Is it Worth the Risk?

BBC Sermon Review and Discussion Questions – October 29, 2023

Sermon Review

Psalm 19:7-11 - “Is it Worth the Risk?”

Preamble: Christians should recognize the special providence of God and His faithful orchestration of all things in history to preserve the Bible that we have in our possession. What most of us carry on our person would have been a death sentence 600 years ago, but there were men and women who believed it was worth the risk. One such man was William Tyndale, born in the early 1490’s probably between 1493 and 1495.

Psalm 19 sheds some light on why men and women believed it was worth the risk to translate the Bible into English. Simply from the plain reading of the text, we find that the focus of the 14 verses of this psalm is the revelation of God. In Psalm 19 God has left us with a clear mark, witness, or His “signature” for mankind. 

One way we can divide this psalm is:

·      God’s Witness in the Sky (General Revelation) in verses 1-6

·      God’s Witness in the Scripture (Special Revelation) in verses 7-12:

o  The law of the LORD

o  The testimony of the LORD

o  The precepts of the LORD

o  The commandment of the LORD

o  The fear of the LORD and ....

o  The judgments of the LORD

·      God’s Witness in the Soul in verses 12-14

God’s general revelation is a one-point preacher that declares God’s glory, but God’s special revelation provides a treasure-trove of benefits one cannot exhaust. 

1.    It restores or converts the soul (7a)

The word for “restoring” or “converting” literally means to turn back. It is the Scriptures which turn us towards God, and that begins at salvation. Salvation is a product of the Word (2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23; Romans 10:17; 1 Thess. 2:13).

2.    It makes wise the simple (7b)

The word “simple” refers to those who have no discernment. Not necessarily a person who is a fool and rejects wisdom, but one who doesn’t know any better. The “simple” is someone who is gullible ad easily persuaded and unable to distinguish between right and wrong. The Scriptures have the ability to make a simple person wise (Psalm 119:99, 100, 130)

3.    It rejoices the heart (8a)

Through the Scriptures one can experience a deep and abiding joy that remains even though his or her circumstances may be difficult (Psalm 119:111; Jeremiah 15:16; John 15:11).

4.    It enlightens the eye (8b)

The word “enlighten” is used figuratively here for that which gives direction. God’s word brings clarity.  Christians are not left in the dark but are given what is right and proper in the Scriptures (Psalm 119:105; 130).

5.    It warns God’s servant (11a)

The word for warn is zahar. It’s the same word used to describe what a watchman would do. In OT times cities were walled in for their own protection, primarily against invading armies. For added protection they would station a watchman on the top of the wall to look out for danger (Ezekiel 3:17, 18). The Scriptures warn the believer and sounds an alarm and says DANGER! (Psalm 119:11; Ezekiel 18:17-20  

6.    It brings great reward (11b)

The Word not only warns about what will happen if we disobey, it also reminds us of what will happen when we do obey. It rewards us! This looks to a present reward that is found in keeping the Word of God, as well as a future reward for following in obedience (Revelation 22:12)

Whatever we need to live a life pleasing to God is all found in Scripture. The truth about God Himself is in the Scriptures. The truth about salvation is found there too. If you need guidance and instruction about His will it’s there. Whatever God wants you to believe is there. Whatever God wants you to practice is there. There is absolutely nothing that is necessary for your Christian life that you will not find in the Bible. We don’t need to seek some “new revelation of the Spirit” or the traditions of men to make those decisions. Scripture is the sufficient guide. 

William Tyndale

1.    William Tyndale was born at a time (early 1490s) where you could be burned alive by the Catholic Church for simply reading the Bible in English, or teaching your children the Lord’s Prayer in English, or possessing a copy of God’s word in English.

2.    Two years after Tyndale began to pursue his doctorate at Cambridge, Martin Luther, dropped a bombshell on Germany by nailing 95 points of contention against the Roman Catholic church and his ideas were beginning to spread like a wildfire. While at Cambridge, Tyndale was exposed to the reformed protestant movement that was already underway at Germany and embraced the commitments of the Reformation.

