Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001372A
00:00 ♪ [It Is Written theme] ♪
00:06 >: It has stood the test of time. 00:11 God's book, the Bible; 00:16 still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:34 [thunder/rain, music] 00:42 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 00:44 Thanks for joining me. He's been called the leader of 00:47 the Swiss Reformation. Which is quite a title 00:50 to bestow upon somebody, considering the Swiss 00:53 Reformation influenced the world. 00:56 He was born on New Year's Day in 1494. 01:00 Now, that's just a few weeks after the birth 01:02 of Martin Luther. And he was born 01:05 in the village of Wildhaus, a stunningly picturesque alpine 01:09 village in the northeast of Switzerland, over near 01:12 the border with Lichtenstein. Earlier this morning I came here 01:16 from Geneva, the city influenced by William Farel 01:19 and John Calvin. I've come to Zurich. 01:23 This is the city set on fire for the reformation by 01:27 Huldrych Zwingli. 01:30 The Huldrych Zwingli story had to be a remarkable story. 01:34 John Calvin influenced religious thought to the extent 01:36 that today there's a branch of theological understanding 01:40 named after him, Calvinism. 01:42 There's no Zwinglianism today. But this man 01:46 was called the third man of the Reformation, Martin Luther and 01:50 John Calvin being the other two. Now, that's heady company. 01:55 So who was Huldrych Zwingli and why is what he did 01:58 hundreds of years ago important to us today? 02:03 When Zwingli lived in Zurich, he was one of about 02:05 six or seven thousand people who lived here. 02:08 And what brought him here was really interesting. 02:11 He was a bright child, so bright that his 02:14 father sent him away from that picturesque little village to 02:16 attend a prestigious school in Bairn. 02:19 In fact, it was one of the most prestigious schools 02:22 in all of Switzerland. This boy was a capable writer, 02:26 a good speaker, and an excellent musician, 02:29 and so in that school he attracted some 02:32 unwanted attention. The monks wanted to get hold of 02:35 him and put him in a monastery. Now, when his father found out, 02:39 he was appalled. He considered the monks 02:42 to be worthless, good for nothing, and idle. 02:46 No son of his was ever going to become a monk. 02:49 So Dad sent for Huldrych, retrieved him, 02:52 and brought him home. [pensive melody] 03:02 But before long he was gone again, this time to study 03:05 in Basal. It was while he was studying in Basel that a teacher 03:10 who had read the Bible suggested to him that it was 03:14 the death of Jesus that was the sinner's only hope. 03:18 Now, this started a change in Zwingli that would 03:21 change him and result in changing the world. 03:26 From Basel he was called to minister as a priest in a 03:28 small alpine village near his childhood home. And then 03:32 from there he was called to Einsiedeln, notable then as it 03:37 is now as being the home of the Black Madonna. 03:41 In Zwingli's day, thousands of pilgrims every year 03:44 would come to Einsiedeln to venerate that image. They had 03:48 been told that by coming to the shrine they could receive a 03:52 plenary indulgence for sins. Now, this bothered Zwingli no 03:57 end when he saw how people related to the image of 04:00 the Black Madonna. Now, if you're wondering 04:03 what that is, I'll tell you. An indulgence is the 04:07 extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due in 04:12 God's justice to sin that has been forgiven, which remission 04:17 is granted by the church in the exercise of the 04:20 "power of the keys" through the application of 04:23 the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and 04:26 for some just and reasonable motive. A plenary indulgence is 04:32 the remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin, 04:36 so that no further expiation is required in Purgatory. 04:41 Now, will you find that in the Bible? 04:43 No, you won't. 04:47 But by now Zwingli had been studying the Bible. 04:49 And the more he studied the Bible, 04:51 the more he saw the clear distinction between the light of 04:54 the Bible and the errors and the heresies of his church. 04:59 He began to see the Bible as the only infallible guide, 05:03 and he wasn't afraid to say so. 05:06 He saw the people trafficking in indulgences, 05:09 and he declared that indulgences were nothing more 05:12 than superstition. He declared to the people, 05:16 "Can unprofitable works, long pilgrimages, offerings, 05:20 images, the invocation of the virgin and the saints, 05:23 secure for you the grace of God?" 05:26 Of course, there were some people who were not 05:29 happy to be told that their long journey to Einsiedeln was all 05:32 for nothing. And there were more than a few who couldn't 05:35 understand what he could possibly mean, that salvation 05:39 could come by grace, freely, as a gift from God. 05:45 For some people it was easier to listen to a priest 05:47 and trust to a pope than to receive salvation freely 05:52 from Jesus. Now, his church wasn't 05:56 very impressed with what he was doing. They had a choice: 05:59 kick him out and deal with the trouble that that would cause, 06:04 or hold him in as part of the fold and work with him 06:08 over time. They chose option B, which 06:12 gave Huldrych Zwingli more time to let the light of the Word of 06:17 God shine. That light began to shine brightly, but letting that 06:21 light shine would ultimately cost him his life. 06:25 I'll have more in just a moment. 