It Is Written

Shelter in the Storm

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001289A


00:01 [It Is Written Theme]
00:08 >: It has stood the test of time.
00:13 God's book, the Bible;
00:18 still relevant in today's complex world.
00:23 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe.
00:36 [sounds of thunder]
00:43 [Serene melody]
00:53 JB: This is It Is Written.
00:54 I'm John Bradshaw.
00:56 Thanks for joining me.
00:57 If you live in the western world in the 21st century, the chances
01:01 are you enjoy a certain amount of religious freedom.
01:05 You're free to go to church, if you want to; or not,
01:08 if you don't want to.
01:10 You can believe the Bible to be your sacred text or the Koran or
01:14 the Bhagavad Gita or something else,
01:16 or you can ignore them all.
01:18 You can be a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Atheist,
01:23 whatever you please.
01:25 You can be because you experience, you enjoy,
01:29 religious freedom.
01:31 But it hasn't always been that way.
01:34 Think with me for a few minutes about where that religious
01:37 freedom has come from.
01:40 I'm in Geneva, Switzerland, at the site of the International
01:43 Monument to the Protestant Reformation, otherwise known
01:46 as the Reformers Wall.
01:48 It was completed in 1909, the 400th anniversary of the
01:53 birth of John Calvin, the great Reformer who helped to make
01:57 the city of Geneva famous.
01:59 And if you look at the Reformers Wall, across the top you see a
02:04 certain phrase written in Latin: post tenebras lux.
02:10 After darkness, light.
02:13 And it was people like John Calvin who helped to cause light
02:16 to shine into a world that until then had been full of darkness.
02:22 In the Middle Ages, the Roman church, the Vatican City,
02:25 was the ruling, dominant religious power in the world,
02:29 and at that time there was nothing that really
02:32 resembled religious freedom.
02:35 Now, you were free to believe in God,
02:37 you were free to believe certain teachings,
02:39 as long as your beliefs and the teachings of the church
02:44 were on the same page.
02:46 If your views and the church's views digressed or diverged,
02:51 you could be in real trouble.
02:53 It could even cost you your life.
02:56 That's where people like John Calvin came in.
02:59 Gripped with a conviction that the Word of God should be the
03:03 basis for a person's faith, they clung to the Word of God,
03:07 believed the Word of God, they taught the Word of God,
03:11 and the world would never be the same again.
03:14 And you, as a result, have religious freedom today.
03:22 This beautiful city, nestled on the shores of a spectacular
03:25 lake, would prove to be a refuge for faithful worshipers of God
03:29 throughout Europe, who fled their native lands so they could
03:32 honor the Bible and the convictions of their hearts.
03:37 And more than anyone else, the man who made this possible
03:40 was John Calvin, one of the greatest
03:43 of the Protestant Reformers.
03:45 Our story starts with him.
03:51 John Calvin was born about 60 miles outside the city of Paris
03:55 in France.
03:56 He was the first of four children in his family to
03:59 survive infancy, and his father was determined that he was going
04:02 to have a son or sons who would study for the priesthood.
04:06 John was a bright boy.
04:08 At just the age of 12 he was given a position
04:10 of responsibility by a local bishop.
04:12 And not long after, he was enrolled in university
04:16 to study philosophy and to prepare
04:18 for the priesthood.
04:20 But his father got the idea that John could make a whole lot more
04:22 money as a lawyer, so John changed directions and he
04:26 enrolled again, this time to study law at a different
04:29 college, in the year 1529.
04:33 John loved the ancient classics, so he studied ancient Greek,
04:38 and although he might not have realized it at the time,
04:40 it prepared him for later understanding in a profound way
04:44 the writings in the New Testament.
04:48 But God had something other than a legal career in mind for young
04:52 John Calvin.
04:54 In 1533, he met Jesus for the first time, in a dramatic
04:59 conversion experience.
05:01 Reading his personal accounts of what happened, it appears that a
05:04 long process of inner turmoil eventually led him to a sudden
05:08 and total commitment to God as the Lord of his life and the
05:12 arranger of his plans.
05:15 It was about this time that the spirit of the Protestant
05:17 Reformation, which had already begun with Martin Luther in
05:20 Germany, began to stir in John's heart.
05:24 As a result, he chose to leave the Roman Catholic church.
05:30 You know, God will do that in a person's life.
