Amen. Turn with me tonight to the Book
of Revelation. Revelation chapter 2.
Just a short reading tonight, few verses.
Revelation chapter 2, we're reading from verse 8.
We're reading of course, from the King James Bible.
The words will come up and scream for all who are online.
And again we emphasise if anyone wants survival, please contact
us. We'll be happy to supply you one
for free. Revelation chapter 2, verse 8.
Follow with me. I should add before I read, I'm
not going to attempt to preach on this portion of Scripture.
I will do that at some stage in the future.
And on to the Angel of the church and Smyrna, right these
things, saith the 1st and the last, which was dead as and as
alive. I know thy works, and
tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich, and I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are
the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which
thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall of
tribulation. 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and
I will give thee a crown of life.
He that hath in the ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches. He that overcometh shall not be
heard of the second death. Amen.
We know that the Lord will stamp with His own approval and
blessing this reading of His own precious and infallible word.
Now my text tonight is found in Revelation chapter 2, verse 10.
And I want us to focus on the phrase, Be faithful unto death
and I will give thee the crown of life.
Be thy faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.
Now my theme this evening is about the man who gave us the
English Bible. And if I was to ask the question
who is known as the Father of the English Bible, I believe
that historically one name would top the list and that would be
the name of William Tyndale. You see, William Tyndale was the
first man to print a New Testament in our English
language, and he did so did this printing in October 1525.
And this month we are celebrating the 500th
anniversary of the first man to print a New Testament in the
English language. And this New Testament was
different from John Wycliffe's translation.
John Wycliff, some of you know, was known as the Morning Star of
the Reformation. Wycliffe and his fellow scholars
translated the entire Bible, the Old and New Testament, from the
Latin Vulgate into the English dialect for the ordinary people
to read. The first New Testament appeared
in 1370. Unfortunately, it was a a hand
copying job. Did you know it took nine
months, about nine months approximately, to copy the words
exactly? It was a large book, difficult
to carry about. Remember it was a copy of a
translation, the Latin Vulgate into the English language.
However, 10 Deal's translation was different. 10 Deal was the
first man to print a New Testament in the English
language directly from the Greek New Testament and God's
providential will around us time, a man by the name of Johan
Erasmus, he had printed his Greek New Testament.
The year was 1516. Tyndale's translation was
largely based on that Greek New Testament of Erasmus in the year
1522. That was Erasmus translation
then. Now I want us to think tonight,
and I watched the clock of the life and the legacy of William
Tyndale, the father of the English Bible.
Let's think of William Tyndale the man.
Let's get a little glimpse into the blueprint of his life.
William Tyndale was born in the year 1494.
He was born near the Welsh border in the county of
Gloucestershire, in the land of England.
His father was a very wealthy landowner, a very wealthy man.
Now we don't know exactly in 1494 what day he was born.
I like to know the day, but we know this, he had a birthday.
Also think of his death day because here's another point,
the blueprint of his life, his death occurred on the 6th of
October 1536. He was only aged 42.
How did he die? By accident, No, he was
murdered. He was martyred for his faith.
We'll come to that at the end when we think about William
Tyndale the martyr. But in between 1494 and the 6th
of October 1536, there you've got the journey of life of
William Tyndale. And I just want to point out
that William Tyndale was a saved man.
He trusted Christ, He looked to Christ for salvation, for
sanctification, for service, for separation.
He was not only a safe man, but he was a serving man.
He gave himself to the work and witness of God.
He was a self sacrificing, self denial man.
So I want to ask the question before we move on any further,
what about your life? Let's give a blueprint of your
life. There was a day when you were
born. You're enjoying life right now
and there's a day of death that's appointed for it's
appointed unto man wants to die and after this the judgement and
in between you've got the journey of your life and let
that life be long or short. I want to tell you tonight, your
life is ordained. Your life has been appointed by
God. Do you know what we read in the
book of Acts and Acts chapter 17?
Paul, whenever he was at Athens, said this on Mars Hill.
And all things made of one blood, and have made of one
blood all nations of men. For to dwell on all the face of
the earth, and have determined the times before appointed in
the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord,
if happily they might feel after Him and find Him, though we be
not far from every one of us. For in Him we live and move, and
have our being. So I want to ask, are you a
saved individual tonight? Are you testifying that you've
received Christ as Lord and Saviour, resting in him alone
for salvation? If you're saved tonight, I want
to ask, what are you doing to serve the Lord?
Are you serving the Lord and the place where you are, your home,
your community? Brother Ryan greatly encouraged
me today. He he said at work must have
been yesterday the day before he gave out a gospel of John's book
booklet to a Filipino man. We're praying for the Filipino
community that live and carried off.