06:27 ♪ [inspirational theme] ♪ Announcer: You are watching 06:29 the weekly It Is Written program with Pastor John Bradshaw. 06:33 But did you know that there's a daily program, too? "Every Word" 06:36 is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional presented by 06:40 Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially for 06:43 busy people like you. Look for "Every Word" 06:46 on selected networks, or watch it online every day 06:48 on our website, ItIsWritten.com. Receive a daily spiritual boost. 06:53 Watch "Every Word." You'll be glad you did. 06:56 ♪[inspirational theme ring out]♪ ♪ [Every Word Theme] ♪ 07:06 JB: One of the biggest headaches the Apostle Paul 07:09 encountered was dealing with people who promoted ideas 07:11 that they thought were important but were really 07:13 nothing more than tradition. Traditions can be good. 07:16 Celebrating the fourth of July for your national holiday, 07:19 for example. Brides wear white. 07:21 Your annual summer vacation at the beach. 07:24 Traditions. But in Christianity 07:26 some traditions aren't so good, when they run counter 07:29 to God's will. Here's what Paul wrote 07:31 in Colossians 2:8: "Beware lest anyone cheat 07:34 you through philosophy and empty deceit, 07:37 according to the tradition of men, according to the 07:39 basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." 07:43 Why do you do what you do? Is it because of what 07:46 the Bible says, or is it simply a tradition? 07:49 If your religious traditions contradict the Bible, 07:52 then you've got some real problems. 07:55 Let's live today by Every Word. [Catchy Theme rings out] 07:59 ♪[string ensemble - Adagio]♪ JB: This is It Is Written. 08:01 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me 08:03 today in Zurich, Switzerland. It was from 08:06 here that the world was profoundly influenced by a man 08:10 that the world has largely forgotten. This man said, 08:15 "The Word of God cannot fail. It is bright. 08:19 It teaches itself, it discloses itself. 08:22 It illumines the soul with all salvation and grace, 08:26 comforts it in God, humbles it so that it loses 08:30 and even forfeits itself and embraces God." 08:37 If you're accustomed to the Bible being always 08:39 available, and if you're familiar with the thought of 08:40 salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, this might not 08:45 seem to you to be a big deal. But in Europe in those days 08:50 there was essentially only one church, and it's taught 08:54 that salvation came through the church. 08:58 ♪ [Mysterious melody] ♪ It taught that there was 09:00 benefit in pilgrimages, in giving offerings, 09:02 in bowing before images. The people who accepted 09:06 these teachings were held by them. 09:09 Huldrych Zwingli wanted people to be liberated to know God 09:13 for themselves. [hopeful piano melody] 09:21 In 1518 or 1519, Zwingli came here to Zurich, 09:25 Switzerland to work as a priest. Zurich has changed 09:29 just a little bit since Zwingli's day. 09:33 There have been people living here for 2,000 years, 09:35 and today there are 1.8 million people 09:38 in metropolitan Zurich. Zurich is the wealthiest city 09:43 in Europe. It's often described 09:45 as having the best quality of life in the world, 09:48 and much of what you've heard about Swiss banks--Zurich. 09:53 It's a beautiful city, an expensive city, 09:57 a city rich in culture and big in sport. 10:00 Soccer's governing body, FIFA, has its headquarters here. 10:04 And Zurich is a city that was one of the most 10:06 important centers of the Protestant reformation. 10:10 While what happens in Zurich today affects the 10:12 economies of the world, what happened here 500 years ago 10:17 shaked history [church bells] Now, there's no need to think 10:20 that Huldrych Zwingli was a man who didn't have any faults. 