Faith Against All Odds - 240205

SPEAKER A Hello, I'm Blair Lemke. Welcome to let God speak. There's a common saying today that goes like, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. Today we're going to look at a group of people from the past who did stand for something, and despite enormous pressure against them, they had faith against all odds and did not fall. Join us as we discuss this group and learn the source of their strength. On our panel today, we have John Maliewycz and Alan Fisher. Welcome. Thank you as always. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for the opportunity to study your word today. And as we study, we ask for your holy spirit to lead and guide us into truth as you promise us that you will. In Jesus name we pray. SPEAKER B Amen. SPEAKER A Well, in the world we live in today, there is a lot of talk about relativity, truth, relativity. And young people are often taught that their truth is their truth. You know, you can. SPEAKER B Yours is yours, yours is yours. SPEAKER A You know, everyone can have their own truth and it's true because it's their view, right? And so this is an idea that really strikes at the core of what it means to be a Christian and how we approach scripture. And so I want to start our programme today, John, by asking you the question, is truth relative? SPEAKER B Well, you know, Blair, some would like to think that truth is relative, but no, it is not. The word of God is absolute. Truth is a collection of facts. We may like to think otherwise, but facts are facts nevertheless. And they don't regard our feelings and they don't regard our beliefs. So some may sincerely believe something but can be sincerely wrong. SPEAKER A Absolutely, absolutely is the case. And this has to be right. If many of the claims that are made, mutually exclusive claims and so there has to be some sort of objective basis for truth. We're going to read a text of scripture and in John chapter eight, verse 31 and 32, God's word says this. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, if you abide in my word and you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Now my question for you, Alan, is was Jesus only referring to the jewish beliefs here? SPEAKER C No, no, indeed. If we read John 1717, Jesus speaking, he says, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. So the Bible from Genesis to revelation is God's truth? God's word, absolutely. SPEAKER A And John, can we be sure? Can we be certain as Alan has just shared, that indeed God's word is the truth? Yeah. SPEAKER B Well, John 1717, he says, sanctify them through thy truth. Make them holy. Thy word is truth. So when we look at that, if you go to second Timothy 316, and I've learned this, and I think it's a lovely scripture to learn, it says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in the word of God. So we can see that all scripture is given by inspiration, all scripture, it doesn't say a little bit. It says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is provided for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. So there's no question in my mind that it can be controversial today because we, for example, creation, we speak, you know, the world is looking at evolution and that's what's taught in our schools. But the Bible speaks differently to that. SPEAKER A Absolutely. And there's many things in scripture that don't, well, I guess you would say, rub against the grain of the cultural views and norms in the world around us. And so there is, I guess, a motivation for many people to try to distance themselves from scripture. But as faithful Bible believing christians, we can't do that. Scripture doesn't allow that. SPEAKER B I think too, we are seeing in the world humanism is rising to a very high level and christians are looked upon as strange and peculiar to trust in the word of God to be the absolute truth. SPEAKER A Now, many people consider that the Bible is just a compilation of stories or myths written by various individuals over time, hundreds of years, thousands of years, whatever. But the question that I'd like to ask you, Alan, is what does the Bible itself claim about who its author is? SPEAKER C Well, the Bible claims that it was written by God himself. We read here in two Peter 120 and 21. It says no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So while there were many different actual writers over many centuries, it was the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, who inspired these different writers with the message. So the author is the Holy Spirit, God himself. SPEAKER A That's quite a significant claim. To claim a book comes from God himself. And of course, with extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and we see much of that evidence in scripture to back up a claim like that. But I'd like to ask the question of you, John. If the Bible is the author of the Bible is God, as it claims, and that the Bible is the source of all truth, it's the source of man's salvation. Well, then I can imagine that the devil would like to attack the Bible and get rid of it, damage it, whatever he can to get rid of it. SPEAKER B Absolutely. SPEAKER A So how have we seen this play out over history? SPEAKER B Well, if you think about it, if you were in his position, what would you do? Because, you know, we talk about the Bible being God's word and it contains the truth. Why would he not want to attack it? Satan worked through the mediaeval church to take the Bible away from the people. So if you take the Bible away from the people and appoint only those who are priests and scholars to access to it and interpret it, it makes a very different story, because you can't confirm truth from error. And it was illegal at that time to have a Bible. And so that's how Satan works. He takes the truth away from the people. The church kept the Bible translation in Latin