A Survey of the Pilgrim's Progress pt.2

Good morning, everyone. We're gonna go ahead and get ourselves started. So let's go ahead and open up in a word of prayer before we jump into Paul Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Let's pray.

dear Lord God, we do come before you this morning and we lift up ourselves to you. And Lord, we ask that you would give us. a fresh vision of Christ. That Lord, you would help us through the lens of faith, to behold Jesus today.

That Lord, we might be edified and encouraged and built up. We pray, Lord, that through the ministry of the word and through our fellowship with one another, Lord, We would be strengthened and encouraged. And convicted. That you would have your way with us, this morning as well as throughout the day.

We thank you, Lord, for Christ whose blood was shed on the cross. We remember his sacrifice on our behalf and the pain and suffering, the agony experienced by your son. Oh God, and And how it is, Lord, that through his death, your wrath has been appeased, and Lord, we can come before you dressed in his righteousness. As holy and righteous and without blame.

And so that's what we do, Lord, and we worship you. be with us this morning in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

So we got started last week under the leadership of Pastor Mike with Pilgrim's Progress. as I was thinking about the topic, thinking about the book, I remember, many years ago, I had a professor, at the Masters University, a professor named Doctor Wayne Mack. And I'll never forget, he would always boast about this book, Pilgrim's Progress. He would just rave about it and, and he, he commented that it is one of the greatest counsel what is going on with him.

And, and their efforts to help this man are of no help. this man with a burden has mental strains, melancholy, he, you get the sense that he's just overwhelmed, beginning to experience that sense of being overwhelmed by his condition. he meets evangelist, a man named Evangelist. He tells Evangelist about his burden.

And the evangelist gives him a parchment roll and that parchment roll says flee from the wrath to come, flee from the wrath to come. Evangel evangelist asks, can you see that yonder wicket gate? And the man says, no, he says, he thinks he sees the light yonder. And evangelist tells him, go that way, go that way.

So he's not seeing the wicked gate, he's not seeing Christ, but he sees the light and he's encouraged, he's exhorted to go that way. light may represent the Holy Spirit or the word of God. I'm taking it that it's representative of the word of God. Thy word is a light unto my path and a light unto my way.

so the, the man can't see the gate, he sees the light. Evangelist is out in the field and he sees the man in need of the truth. This is where he's at when he encounters him. and so, and so this man leaves his wife, children, he's on a spiritual journey.

He's on a spiritual journey. He encounters along the way, remember the character's obstinate and pliable, these two characters, they try to talk the man back. and, and the man warns them, obstinate, thinks it, it, it's crazy to leave friends and comfort behind., the man is named Christian at this point, so we're not calling him the man anymore. He's Christian.

he says he seeks an inheritance. And so you get the sense he's already beginning to evangelize, he's already beginning to tell others, hey, we, we, we need to head in, in, in a particular direction, and, and that's the direction he's headed in. part of the point being that a young believer can be an evangelist, and even though he knew little, he still knew enough to tell him, we, we need to head in this direction. Anyways, obstinate and pliable, they're like, they, they pretty much.

reject. Christian is ridiculed by Obstinate. Obstinate quotes the Bible to get him to go back, and pliable is willing to go along with Christian. Christian keeps going back to the Bible in his interactions.

he keeps pointing to the book, to the Bible, to God's word. Christian interacts with pliable, pliable wants to know about friends and, and comfort, pliable wants pleasure, and Christian talks about the next life. Christian looks forward, and pliable is willing to look forward, at least for a short season. and, and he, he tells of believers in heaven who will arrive by trial and, and, and Christian tells Pliable that and pliable's like, I don't want anything to do with the difficulties that come along with the path that you're taking.

And Pliable does not have the burden that Christian had, right? Christian had that burden on his back, that backpack representing the burden, and I pliable doesn't share that same burden on his own back, therefore, not interested. and really going with Christian. And, and, and you also notice in the story that, that pliable, he, he's always ahead of Christian.

Again, he, he's, he's, he's faster, he's ahead, he looks on the outward like he's on the right track, but because he does not have the burden, he's not really ready for the journey that awaits. and Christian is slowed down compared to pliable. Again, because of the burden that he feels, the weight of the sin that's on his back. we read in Pilgrim's Progress that eventually the two fall into the slough of despond.