10:24 His detractors would have had no difficulty 10:26 finding some faults to point to. As a young priest, 10:31 he had relationships that didn't really mesh with the church's 10:36 expectations when it came to the conduct of priests. In fact, 10:39 he and a number of others petitioned the bishop to allow 10:43 priests to marry. Interestingly, the bishop had plenty of 10:47 incentive to refuse the request. You see, back in Zwingli's day, 10:52 if a priest wanted to keep a mistress, he could as long as he 10:56 paid a sum of money to the bishop. If that mistress were to 11:01 have a baby, no problem, as long as that same sum of money was 11:05 paid again to the bishop. When immorality 11:09 is a cottage industry, there's really very little 11:12 incentive to get rid of it. Theologically, he had his 11:17 issues too. He believed strongly in infant baptism, and he 11:22 disputed hotly with anybody who would disagree with him. 11:26 There was a debate held on the subject in Zurich 11:29 and it was decided that anybody who refused to have their 11:32 infants baptized should be kicked out of town. 11:36 Later, the town council upped the ante a little bit. 11:40 A law was passed that stated that anyone refusing to have 11:43 their infants baptized, or anybody who would baptize an 11:47 adult, should be put to death. Some Anabaptists came to town 11:53 and they disregarded that law. A man named Felix Manz baptized 11:58 adults. He was arrested, he was put on trial, and he was 12:04 sentenced to death. Sentenced to death for baptizing somebody by 12:10 immersion. Well, then they had to decide what penalty to levy 12:14 against him, or at least how to carry out the death sentence. 12:17 Back in those good ol' days, people normally were sentenced 12:22 to death by being burned at the stake. But they said for Manz, 12:26 something different; because his crime involved baptizing by 12:31 immersion, they decided that he would be bound hand and foot, 12:35 put in a boat, taken out here in Lake Zurich, and drowned. 12:42 [music] 12:45 But in general Zwingli stood very much on the Bible. 12:49 And in an era when the Bible was ignored, that's significant. 12:53 Instead of preaching the mass, Zwingli began preaching from the 12:57 Bible, taking Bible passages and proclaiming them 13:01 and applying Bible truths to the lives of the people. 13:05 He experienced a deeper conversion, and not long after 13:09 coming to the Grossmunster cathedral, it was filled to 13:13 overflowing with crowds of people who came out to hear of 13:17 the saving grace of God. And the church leadership wasn't happy. 13:23 People were regularly burned at the stake for following the 13:26 Bible rather than the church. It was about this time that Luther 13:31 appeared at the [Deardadvonce], and it was only the 13:35 providence of God that got him out of there alive. 13:39 The Bishop of Constance sent deputies to Zurich to order 13:42 Zwingli to stop preaching the Bible. They said he was teaching 13:46 people to disobey the church, and was therefore 13:50 endangering society. Zwingli was able to 13:53 point to the effect that of teaching had on the lives of 13:56 people who heard him, saying that Christianity 14:00 is the best safeguard of general security. 14:04 He was a man who wasn't easily scared. He said he feared the 14:08 representatives of the bishop as much as a cliff fears the 14:12 waves that crash at its feet. 14:16 He was a brave man, Zwingli. In 1520 the 14:19 Plague struck Zurich while he was away on vacation. But 14:23 instead of staying away, he returned to Zurich to do what he 14:26 could to help administer. One in four people 14:30 in Zurich--some say as many as one in three--died 14:34 from the plague. Zwingli got sick himself and came 14:37 close to death. But he survived. 14:41 God's hand was over this servant who still had so much 14:43 left to do. 14:45 Now, you'd think, wouldn't you, that with Luther and Zwingli 14:48 being contemporaries, with them both believing in the Bible, 14:52 both of them refugees from a broken system, both men loving 14:56 God, you'd think that because they had all this in common, 14:59 that because really they were in the crosshairs of the most 15:03 powerful church on the planet, you'd think that Zwingli and 15:08 Luther would get on like a house on fire. 15:11 Well, if you thought that, you'd be wrong. 15:14 And what was the interesting event that started 15:17 the Reformation in Switzerland, and what did it 15:21 have to do with sausages? I'll tell you in just a moment. 15:26 ♪ [tender music] ♪ Planning for your 15:29 financial future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 15:32 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned 15:35 giving and estate services. For information on 15:38 how we can help you, please call 1 (800) 992-2219. 15:43 call today, or visit our special website 15:46 www.HisLegacy.com 15:56 [quiet melody] 16:10 Zurich, Switzerland is the beautiful city where 16:13 Protestant reformer Huldrych Zwingli ministered in the early 16:16 16th century. Called here 16:19 to serve as a priest, he led the congregations at this 16:22 cathedral, the Grossmunster. People came here 16:25 and heard him lift up the Bible. And people had never 16:28 heard such things before. This was light shining 16:33 in the darkness. But what got the Reformation 16:36 started in Switzerland in the first place is interesting. 16:42 Many say it was the affair of the sausages. 16:46 The church taught at that time that meat 16:48 should not be eaten during Lent. 16:51 Now, Lent is a period of about six weeks leading up to Easter. 