so the common person couldn't understand it. The mediaeval church introduced traditions and human ideas contrary to the Bible. So how do you prove what was right and wrong without the word of God? SPEAKER A That period of time was certainly one of Satan's most serious attacks against the word of God. And, you know, we talk about as the Middle Ages, which also coincided with another term we use, the dark Ages. Darkness. As a result, we would argue, because of the scripture, which is the light of the world being taken away, and all of the blackness and evil and all of that that went along with it. I want to ask you, Alan, how was this spiritual dark age broken through the Middle Ages and the dark ages? SPEAKER C Well, there were some scholars who had access to the Bible in Latin, starting with John Wycliffe. We call him the morning star of the Reformation. And they rediscovered that salvation was based on three things. Sola scriptura, scripture alone, sola gra, grace alone, sola fide, faith alone, and not on the traditions of the church. And so they felt compelled to take these truths to the people. SPEAKER D Wow. SPEAKER A They are some rousing themes. Sola scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide. Yeah. Really? The rally cries of the Protestant Reformation. John, what was the significance of Sola scripture to these reformers? SPEAKER B Well, for the reformers, this was a special revelation of God's word through the scriptures to God, from God himself. It was God speaking to them, and they had to hear what God was doing. And so what did they have to do? People needed to be allowed to listen to God directly from reading the Bible themselves. Sola Scriptura. Is God telling us who he is? There's all those who, why, where? And all those questions. God is revealing them to the people. And, you know, he talks about the fall, he talks about the plan of salvation. All of that is in scripture, and it's by faith. And they had the opportunity to know that they themselves could read through the power of the Holy Spirit, giving him understanding what God was saying in his word. SPEAKER A And you can only imagine going from a period where scripture was hidden from the people to a period where scripture began to become available. What an amazing insight this would have been for the people and how it would have transformed society. SPEAKER B It would have just been such a change in the whole christian outlook on things. SPEAKER A Now, the Reformation was helped along significantly by a particular invention. Alan, what was that invention? SPEAKER C Well, when Wycliffe started translating, he translated from the Latin that everything had to be written by hand. You imagine writing the whole Bible out by hand. It would be very laborious. But in the 1450s, Gutenberg developed his printing press and got that going. And suddenly bibles and books could be mass produced. And it was a remarkable development. SPEAKER A Yeah, and absolutely. And we start to see scripture being shared, getting out into the hands of the people and becoming accessible. So God's light shining into their lives, which, of course, produces wonderful results. God's word tells us that his word does not return unto him void. It changes lives and it impacts people. Now, I want to ask you, John, about the translation of scripture into other languages, because we've just discussed English here. Was this. How was scripture shared more widely? SPEAKER B Well, first of all, you've got to remember I said earlier on that the priests and those who were in charge kept it in Latin. So for the gospel to be understood and God's word to be understood, it had to be translated. And there was a gentleman named Martin Luther who translated from Greek and Hebrew, the New Testament, into the german language in 1522. So that's some time ago. And the Old Testament in 1534, this had an absolute, profound impact, because now people were having the word of God in their own language, and then there was a greater understanding of what God was trying to reveal to them. SPEAKER A Absolutely. And what a labour of love it was for these reformers who were painstakingly transforming or translating the scriptures. Not transforming, translating them into the language of the people. I remember visiting the location where Martin Luther himself was translating that, and it was quite beautiful to think of that labour of love to translate it into the language of the people. SPEAKER B You know, the other thing is, too, Blair, is that there's an opportunity for Satan to do something in translations, too, and that's to interfere and misinform the people. But God's hand was over that. And, you know, the history reveals that through these men that translated the Bible. SPEAKER A Absolutely. Now, the reformer's goal, of course, was to get scripture into the hands of the people. And so, Alan, I want to ask, what followed Wicca, Wycliffe and Luther's work as they translated the Bible and they got into the hands of the people. What followed that? SPEAKER C Well, about 100 years after Wycliffe, William Tyndale came on the scene, and Wycliffe only had the Latin version to translate from. But Tyndale, he. By that time, they had access to the original languages, the Greek and the Hebrew, and so he could translate a more accurate translation. And he completed the New Testament and about half of the Old Testament before he was arrested and burned for heresy. But he was a remarkable man, Tyndale. He was not only a scholar with seven languages he could speak, but he was a master of English. Little phrases, pithy phrases like, you know, my brother's keeper, the salt of the earth and so on. Things that we still use every day in English all came from Tyndale, coined by him. So after his death, there were other translations that followed in English, the bishop's Bible and the Geneva Bible. And finally, by 1611, the