We're gonna touch upon that here in a few moments. it is a miry bog where all of the guilt and fear settle in on the mind of the person, and Christian does not know what is going on as he is in this slough, and he's going to be abandoned by pliable, and there he is, Christian, sinking helpless. and then, I think Mike covered the fact that help will eventually come in on the scene, help, more than likely a reference to the Holy Spirit. And we get the sense that the Lord is doing the work on Christian in this allegory, OK?

So today we're gonna be covering just the overview here, the slough of despond, yonder shining light met by worldly wisdom, the world's scorn of the word directed to the village of morality beneath the high hill, admonished by evangelist, Christian returns to the way and then Christian arrives at the gate. OK, so Slough of Despond, I think it's section 7 in the, in the book, Slough of Despond. OK, the picture we have is a Christian struggling in the slough of despond. he wants to get to the other side away from his own home and nearer the wicked gate again, which represents Christ.

Christian's burden greatly hinders his efforts. It keeps him stuck in the muck in the mire. He's weighed down. Then a man named Help comes along, and Christian explains the Help how he was directed by evangelist toward the gate to escape the wrath to come.

Along the way, Christian, he, he, he gets stuck. He, he explains to help how he gets stuck in this slough and help ask the question. why did you not look for the steps, symbolizing the promises of God, and Christian explains that fear followed him, and in fleeing, he fell in. he loses sight of the promises of God as he is stuck in this muck and mire.

The help then gives Christian his hand, draws him out, and sets him upon solid ground. Now this scene calls to mind Psalm 40:1. Where the psalmist says, I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and he, and he heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mire clay, and he set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm.

the man who is having this dream, is going to inquire about the slough, and it's explained to him that the slough represents the place sinners turn when under conviction, yet wrestling with fear and doubt. Sinners get stuck in the slough when they need help to get out. And again, help represents the Holy Spirit, apart from the help of God's spirit. We would never be drawn out of the slough and directed towards faith in Christ.

In the allegory help ask question, Christian, but why did you not look for the steps? The steps represent the promises of Jesus Christ in the gospel, and such promises are designed to help us through the slough and, and, and direct us in, in the right way through faith in Christ and on our way ultimately to the celestial city. A Bunyan points out several truths concerning God's promises. in this section of the book, several truths concerning God's promises.

One, they are given by the lawgiver. They are given by the lawgiver. The very one who gives the law as a source of condemnation also gives his promises to comfort. 2, they are good and substantial.

They are true, many, and trustworthy. Number 3, that they are placed through the very midst of the slough. What an encouragement, what an encouragement. and just thinking about, for example, in counseling ministry when people come to you and they're way down, they're discouraged, they're in the dumps, and, and, and they look at their situation of life and they just, they, they're in the slough of despond in, in that sense, and, and, and what a blessing to be able to take the promises of God in His word and give those promises and see life being instilled in the soul of a person who is struggling.

again, these promises are placed through the very midst of the slough. Even in the midst of the struggle, God's promises are present for our hope and our comfort. fourthly, they are often not seen. Oftentimes, when, when people get stuck in the muck in the mire, and then the struggles of life, they have a very difficult time laying hold of these promises.

The, the promises aren't seen, not that they're not there, they're there, of course, but it can be a struggle for some people to see them. our sin can so overwhelm that we fail to see the promises of God at time, at times. once Christian is out and on his way, having been helped by help, help further explains their pond by the wide gulf that divides the city of destruction from the way of life. we must face the shame and evil of our sin against God on our way to the cross.

Only then can we fully adore our Savior and understand the great price that he paid for our salvation. I think of JC Ryle in his book Holiness, where he says, until sin be bitter, the savior will not be sweet. And so we come to section 8, chapter 8, yonder shining light. OK, I'm just gonna read a section from that part of the book.

Then said evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field. Evangelist is the one who directs Christian into the truth. We all need evangelists in our lives, folks who, who direct us in the truth. nonbelievers need to hear the gospel to be saved.

Believers need to hear the gospel to be sanctified. we read that evangelist points his finger over a very wide field and he asked a critical, critical question. Very critical question, do you see yonder wicket gate? Do you see Christ?

in, in counseling ministry, that's probably one of the most important and powerful questions that you can ask of a person. to discern what it is about Christ that they are unable to see. And point them to Christ. Again and again and again and again, do you see yonder wicket gate?

The man said no. And then said the other, do you see yonder shining light? He said, I think so. Then said evangelist, Keep that light in your eyes and go directly there too, so shalt thou, thou, thou see the gate.