16:55 And there were many churches that maintained that 16:57 people should fast during Lent. Well, at that time, 17:01 Zwingli's church, also his employer, 17:03 the Roman Catholic church, was firm. 17:06 No meat during Lent. Well, during one Lenten period, 17:11 Zwingli was invited to the home of a printer in Zurich named 17:15 Froschauer for a sausage supper. There were a number of people at 17:19 Froschauer's home, Zwingli among them. 17:22 Zwingli didn't eat any of the forbidden sausages, 17:25 but Froschauer did. And when Froschauer 17:29 was arrested, arrested for eating sausages, 17:34 Zwingli defended him. Well, there you have it. 17:38 The battle was now on. And all because of a sausage. 17:45 Now, you'd think that Zwingli and Luther would 17:47 have been each other's biggest supporters, Luther in German, 17:50 Zwingli in Switzerland. Zurich and Wittenberg 17:54 or about 450 miles apart. And the two first met 17:58 in October of 1529. Both men were almost 18:02 36 years old, and they met at a council 18:05 called by a German prince who was a strong supporter 18:09 of the Reformation. Philip was hopeful that Zwingli 18:13 and Luther could iron out their theological differences. 18:18 And for the most part the two reformists found 18:20 that they were in total harmony with each other, 18:24 even though they developed in their understanding 18:26 of the Bible independent of each other. 18:29 They were taught by the best teacher of all, 18:31 the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther had funded 18:35 his opposition to indulges. So too had Zwingli. 18:39 In fact, before Luther had. [dramatic theme swells] 18:46 Both men believed in salvation by grace 18:48 through faith, and not through the church. 18:51 The Bible says that in Ephesians 2, verse 8: 18:54 "For by grace are ye saved through faith, 18:58 and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." 19:02 Both men believed faith in God didn't require sacraments 19:07 such as those offered by the church. Jesus said, 19:10 "Whoever comes to me, I will by no means cast out" 19:14 (John 6:37). Hebrews says we should 19:18 come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). 19:23 Both men believed faith in God would be revealed in a 19:27 changed life. Paul wrote to Titus 19:30 that God's grace teaches us that denying ungodliness 19:34 and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 19:37 righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12). 19:43 Both men agreed the Bible was to be the foundation of a 19:47 believer's faith. Paul wrote that all scripture is given by 19:52 inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16). 19:56 Both men agreed that priests should be allowed to 19:59 marry. If you believe the Bible, you find no prohibition against 20:02 that of any kind. In the Old Testament, the priests were 20:07 allowed to marry. God said, "It's good that the man should 20:10 not be alone." In fact, the only place you find priests being 20:14 forbidden to marry is paganism. Both men believed confession of 20:19 sins should not be made to a priest, but should be made 20:22 directly to God. The Bible says there is one mediator between 20:26 God and man, the man Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2:5). 20:33 Both men rejected the concept of the mass as a sacrifice. 20:38 But when they came to the council at Hesse, 20:41 it was discovered that the men had one 20:43 major disagreement. In fact, this was an insurmountable 20:48 obstacle for them. They disagreed 20:52 over the communion service. Luther taught that the 20:55 bread and the wine used in the communion service were the 20:59 actual body and the actual blood of Jesus. 21:03 Zwingli took the more biblical position, that the 21:06 bread and the wine or the juice are merely representative of or 21:10 symbols of Jesus' body and Jesus' blood. 21:14 It seems there was no way the two men could find 21:17 common ground on this subject no matter how hard anybody tried. 21:23 Luther came to the place that he felt that Zwingli was a fanatic. 21:27 You see, Luther believed that whatever wasn't forbidden in 21:30 scripture was allowed. Zwingli thought Luther 21:34 wasn't taking the Reformation far enough. 21:36 Zwingli believed that whatever was not expressly 21:40 commanded in scripture shouldn't be tolerated. 21:44 Now, really, it's no surprise that 21:46 these men would have disagreements. It had only been 21:49 about this long since both men had come out of a life entirely 21:54 without the Bible. So if one or the other or both should be 21:57 wrong about something, we shouldn't be surprised 22:00 at all. Zwingli tried to be kind toward 22:04 Luther. It seems Zwingli was more kind than Luther could 22:08 manage to be. When news came to Luther 22:11 that Zwingli had died out on a battlefield, all Luther was 22:15 able to say was, "Those who take the sword 22:20 shall die by the sword." 