It Is Written

A Mighty Fortress

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001291A


00:00 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪
00:07 >: It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book, the Bible;
00:17 still relevant in today's complex world.
00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe.
00:34 [Sounds of Thunder]
00:43 [Majestic Music]
00:53 JB: This is It Is Written.
00:55 I'm John Bradshaw.
00:56 Thanks for joining me today.
00:58 The Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany, about 225 miles south
01:03 of the city of Hamburg, was completed in the year 1068,
01:08 and at one time it was the home of one of
01:11 history's most famous prisoners.
01:15 From time to time people appear on the world stage
01:17 that profoundly affect the planet.
01:20 Very often, they have no intention of ever doing so,
01:23 and one of those people was Martin Luther.
01:30 Luther was kept as a prisoner here between May of 1521
01:34 and March of 1522.
01:37 It was at this solitary retreat that Martin Luther translated
01:41 the Bible into German.
01:43 It was in this very place, safe from the malice of his enemies,
01:48 admits some of the greatest dramas of his life, that Martin
01:52 Luther kept the fires of reform burning throughout Germany
01:56 and throughout all of Europe.
01:59 And Martin Luther left to the world a profound legacy that
02:03 affects all of us, even today.
02:07 [Suspensful Music]
02:13 The journey that brought Martin Luther to this place of peace
02:16 and quiet was one of tempest, conflict and great peril.
02:20 Charles V, the new Holy Roman Emperor, who reigned over most
02:25 of central Europe, was under great pressure from Rome
02:28 to crack down on Luther and his followers.
02:31 So Charles had a big problem.
02:34 The man whose influence was most responsible in getting him
02:37 elected emperor, Frederick the ruler of the province of Saxony,
02:42 was deeply impressed by Luther's teachings and had given Luther
02:46 protection.
02:48 Frederick insisted Luther had done nothing wrong and
02:51 that no error was found in his teachings, so he refused
02:53 to act against the Reformer.
02:55 And since the emperor was dependent on Frederick's support
02:59 to stay in power, the emperor found himself in quite a bind.
03:04 Frederick of Saxony was a faithful and powerful friend
03:07 to the great Reformer, and his influence ultimately
03:10 saved Luther's life.
03:14 Soon after Charles became emperor, key representatives
03:17 from throughout the German states gathered in the city of
03:20 Worms to meet with the young monarch.
03:24 Now in spite of the fact that there were plenty of pressing
03:26 political problems troubling the empire, there was nothing
03:30 generating the amount of excitement as the challenge that
03:33 had been made to the church and its teachings by a young Saxon
03:38 monk named Martin Luther.
03:40 And when word spread that Luther had been summoned
03:44 to appear before the princes, that excitement really grew.
03:48 You see, thousands of people had been impressed by the biblical
03:51 clarity and by the passion and by the eloquence
03:55 of Martin Luther's teachings.
03:58 Hope sprang up in countless hearts that a new day was
04:02 dawning, for the church in Germany and for all of Europe.
04:14 But a papal representative named Eleander was not impressed.
04:18 He insisted to the emperor and to others that because the pope
04:23 had already excommunicated Martin Luther the princes and
04:27 their new emperor had no other option than to go along
04:30 with what the pope had already decided.
04:32 So Charles gave Eleander an opportunity to make his case
04:36 to the princes.
04:37 He spoke eloquently and passionately and persuasively
04:41 against Luther and against Luther's challenge to the
04:44 establishment.
04:46 Many people were impressed, but the princes were well aware
04:50 that the church had been guilty of terrible crimes
04:53 and terrible persecution.
04:56 Nothing Eleander could say could erase that knowledge
04:59 from their minds.
05:02 A committee was put together by the princes to catalog the
05:05 abuses and oppression committed by the established church.
05:10 The list contained 101 specifications.
05:14 The emperor was urged to set about immediately to correct
05:17 these problems.
05:19 "It is our duty," the princes said, "to prevent the ruin
05:22 and dishonor of our people."
05:25 Addressing the emperor, they declared,
05:27 "We most humbly and most urgently entreat you to
05:31 order a general reformation and to undertake its
05:34 accomplishment."
05:37 The princes then demanded that Charles stick with his original
05:40 plan to bring Luther to appear before an assembly
05:43 of the princes, known as the Diet of Worms.
05:47 Now, if you see those words written they look like they say
05:49 the Diet of Worms, but the Diet was an assembly and Worms was
05:55 the German city in which that assembly took place.
05:59 There were loud protests from the papal authorities,
06:02 but the emperor did not consent and he pressed ahead
06:05 with his original intention.
06:07 An imperial messenger was dispatched to Wittenberg
06:10 with the emperor's summons, told to bring him back to Worm.
06:14 And he assured Luther that the emperor had pledged
06:18 that Luther would be kept safe.