At which thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do. Again, the wicked gate represents Christ. Evangelist points Christian to Christ. He knows that Christian's greatest need is to behold Christ.

If Christian ever hopes to be freed from his burden and admitted into the celestial city, it will be through Christ alone, right? This is a big part of what Bunyan wants to be communicating through the book, Christ alone, Christ alone, Christ alone. John 14:6 tells us that no man comes to the Father. Except through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Acts 4:12, the apostle Peter proclaims, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no name given among men by which we must be saved, right? It is through Christ alone, our greatest need. And so Christian needs to behold Christ, and he needs to know that Christ is his only hope. But Christian is unable to see.

The wicked gate. So evangelist directs Christian to the shining light, and the shining light represents the word of God as it lights our path. Psalm 119:105. It is the word of God that reveals Christ to us.

And so if Christian is unable to see the wicked gate, at least he can be directed in the right way by looking at the light through the word of God. Apart from special revelation, we would be in the dark regarding Christ. Evangelist knows that Christian who does not see the wicked gate, needs God's word to reveal to him the wicked gate, to shine light on the wicked gate so he can behold and see the wicked gate. Go in that direction and it'll take you the right way.

In our evangelistic efforts, we must proclaim Christ. The Christ has revealed through the word of God. No other Christ will do, and, it, it goes without saying, right? Like we know that, that a different Christ is being proclaimed throughout the land and throughout the globe.

so often people buy into their own version of who they want their Christ to be rather than the Christ has revealed in the scripture, and that's part of the challenge, right? That's part of the burden is to know Him truly, not to know him as we want him to be, but to know him as he has revealed himself to be through the truth of his words. That is what we need, and that's what anyone and everyone who comes our way needs. They need to, to lay hold of the true Christ.

The Christ has revealed in the word of God. God's word does not just reveal Christ, but our sin as well. And this is important because only through a knowledge of personal sin is one ready for the savior, right?, we, we are, we are being convicted by God, the spirit, of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. This is a work of the Spirit in us to convict us in these ways, and as I said before, the savior will never be sweet until our sin is bitter.

And, and we've all experienced that, right? When you're just overwhelmed by the guilt of your own sin, but then at the same time, you're reminded of a promise from God, you're reminded of Christ, you behold him, and, and then you just get, you just get, just overwhelmed by the grace. It's just unbelievable, it's breathtaking, it just leaves you speechless. you, you, you, you don't know what to say, the magnificence of the grace of God against the backdrop of our depravity and wickedness and, and, and all of the sin, it, it, it, it becomes overwhelming.

Anyways, while on his way to the gate guided by the light, Christian draws nearer to the slough, comes face to face with the vileness and shame of his sin. He is convinced even further of his desperate need for a savior in the mire of grappling with his own unworthiness and wickedness, Christian's heart is further broken and made ready. for conversion or made ready for a transformation, a sanctification, a deeper work of God in his soul, tasting the vile bitterness of our sin prepares our hearts for the sweet glory of the cross.

Modern evangelism is often too willing to rush people to the cross before they are by God's grace ready and able to appreciate its worth.

We tell of the joys of heaven and do not warn of the coming wrath. We offer hope before there is distress or even concern. We hold out forgiveness for those who are yet without guilt or shame. We must be faithful as evangelists to point sinners to the cross in a way that directs them to the light.

Of God's word confronts them with the vileness of their sin and helps them see that Jesus is the only way to peace. may God be pleased as we endeavor to proclaim the gospel, to open eyes, soften hearts, and grant sinners the gift of faith and repentance, that they will see the cross as precious, turn from sin and flee to Christ for life. So we come to section 9 met by worldly wise men, section 9 met by worldly wise men. as Christian was walking, the text, Paul Bunyan's allegory tells us, solitary by himself.

He comes across worldly wise men. Take note of that solitary and by himself, and then here comes worldly wise men. the fact Christian was alone is noteworthy. It, it makes him more vulnerable to spiritual attack.

Christian had already overcome trials and human obstacles that threatened his commitment to get to the wicked gate, and now Christian comes across worldly wise men. Their, their paths were destined to cross as they were on the same path heading in opposite directions. And those seeking Christ will face temptations to embrace worldly counsel and even turn back to the things of the world. A Lot's wife turned back and suffered judgment, and we must not like her turn back.