22:24 There was no love lost there. ♪ [pastoral melody] ♪ 22:31 Well, let's consider Zwingli. He was a giant because 22:34 he brought light at a time people didn't have the light. 22:38 He insisted people could know Jesus personally, 22:41 that they could find forgiveness personally, and that the church 22:45 shouldn't control a person's conscience. Perfect? 22:49 No, he wasn't perfect. But God uses imperfect people, 22:54 like Peter, and James and John, who were so imperfect 22:57 Jesus referred to them as the Sons of Thunder. 23:02 In 1529 a Protestant missionary 23:05 was burned at the stake for preaching the gospel in a 23:08 Catholic canton. In retaliation, 23:11 Zurich boycotted that canton. But then in 1531 war broke out, 23:17 and at Kappel 8,000 Catholic soldiers warred against 1,500 23:22 Protestant soldiers. The result was never 23:24 really in question, and Huldrych Zwingli was among 23:27 those who lost their lives that day. 23:30 A life that began here in beautiful Wildhaus in the 23:33 Togganburg Valley. I don't know if the cows then wore bells 23:37 around their necks as they do now, 23:39 but if you could hear what I hear now, you'd hear the sound 23:42 of cow bells all around. It's still a beautiful, scenic, 23:47 pristine place. In Zwingli's day it had to have 23:51 been even more so. It was here that a life began, 23:56 that went on to change the world and still affects you 23:59 and me today. 24:03 [interlude] 24:12 ♪ [Dramatic triumphant melody] ♪ I hope you'll get the book 24:15 I'm offering you this week. It's called "Revelation Today." 24:19 It unfolds the end times scenario presented in 24:22 the book of Revelation. This little book is going to 24:25 help you understand what the book of Revelation is 24:27 really all about. It untangles the end time 24:31 prophetic scenario to let you see how the battle between good 24:34 and evil ultimately plays out. Just call or write, and I'll 24:38 send you "Revelation Today." There's no cost, no obligation. 24:42 It's absolutely free. All you need to do is call 24:45 1-800-253-3000, and ask for "Revelation Today." You can call 24:50 24 hours a day. If the line's busy, 24:53 please, just keep on trying. You can also request 24:56 your free copy of "Revelation Today" 24:59 by writing to It Is Written, 25:01 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401 25:05 and we'll mail a copy to your address 25:07 in North America. To get it right away 25:10 you can download a free electronic version of the book 25:12 "Revelation Today" from our website 25:15 ItIsWritten.com. Now, It Is Written 25:18 is a faith-based ministry made possible by 25:20 viewers like you. Thank you so much 25:23 for your kind support. Your help makes it possible 25:26 for us to share God's good news with the world. 25:29 Your tax deductible gift can be sent to the address on 25:31 your screen, or you can support us online at ItIsWritten.com. 25:36 Thank you for your continued gracious support. 25:39 Our toll-free number is 1-800-253-3000, 25:44 and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 25:52 Let's pray together. Our Father in heaven, 25:55 how good you are to send light into this world. 25:58 You raised up people like Huldrych Zwingli 26:00 for a purpose: to advance the light of truth, 26:04 to take the gospel to people in desperate need 26:07 of the light of heaven. And I thank you today that 26:09 you are still in the business of reaching the hearts of men 26:12 and women with your good news. And Father, I want to pray 26:16 now for that man, that woman, that young person who is 26:19 reaching out to you. He or she who knows in his or her heart 26:24 that what is needed in that individual's life 26:27 is Jesus Christ. Friend, I want to 26:28 encourage you, if you've not accepted Jesus as your Savior, 26:32 or if you've been half-hearted in your relationship 26:34 with Christ, reach out to God now, 26:37 and know that he accepts you and pledges through Jesus to save 26:41 you and give you everlasting life. 26:44 Now, Father in heaven, I thank you that you offer 26:45 us eternity, and that before eternity arrives, 26:49 eternity can begin in our hearts, 26:52 while we live our lives connected to you. 26:55 We thank you for that Christ-centered life, that life 26:58 that leans on Jesus. Give us grace 27:01 to live that life, and in this life live 27:04 with joy and hope and confidence for now 27:08 and for the future, for an eternal future. 27:12 We thank you that your spirit has caused light to shine 27:19 in the dark. Let your light shine 27:21 in our hearts now and always, 27:23 I pray and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. 27:30 ♪ [reflective interlude] ♪ 27:45 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪ Thanks for joining me today. 27:49 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:50 Until then, remember, it is written, 27:53 man shall not live by bread alone, 27:58 but by every word that proceeds from 27:59 |
Revised 2015-09-09