He encouraged last week the children to attend the
children's meetings and a good number came.
I want to ask do you living your life to the glory of God because
man's defend us to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
We were singing this morning. Love's so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Is that true of us? Remember one day we're going to
have to give an account to God. And if we're asked these
questions, are you saved? If we're asked the question,
what are you doing to serve me? If we're asking the question,
did you live a life of self sacrifice and self denial?
Because the Bible says everyone of us shall give an account of
himself to God. That's a blueprint of William
Tyndale, the man. Think of something else.
Think not only of the blueprint of his life, but think of the
back cloth of his life. I asked myself this week, what
was England like in the 15th century, the 16th century?
See, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, William
Tyndale was born into and brought up in the Roman Catholic
system. In those days England was at a
very, very low ebb spiritually. There was gross spiritual
darkness throughout the land. The county of Gloucestershire
was a hive of priest craft. The clergy and the people were
shrouded in the midst of the deepest surface circles.
Superstition, the Gospel was unknown, In fact it was unheard
of. The people worshipped the
relics. They flocked to the Mass, they
did their penance, they believed in purgatory.
And by these means the Church of Rome was offering a way of
salvation by a workspace system, by religious deeds and religious
rites and ceremonies, Of course, totally company to the
Scriptures. Ephesians 28 and 9.
For by grace are you seeing through faith and not, not of
yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast and see.
People tell us today, and I say this respectfully, the Church of
Rome has changed. That's the 15th century,
Reverend McLaughlin. That's the 16th century.
Well, that was Luther and Calvin and Noxon.
Things are different now. We've got Vatican too.
I I want to tell you the Roman Catholic system has not changed
one bit. There's still a religion of
superstition. They still urge the people to go
to the priest to do penance. They don't point individuals to
Christ, the Lamb of God. They're not telling them that
Jesus saith I am the way, the truth, the life.
No man comes unto the Father but by me.
There's no call for repentance. There's no call for faith in
Christ. They're not offering a full and
free and forever justification by faith alone.
They're not pointing her adherence to the Bible.
Thus in thus saith the Lord over 2000 times, as I8 and 20 says,
to the law and to the testimony of there is no light in them to
the law and to the testimony. If they if they speak not
according to this word, it's because there's no light in
them. See, in Tyndale's day, the Bible
was also an unknown book. Or they had the Bible in Latin,
but they even hated John Wycliffe's translation into
English. The Bible in the Latin was only
known to the elite clergy, but in the English it was banned and
burned. The lawlords had a rough time
now it was this was the world into which William Tyndale was
born and lived. This was the back cloth to his
life. Think thirdly of the benefits of
his life. Now we're thinking about William
Tyndale the man. Is he due to having a wealthy
father? William Tyndale entered
Magdalene Hall, now Hertford College in Oxford in 15 O five.
He was aged 11. He became skilled in seven
languages, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, French and
English. It was said that when he speak
any of these 7 languages, it was like listening to a man in his
native tongue. Unfortunately, as William
Tyndale said at Magdalen Hall, the study of the Bible was
discouraged. Oh yes, they would let you study
philosophy for seven or eight or nine years, but not the Bible.
No, the Bible in Latin was only for the elite clergy.
See, William Tyndale was a very intellectual man of learning, a
man of great abilities. Imagine from the age of 11 up
till he was 21, he learnt 7 languages.
I would need to go and learn English, but he learnt 7
languages and during the next 10 years spent in Oxford.
He graduated with ABA in 1512, graduated with an MA in 1515,
and during this period the religious world began the
transition from mediaeval Roman Catholicism into the doctrines
of the Reformation. Now listen to me carefully.
Tyndale grew and increased in his knowledge of the Holy
Scriptures, so much so that he began to preach the Scriptures
to the Fellows of Magdalene Hall.
For William Tyndale, everything was brought to the touchstone of
Holy Scripture, to the law, and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word, it's because there's
no light in them. Isaiah 8 and 20.
He believed in the authority and sufficiency and the supremacy of
the inspired word. This is what John Knox in Fox's
Book of Martyrs said about him. His mind was addicted to the
knowledge of the Scriptures. I asked, is your mind addicted
to the knowledge of the Scriptures?
Mine. You see he testified during this
10 year period at Oxford that he had found the secret of life.
Do you know what the secret of life was?
Being born again. Listen to these words in first
Peter chapter one verse 23. Being born again, not a
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth forever.
You see, the Word had come and generated faith, and the Word
regenerated, and that was the secret of life that William
Tyndale discovered. He discovered the power and the
preciousness and the purity of the Word of God.