06:21 But Luther's friends weren't so sure.
06:24 They remembered what had happened over a century earlier
06:28 to the Reformer, John Hus, of Bohemia.
06:32 Hus has been promised protection and safety when he appeared
06:36 before a papal tribunal, but that promise was broken
06:40 as soon as Hus arrived at the tribunal.
06:43 He was imprisoned and ultimately burned at the stake.
06:50 But although Luther's friends were afraid,
06:52 Luther himself was not.
06:54 He was convinced that God would be glorified whether he
06:56 lived and preached or died and was silenced.
07:00 So Luther and several companions set out on what would be a
07:03 two-week journey from Wittenberg to the city of Worms.
07:07 Almost the entire population of Wittenberg came out to farewell
07:11 their friend, many people in tears because they believed
07:14 they would never see their friend alive again.
07:18 They were convinced that the church was going to treat Luther
07:21 the same way it had treated John Hus.
07:25 Luther's journey to Worms was quite the spectacle.
07:28 In many towns along the way he was greeted as a hero and he was
07:32 frequently warned that the church was going to
07:35 burn him at the stake, just like it had Hus
07:37 and Jerome and so many others.
07:40 But Luther was firm in his reply.
07:43 "Though they should kindle a fire all the way from Worms to
07:47 Wittenberg, the flames of which reached to heaven,
07:51 I would walk through it in the name of the Lord.
07:55 I would appear before them.
07:56 I would enter the jaws of this behemoth and break his teeth,
08:01 confessing the Lord Jesus Christ."
08:05 I'll have more in just a moment.
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08:39 ♪ [Rythmic Melody] ♪
08:47 JB: Hebrews chapter 11 deals with the great heroes of
08:49 faith and gives examples of their great faithfulness.
08:53 Verse 36 says, "Others had trial of mockings."
08:57 People were put on trial and challenged and ridiculed
09:00 for their faith.
09:01 There've been many examples of that in post-Bible times
09:03 as well.
09:04 When Martin Luther was on trial and urged to take back what he'd
09:07 said in defense of the Bible and in criticism
09:09 of the ruling church, he said, "I cannot
09:12 and I will not retract.
09:14 For it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.
09:17 Here I stand.
09:18 I can do no other.
09:19 May God help me.
09:20 Amen."
09:22 It takes something to stand for what you believe--
09:25 it takes faith.
09:26 And that's what Luther, like so many heroes of the Bible, had.
09:29 Luther did not wilt in the face of opposition.
09:32 Instead, he leaned on the Bible.
09:33 That's an example worthy of imitating.
09:36 Let's live today by every word.
09:40 [Thoughtful Melody]
09:45 When Luther finally reached Worms the welcome that
09:47 awaited him was more grand and more spectacular than
09:50 the one that had greeted the new emperor.
09:53 Martin Luther had truly become Germany's new national hero.
09:57 Some of his followers were still frightened for his safety,
10:01 but Luther's opponents were even more worried.
10:04 They urged the emperor to burn Luther at the stake immediately
10:07 and to not give him a hearing.
10:09 But Charles wouldn't do it.
10:12 He insisted he would keep his promise and let Luther
10:16 present his case.
10:18 Luther was so popular with the nobles and with the citizens of
10:21 the city of Worms that he had hardly any rest as he awaited
10:25 to address the Diet.
10:27 His first night in Worms there were so many kings and priests
10:30 and nobles and citizens who wanted to talk to Martin Luther,
10:34 he only got a few hours sleep.
10:36 It seemed that everybody wanted a glimpse of the courageous
10:39 young man who dared resist the pope
10:42 and the might of the church.
10:47 The next morning, Luther at last stood before the council.
10:52 The emperor sat on his throne, surrounded by the princes
10:56 and great men of Germany.
10:58 It's probably fair to say no one charged with the task of
11:01 defending the faith of Christ had ever appeared in the
11:04 presence of a more imposing assembly than this one.
11:08 Luther was nervous, realizing that the eyes of both heaven
11:12 and history were upon him.
11:16 A deep hush fell across the assembly.
11:19 An imperial officer came forward and asked two questions.
11:22 As he pointed to a collection of Martin Luther's writings,
11:24 he asked first, "Were these in fact
11:27 Martin Luther's writings?"
11:29 And second, "Was Luther prepared to renounce what he had written
11:33 against the teachings of the church?"
11:37 Luther stated that these were very much his writings,
11:41 but in answer to the second question he
11:43 asked the emperor if he could have more time so that he could
11:46 check to review that everything he had written was in harmony
11:50 with the Scriptures.
11:52 The next day, he was to give his final answer.
11:55 It looked as though Martin Luther's enemies
11:58 were about to triumph.
12:01 "My last hour has come," he cried to the Lord.
12:05 "My condemnation has been pronounced, but the cause
12:09 is mine and it is a righteous and eternal cause.
