Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001302
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00:00 [Music] It has stood
00:08 the test of time. 00:11 God4s book, the Bible. 00:16 Still relevant in today4s complex world. 00:23 It Is Written -sharing hope around the globe. 00:33 I'm John Bradshaw. 00:37 Thanks for joining me today on It is Written. 00:40 Part of Czechoslovakia for 75 years, the Czech Republic is 00:44 bordered by Germany, Austria and, Slovakia and Poland. 00:47 Its capital is the cit of Prague. 00:50 It dates back to about 1100 AD. 00:52 It is an especially historic city, teaming with 00:56 magnificent historical sites. 01:01 [Music] 01:22 Prague castle, the largest castle in 01:23 the world, was likely founded in the 9th century. 01:26 It covers over 750 thousand sq ft or about 17 acres. 01:31 The Charles Bridge was built in the 14th Century 01:35 by Charles the IV who at the time was the Emperor 01:37 of the holy roman empire. 01:40 Prague was the capital of that empire and it has been 01:47 the seat of kings and an important commercial 01:51 and cultural center. 01:53 [Town Hall clock chiming] Now Prague isn't stuck 01:58 in the past. 02:00 Its theaters and museums and galleries are world class. 02:04 Its scenery has inspired Hollywood to come and film 02:07 here and some of its architecture is whimsical and 02:10 quirky. 02:13 This is the magnificent Old Town Square. 02:15 It dates back to the 12th Century. 02:17 It's surrounded by fabulous buildings including two 02:21 massive churches and the old town hall. 02:24 Tourists from all over the world flock here to take 02:27 pictures of the churches and the steeples. 02:29 On the hour, they rush over to the clock tower to listen 02:32 to the chimes ringing and to see the figurines moving. 02:39 They throng to the many merchant stands which crowd 02:42 this place, especially during the summer months. 02:49 But in the process of running to and fro, many people often 02:51 miss the significance of something right here in the 02:54 middle of the old town square. 02:56 Unlike the rest of pretty well everything here in the 02:59 old town square, it's not really very old. 03:02 It was built at the beginning of last century, a statue 03:05 erected in honor of one of Prague's most famous sons. 03:10 You know, over time, there have been many, many famous 03:12 Czechs and we can think of tennis plays such 03:15 as Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova, 03:17 Olympian, Emil Zátopek, the writer, Franz Kafka 03:20 was from Czech Republic as was composer 03:23 Antonín DvoYák and a number of Nobel prize 03:25 laureates, but none of them have had the profound effect 03:30 on the world as has this favorite son of Prague. 03:35 So, how well known is this man in his home town? 03:39 While he may be remembered and perhaps even revered here 03:43 in Prague, if you go outside of Prague, outside of the 03:46 Czech Republic, a lot of people are not even aware of who 03:49 this man is or what this man did. 03:52 His contribution to world history has lost 03:54 a lot of its luster. 03:55 What he did in favor of religious history 03:58 and religious freedom has been pretty well forgotten. 04:01 [Music in the background] This man, one of history's 04:09 great heroes, I think we can say, was ultimately executed 04:13 as a criminal, as a dangerous enemy of the state in the 04:16 year 1415. 04:19 So, what was it that led this family-oriented, 04:22 peace-loving, Bible-believing, 04:25 Bible-preaching man to be persecuted and executed? 04:30 The story of John Huss is inspiring. 04:33 It's full of lessons for people interested 04:35 in religious freedom. 04:36 Now, keep in mind you don't have to be a Christian 04:39 or a religious person to believe in religious freedom. 04:43 The truth is down through time many Christians had been 04:45 fabulously intolerant of the religious freedoms of others 04:49 and even atheists ought to be thankful for religious 04:52 freedom. 04:53 In another age, atheists would have been relentlessly 04:55 persecuted because they choose not to follow 04:57 the religious protocols of the day. 05:00 In fact, today, if you enjoy religious freedom, if you 05:04 believe in a person's right to believe what they want as 05:07 they want, if you believe in your right to take your faith 05:10 directly from the Bible and believe it as you wish, 05:13 then you owe a lot to this famous son of Prague. 05:17 John Huss was born around the year 1370 in the village of 05:22 Husenik in Southern Bohemia. 05:24 Southern Bohemia became part of what is now known as the 05:28 Czech Republic. 05:29 In fact, John Huss took his name from the name of his 05:32 village, Ian Huss or John Huss came from rather an 05:38 anonymous family. 