05:32 We make plans and have ideas and we're looking forward to the
05:35 future, and then God intervenes and changes our direction.
05:39 Sometimes that can come as a real surprise, particularly
05:42 when it happens in your spiritual life.
05:44 I was born into a certain faith, I discovered certain things,
05:48 my friend brought me to this church.
05:50 But then God reveals to you that He didn't bring you to where you
05:54 are to stay forever, but he brought you
05:56 to where you are so that you could learn enough
05:59 to prepare you to move on and grow spiritually.
06:02 And that's important.
06:04 Now, in life generally it's right to make plans, it's right
06:07 to have ideas and a direction for your future; but what's even
06:10 more right is to submit your plans and ideas and your
06:14 direction to God, because God may have another way.
06:18 It might even be a better way.
06:20 John Calvin found out that God's way was better, but certainly
06:25 that God's way was more challenging.
06:28 But submitted to God, Calvin lived the life
06:31 God wanted him to live.
06:33 And when we do that, we discover it's by far
06:36 a more rewarding life.
06:39 Then, in mid-October of 1534, something happened that altered
06:44 John Calvin's life.
06:47 A group of overzealous Protestants went around Paris
06:50 posting placards attacking various Roman Catholic teachings
06:54 and practices.
06:55 They meant well enough, inasmuch as they thought they were doing
06:58 something for the truth.
07:00 But it was a foolish act that caused Catholic authorities
07:03 around France to react violently.
07:06 As a result, Calvin fled to Basil in Switzerland, a city
07:10 with strong Protestant leanings.
07:14 It isn't easy to know just how much damage was done to the work
07:17 of the gospel by the posting of those placards in Paris.
07:21 Evidently somebody didn't understand that even zeal for
07:24 God really ought to be guided by the Holy Spirit and wisdom.
07:29 Somebody succeeded in stirring a whole lot of anger, but God was
07:33 no doubt more interested in stirring up hearts.
07:37 That act of misguided enthusiasm set back the work of Reform.
07:42 In fact, it no doubt had a negative impact on the future
07:46 history of the nation of France.
07:50 So, John Calvin had moved into Switzerland, and today in
07:54 Switzerland his image is etched in stone.
07:57 Now, for his image to be etched in stone, you know that
07:59 something pretty remarkable had to have happened.
08:02 And we'll find out what that was in just a moment.
08:08 >: You are watching the weekly It Is Written program with
08:10 Pastor John Bradshaw, but did you know that
08:13 there's a daily program, too?
08:15 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional
08:18 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially
08:22 for busy people like you.
08:23 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it online
08:27 every day on our website, ItIsWritten.com.
08:30 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
08:32 Watch Every Word.
08:34 You'll be glad you did.
08:38 [Rythmic Melody]
08:45 JB: There's a beautiful verse in the last chapter of the
08:47 book of Daniel that shows us what a high value God places on
08:50 people sharing their faith in God with others.
08:53 It says in Daniel 12:3, "They that turn many to
08:56 righteousness will shine as the stars for ever and ever."
09:01 God says there's a special eternal blessing, or quality,
09:04 about those who put an emphasis on winning souls to Christ.
09:07 And it's something everyone can do.
09:09 That is, we can take the opportunities God brings to us
09:12 to share our faith with others.
09:14 Who is there in your life who might need to hear the good news
09:17 of salvation through Jesus?
09:19 Look for the opportunities God brings to you.
09:21 You can even pray that God would bring opportunities to you.
09:24 Everyone you come in contact with is a potential soul for the
09:27 kingdom of heaven, and those who win souls will shine forever.
09:32 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written.
09:34 Let's live today by every word.
09:39 JB: This is It Is Written.
09:40 I'm John Bradshaw.
09:41 Thanks for joining me today.
09:43 It was while he was living in Basil, Switzerland, during the
09:46 year 1536 that John Calvin published the first edition of
09:50 his signature work, "Institutes of the Christian Religion."
09:54 It was a hugely influential book and it's still read by theology
09:57 students today.
09:59 In a large degree, it outlined the theological positions taken
10:02 by the major Protestant Reformers of that time, and one
10:05 of the key subjects in the book is the subject of justification
10:09 by faith alone; a major tenant of the Protestant Reformation
10:13 and a doctrine that drove Protestantism forward.
