Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW016118A
00:20 This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:22 Thanks for joining me. In 2005, a young man walking 00:27 along a street in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was arrested for 00:30 dealing drugs and spent the next four years of his life 00:33 in prison. Except he wasn't guilty. 00:37 The police officer who arrested the young man framed him for 00:40 a crime he didn't commit. Well, that same crooked cop 00:44 himself spent time in prison, and after both men had been 00:48 arrested they found themselves working alongside each other 00:50 in a coffee shop run by an employment agency. 00:54 The former police officer apologized to the man that 00:58 he had falsely arrested and falsely accused, 01:02 and that young man who had spent four years in prison, 01:04 and lost what he described as everything, 01:07 forgave him. He forgave him. 01:12 Forgiveness is so important that Jesus said in Matthew 6, 01:15 verses 14 and 15, "For if you forgive men their 01:20 trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 01:24 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will 01:28 your Father forgive your trespasses." 01:32 Forgiveness is really that important, and yet I think it's 01:36 fair to say that most everybody has forgiveness issues. 01:39 You get wronged by a spouse, a teacher, an employer, a friend, 01:45 a neighbor, a colleague. Sometimes forgiveness doesn't 01:49 come easily, and sometimes it doesn't come at all. 01:54 Today, a story of tragedy, a story of forgiveness, 01:59 a dramatic gesture made when blame could easily 02:02 have been assigned but instead was set aside 02:05 in grace and tolerance. Coventry, England, is located 02:10 95 miles northwest of London. It has a population approaching 02:15 350,000, about the same as Honolulu, Hawaii, but 02:19 geographically it's the same size as Jefferson City, 02:22 Missouri. Six-hundred fifty-thousand 02:25 people live in metropolitan Coventry. 02:28 Historically, Coventry has been an important manufacturing city. 02:32 The modern bicycle was invented in Coventry by a man 02:36 named James Starley. His and other bicycle companies 02:40 concentrated here in Coventry. Over time, many of them 02:45 developed into motorcycle manufacturers and then 02:48 car manufacturers. Jaguar's corporate head office 02:52 is located in Whitley on the south side of Coventry. 02:57 The city was founded in 1043 and was the capital of England for 03:02 a time in the 15th century. And being such an important city 03:05 industrially, it became a target for the Luftwaffe, 03:10 the German air force, during World War II. 03:14 At the time of the war, factories here also produced 03:18 armaments and munitions and aircraft that were important 03:22 in the British war effort. So Coventry was a high priority 03:27 for the German military, and in 1940 Coventry found itself at 03:34 the receiving end of what is now referred to as the 03:38 "Coventry Blitz." The British Isles hadn't fallen 03:43 to a European invasion since the Norman Conquest of 1066, 03:48 but now Great Britain was all that stood between Adolph Hitler 03:51 and total European domination. Britain had held the German 03:55 Luftwaffe off during the Battle of Britain, 03:58 but Germany's attacks were far from over, and 04:00 Great Britain couldn't breathe easily. 04:05 The Luftwaffe's tactics were first to drop incendiary devices 04:09 on targets. These would start fires that 04:11 would do massive damage and light the way for the next 04:14 wave of bombers. More than 500 German planes took 04:18 part in the attack on Coventry, November 14, 1940. 04:23 More than 200 fires swept through the city. 04:26 More than 4,300 homes were destroyed. 04:29 In fact, two-thirds of the buildings in Coventry were 04:32 destroyed or badly damaged. Only three other British cities 04:37 suffered more damage in Luftwaffe attacks 04:39 during World War II than did Coventry. 04:43 The damage was so great that Nazi propaganda minister, 04:46 Joseph Goebbels, would later describe cities that 04:50 had been similarly attacked as having been "Coventried." 04:55 Five hundred sixty-three of Coventry's 238,000 inhabitants 05:00 died in the attack. The number would have been much 05:03 higher if residents weren't in the habit of leaving for the 05:07 countryside each evening, as the air raids almost always 05:11 took place at night. 05:16 Among the many buildings destroyed in that 05:18 devastating attack was St. Michael's Cathedral, 05:21 or Coventry Cathedral. It was built in the 14th century 05:26 and it was the city's most famous landmark. 