, and will overcome you." 24:17 [Music] John Wycliffe died 24:32 of natural causes at about the age of 66, 24:33 in the year 1384. 24:36 At the Council of Constance in Germany the early 1400s - 24:42 the papacy decreed that Wycliffe's remains should 24:45 be exhumed and his bones burnt, 24:50 and his ashes were then cast into the River Swift 24:57 near Lutterworth. 25:01 A writer later penned these words. 25:05 "Thus the brook hath conveyed his ashes into Avon; Avon 25:09 into Severn; Severn into the narrow seas; 25:15 and they into the main ocean. 25:16 And thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblem of his doctrine 25:20 which now is dispersed the world over." 25:26 One man dedicated to the proposition 25:29 that the Word of God could make the difference 25:34 in a person's life. 25:35 John Wycliffe was a man who experienced the power 25:38 of the Word of God. 25:39 He experienced it in his life and he saw what the Word 25:43 of God could do in the life of others. 25:46 You know, I'd like to offer you the opportunity 25:49 to experience God's Word in your life. 25:51 Friend, what are you doing about the Word of God? 25:55 Does the Word of God own you? 25:56 Has it impacted you? 25:58 Has it set you free like the thousands and the millions 26:02 who are set free through the Word of God by the work 26:05 of John Wycliffe and those who followed after him? 26:08 I want to offer you today a little book called Promise 26:12 of Power, promises from the Word of God given to us by God 26:16 specifically that we might experience the power 26:19 of the Word of God in our lives. 26:21 Contact us at It Is Written and I will send to your 26:24 address in North America, Promises of Power. 26:26 You can call or write or come to our website and download 26:32 Promises of Power. 26:33 I would like you to have this book so you can experience 26:37 what John Wycliffe experienced and what the many 26:41 experienced through what John Wycliffe had done. 26:44 I'd like to pray for you today that God's word would 26:50 truly bring his presence and his power into your life. 26:56 Let me pray. 26:57 Father in heaven, at this almost sacred spot, where the ashes 27:04 of one of your faithful reformers, one of your faithful 27:07 servants were cast, at this spot I pray. 27:11 I pray that we would experience the power 27:15 of your Word. 27:16 I pray that the Word of God and its great promises, 27:20 the great principles of Scripture would be 27:22 the foundation upon which our lives are based. 27:26 I pray that we can experience in our lives reformation, 27:29 that which comes through the power and the presence 27:32 of your Word and through Jesus Christ living his life in us. 27:37 Let that be so I pray, and I thank you, in Jesus' name, 27:43 amen. 27:48 [Music] Thanks for joining 27:52 me today. 27:53 Until next time remember, It is written, man shall not 27:56 live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds 28:00 from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-05