And once we put our hand to the plow, we must never look back. That worldly wise man was from the town of Carnal Policy. He counsels Christian with the thought of getting rid of his burden apart from Christians need to go through the wicked gate. Of course there are those who would convince the seeker and the believer that he has no need for Christ.

worldly wise men warns of the dangers that await if Christian seeks to ridge his burden by way of the wicked gate, and, and worldly wise men. he gives a list of some of those dangers. Again, if Christian seeks to ridge his burden by way of the wicked gate, some of those dangers are worrisomeness, painfulness, hunger, perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons, darkness, and in a word, death. Such dangers are real for those wishing to follow Christ, but no more dangerous than the burden which threatens Christian with eternal destruction.

Yet Christian remains determined to rid himself of the burden by. He will have no shortcuts. He is willing to endure anything, at least that's what he verbalizes, that he's willing to endure anything for the sake of being rid of his burden. As mentioned, their paths were destined to cross.

Likewise, those seeking the Lord, us will be confronted with worldly wise men who would deter us from the path that we must take. Worldly wise men engages Christian in a conversation that started off well enough. He counsels Christian to get rid of his burden. but he denounces evangelist as well as the message that evangelists proclaimed.

We must be wary of any council that fails to find its footing in the gospel, and this encounter reminds us of Psalm one where we are warned about the council we embrace and you are familiar with Psalm one. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked or stand in the way of the sinner or sit in the seat of the scoffer. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night, and he will be like the tree planted by streams of living water, water which yields its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and not so the wicked, right?

Just the importance of being grounded in the truth of God's word, and in particular the gospel that the word of God reveals to us.

We must learn to be cautious and watch for Satan's ploys when interacting with world views that are hostile to God and contrary to the gospel. The devil is seldom outright with lies and heresy. When he desires to attack pilgrims with error, he most often works through deceit and deception. The lie is subtle, and he builds upon an embracing of a small lie.

In order to lead us astray, Paul warns us that Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. The devil can give what is black an appearance of white. When Paul expresses his concern, to the Corinthians, his concern that they not stumble into this trap. 1 Corinthians 11:34, we read.

And Paul saying, I fear lest somehow as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it. and, and that, that is a condemnation to anyone who would put up with a false gospel. A Satan can take a lie and unfold it with enough truth to cover, soften, and hide it, and by doing this, the devil sets a deadly trap.

If we fail to see error because it's adorned in truthful wrappings, we swallow it to our hurt just as Christian was swayed with worldly wise man's counsel and as we shall see, ends up straying out of away from the way into a perilous place. There is also an interesting use of irony found in this dialogue. worldly wise man goes on for several lines, decrying evangelist for his previous advice to Christian, and he closes with the argument, quote, And why should a man so careless cast away himself by giving heed to a stranger?

Yet Christian is about to do just this in listening to worldly wise men.

The world does not, does not easily lose its own worldly wise man here claims Christian as a friend and speaks of ministers of the gospel as outsiders. So we transition to, the 10th section, the 10th chapter, the world's scorn of the word. OK, here we have a dialogue between worldly wise men that continues in Christian, and, and it is, it is noteworthy, worldly wise men. How camest thou by the burden at first, Christian, by reading this book in my hand, the word of God.

The word of God revealed to me my sin and my need, worldly wise men, I thought so, and it is happened unto thee as to other weak men. Right, it's a sign of weakness, according to worldly wise men to put your nose in the scripture. he says, who meddling with things too high for them, do suddenly fall into thy distractions, which distractions are not, are which distractions so not only on man men. As thine I perceive have done thee, but they run them into desperate ventures to obtain they know not what.

Christian responds, I know what I would obtain. It is ease for my heavy burden. And Christian engages in the dialogue with worldly wise men. Such engagement is not advised, be careful.

Worldly wise men continues to derail Christian. He asked Christian about his burden. Christian responds by saying that the book is the source of his burden. God's word causes conviction over sin.

God's word is the source through which a sinner can become saved. You can cross reference Psalm 19 or 2 Timothy 3:16. The worldly wise man ridicules Christian. Worldly wise men's attack on scripture is nothing new, right?

We can go all the way back to the garden. where the serpent attacked God's word. As he is engaging in this conversation with Eve, and he's gonna get her to doubt and to distrust and devalue and just question, God and what God has said, question God's word. and so this is what the serpent, the, the, the devil, has been doing ever since.