05:29 The first incendiary bombs fell on the cathedral at about 05:32 8 o'clock that night, igniting a fire that voluntary 05:35 firefighters were quickly able to extinguish. 05:38 However, more bombs soon followed, and the flames and 05:42 the explosions that engulfed the city swept through the 05:46 old cathedral, reducing it to rubble. 05:59 Today, only ruins remain of that old cathedral, and on the wall 06:05 behind the altar of that devastated building can 06:08 be read the words, "Father forgive." 06:12 Now there's a story behind that. I'll share it with you in 06:16 just a moment. 06:18 [music] "Promises of Power" is our 06:30 free offer for you today. This little book is a collection 06:34 of some of the most powerful promises found in the Bible, 06:38 and it's ideal for sharing with somebody else who needs to be 06:41 encouraged by the great promises in the Bible. 06:44 Now, to get your free copy, just call 1(800) 253-3000 06:49 and ask for "Promises of Power." There's no cost; 06:53 there's no obligation; it's absolutely free. 06:56 You can call 24 hours a day. Now, if the line's busy, 07:00 please keep trying. You can also request 07:02 "Promises of Power" by writing to: 07:04 It Is Written, Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 07:09 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. 07:13 Now, please note: this free book is limited 07:15 to the supply on hand. For immediate access, you can 07:19 download a free electronic version of the book 07:21 "Promises of Power" from our website, 07:22 ItIsWritten.com. Our toll-free number is 07:26 (800) 253-3000, and you'll find us online 07:31 at ItIsWritten.com. 07:38 [melancholy tones] Thanks for joining me 07:46 today on It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 07:50 I'm in Coventry, in the county of West Midlands, 07:53 right about in the center of England. 07:56 It's the birthplace of Frank Whittle, 07:58 who invented the jet engine, and it's the reputed site of one 08:02 of England's most interesting legends. 08:06 The story goes that in the 11th century, the wife of 08:10 the Earl of Mercia appealed to her husband in behalf 08:13 of the suffering citizens of Coventry, who were being 08:17 crushed under the weight of his oppressive taxation. 08:21 After repeatedly appealing to the man, he agreed that he would 08:25 roll back those taxes if she, his wife, agreed to ride through 08:31 the streets of Coventry naked. So, after asking the good people 08:36 of Coventry to stay indoors and to pull their blinds, 08:39 Lady Godiva did just that. Now, there was one man who, 08:44 that day, did not respect her request for privacy. 08:49 His name was Tom, and that's where today we get the term 08:54 "peeping Tom." 08:58 Now, that's just a legend, but what's not a fable is what 09:03 happened here in 1940, when Coventry was bombed during 09:07 World War II. What happened was an inspired 09:12 act that appeals to the heart and calls on human beings to 09:16 reach beyond hate and war to reconciliation and peace. 09:25 Following the bombing of the cathedral, a stonemason noticed 09:29 two charred beams lying together in the shape of a cross, and 09:34 he tied them together and put that cross up in the ruins 09:38 of the cathedral. The original charred cross 09:43 is here at Coventry Cathedral, while a replica is on display 09:48 in the ruins of the church. The cathedral provost, 09:53 Richard Howard, made a cross of three roofing 09:57 nails taken from the ruins. Today 160 of these crosses exist 10:02 in different sites around the world, and they've become 10:05 symbols of peace and reconciliation. 10:09 But there's something else the provost did that calls 10:12 to hearts today. 10:15 [rhythmic drumming] 10:21 After the bombing of the cathedral, 10:23 with England still in the grip of battle with its enemies, 10:26 and while the ruins of the cathedral were still 10:28 smoldering, Howard took a piece of chalk 10:31 and wrote "Father forgive" on the wall behind 10:35 the altar. Father forgive. 10:39 The BBC's Christmas Day radio special that year was 10:42 broadcast from right here, among the ruins of the 10:45 cathedral, and during that time Howard told the world 10:49 that from then on the cathedral would work with people that 10:52 had once been England's enemies to promote a kinder, 10:56 more Christlike world. A cross of nails can also be 11:01 found at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, 11:05 Germany, which also was destroyed during World War II. 11:12 Father forgive. 