05:39 There is not a whole lot known of the details of his 05:41 early life but what we know is this. 05:44 Influences in his family or from some other part 05:47 of his early life led him to ultimately make the decision 05:50 to become a priest. 05:53 Now, Huss has admitted that he became a priest initially, 05:56 at least, for status and money. 05:59 But, over time, his focus changed. 06:02 As John Huss studied, his love for God grew, as did 06:07 his commitment to ministry. 06:09 And, something else grew as well. 06:11 And, that is John Huss' love for and commitment to truth 06:15 and that is what ultimately led him to a lot of trouble. 06:20 What John Huss found out is that truth is not always 06:24 popular. 06:25 I'll tell you more in just a moment. 06:27 [Music] 06:44 Time for today's Bible question and thank you for 06:47 submitting your questions. 06:50 I was raised going to church with my parents, 06:53 and was baptized as an infant. 06:56 When I grew up I left the church and now that I'm quite a bit 06:59 older and hopefully wiser, I've come back. 07:02 Do I need to be re-baptized? 07:05 What is baptism for anyway? 07:09 Well, let me tell you something. 07:11 The truth is that when you were an infant you weren't 07:14 baptized. 07:15 Like me, you were christened. 07:18 The word baptize means to 'fully immerse' or to 'plunge 07:21 under the water' - unless you were put all the way under 07:23 the water when you were an infant-and that's not very 07:25 likely--then you weren't baptized. 07:28 So, now that you've come back to faith in God and you've 07:31 reconnected with a church, it would be right to express 07:34 your faith in God by being baptized. 07:37 Baptism signifies that you have accepted Jesus, that 07:39 you've repented of your sins, and that you've died a death 07:43 to the old way of life. 07:44 That's why you're being BURIED as it were, and then 07:48 'raised up' to live a whole new life, under a whole new 07:51 power - the power of God. 07:53 The passage in the Bible that speaks right to this is in 07:56 Romans chapter 6. 07:57 From verse three it says, "Know ye not, that so many of 08:01 us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized 08:05 into His death? 08:07 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: 08:10 that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by 08:13 the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in 08:18 newness of life." 08:20 It isn't that you ought to be rebaptized. 08:23 It's time for you to be baptized. 08:26 It'd sn outward sign of an inward change, letting the world 08:30 know, and God know, and YOU know that you've changed sides 08:35 - that you're no longer following the old life, 08:37 but that Jesus has made you new--so new, it can best 08:42 be described or really only be described as if you had died 08:46 and been raised from the dead. 08:48 That's baptism. 08:51 If you have a question you would like answered, please 08:53 go to our website - www.ItIsWritten.com and click 08:56 on the questions tab. 08:57 Submit your question, and in a future program 09:00 we might answer your question. 09:04 [Music] 09:10 Today, I am in Prague, in the Czech republic. 09:13 This city was the home of John Huss, a man who was 09:16 uncompromising in his faith in God, and who was 09:18 uncompromising in his faith in God's Word. 09:21 A man whose faith in God and in his Word saw him 09:25 burned at the stake. 09:28 So what was it about this great man of faith that saw 09:31 him fall foul of the religious leaders of his day? 09:35 Now, the conventional wisdom is that John Huss was not 09:38 the most remarkable university student that there ever was. 09:41 He did receive his master's degree in 1396 and a few 09:46 years later, he became a professor at the University 09:49 where he received his master's degree. 09:51 Then, in 1402, John Huss became the preacher at 09:55 the Bethlehem chapel, a church that was founded specifically 10:00 so people could hear the Word of God proclaimed in the common 10:04 language. 10:05 A practice, which in itself, was not very common in that day. 10:11 [Building Music] 10:16 Bethlehem chapel has changed a little bit since 1391. 10:20 Some years ago, a fire pretty well destroyed Bethlehem 10:23 chapel but when it was rebuilt, they retained some 10:26 of the original Bethlehem Chapel in what we see today. 10:29 It was in this very place some 600 years ago that John 10:33 Huss began to have a profound impact on the religious world 10:38 and, therefore, on the world at large. 10:42 Back in those days, the religious world 10:44 was dominated by the Roman Church and the Roman 10:46 Catholic church took a pretty hard line with 10:49 dissenters. 10:51 Back then, people believed pretty well what they were 10:53 told to believe and so, the church was riddled with 10:56 ignorance and superstition. 