The Life And Legacy Of William Tyndale

Amen. Turn with me tonight to the Book

of Revelation. Revelation chapter 2.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

Just a short reading tonight, few verses.

Revelation chapter 2, we're reading from verse 8.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

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.

Revelation 2:8

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.

Revelation 2:10

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?

Acts 17 · chapter mention

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

Psalms 119:30

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.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

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.