11:16 [ethereal music] 11:20 Howard did not write Father forgive them; 11:23 he wrote simply Father forgive, because as the Bible says, 11:27 "all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God." 11:31 We all need to experience God's forgiveness, not simply 11:34 the people who offend us. And what Richard Howard was 11:39 writing about was not some small thing. 11:41 It wasn't an uncomplicated act. Instead, it was an aggressive 11:45 act of overwhelming hostility, and it seems it was something 11:51 that might well have been avoided. 11:54 The German military had a sophisticated system for 11:57 encoding its communications, but the Enigma Cypher Machine, 12:02 developed before World War II, had enabled the British to 12:06 intercept and understand some of the messages the Germans 12:10 were sending. A book written in 1974 by a man 12:15 who worked on cracking the Germans' codes claimed that 12:20 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew about 12:23 the attack on Coventry before it took place and yet chose not 12:28 to take evasive or defensive action for fear that it would 12:32 let the Germans know that England had worked out their 12:35 codes and prompt the Germans to use new codes, 12:38 launch further attacks, take more lives, and perhaps 12:42 prolong the war. Now, some historians say 12:45 Churchill did not know about the attack on Coventry in advance, 12:49 but if he did, we can understand his burden as those German 12:52 planes came bearing down on this place here in Coventry. 12:57 It has been said that Churchill said his decision to do nothing 13:00 about the Coventry attacks in order to prevent them aged him 13:04 20 years. The British, thanks to the work 13:09 of the team led by codebreaker Alan Turing, did crack 13:13 the German codes. Historians say Turing's work 13:17 shortened World War II by between two and four years. 13:22 Father forgive. But how do you forgive something 13:26 like a war? How do you forgive something 13:30 like a devastating attack on a city, an attack that destroyed 13:34 the 700-year-old cathedral in which you minister? 13:39 Now, Coventry was also the site of another heinous event, one 13:42 that took place 400-or-so years before the Coventry Blitz, 13:47 and one that most people would find very hard to forgive. 13:52 I'll have more in just a moment. [hopeful music] 13:57 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 13:59 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, and designed 14:02 especially for busy people like you. 14:04 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks or watch it 14:07 online every day on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 14:13 [upbeat hopeful tune] 14:19 Psalm 51 is David's beautiful psalm of repentance. 14:21 Notice what David says in Psalm 51, verse 2, 14:24 "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse 14:27 me from my sin." Now, notice: wash me thoroughly. 14:31 Two things with that: David had no intention of 14:33 carrying on in the sins that he'd committed. 14:36 He wanted to be washed, made clean. 14:37 He wanted the dirt gone; not only gone but thoroughly gone. 14:41 It wasn't "forgive me of this, 14:43 but I want to keep doing it." David wanted to be made new, 14:46 transformed. And that's the goal of 14:48 repentance. Not just forgiveness for a 14:50 certain deed but total cleansing from sin. 14:53 If you come to God half committed, wanting to give 14:56 Him part of your life, it's just not going 14:58 to work very well. But when you are willing to 15:01 surrender to God completely, God will forgive you and 15:04 cleans you, like He forgave and 15:06 cleansed David. I'm John Bradshaw for 15:08 It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 15:13 [music] Planning for your financial 15:17 future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 15:21 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free planned 15:24 giving and estate services. For information on how we can 15:28 help you, please call (800) 992-2219. 15:32 To receive additional materials on the advantages of life income 15:36 plans such as a charitable gift annuity, which can provide you 15:39 with tax benefits and income for life, call today, or visit our 15:44 special website, www.HisLegacy.com. 15:49 You can also write to It Is Written, 15:51 Planned Giving and Trust Services, 15:54 P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 15:59 Our toll-free number again is (800) 992-2219, and our web 16:04 address is HisLegacy.com. [music] 16:14 [somber contemplative tones] Thanks for joining me 16:24 today on It Is Written. When German bombers attacked 16:27 Coventry, England, in November of 1940 during World War II, 16:32 more than 500 people were killed, the city was devastated, 16:36 and Coventry Cathedral was completely destroyed. 