10:59 John Huss started to rise to prominence at the same time 11:03 as the teachings of England's John Wycliffe started to gain 11:07 traction. 11:08 Bohemian students at Oxford University were exposed 11:12 to Wycliffe's ideas. 11:13 They brought them back here to Prague where John Huss 11:16 got a hold of them. 11:17 As John Huss read Wycliffe's teachings, he was moved. 11:22 Wycliffe was teaching ideas such as the authority of the Word 11:25 of God and justification by faith and they were 11:30 radical ideas for that time. 11:32 John Wycliffe didn't have any time for tradition, ignorance 11:36 or superstition or the teachings of men rather than 11:40 the teachings of God. 11:41 What Wycliffe wanted to see was the purity of the Word 11:44 of God get loose and become known and find its way into 11:48 people's hearts, so people could be liberated from sin 11:51 and connected with God. 11:54 John Huss started to teach John Wycliffe's ideas and it was 11:59 from there that Huss' ideas spread like wildfire 12:02 around Prague and around what we now know as the Czech 12:06 Republic and John Huss started to powerfully impact 12:09 his world. 12:11 So, it isn't difficult to see how somebody like John Huss, 12:14 educated, committed, zealous for the truth of God's Word 12:18 would get exercised by some of this. 12:21 The church, in John Huss' day, was teaching traditions 12:24 and errors and it was suffering from a real 12:26 leadership crisis, not simply that they couldn't decide who 12:30 the legitimate leader was, but on a more local level, 12:33 the church leaders were pretty corrupt. 12:36 Their abuses were legendary. 12:39 John Huss believed that the clergy ought to be model 12:42 Christians but they were far from model Christians. 12:45 Many of them were drunks and gluttons. 12:48 They were fabulously - maybe that's the wrong word- they 12:50 were famously immoral and self-centered, power-mad 12:54 and money-grabbing and John Huss decided that something had 12:58 to be done and he spoke out against this and in favor 13:01 of the Word of God. 13:03 John Huss was especially incensed by the practice 13:07 of simony. 13:08 That is when the church would make merchandise of or would 13:12 sell its blessings. 13:13 The people had to pay for the sacraments. 13:16 In fact, many people paid to have their sins forgiven. 13:20 John Huss didn't set out to be a troublemaker but he 13:23 really believed that God had called him to encourage people 13:26 to be liberated from this. 13:28 England's King Edward the III said "The Lord commissioned 13:32 the Apostles to lead the sheep to pasture and not 13:35 to fleece them." 13:36 And John Huss could see that there was a lot of fleecing 13:39 going on. 13:41 John Huss wasn't prepared to stand idly by while such 13:44 shocking behavior was going on. 13:46 So, he taught the Word of God as effectively as he could 13:50 and he opposed the appalling practices that were taking 13:53 place. 13:54 John Huss didn't mean to pick a fight and I don't believe 13:56 he expected to receive such stiff opposition but something 14:00 Jesus said suggested that John Huss was in for 14:04 a battle. 14:05 We read this in John 15:20 and 21, 14:08 Remember the word that I said to you. 14:11 A servant is not greater than his master. 14:13 If they persecuted me they will also persecute you. 14:17 If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 14:20 But all these things they will do to you for my 14:22 namesake because they do not know him who sent me. 14:27 That's exactly what happened to John Huss. 14:29 Strong opposition started mounting against him. 14:31 Not because he was teaching contrary to the Bible but 14:34 because he was preaching strong, plain, clear Bible 14:41 truth. 14:43 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man 14:47 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 14:51 proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 14:53 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 14:56 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 14:59 especially for busy people like you. 15:02 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 15:05 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 15:09 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 15:11 Watch Every Word. 15:12 You'll be glad you did. 15:14 Here's a sample. 15:17 [Music] 15:24 A short verse speaks loudly to us today. 15:26 Acts 8:8 succinctly states, "And there was great joy 15:30 in that city." 15:31 What city was that, and why was great joy there? 15:33 The city was Samaria, and there was great joy 15:36 there because Philip went there and preached Christ. 15:39 The people gladly heard what he said, and God 15:42 worked great miracles. 15:43 How would you like to experience great joy today? 15:46 If you'll bring Christ into your environment, and gladly 15:50 hear what He says, God will work miracles in your life. 15:53 Healing? 