10:17 It wasn't long after this that Calvin returned briefly to
10:20 France, where his brother was in the process of settling their
10:23 late father's financial affairs.
10:26 But the persecution of the Protestants was in full force in
10:29 France just then, and so it was clear to John that he had no
10:32 future in that country if he was to keep true to his faith.
10:36 For a short time he fled to the city of Strasbourg, which then
10:40 was on the border between France and the German states of the
10:43 Holy Roman Empire.
10:45 But due to both German and French pressure, Calvin was soon
10:49 forced out of Strasbourg.
10:51 Making a detour to the south, he ended up in Geneva.
10:55 He'd only planned to stay one night in that city,
10:58 but William Farrell, a fellow French Reformer
11:01 who lived in Geneva, begged Calvin to stay.
11:04 And so he did.
11:06 The city of Geneva would never be the same again.
11:10 Calvin's early experience in Geneva was a rocky one.
11:14 Disagreements with other Protestants, together with the
11:16 unease of the Geneva city councilmen who wanted a closer
11:20 relationship with France, ended with Calvin and William Farrell
11:24 fleeing to Basil, where Calvin had taken refuge once before.
11:29 Soon he was invited to return to Strasbourg and take up the
11:32 position of pastor at a new Protestant church there.
11:36 The city welcomed John to his new position, which he held from
11:38 1538 to 1541.
11:41 Now, in 1541 the city leaders of Geneva came to the conclusion
11:45 that they'd been wrong to force John Calvin to leave.
11:49 Church attendance was down, political tensions had not
11:52 eased, and disputes within Protestant circles
11:55 were growing more serious.
11:57 So the city council decided to ask Calvin to come back.
12:01 But he wasn't interested, at all.
12:04 He wrote in reply, "Rather would I submit to death a hundred
12:09 times than to that cross on which I had to perish daily
12:13 a thousand times over."
12:16 But true to his character, the great Reformer
12:19 was determined to follow the Lord's leading,
12:21 even if it didn't promise to be pleasant.
12:24 So Calvin came back from Strasbourg to Geneva on
12:27 September 13, 1541, with an official escort
12:30 and a wagon for his family.
12:33 Calvin was one of those men who realized that God sometimes
12:35 brings responsibilities that promise more pain than pleasure.
12:40 With the cause and the work of God being the most important
12:43 thing in his life, he was willing to sacrifice his energy,
12:47 his talents, and even his peace of mind all because he believed
12:51 God was guiding him.
12:54 Calvin's life in Geneva was often hard.
12:58 He had few if any worldly possessions.
13:01 His house and his furniture were owned by the city council,
13:04 though the home was large enough to accommodate both John's
13:06 family and that of his brother.
13:09 In 1545, John's wife, Idalette, gave birth to a son,
13:13 who died soon after.
13:15 Four years later, Ida Litt also fell ill and died.
13:20 John Calvin was heartbroken, as you'd expect.
13:23 He later wrote of his sorrow.
13:24 He said, "I've been bereaved of the best friend of my life,
13:30 of one who had it been so ordained would willingly
13:33 have shared not only my poverty but also my death.
13:37 During her life, she was the faithful helper of my ministry.
13:41 From her I never experienced the slightest hindrance."
13:46 John Calvin never did remarry, but the Lord gave him true
13:49 friends who kept close to his side for the rest of his life.
13:53 Among them were William Farel, Nicholas Cop, and Martin
13:56 Luther's young protégé, Philip Melanchto.
14:01 Calvin and the officials of Geneva put together a list of
14:04 reforms for the city, mainly as a means of distinguishing the
14:07 authority of the Church from that of the civil government.
14:11 Now this would often prove to be a difficult relationship,
14:15 but most of his efforts were directed toward establishing
14:18 order within the Church and in nurturing the faith that had
14:22 spawned the Reformation.
14:24 It is said that Calvin preached as many as 2,000 sermons
14:29 during his stay in Geneva.
14:31 Many of his sermons lasted at least an hour, and he never
14:34 preached with notes.
14:36 He was a man of deep learning and vast biblical knowledge.
14:41 But, John Calvin wasn't without his faults.
14:45 His understanding of the Bible included some surprising errors.
14:50 Calvin taught what became known as the Doctrine of
14:54 Predestination, the idea that God has decided in advance
14:58 who's going to be saved and who is going to be lost
15:01 and there's nothing you can do about it.