16:40 The day after the attack, the leading minister at 16:43 Coventry Cathedral wrote on a wall behind the altar, 16:47 in the ruins of the cathedral, the words "Father forgive." 16:52 The inference was that we all--not just our enemies, 16:55 not just those who have wronged us--but we all need to be 16:59 forgiven, because we've all wronged God. 17:03 Father forgive. Today in Coventry, there's a 17:07 memorial to a group of people known as the "Coventry Martyrs," 17:12 a group of Protestant believers executed for their faith 17:15 in the 16th century. They were Lollards, adherents of 17:20 a reform movement initiated by John Wycliffe. 17:26 Among other things, these people advocated that the Bible should 17:29 be translated into English. They maintained that the state 17:32 should stay out of the affaires of the church, and given that 17:36 at the time there was a state church, that was a big deal. 17:40 They opposed the veneration of idols. 17:43 They did not believe in confession to a priest nor that 17:46 the Catholic church was the true church. 17:49 They were against corruption in the church, and at the time 17:52 there was plenty of it. Also, they believed in praying 17:57 in English, which at the time was not the done thing. 18:02 Well, in the 1500s, beliefs like this meant that you were pitted 18:06 directly against the establishment. 18:09 Yet you'll notice, these were not moral-ethical issues. 18:12 These were simply personally held beliefs. 18:16 These were people's choices as to how they would express their 18:20 own personal faith in God. [somber piano music] 18:32 Their award was death. They were burned at the stake. 18:36 Not far from here, nine of them, nine or so between 18:40 1512 and 1522; three more, 30 or so years later. 18:47 One of them was a minister of the gospel who believed in just 18:51 two of the church's seven sacraments, and that wasn't 18:55 enough for the church. He had to die. 19:00 One was a woman who was about to be released when it was 19:03 discovered that she had on her, written on a piece of paper, 19:07 the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, 19:11 and the Apostle's Creed. When that discovery was made, 19:14 she was condemned immediately and burned at the stake. 19:20 Some were executed because they dared to teach their children 19:22 to say the Lord's Prayer in English. 19:26 For that, they died. This memorial demonstrates that 19:32 their faith, their commitment to God, their courage and fidelity 19:36 to the Word of God hasn't been entirely forgotten. 19:40 In fact, there are several streets very near here that have 19:45 been named after the Coventry martyrs. 19:48 [somber piano cont.] You hear about things like that, 20:00 real events that happened to real people, 20:03 perpetrated by religious leaders, and it's easy to 20:08 imagine that forgiveness could be really difficult. 20:13 But then you think about that inscription, 'Father forgive.' 20:17 [somber violin and piano] Father forgive, written after 20:31 more than 500 innocent people were killed in a bombing raid. 20:37 Are some things just too bad to forgive? 20:41 Let's go back to what Jesus said. 20:43 It's challenging, and it's also unambiguous. 20:48 Matthew 6, 14 and 15 again: "For if you forgive men their 20:53 trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 20:59 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will 21:03 your Father forgive your trespasses." 21:07 [violin and piano cont.] Now, let's think about 21:25 something Jesus did. The creator of the universe came 21:29 to the world to be the savior of the world, and yet He was 21:33 arrested for crimes He did not commit. 21:36 His sham of a trial was horribly interfered with by people who 21:40 intimidated the judge, telling him that if he didn't find 21:44 Jesus guilty, he was no friend of Caesar. 21:47 Pilate said that he found no fault in Jesus; yet in spite of 21:51 that Jesus was taken away, nailed to a cross, 21:56 where He died for you and me a horribly cruel death 22:02 and then Jesus forgave them. 22:09 He prayed saying, "Father forgive them, 22:13 for they do not know what they do." 22:15 That's recorded in Luke 23:34. Coventry Cathedral today stands 22:22 for reconciliation. If standing for vengeance could 22:26 ever be justified, well you could understand that the people 22:29 of Coventry harbored vengeance in their hearts instead 22:33 of forgiveness. But no. 22:36 The motto here is "Father forgive." 