The psalmist said in Psalm 119, verse 30, the entrance of the
high Word giveth light, giveth understanding to the simple.
William Tyndale received the light of the Word.
William Tyndale had a love for the word.
William Tyndale lived for the word of God.
As he read, he discovered the true deity of Christ.
He discovered the depravity of man's sin.
He discovered the danger and destiny of man's soul.
He discovered a great delight in God's salvation through
receiving and resting in Christ alone.
He said I have found a secret, and the secret is connected to
the words of the book in Magdalen Hall.
In 1515 he received his Masters of Arts.
He then left Oxford for Cambridge for Erasmus taught
from 1511 to 1514. The influence of the famous
Dutchman was still at Queen's College, Tyndale come under that
influence. He come under the influence of a
man called the Reverend Thomas Billney.
Let me tell you about Thomas Billney.
He was also a Roman Catholic and got converted.
And when he got converted, I'll tell you what he did.
He decided, you know what, I've got to go to confession.
And he picked the Reverend Thomas Cranner and asked him
would you hear my confession? So they went into the
confessional box. Thomas Bilney gave Cramner his
confession, and his confession was how he got converted.
And of course that was a chain of events in the heart and life
of Thomas Cramner, bringing Thomas Cramner eventually to
Christ. You see, according to John Fox,
William Tyndale further ripened in his knowledge of God, the
greatest knowledge in the world. He left Cambridge in 1521.
They that was the glorious year of Martin Luther made his stand
in his famous speech at the Diet of the Worms.
After leaving Cambridge, God LED William Tyndale to a place
called Little Sodbury Manor. He became a private tutor in the
home of Sir John Walsh in Gloucestershire.
Remember Gloucestershire, where he was born, a stronghold of
Roman Catholicism and into this house because there were 6 I
think abbeys or whatever nearby or in the county.
Many Abbots came to the home, many Deans came, arch deacons
came, and other leading clergy. They sat around the table, they
ate food. Master Tyndale was there.
Remember, he's the private shooter.
And they asked questions, Answers are given, arguments
followed. Here's a conversation from 1521.
It is recorded a priest. The Scriptures are a labyrinth
and a conjuring book wherein everyone finds what he wants.
We hear that same argument today.
We were better to be without God's laws than the Pope's.
It was at that time William Tyndale responded.
I defy the Pope in all his laws. He added this of God's spare my
life. Ere many years I will cause a
boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than
thou dost. There was another priest joined
in the conversation. Nothing is obscure to us.
It is we the Church, who gave, who gave the Scriptures.
We explain them. This is William Tyndale.
Imagine sitting at the table now these are leading clerics of the
Roman Catholic Church in that day.
And this is what he said. Do you know who taught the
eagles to spy out the prey? The same God teaches the hungry
children to spy out their Lord and trace the path for their
feet. And As for you, far from having
given us the scriptures, it is you that have hidden the
scriptures from us. It is you who would burn those
who would teach the scriptures. I And if you could burn the
scriptures themselves, you would.
That was a great conversation, wasn't it?
Tyndale was a man of the book, a man of one book, and he gave his
life out of love for the Word of God.
He was a an excellent scholar, a wonderful Bible translator with
a love for the word of God. Oh, that we had translators of
the Holy Scriptures like Tyndale.
Today we don't, but oh, that we did.
That's William Tyndale, the man. Secondly, William Tyndale, his
mission, you see, during his time at Little Sudbury Manor
there developed in William's heart and mind a burning desire
and a compulsive burden to translate the Bible into
English, not from Latin, but from the original Greek.
Now at that time there was the law of prohibition forbidding
such a thing. The prohibition was imposed by
the Convocation of Canterbury. This is what he said.
I perceive my experience how that it is impossible to
establish the laypeople in any truth except the Scriptures were
plainly before their eyes, in their mother tongue.
His goal, his mission, his long time ambition was to translate
the Bible from Greek into English.
He realised that it was not going to happen at Little
Sodbury Manor in the home of John Walsh.
He didn't feel that it was a safe retreat any longer.
He was being ridiculed, he was being reviled.
So in July 1523, after two years, he left for London.
Now he sought out the Bishop of London.
Where do you hear this? Colbert Tunstall.
And he chased him, wouldn't give him any help, refused him
lodgings and refused him help to translate the Bible.
And then he became the guest of a godly merchant, a man by the
name of Humphrey Monmouth. And in his home, the home of
Henry Monmouth, where there was a tremendous library, there, the
translation work of translating the Word of God into English
began. It was there in Monmouth Library
that our our William Tyndale read the works of Martin Luther.
Now he only stayed a short time there.