15:03 Now, it's hard to fathom how a man of Calvin's learning could
15:06 believe predestination, when there are texts in the Bible
15:10 like these: "For God so loved the world
15:13 that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever
15:17 believes in him should not perish
15:19 but have everlasting life."
15:20 That's John 3 verse 16.
15:22 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
15:25 as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,
15:29 not willing that any should perish
15:32 but that all should come to repentance."
15:35 2 Peter 3 verse 9.
15:37 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved."
15:41 Matthew 24 and verse 13.
15:44 "The spirit of the Bride say come, and let him who hears say
15:47 come, and let him who thirsts say come, and whoever desires,
15:51 let him take of the water of life freely."
15:54 Revelation 22 verse 17.
15:57 It's hard to read these verses and come away with the idea that
16:00 God has arbitrarily chosen some to be saved
16:03 and others to be lost.
16:05 The verses found in this book, the Bible, give every indication
16:08 that salvation is not only available to everybody, but that
16:11 somebody can in fact lose their salvation.
16:15 But unfortunately, that's what John Calvin believed.
16:18 And it hurt his influence with many people who otherwise might
16:22 have accepted his convictions.
16:25 Now, sometimes Calvin used the power of civil authority in
16:29 Geneva to punish those who disagreed with him
16:32 or threatened his power.
16:34 There was one man by the name of Jacques Gruet, who was accused
16:37 of plotting against Calvin's authority.
16:39 He was even subjected to torture
16:42 as a means of getting him to confess was he'd done.
16:45 He was later condemned to death and beheaded
16:48 with Calvin's consent, on July 26, 1547.
16:52 Now, perhaps the most famous example of Calvin's misuse of
16:55 power was in the case of Michael Servetus,
16:59 a Spanish physician and theologian who disagreed on
17:02 Calvin on doctrines such as the Trinity and infant baptism.
17:05 He'd already been sentenced to death by burning at the stake in
17:08 the city of Vienna, Austria, but he escaped.
17:12 On his way to Italy, he stopped in Geneva and he was arrested
17:16 and tried for heresy.
17:18 On October 20, 1553, Servetus was condemned for his beliefs by
17:22 the city council of Geneva, and the following day he was again
17:26 sentenced to be burned at the stake.
17:29 It was October 27, 1553, when this terrible sentence
17:35 was carried out.
17:36 [somber music]
17:41 ♪ I fear no foe, ♪ ♪ with Thee at hand to bless; ♪
17:52 ♪ Ills have no weight, ♪ ♪ and tears no bitterness. ♪
18:03 ♪ Where is death's sting? ♪ ♪ Where, grave, thy victory? ♪
18:14 ♪ I triumph still, if Thou ♪ ♪ abide with me. ♪
18:48 JB: If you're looking for the security of salvation,
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21:07 [Folk tune]
21:19 JB: John Calvin's shortcomings, his errors, if you like,
21:22 reveal to us a couple of very important things.
21:25 One is that God uses flawed, imperfect people
21:29 to get His work done.
21:31 And God will use who He has to use,
21:33 those who are willing to be used by Him.
21:36 Another thing Calvin's experience teaches us is,
21:40 as profoundly important as the Reformation was,
21:42 as outstanding as the Reformers themselves were,
21:46 the work of the Reformation is not over.
21:49 There's still work that needs to be done.
21:53 The Bible tells us in Acts 17 verse 30,
21:56 that God winks at the times of our ignorance.
21:59 We also read in the epistle of James that
22:02 "To him who knows to do good and does not do it,
22:06 to him it is sin."
22:07 James 4:17.
22:10 In the book of Proverbs, the wise man declares,
22:13 "But the path of the just is like the shining sun
22:16 that shines even brighter unto the perfect day."
22:20 Proverbs 4:18.
22:22 The work of the Protestant Reformation is not over,
22:25 it still needs to be finished.
22:28 God doesn't hold men and women accountable for believing
22:31 or doing wrong when they don't know better.
22:34 The God of Scripture is infinitely fair in His judgment
22:39 of every case.
22:41 [Pensive Melody]
22:46 Geneva and Lake Geneva are especially beautiful, but during
22:50 the Reformation people flocked here not because of the beauty
22:53 of the area but because of the protection it provided from the
22:56 wrath of the established Church.