3.    In 1520, one year after Tyndale showed up at Cambridge, a small group of scholars began meeting to discuss these ideas regularly at a tavern called the White Horse Inn. Many believe William Tyndale met to discuss the ideas of the Reformation and to discuss the recently completed Greek New Testament that was compiled by Erasmus.

4.    In 1521 Tyndale stepped away from Cambridge in order to have more time with his Greek New Testament and to ponder the truths of the Reformation more carefully. He took a job as a tutor and private chaplain for the Walsh family who lived in Glouchesterchire. The clergy in Glouchesterchire were ungodly and ignorant of Scripture; Tyndale got into many debates with them concerning the importance of having the Scriptures in the language of the people. It was at this time that he became convinced that “it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth except the Scriptures were laid before their eyes in their mother tongue”.

5.    Tyndale arrived in Hamburg Germany in 1524 and also journeyed to Wittenburg where the first sparks of the Reformation flew. That’s where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses. In Wittenburg Tyndale secretly began the work of translation. In 1525 he travelled to Cologne Germany and found a printer who agreed to help him with his work but his cover was blown, and he had to flee to Worms, Germany.  In Worms, Tyndale completed the first mechanically printed translation of the Bible into English and the first translation of the Bible into English from the original Greek.  

6.    By 1526 the leaves of thousands of Bibles were hidden in bales of cotton and made their way into England but the Archbishop of Canterbury got wind of what was going on and the church confiscated every Bible they could get their hands on.  

7.    Tyndale became a wanted man and soon the opponents of Tyndale made their way to Germany to search for him and bring him to justice. Over the next several years plans were devised to capture Tyndale but didn’t succeed until 1535 when a man by the name of Henry Philips tricked Tyndale into believing he was a supporter of the reformed movement. Tyndale lowered his guard and was captured and imprisoned. In August of 1536 Tyndale finally stood trial before his accusers and was condemned as a heretic. On October 6, 1536, Tyndale was tied to a stake, strangled, and his body burned.

8.    In the same year that Tyndale was martyred, a complete Bible began to circulate in England. King Henry the VIII was persuaded to approve the publication of an official English Bible. The king issued that a copy of the Bible in English and Latin should be placed in every church in England. It is said that in our King James Bible today 90% of the NT is Tyndale’s work and 85% of Pentateuch.

Discussion Questions:

1.    What are some signs or evidence that we often take the Word of God for granted?  What are some of the ways that we could recognize the special providence of God and His faithful orchestration of all things in history to give us a Bible?

2.    What is the difference between general revelation and special revelation. Refer to Scripture to illustrate your answer.

3.    In Psalm 19 we find the witness of God’s Word. How does God describe His Word in this psalm?

4.    Comparing God’s revelation in creation and God’s revelation in Holy Scripture, which revelation is more valuable? Why? (Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119)

5.    What are some “needs” men and women have, and are tempted to look to other places and people for fulfillment rather than God’s Word? Can the Christian dogmatically say, “Whatever we need to live a life pleasing to God is found in Scripture”?

6.    Make a list of the benefits of God’s (special) revelation found in Psalm 19.

7.    In Foxes Book of Martyrs (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22400/22400-h/22400-h.htm or https://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/home.html) we learn about the lives, sufferings and triumphant deaths of early Christians who died as they kept the faith. How can their lives and deaths encourage the believer today?

8.    Describe the context in England that William Tyndale was born into.

9.    What was the belief that motivated John Wycliffe to begin his work and persuade Tyndale to take it up?

10. How might Martin Luther’s “bombshell” on October 31st, 1517, have impacted William Tyndale?

11. What was Tyndale referring to when he said to a priest, “I defy the pope and all his laws…if God spare my life ere many years I will cause a boy that drives the plow to know more of Scripture than you do”?

12. Even with the great availability of the Bible in print and on the Internet, a survey by Tyndale House Publishers reported in the year 2000 that 64 percent of Americans don't read the Bible. In 2023, 84 percent of Americans don’t read the Bible. Why do you think we have this statistic?