15:54 Money? 15:54 I don't know. 15:55 But certainly the greatest miracle - a new heart 15:58 and true peace. 16:00 "And there was great joy in that city," 16:03 where Jesus was made welcome. 16:04 Welcome Jesus into your life - or through your witness, 16:06 bring Him into the lives of others - and there'll 16:09 be great joy in your city or home or life today. 16:12 Let's live today by Every Word. 16:16 [Soft Music] 16:46 Some years before, a Pope Gregory had outlawed 16:50 the preaching of the Gospel here in the local language, 16:56 in the language of Bohemia. 16:57 So, news of what John Huss was doing started spreading 16:59 like wildfire and it made him very unpopular with some 17:01 particularly powerful people. 17:03 John Huss was summoned to appear before the Pope, 17:07 which many people believed would lead to his execution. 17:10 The King and Queen of Bohemia rallied to his defense as did 17:13 university faculty and government officials 17:16 and other people as well. 17:18 The Church responded by placing the City of Prague 17:22 under Interdict. 17:24 Interdict would fill the lives of people with dread and fear. 17:29 When the Church stands in the place of God, putting a city 17:33 under interdict effectively locks people out of heaven. 17:39 That's because people now couldn't get married 17:41 in the church, they couldn't get forgiven from the church. 17:44 If somebody died, they couldn't get buried in a church 17:46 funeral service or a church graveyard. 17:49 Huss began to be perceived as someone who was a troubler 17:54 of the people. 17:56 He responded by leaving Prague. 17:58 Instead of being silenced, his voice was given greater 18:01 volume as he went from place to place, powerfully 18:04 proclaiming God's Word. 18:05 It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 13:8 18:08 which says: We can do nothing against the truth 18:12 but for the truth. 18:14 After a time, John Huss came back to Prague and preached 18:16 once again in Bethlehem Chapel, this time with 18:19 renewed zeal and he didn't labor alone. 18:22 Like Paul had Silas and Barnabas had John Mark, 18:26 Huss labored together with Jerome. 18:28 Their varied talents and gifts complimented each other well. 18:34 About this time, another controversy began raging 18:36 and it was a big one. 18:39 Several different individuals each claimed the right to be 18:41 pope, all at the same time. 18:44 The French Cardinals had elected themselves a pope 18:47 and then the Roman Cardinals elected a pope of their own. 18:50 Each rival pope saying that whatever happened under 18:54 the authority of the other pope was invalid, which means, 18:57 of course, that the pardoned were not really forgiven 18:59 and the married were not really married. 19:02 Well, to add to the confusion or in fact, there was 19:05 an attempt to clear up a confusion, the Council 19:08 of Pisa elected a third person pope, Alexander V, who told 19:13 the other two to give up their ideas about being pope, 19:17 which they were not about to do. 19:19 So, you had Alexander V ruling from Pisa, Gregory XII, 19:24 another pope ruling from Rome, and Benedict XIII 19:29 ruling from, by now, Spain. 19:32 Each Pope claiming the right to be Pope. 19:35 How would they settle the question? 19:37 Well, the next large Council wasn't going to be held until 19:40 1414 in Constance in Germany. 19:43 Here, they said, this issue of the popes would 19:46 finally be settled. 19:47 Thousands of people descended upon Constance. 19:50 In fact, it was said that 1500 prostitutes were kept 19:54 busy during the Council of Constance. 19:57 This strange mingling of men of the cloth and ladies of 20:00 the night has been memorialized in a large statue 20:04 unveiled in 2002 at the entrance to the harbor in Constance, 20:09 Germany. 20:11 So, by the time the Council of Constance came about, 20:14 Europe was a stir. 20:15 The two anti popes had been summoned to appear 20:18 at the Council of Constance, as was John Huss 20:21 who was to answer to his teachings. 20:23 The two popes chose to stay away, out of concern 20:27 for their safety. 20:28 And even though his safety had been guaranteed 20:30 by the Emperor, Sigesmund, John Huss really felt 20:34 that he was traveling to his execution. 20:38 When he got to the Council of Constance, John Huss 20:41 was going to explain to the delegates what it was 20:43 he believed and why he believed it. 20:46 But, shortly after he got there, he was arrested 20:49 by order of the Pope and the cardinals and was locked 20:52 up in a foul dungeon. 20:54 Interestingly enough, one of the popes 20:57 also was imprisoned, the other two popes 20:59 were deposed and a new pope was elected. 21:02 And at this Council, the Council of Constance, 21:05 it was decreed that the bones of reformer John Huss should 21:08 be dug up and burned. 