22:42 [somber music ends] 22:46 There's enough unforgiveness and hatred in the world today 22:51 as it is. Christians are called not to 22:54 perpetuate that but to put an end to it. 22:58 Sometimes, that means you're going to make the decision 23:01 to forgive. Forgiving does not mean that 23:05 what happened to you was okay. What happened here years ago 23:09 was not okay. Forgiveness simply means that 23:13 you are refusing to stay chained to whoever it was, 23:16 or whatever it was, that hurt you. 23:19 Forgiveness isn't letting somebody off the hook, 23:22 other than forgiveness lets you off the hook 23:25 of bitterness and hatred. Forgiveness is you telling 23:30 yourself and the world that you're going to move forward 23:34 now without malice. [slow positive piano music] 23:52 A woman in Kansas received news that her parents had 23:54 been murdered. The killer got way with $17.00 23:58 and an old pickup truck. The parents lost their lives. 24:03 Sue sat through the trial and then visited the man in prison. 24:08 People thought she'd lost her mind. 24:10 It even caused a bit of a rift in her family. 24:14 But when she visited the man, she said to him, 24:16 "I don't know what to say to you, but I want you to 24:19 know that I don't hate you. My grandmother taught me never 24:24 to use that word. She said we're here on this 24:26 earth to love one another, that's what Jesus would do." 24:31 Later on she said, "If you're going to get over the 24:35 trauma of something like that, you really have to forgive." 24:40 She said, "You need to forgive, and then get on with your life. 24:45 It's what Jesus would do." Well, it is what Jesus did. 24:50 It's what the people of Coventry did. 24:53 And it's what Jesus will do in your life when He really has 24:57 your heart. [music] 25:09 "Promises of Power" is our free offer for you today. 25:13 This little book is a collection of some of the most powerful 25:17 promises found in the Bible, and it's ideal for sharing with 25:20 somebody else who needs to be encouraged by the great promises 25:24 in the Bible. Now, to get your free copy, just 25:27 call 1(800) 253-3000 and ask for "Promises of Power." 25:33 There's no cost; there's no obligation; 25:35 it's absolutely free. You can call 24 hours a day. 25:39 Now, if the line's busy, please keep trying. 25:43 You can also request "Promises of Power" 25:44 by writing to: It Is Written, Box 6, 25:47 Chattanooga, TN 37401, and we'll mail a copy to 25:52 your address in North America. Now, please note: this free book 25:55 is limited to the supply on hand. 25:58 For immediate access, you can download a free electronic 26:01 version of the book "Promises of Power" 26:03 from our website, ItIsWritten.com. 26:07 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 26:10 it possible for us to share God's good news with the world. 26:14 Your tax deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 26:17 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 26:20 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 26:23 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, and our web 26:28 address is ItIsWritten.com. [music] 26:37 Let's pray together. Our Father in heaven, 26:39 I thank You today for Jesus, the One who died that we 26:42 might live, the One who gave us a perfect example of 26:46 forgiveness. I pray today that anybody 26:50 battling with issues of forgiveness in their life would 26:53 find true forgiveness and the peace that comes with it, 26:56 in Jesus. Gives us grace to let go of 27:00 hurts, to hold no grudges, to bear no malice, 27:03 that Your character might be exemplified in our lives. 27:07 Thank You for the example of those in Coventry, who committed 27:11 themselves to forgives and reconciliation. 27:14 And might that be our experience. 27:16 Friend, if that's what you need from Jesus, He'll give it to you 27:18 now if you'll ask Him for it. He'll bring His grace and peace 27:22 and forgiveness into your life. And if you need personal 27:25 forgiveness from Jesus, know that God is ready to 27:28 forgive you now. Lord, we thank You and we pray 27:31 in Jesus' name. Amen. 27:37 [soft piano music] 27:51 Thanks for joining me today. 27:53 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:55 Until then, remember, it is written: 27:58 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 28:03 proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:06 [hopeful anthem] |
Revised 2018-08-29