Always attacking the word of God, attacking its authority, attacking its sufficiency, attacking our need for the word of God. Doing all that he can to go after that which is given to us to give us life. there are those who would attack God's word and argue that God's word hinders rather than helps. I, I can recall counseling sessions with people who have been counseled by psychologists.

even Christian psychologists who for all intents and purposes would say that, those, those, Christians out there who emphasize sin. And your need for the savior, they're causing you to feel down about yourself. It's an attack on your self-esteem and, and you just need to be careful of that. So I've counseled people where when I'm talking to them about sin and the need for the savior and these types of just biblical doctrines, it, it rubs against them wrongly at times., and it's because they've received counsel from the worldly wise men out there who are not grounded in the word and the gospel Christ which the word reveals.

it goes without saying that is dangerous. And so Worldly wise man condemns. The use of scripture as a sign of weakness. He basically considers it a distraction.

It is ultimately pointless. And that's what the world will tell us, right? That's what they tell us out there in the world. They attack the word of God, they devalue it, they do not submit to its authority and its efficiency and our need for it.

So we move on to 11, directed to the village of morality, directed to the village of morality. Christian continues in his dialogue with worldly wise men. There's a lot of chatter between the both of them. he clearly desires ease for his heavy burden.

Worldly Wiseman seeks to convince Christian that the path he is taking will be accompanied by so many dangers. Worldly Wiseman suggests a different path. I got an idea. I, I, I got a, a, a better path for you, one that offers no danger.

A path upon which Christian, quote, shall meet with much safety, friendship, and content, and Christian responds with interest. Open the secret to me, talk to me, tell me, I wanna hear. worldly wise man directs Christian to the village of morality. In that village, Christian will meet Mr.

Legality, a man who can help Christian with his burden. Right? Through being a good guy. Through obeying the person and you're gonna be OK.

The son of Mr. Legality is civility. Civility may prove helpful as well. Christian is encouraged by worldly wise men with the thought he could send for his wife and children to leave the city of destruction and join him in the village of morality where he can enjoy a good life in which he owns a home and can easily afford many provisions, sounds like health, wealth and prosperity, right?

the village of morality represents those who seek to be morally good people. They shun the fear of God and judgment. They convince themselves that by being good people they will be fine in the end. and there's a lot of people out there in the world, isn't there, who, when you ask them, they actually think they're good people.

I was having a discussion with a person recently and just pouring my heart out to this person, sharing the gospel, and, and, and, and at one point in the conversation this person responded to me by saying, how in the world do that I am a sinner? This person wanted to proclaim their own righteousness and this person wanted to say, I, I really haven't done all that bad in my life. And this person's a very religious person who goes to church 6 days a week and so thinks well of himself that he's gonna be OK at the end of the day.

He's just practicing religion, just trying to do the right things, trying to be a good person in an attempt to be right with a holy God.

when this person told me I'm not a sinner, I took this person right to First John chapter one where it says if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. The fact of the matter is, is we are sinners and we are worse sinners than we dare to think, right? We are really bad. We are really bad, we are sinful to the very core, and it is an absolute wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ would bleed his blood on a cross for us to make us justified, clothing us in his righteousness, so that God from on high looks down upon us and he sees your royal garments.

He sees you clothed in Christ. And that is the message that causes our hearts to well up with joy, right? To think to ourselves, just what a great, we just wanna praise God from the very depths of our being, because he has been so unimaginably kind to us. We, we cannot comprehend the kindness of the, of the Lord towards us in His Son who bled his blood for us.

I think of Paul where the apostle Paul says, God has called me and, and, and I'm paraphrasing, but to proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ. He's I, I, I don't fully comprehend. I don't fully understand, but this God has seen fit to take me elsewhere, he says, the chief of sinners. To proclaim the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is the message we proclaim. Again, these, these moral people., an example of what we're talking about, what Bunyan's talked about here in, in, in the allegory, is seen in the rich young man. He declared himself to be a keeper of the law, yet he was unwilling to obey the Lord's command to go and sell all that he had. the people of morality look to Mr.

Legality to ease their conscience. They cling to an outward keeping of the law, a works righteousness, and Christian is told that if Mr. Legality is not home, if the present culture fails to uphold moral laws, then, then civility would suffice. In other words, getting along with others will be good enough.

and, and we know that not to be true. That's, that's not gonna take you to where you need to go at the end of the day. It's not gonna save you, just being good enough to be liked by others, to relate to others in such a way where they're pleased with you, in a way you can call that man pleasing, and that's idolatry, and that's worthy of condemnation. In a way, the village of morality is worse than the city of destruction.