12:14 Stand at my side, for the sake thy well-beloved Jesus Christ,
12:19 who is my defense, my shield and my strong tower."
12:24 Luther had come to a place where he recognized his weakness
12:28 and his need of God's help.
12:31 And that's the right place for anyone to be.
12:33 God says in 2 Corinthians 12 in verse 9,
12:36 "My strength is made perfect in weakness."
12:41 It's when we are weak that we can be the strongest,
12:45 when we rely on God.
12:47 [music]
12:54 The next morning, Luther was asked to appear again before
12:58 the emperor and the princes.
12:59 At first he made his case in German,
13:02 but was asked to repeat his presentation in Latin,
13:06 which means Luther got to state his case twice.
13:10 Then Luther was asked if he would retract what he had
13:14 written, if he was prepared to renounce what he had believed.
13:18 And Martin Luther gave his answer, in words that will live
13:22 forever in history.
13:26 "Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture
13:30 or by the clearest reasoning; unless I am persuaded by means
13:34 of the passages I have quoted; and unless they thus
13:37 render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot
13:41 and I will not retract.
13:43 For it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.
13:46 Here I stand.
13:48 I can do no other.
13:50 May God help me.
13:52 Amen."
13:55 As Luther finished, the entire assembly to which he spoke was
13:58 speechless with amazement.
14:00 Priests and princes, even the emperor.
14:03 No one expected Luther to stand so resolutely.
14:07 Charles himself said of Martin Luther, "This monk speaks
14:10 with an intrepid heart and unshaken courage."
14:16 The emperor and his council debated what they should do
14:19 with the stubborn Reformer.
14:20 The papal authorities urged that like John Hus a century before,
14:25 Martin Luther be burned at the stake, and that his ashes,
14:29 like the ashes of Hus, should be thrown
14:31 into the Rhine River.
14:33 But even among those people who disagreed with Martin Luther
14:36 there was a sizable number who had no number to see the promise
14:40 of safety made to Martin Luther be broken.
14:43 They were familiar with the calamities that followed the
14:46 execution of John Hus.
14:48 The emperor believed that killing Luther would be
14:50 a disaster for him and for his people.
14:54 So Martin Luther was permitted to return home to Wittenberg.
14:59 [suspenseful music]
15:04 But no sooner had Luther left Worms than the emperor was
15:08 persuaded to condemn Luther, his writings and his followers.
15:13 An order was issued to arrest him wherever he might be found.
15:17 People were forbidden to shelter him or to give him food
15:20 and drink.
15:21 His writings were to be destroyed.
15:24 Luther's enemies were now convinced the fate of the
15:27 Reformation was sealed.
15:30 But God had the last word.
15:33 Martin Luther was still in the hollow of His hand.
15:36 The duke of Saxony came up with a plan.
15:39 As Luther made his way home from Worms to Wittenberg, he was
15:43 captured by some of his own supporters and brought
15:46 by force to this castle.
15:50 Even the duke didn't know where Luther had been taken,
15:52 and that was the intention.
15:53 This was, if the duke was asked by the emperor or anybody
15:56 else if he knew of Luther's whereabouts, he could honestly
15:59 say that he didn't know.
16:02 But he knew that Luther was safe, and to the duke,
16:05 that was all that mattered.
16:07 [pastoral melody]
16:11 Spring, summer, autumn and winter passed,
16:15 as 1521 became 1522.
16:20 Martin Luther remained a prisoner
16:22 in this magnificent fortress.
16:25 The church was confident his voice would be heard no more.
16:28 His disappearance convinced them he had been seized
16:31 and put to death.
16:32 But from the friendly security of this castle, the light of
16:36 truth was to shine with growing brightness.
16:39 And the work of the Reformation would go forward.
16:44 I'll be right back.
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18:11 [pastoral melody]
18:25 It was right here, in this very room, that Martin
18:29 Luther wrote so profusely.
18:32 In here, in this place, Luther translated
18:35 the New Testament into German, giving the Word
18:38 of God to the people in their native language, enabling the
18:42 Reformation to surge forward.
18:45 Like John the Revelator writing during his confinement on the
18:49 Island of Patmos, what Martin Luther achieved here would
18:54 revolutionize the world.
19:01 Luther's enemies were baffled by the steady production of
19:04 materials that flowed from the pen of someone they thought
19:07 was dead.
19:09 Even though he remained in isolation,
19:11 his labors flourished.
19:12 In fact, his labors flourished because he remained in
19:15 isolation, cut off from earthly support and the outside world.
19:20 Luther was protected from not only the attacks of his enemies
19:24 but also from the pride and self-confidence that so often
19:27 accompany great success.
19:29 [anthem played on an organ]
19:33 Six years later, now removed from the safety of
19:36 this place, Martin Luther wrote the lyrics of the song which
19:41 became known as "The Battle Hymn of the Reformation."