22:58 Now true, there were disputes from time to time among the
23:00 refugees who came here, but that didn't stop people from many
23:05 lands from seeking shelter here.
23:07 Shelter from a storm of persecution that raged
23:11 throughout Europe.
23:14 The natural fortifications of this community,
23:17 the towering Alps and rugged terrain, gave an
23:21 added protection to Geneva and to the rest of Switzerland when
23:25 foreign powers threatened their security.
23:28 When the French king Louis XIV reopened persecution of French
23:32 Protestants in 1685, the city of Geneva was quick to invite and
23:37 welcome all who sought refuge.
23:40 The faithful, Bible-believing Waldenses also found a home here
23:44 in a time of crisis.
23:46 More than a hundred years after John Calvin's death, the Alpine
23:51 valleys where the Waldenses had lived for centuries were stolen
23:55 by their enemies.
23:57 These faithful Christians saw their possessions plundered
24:01 and most of their people slaughtered.
24:04 The 12,000 or more who survived were thrown into prison,
24:08 most of them destined to die there.
24:18 Those who were released were not permitted to return
24:22 to their native valleys in northern Europe,
24:24 they were expelled from Italy even though the mountain
24:28 passes out of Italy were clogged with heavy snow.
24:32 It was, after all, late December.
24:35 But those 3,000 decided that they had to get to Geneva.
24:40 So they braved the brutal weather, they trudged through
24:43 the snow, and they made it.
24:46 They made it here, and what a welcome they received.
24:50 It is said that half of the city of Geneva turned out
24:54 to welcome them.
24:56 And they received food and clothing
24:58 and medical care and shelter.
25:01 They received just about every kind of hospitality
25:04 you could imagine.
25:05 Heroes they were, they risked their lives
25:09 for one thing: They had to get to the place
25:13 where they could embrace the Bible and live their faith.
25:17 They had to get to the place where they would be free
25:20 to worship the God that loved them so.
25:23 They were driven by that.
25:25 They had to get to that place.
25:29 You know, it reminds me of Proverbs 18 and verse 10,
25:31 which says, "The name of the Lord
25:34 is a strong tower.
25:35 The righteous runneth into it and is safe."
25:40 Jesus is that safe place for you and me.
25:44 These brave souls had to get to Geneva,
25:47 this wonderful city that opened its arms
25:49 and embraced them, protected them, and kept them.
25:52 In the same way, we have to get to Jesus.
25:55 He's our safety, He's our hope.
25:59 These hardy, brave heroic souls demonstrated that truth matters.
26:03 It matters what you believe.
26:05 And it matters that you live what you believe.
26:08 So, how is it with you, friend?
26:10 Are you living what you believe.
26:12 You know Jesus is the Savior of all the world,
26:14 but are you living that belief?
26:16 You know the Bible is the Word of God,
26:18 but are you living that belief?
26:19 You know that God will forgive your sins and on top of that
26:23 give you a new heart that will keep you from going back into
26:26 the old ways, but are you living that?
26:29 You can live that today.
26:30 In fact, God can do that work and live that in you.
26:36 It's what He wants to do; it's what He delights to do;
26:40 it's what He will do, when you let Him do it.
26:43 Let's pray together now, shall we?
26:45 Our father in heaven, we are thankful for Jesus,
26:48 our example in all things.
26:50 We're thankful too for the example of the Reformers
26:54 and the brave souls who emulated them
26:56 and followed their lead and were faithful and true
26:59 to the teachings of the Bible.
27:01 You've given us Your Word to keep us, inform us, and guide us
27:05 down in what we believe to be the closing days
27:07 of this earth's history.
27:09 So let that work be done.
27:11 You know we are weak, but You've promised
27:13 that Your strength is made perfect in weakness,
27:17 and You've promised that the One who has begun
27:19 a good work in us is faithful to perform it
27:21 to the day of Jesus Christ.
27:23 Fill us with Your faith, Your Spirit and Your love,
27:26 we pray.
27:28 In Jesus' name.
27:30 Amen.
27:35 [Tender music]
27:48 JB: Thanks for joining me today.
27:49 I look forward to seeing you again next time.
27:51 Until then, remember, It is written,
27:55 man shall not live by bread alone,
27:59 but by every word that proceeds
28:02 from the mouth of God.
28:03 ♪ [Closing Theme] ♪


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Revised 2015-06-18