Moral folks take such pride in their goodness, it is with greater difficulty to convince self-righteous folks of their depravity, and I discovered that, a couple weeks back when I was sharing with this person the gospel, trying to help this person to understand that he is in fact a sinner against the holy God, so hard for him to see that he is a sinner. They take great comfort in their morality. They ease their conscience by deceiving themselves into thinking they are good people.

In contrast, the folks in the city of destruction, they're obvious sinners.

It's not like you have to convince them otherwise, right? They know, they would never point to their righteousness as a reason that all is well with them. it is a demonic lie to believe that we can solve our own problems by striving. To do good as a way to ease our conscience and ready ourselves for the future.

Only the blood of Jesus can bring peace and atone for sin. We think of that hymn, that well known hymn, what can wash away my sin? Nothing. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

In Colossians 1:20 tells us through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace. Through the blood of His cross. The only way by which we can be at peace with Almighty God is through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Christian will soon learn that to stray from the way of the cross is perilous indeed.

This takes us to number 12 beneath the high hill. In this scene, he heads out. To Mr. Legality's house, he's deceived by worldly wise men and heads out in the wrong direction.

He comes to the high hill, and Christian feared the high hill might fall upon him. He began to feel sorry for embracing worldly Wiseman's counsel, so he stands still, not knowing what to do. He's crippled at that point. Just, he, he knows he's gotten, gotten himself into a pickle.

He's in a mess. He doesn't know what to do. In a bad place. Then Evangelist arrives on the scene, good old evangelist.

And he queries Christian as to how and why he got to the high hill, and Christian confessed his interaction with worldly wise men. Christian's recollection of his conversation with worldly wise men is telling. Christian's burden is, is of such grave concern that he cannot take pleasure in his family as before. He acknowledged worldly wise men, telling him of an alternative way to be rid of the burden, one that was better, shorter, easier, and Christian acknowledged that he followed the advice and ended up at the high hill and full of fear, not knowing what to do.

Evangelist offers words of exhortation, resulting in Christian repenting with bitterness over his sin. An evangelist then follows up by giving Christian words of encouragement that such sins could be forgiven. many observations can be made in this section of the allegory one, the danger of listening to and embracing counsel not rooted in scripture and sound theology. 2, the danger of deviating from a focus on Christ to address one's burden and set foot in the right direction.

Number 3, the danger of a works-oriented approach to address one's burden of sin. Number 4, the mercy of God to bring evangelist to Christian when he goes astray. Number 5, the role any believer can play in directing wayward believers to Christ. 6, the importance of a humble response to those who lovingly confront us with truth.

You must give Christian some credit, I suppose, in the fact that he heard and received and embraced and responded positively to the exhortation, to the admonition, and then to the encouragement that came from evangelists. So we come to 13, section 13, we're trying to get all the way up to 1513, admonished by evangelist. In this section, evangelist explains to Christian the danger of worldly wise men, as well as the danger of the one to whom he sent Christian. Evangelist declares 3 things in worldly wise man's counsel to be hated.

Number 1, worldly wise man directs Christian away from the way, away from Christ. Be wary of that. Number 2, worldly wise man seeks to render the cross odious to Christians. Number 3, worldly wise man seeks to set the feet of Christian on a path leading to the administration of death.

He sent Christian to legality or his son's civility. Legality is the son of the bondwoman and associated with Mount Sinai, which Christian feared would fall on his head. Legality or the law can never set one free from his guilt and shame. No man can be justified by the works of the law.

Civility also cannot help Christian with being civil and in pleasant relations with people cannot render one right with God. A point not to be missed is that evangelist quotes Scripture at length in his efforts to correct and persuade Christian. A robust knowledge of God's word goes a long way in equipping one for the work of evangelism, for the work of ministry, and we have no power in and of ourselves, but through the appropriate use of God's word we might direct others in the way evangelist use of and dependence upon scripture underscores once again it's authority and sufficiency and our need of it and everyone's need for it.

And what are the effects of evangelist effort, this brings us to the next section 14.