21:12 John Huss did have supporters of the Council of Constance. 21:15 But they were unable to change the minds 21:17 of his enemies. 21:19 When he was brought to appear before the Council, 21:21 he was bound in chains and was dreadfully ill. 21:23 John Huss, at his trial, spoke boldly in defense 21:27 of Biblical truth and against the excesses and corruptions 21:30 of the church. 21:31 At his trial, he stood before the very emperor who 21:34 had guaranteed his safety. 21:36 John Huss, in spite of his bold stand for God, perhaps, 21:41 because of his bold stand for God, was sentenced to burn 21:46 at the stake. 21:47 This was a man who had been sentenced to death because 21:50 he upheld the authority of the Bible. 21:53 Because he spoke against excess and corruption 21:55 in the church. 21:56 Because he dared to defy the authority of a pope. 22:01 Up until the time of his death, he lived in inhuman conditions. 22:04 His suffering was great. 22:06 He lived in deplorable filth. 22:09 He was alone. 22:11 John Huss had been abandoned, but never once did his faith 22:15 in God come close to wavering. 22:18 John Huss remained ardent in his faith in God 22:22 and in his faith in God's word. 22:24 At his trial, he was given the opportunity to recant. 22:27 He would not do so. 22:29 A large procession of people led him away to the place 22:32 where he would be burned at the stake. 22:33 Again, once reaching that spot, John Huss was given 22:36 the opportunity to recant. 22:38 He wouldn't do so. 22:43 In fact, his reply was this: "What errors shall 22:45 I renounce? 22:46 I know myself guilty of none. 22:48 I call God to witness that all that I have written 22:51 and preached has been with the view of rescuing 22:54 souls from sin and perdition. 22:56 And therefore, most joyfully, will I confirm with my blood 23:02 that truth which I have written and preached." 23:06 As the flames burned around him, John Huss sang until 23:11 his voice was silenced forever. 23:16 Huss' life and ministry show us that truth is not 23:21 always popular. 23:23 John Huss' heroic example shows us that even when 23:26 the truth is not popular, God's Holy Spirit moves upon 23:31 his faithful ones and inspires them to stand for God anyway. 23:37 Paul addressed this very thing when he wrote to his 23:39 young friend, Timothy. 23:40 Here is what he said: "Preach the Word. 23:44 Be ready in season and out of season. 23:47 Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering 23:52 and teaching. 23:53 For the time will come when they will not endure sound 23:56 doctrine but according to their own desires because 23:59 they have itching ears. 24:01 They will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn 24:05 their ears away from the truth and be turned aside 24:09 to fables. 24:10 2 Timothy 4:2-4 You see, that is really the choice that 24:18 we have to make. 24:19 To stand on the Word of God and let God's Word guide out 24:23 lives and mold our existence or stand instead with human 24:28 teachings and human traditions and that would be a mistake 24:32 and I hope you and me would never make. 24:35 You see, the Bible is not just another book. 24:39 The Bible is God's Book. 24:42 Did the death of John Huss silence the man? 24:46 Maybe it silenced the man, but it didn't silence 24:49 his message. 24:51 You see, the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture 24:54 is given by inspiration of God." 24:58 And Jesus said, in John 8: "The truth will make you free." 25:03 Writing to a friend once, John Huss wrote these words. 25:06 He said: "Truth (and that is God's truth), 25:09 Truth prevails overall. 25:12 Interestingly, the Czech government has adopted 25:15 John Huss' words as their national motto. 25:19 "Truth prevails". 25:21 And I certainly hope that will be true in your experience. 25:25 John Huss had it right. 25:27 God's truth does prevail over all. 25:32 Let me pray with you: Father in heaven, we thank you 25:35 for truth and we thank you for John Huss and men like him, 25:39 people like him and for their example. 25:41 And I pray that by your grace, I, we would be 25:46 faithful and committed to standing for you, to standing 25:49 on your Word and allowing your Word to be the guide 25:53 and the rule of our lives. 25:55 I thank you today for the Bible. 25:57 And we pray today in Jesus' name, Amen. 26:16 Perhaps our program today is touch your heart 26:18 and impress you with the personal need for 26:20 a deep bible studie I you decide to listen to God 26:24 and follow where He leads We have a wonderful resource 26:27 than can help you do that in a systematic way, 26:29 The discover Bible Guides This study guides will take you 26:33 through the essential truths taught in scripture, 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Revised 2015-02-06