I'm not sure if why. Perhaps life again was
difficult. Maybe he felt it wasn't safe.
But he left in May 1524. Can you think of this?
Doctor David Allen called him the apostle of England.
He left England, he left his English land and his English
loved ones and people and he never ever seen them again.
He went to Europe, went to Hamburg, continued his work,
translating the Scriptures from Erasmus Greek edition of 1522,
first published in 1516. And then there was a few
corrections, and it was the 1522 edition.
And as I've told you, by October 1525, he had completed the
translation of the New Testament.
He went to Cologne. He entered into an arrangement
with one of the town's printers, a man by the name of Peter
Quintel. In the same town there was
another man, a bitter opponent, a man by the name of Johan
Dobnek. He tried to frustrate the work.
And one time they were in, we'll call it a public house or a
restaurant, and they were having lunch.
And of course, the wine was flowing, for they didn't
probably have water in those days, Johan Dobnek overheard.
Peter Quinn tells printers boast confidently.
Soon England would be Lutheran. He pied them with more wine.
Here boys have another drink. We get them another glass.
And he learned there was 3000 copies of the New Testament
translated into English that were already printed.
Johann Dobneck was a latter day Judas.
He revealed the plot to the Senator of Cologne, Herman
Rhinek, a man well known to Henry the Eighth, an Emperor
Charles the 5th. It was investigated.
He obtained a needing to stop the work, news reached the years
of Tyndale. He rushed to the printers,
seized the precious manuscripts, left the 3000 copies, couldn't
carry them with them, and fled by ship up the Rhine to Worms.
Worms, of course, was a Lutheran stronghold at that time.
And here the work recommenced. And at the Press of a man by the
name of Peter Chauffeur. 6000 copies were printed and ready
for distribution. Do you know the Bible tells us
this? Be not weary in well doing, for
in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
Galatians chapter 6. And in the verse 9.
And what tremendous encouragement.
And let us not be weary and well doing, for in due season we
shall reap if we faint not. See, Tyndale refused to give up.
The New Testaments began to flow into England.
There was customs cheques in those days like there is in our
day. They were in bales of cloth,
barrels, sacks of flour, cases of every kind.
They would seal up the Thames to Humphrey Monmouth's Wharf.
He had a Wharf underneath Callan Street station.
You see, God was at work and the Bibles were widely circulated.
The joy and comfort of sharing the Holy Scriptures was blessing
the people. Of course, the devil was mad.
Cardinal Wolsey. He took steps to suppress the
seditious book. Fisher Fisher, Bishop of
Rochester, was charged to preach at Saint Paul's Cross on the 1st
of February 1526, denouncing the book has been full of dangerous
heresies. At the end of the service they
brought out the New Testaments and burnt them.
But these denunciations, these burnings, only helped to
increase the demand. Remember Bishop Tunstall that I
mentioned, the Bishop of London? He hired a London merchant to
buy all the copies he could find in Antwerp, bring them to
England to be burned at Saint Paul's Cross.
This is what this man did. That merchant made a deal with
William Tyndale. He told William Tyndale what
Bishop Tunstall was up to, and Bishop Tunstall ended up paying
for William Tyndale's Bibles to come into England and he didn't
even know it. William Tyndale's Penn was busy
at this time. He answered his critics.
He called Cardinal Woolsey Taifus the cardinal.
He called Thomas Murr, the pro creator of purgatory.
Thomas Wolfe See, he called them.
He called the bishops blind buzzards, shameless hypocrites.
And in 1531, his life and freedom was in jeopardy.
You know, this man was living in the continent like a fugitive.
He went up and down the Rhine few days here, a few days here,
a week, a month. The Low Countries had become a
very dangerous place and eventually settled in Antwerp.
He became the guest of a certain Thomas Points.
Don't think it's any connection with points past, but I must
look it up. Thomas Points.
OK. And he was a warm and true
friend of William Tyndale, Thomas Points.
He was a godly man. He was able to offer protection.
You see, he had a privileged house and his house could not be
searched. Any citizen that lived in his
house or any guest could not be arrested inside.
His house could be outside, but not inside.
William Tyndale there was safe. Now it's interesting what
happened because here in this safe place, in this home of
points, he was able to continue his revision and his translation
work. I want to close tonight with
this. Our time has almost gone.
William Tyndale the martyr. In May 1535, plans were laid to
lured Tyndale away from Thomas Point's house.
A man by the name of Henry Phillips pretended to be a
friend, a confidant. He he pretended to convert to
the Protestant 'cause he invited Tyndale, over a period of time
after befriending him, to join him for dinner at a certain
place outside Thomas Point's house.