King James Version, which is about 80% Tyndale's work. Really, even bibles today are largely still dependent on Tyndale's original work. SPEAKER A Wow. And you mentioned there that Wycliffe actually ended up paying the ultimate price of losing his life, which was often the case with some of these reformers. And so I want to ask that question. What was it that inspired the reformers to compelled these brave people to translate the scriptures, even though they knew that it may result in their death? SPEAKER B Well, we read earlier on that in two, Peter 120 and 21 that the Holy Spirit inspired men to write the author of the Bible is God. Remember, we said, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. I want to read John 1613. It says, howbeit when he the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. So, you know, it's the same holy spirit working. And this is what the reformers knew. It was the truth, and they were open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and they continued on regardless of what they were threatened with. Wow. SPEAKER A Would you like to add to that as well, Alan? SPEAKER C Yeah, well, the mediaeval church had said that only the clergy could interpret the Bible. And even if a layperson could read the Latin, they said they wouldn't ever be able to understand it. But the reformers, they discovered the truth of the Bible and they felt compelled to get it out to the people so the people could read for themselves and know what was truth. SPEAKER A And what was that truth that they discovered, that they felt that they had to share? SPEAKER C Well, they discovered Christ, and Christ alone as the source of salvation. Now, Luther first mentioned, he discovered that the just shall live by faith in Christ's saving grace. Let's have a look at Romans 117. Well, this is what we just mentioned about Lutheran. It quotes this text that as it is written, the just shall live by faith. And Galatians 220. We read in Galatians 220 that, sorry, I got the wrong chapter. Paul speaking, he says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith and the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So they discovered that salvation was by faith in Christ alone. SPEAKER A Beautiful, just, powerful, simple gospel truths contained in scripture that for some time was kept from the people. They were trapped in these ideas that they had to do penances, indulgences and works, sacraments, in order to earn the favour of God. But to read those simple words from scripture, how powerful that would have been. I think of the words in Ephesians, chapter two, verse eight and nine as well. It says, for by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourself. It's not something of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of works. Lest anyone should boast, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them, this beautiful, powerful, gospel centred truths. What impact did this have on the people as they read this? And they learnt it? SPEAKER B Well, they understood that how they could be saved, not what they've been taught by the others. They understood from the word of God, it is Jesus who saves us. Superstition and darkness was lifted because there was a lot of that going on. Luther's discovery that Christ's death on the cross was all sufficient for all humanity not only changed his life, but the lives of people who flocked to his message. That's why they came, because they knew that by faith in Jesus and his blood shed on the cross, they too could enjoy what everyone else wanted to enjoy. SPEAKER D Wow. SPEAKER A Now, Alan, how did the church react to the scriptures being taken to the common people? SPEAKER C Well, they didn't like it at all. And there was severe persecution against the reformers. We mentioned how that Tyndale was burned at the stake. Poor old Wycliffe. They would have burned him, and he died before they could. So they had to dig up his bones after he died and burned them. And not only the reformers and translators, but the. The people were forbidden to have their bibles. It's illegal to have a Bible. Even to memorise a piece from the Bible was illegal. And you can read in books like Fox's Book of Martyrs all the terrible things that were done in the persecution to those who dared to believe scripture or to read it and haven't, that's. SPEAKER A Quite a high price to pay your life. That persecution that comes as a result of sharing. What gave the reformers this courage, John? SPEAKER B Well, first of all, when they understood what they were being told, for example, in Romans 623, it says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. When they understood that because they had been deceived for a long time, you talked about paying penance and everything like that that started the reformation. You know, these people, they believed the Bible was the inspired word of God. When you believe something and you know it is the absolute truth, what lengths will you go? SPEAKER A It impacts everything that you do. SPEAKER B That's exactly right. And so thousands, there were thousands of promises they discovered in the word of God. And I'll just have a look at a couple of them, if we may. If we go to psalms 37 four. And these are very encouraging, even for us today, but they would have been more encouraging for the folk living at that time. It says in psalms 37 four, it says, delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee desires of thine heart. What sort of a promise is that? You know, if you've had nothing and all of a sudden you read that and you accept Jesus and God, it changes the whole outlook on things. The next one I'd like to look at is found in one John one nine. And this is what the Bible says, one John one nine. It says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Think about that. You know, if we just confess and