19:44 "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."
19:48 Recalling his times of trial and triumph, his moments of courage
19:52 and conflict, Martin Luther wrote about defenses available
19:57 to any believer.
19:59 The greatest defenses of all.
20:01 He wrote about towers and turrets and ramparts
20:05 invulnerable to the craft and the design of even the most
20:09 brilliant of God's enemies.
20:12 He wrote: A mighty fortress is our God A bulwark never failing
20:20 Our helper He amidst the flood Of mortal ills prevailing.
20:25 And he went on to say this: Let goods and kindred go
20:30 This mortal life also The body they may kill
20:36 God's truth abideth still His kingdom is forever.
20:44 If anybody could understand those words,
20:46 it was Martin Luther.
20:48 His experience taught him the truth of all of this.
20:52 A single, humble man driven by a relentless desire to honor God
20:59 and an unshakable faith that would trust God
21:02 and lean on God in all things.
21:05 The truth is, we can have Martin Luther's faith experience
21:09 ourselves.
21:10 You can, and I can too.
21:12 Luther made a decision every day that Jesus
21:15 would be his fortress.
21:17 And knowing that Christ was his fortress, his defense, he could
21:21 face some of history's most difficult enemies knowing
21:26 that God would be honored, Jesus would be glorified,
21:30 and that Luther himself would be kept in the mighty
21:35 fortress that was his God.
21:38 ♪ [Anthem crescendo] ♪
21:51 A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
22:01 our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
22:12 For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
22:21 his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
22:29 on earth is not his equal.
22:37 And though this world, with devils filled,
22:45 should threaten to undo us, we will not fear,
22:54 for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
23:05 The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
23:16 his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
23:26 one little word shall fell him.
23:53 Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
24:03 the body they may kill; God's truth abideth still;
24:14 his kingdom is forever. Amen.
24:42 Well now, let me ask you this:
24:45 How is it with you today?
24:47 How is it with you and God today?
24:49 Luther was able to say, a mighty fortress is our God,
24:53 and he was really saying, a mighty fortress is my God.
24:57 I think both you and I know that Jesus walked on water;
25:01 He turned water into wine.
25:03 Jesus fed the five thousand and other people besides with just
25:08 five loaves and two fish.
25:10 Jesus is able to do all of that.
25:12 We know that God created something out of nothing
25:15 way back then.
25:17 We know the Bible is the Word of God,
25:18 we trust that it is true, we believe that often by
25:21 experience, we've seen God work, we understand something
25:25 about fulfilled prophecy.
25:26 But at the end of the day, are you able to say,
25:30 a mighty fortress is my God?
25:32 Are you able to say, in the midst of the difficulty
25:35 I'm facing right now, I trust him.
25:38 Are you able to say, in the midst
25:39 of my financial challenges, my marital challenges,
25:43 my health challenges, even in the midst of my joys
25:46 and successes knowing that many people just forget
25:49 God in the midst of all of that.
25:51 Are you able to say, in a real way, in a living,
25:55 experiential way, a mighty fortress
25:59 is my God.
26:01 Luther could, not because he was
26:03 any better than you or me, but because
26:06 he made that decision.
26:07 Today, Jesus will be my fortress;
26:09 today, I will trust in God; today, the Bible will be
26:14 the foundation of my faith not just in theory, but in fact.
26:19 Would you like Jesus to be your fortress today,
26:23 not in theory but in fact?
26:25 Can you make a decision that the Bible will be the foundation
26:28 of your experience today?
26:30 Again, not in theory but in fact.
26:34 Why don't you make that decision with me right now.
26:36 Let's pray.
26:38 Our Father in heaven, I thank You for Martin Luther's example.
26:41 For his courage, for his faith, for his tenacity,
26:46 for his trust in You.
26:47 But more than that, I thank You for Your faithfulness.
26:50 I thank You that You will be to anyone what You were to Luther.
26:53 I thank You that You are willing to be a fortress for me today.
26:59 So Lord, today we make a decision to yield to You.
27:02 Be our fortress, be our strength,
27:04 be the foundation of our lives, be the mighty castle or tower
27:10 that surrounds and keeps us.
27:13 We trust You, we want to trust You more.
27:15 Be more real to us than You've ever been.
27:19 And my, like Luther, we determine that we would
27:20 live up to all of the light that we have and follow
27:23 the Word of God, wherever it leads us;
27:25 to be faithful, whatever anybody says;
27:27 to trust in You and follow You.
27:30 Let it be pleasing.
27:31 We want it, we believe it and we pray it in Jesus' name.
27:35 Amen.
27:46 [It Is Written Theme] Well,
27:47 thanks for joining me today.
27:48 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, but by every word that
27:58 proceeds from the mouth of God."


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Revised 2015-06-18