Tyndale accepted this man. Henry Phillips even said that
Tyndale, would you lend me a few pound and they'll pay you back.
And William Tyndale, of course, lent them a few # but it was all
a ruse, never going to pay him back.
He knew what was happening. Tyndale left his house one night
in May 1535, and as he left that safe retreat, he was seized by
two officers. They were stationed outside the
narrow entrance to Thomas Point's house.
He was arrested and taken to Vilvoorte Castle in Belgium and
there he spent this final almost 18 months in prison.
He wrote his final letter to the Marquis of Bergen.
Here's a wee insight into the manner of life that the William
Tyndale had. Here's a wee insight into his
faith. Here's a wee insight into his
strength. Even the new death was round the
corner. In one of his letters we give a
wee view of life in a cell. He begged his lordship to give
him a cap because he suffered from the cold.
He talked about suffering perpetual guitar.
He asked for a warmer coat, a piece of cloth to patch his
leggings, a warm shirt because his shirt was worn out.
A lamp in the evening because it wasn't nice to sit alone in the
darkness. A Hebrew Bible, a Hebrew
grammar, and a Hebrew dictionary.
It's not reminiscent of the Apostle Paul.
Remember what the Apostle Paul asked for.
The cloak that I left that throw us with carpets will now come us
bring with thee and the books, but especially the parchments.
There was no window in the sail. The snow blew in the rain come
in. There was no fire or central
heating. There was a few rats.
And yet into that very sail, William Tyndale had the joy of
leading the prison guard and his daughter and seeing them
converted. At the end of July 1536, he was
condemned as a heretic. He was defrapped from the
priesthood, handed over to the secular authorities for
punishment of death. On October the 6th, 1536, he was
taken to the place of execution. He was tied to the stake and
Aaron Chain was put around his waist.
A hemp cloth and a noose was round his neck.
A pile of straw and faggots of wood were put around his feet
till only his head was nearly seen.
He was asked if he would like to pray one final prayer, and this
was his prayer before he died. Lord open the King of England's
eyes. At that prayer the rope was
wrenched tight from behind, life was forced from his frail body,
the kindling was lit with the torch, and he burned his body at
the stake. A faithful martyr.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of
life. You.
From his prison cell he wrote to a friend, John Firth.
He was also in a prison cell in England, and he said this to
John Firth. For I call God to record against
the day we shall appear before our Lord Jesus to give a
reckoning of our doings, that I have never altered 1 syllable of
God's word against my conscience, nor would I this
day, if all that is in the earth, whether it be pleasure,
honour or riches be given me. What a testimony.
Now we have talked about William Tyndale the man, William Tyndale
the mission, William Tyndale the martyr.
Let me finish. Bear with me please.
William Tyndale, the memory. I've really been struck.
The psalmist said, Oh how I love thy law.
I think of this precious book. Do you know that 90% of this
book that we call the King James Bible came from the pain of
William Tintin? This is a blood stain book.
Whenever we live in our day, we live in a land of Christ
deniers, Bible deniers, and God would say to us, be thy
faithful, and he may call some of us to be faithful unto death,
like 10 deal to receive a martyr's crown.
And let's not lower the standard, let's not compromise,
let's not join with our enemies. We need to be faithful unto
Christ, to stand for Christ, to speak for Christ, to show
Christ. Will you be faithful?
Remember William Tyndale's prayer.
Lord, open the King of England's eyes on the very same year that
he died, 1536, under Archbishop Cramer, now the man who received
the confession from Thomas Billney about salvation, he
petitioned Canterbury and the King for an English Bible.
In the very same year, King Henry, he gave royal warrant for
one Bible in every church in England.
It was known as the chain Bible. Do you know why they chained it?
In case somebody would steal it. And people were flocking to the
House of God in England, all over the country, and someone to
read in the Scriptures and they were sitting this night to that
precious word of God. And that chain Bible was also,
remember, based upon William Tyndale's work.
We still benefit from William Tyndale's work 500 years on.
What about the Old Testament you asked?
As we finish, most of the Old Testament was translated by
William Tyndale before he died. The manuscripts were available
to a man by the name of John Rogers.
And that that that became part then of the Matthew Bible of
1537 and right down to 1611 to to the King James Bible.
William Tyndale's memory, 90% of our Bible stained with the blood
of William Tyndale came from his pen.
And I say this as I finish David said, oh, I love thy law.
And if I have a prayer for the free Church, for this church,
all our congregations at home abroad, for the Church of the
first born in Northern Ireland, is this that we would rediscover
the power and the preciousness and the purity of the Word of
God? May the Lord answer prayer
tonight for his glory. Thank you for coming.
Thank you for listening.