he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, that's a wonderful God to serve a gracious and faithful God. And the last one I will look at is found in Job 19, verses 25 to 26. And the Bible says 1925 to 26. For I know that my redeemer liveth, they discovered that, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet my flesh, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Wow. These are truths that I never, you know, didn't know. But once you know, you have a desire to stand on the truth of the word of God. SPEAKER A Absolutely. And what courage it must have given those believers in those times as they faced that persecution. Now, Alan, did the persecution curb the reformation? SPEAKER C No, it had just the opposite effect. Like they say that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church. When people saw these martyrs go to their deaths because of their faith in Christ, it inspired the onlookers to say they wanted that faith and they wanted to be able to have absolute confidence in God and his word and his salvation. Like they thought of texts like romans eight one, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Verse two, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. People wanted that inspired the reformation to go further. SPEAKER A Wow. And, you know, despite that persecution, it propelled the church forward. And when we look in scripture in the last days as well, we see this resurgence of persecution towards God's faithful people at the end of time. And I'm reading here in revelation, chapter 13, verses 15 and 16. And God's word says he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand and on their foreheads. This beast power at the end of time, that can kill a death response like the reformers had to face. And what can we learn from the reformers and how they faced these challenges? SPEAKER B Well, you know what? We need to study and follow the word of God like they did. I think, of the Waldenses. They studied the scriptures to see if these things were so. It gives us courage to call out sin and stand for the truth when we know from God's word what God is saying. Not what Satan's saying, but what God is saying. We must be grounded in salvation, in Jesus Christ alone. I want to read Hebrews 1110. The Bible says in Hebrews 1110, for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This is talking about Abraham and his faith. The Bible tells us was very strong in God because there's more to it than just here. We're looking at the confidence beyond this life in knowing that there is something more which the reformers look forward to amazingly and look forward to with all power and strength in that direction. SPEAKER A Well, the devil's attempts to try to get rid of scripture through the dark ages didn't work. It got into the hands of the people. But as the devil often is his crafty, and he comes up with other methods of trying to destroy God's word. How did Satan change his attack to attack the Bible once it was now in the hands of the people? Allen? SPEAKER C Well, he's got people to start to reinterpret and redefine what the Bible is. Certain scholars, so called, came up with ideas that the Bible wasn't a divine revelation, but that it was just something common, just the product of the evolving culture and the background of the people and their natural and historical environment and so on. So it reduced the Bible down to nothing. SPEAKER A Yeah, and that is really actually a very dangerous way to approach God's word. These schools of thought like higher criticism, you know, be able to pull apart scripture and put your own meaning into it, kind of goes back to what we started off on, each person's truth being their own right. And there's some real danger there in accepting God's word as it reads. So, John, what was the result of some of these attacks that the devil has levelled towards scripture in more modern times? SPEAKER B He did a good job because sola scriptura disappeared. Sola gratis and sola fidei, they all began to disappear. Salvation by faith and by grace, principles that stood for what the word of God was, showing us, how we could live on this earth. One of the things that happens is that the historical documents, men began to put their ideas and their intelligence into understanding the scriptures and telling other people how it should be. Moral and religious efforts all declined. There was no more sola scriptura. It was based on what we intelligent human beings could discern about the things of God and about the things of this world. Christ is just one way of salvation. That's how it's looked upon today. There are many others, but it's not true. The Bible says there is only one. There's no other name given among men whereby he must be saved, and that's Jesus. Wow. SPEAKER A Amen. And, you know, we now find ourselves in a position where, you know, many people have bibles in their own homes, but they, while bibles might be in abundance, these attacks that the devil has levelled against scripture have still limited our access to it. They might just sit on our shelf or the power of God's word isn't able to impact to the same level if we accepted it as it was written. But we can always look to God and his word, take him and lean into God's word and we can trust that he'll lead us through. Well, that's all we have time for. We are living in the end times and like the reformers before us, we must stand for something. We must stand for truth amidst global persecution to be part of God's end time remnant church, we are divinely entrusted with the mission to once again proclaim the foundational biblical principles of sola scriptura, sola gratia and sola fide. We're glad that you joined us today on let God speak. Remember, all past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. You can email us on [email protected] Join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from.