Section 14, Christian returns to the way. we read, that after evangelist finishes admonishing and then, comforting Christian with gospel truth, he then calls aloud to the heavens for confirmation of what he has said. So evangelist is dependent upon God. He calls to the heavens, he prays to Almighty God, that what he has shared would take root in the heart, that it would serve its purpose and encourage Christian, along the way.

Herein we will observe the effectual prayer of a righteous man. Words and fire came out of the mountain under which poor Christian stood. The words were, and, and, and Bunyan records this, as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Cursed is everyone that continues, not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

So if you're seeking to be righteous through the use of the law, you're going to have to be perfectly righteous. That just ain't gonna happen. And cursed is everyone who does not follow the law perfectly. Thus there has got to be another way, right?

And of course we know that the way is Christ. A Christian looked for nothing but death, and began to cry out lamentably, and I'm quoting that he was afraid. At this point he curses the time he met and listens to worldly wise men. He was grieved by the fact that he allowed himself to be led astray by this demonic council.

Christian in in in. Gets in conversation. Is there any hope for me? Note the despair that he feels.

Is there any hope for me? Evangelists did offer gospel hope, yet warned Christian not to turn aside again lest thou perish from the way. So the encouragement is coupled with warning, right? And that's what God will use in order to keep us on the path, gospel encouragements as well as warnings, both at the same time, oftentimes.

But then Christian hastens without delay back to the place from where he first left to follow worldly wise man's counsel. So he goes back to where he went astray and, and, and correct his path, if you will, by the grace of God. In this section of the allegory, we observe Christian struck with sorrow and shame. godly sorrow is a mercy from God upon the heart of every seeker and or saint to repents.

We also observe the effective use of God's word to bring brokenness to Christian. I remember a number of years ago, Kelly Lamon and I, we were involved in a counseling situation, counseling a young lady, and she came to the campus and. we were counseling her, and, and I, and I kid you not, I have never ever for the life of me, I've never seen a person convulsing with sobs so strongly as I saw this young woman convulsing. at one, some of my first words out of my mouth, hearing her tell her story, crying felt the whole story.

Some of, some of the first words out of my mouth to her, my first words of counsel is breathe. That's how bad the convulsing was. That's how bad the tears were just shaking, shaken to the core by the sins that she has committed, knowing that she was guilty, and I said, breathe. She, she took some deep breaths, continued to talk, and then at some point she says to me, She says, do you have anything to say to me?

I'm just listening. I'm just praying. I'm just thinking, Lord, what am I gonna, that there was a lot that I could think of to say, but how do I get started? And she helped me.

Do you have anything to say in tears. And she got met with an onslaught of gospel truth like she probably has never ever heard before. She got pounded with the gospel. This broken woman, knowing her depravity, knowing her sin, got absolutely pounded by Kelly Lamon and myself with gospel truth, and she walked away after 45 minutes or an hour of a gospel onslaught with a sense of peace in her soul.

And all she got was the word nothing that I could say to help her, nothing that Kelly could say to help her, but it was just the scripture, truth after truth after truth just building her up, encouraging her, helping her to know that in Christ we have forgiveness, there is hope, and so. Again, here we see with, with Christian that, that he was broken, and, and, and on the other side of his brokenness, he's going to get on the path again. I'm gonna have to move on. To number 15, so that we can at least say we finished, set things up for Jay Jones next week.

Number 15, Christian, he, he goes back, he gets on, he gets himself back on the path, and, and while on the path, he's going to inevitably arrive at the gates. We read So in the process of time, Christian got up to the gate. Now, over the gate there was written. Not.

And it shall be open to you. He knocked, therefore more than once or twice, saying, At last there came a grave person to the gate named Goodwill who asked, who is there and whence he came and what he would have. And Christian responds, here is a poor burdened sinner. I come from the city of destruction, but I am going.

To Mount Zion, that I may be delivered from the wrath to come. I would therefore, sir, since I am informed that by this gate is the way thither, know if you are willing to. To let me in Good will responds, I am willing with all my heart. And with that, He opened the gate.

At last Christian arrives at the gate. He first heard of this gate when evangelist stirred his interest with the question, Do you see yonder wicked gate? Twice now evangelist has found Christian in danger and has set him upon the way once at their first meeting and again at the high hill. After feeling the terrifying weight of his burden in the midst of the slough and under the cliffs of Mount Sinai, Christian is more ready than ever to be rid of his burden.

He. He remembers Evangelist's words. At the gate, he will be told what he must do. When Christian arrives at the gate, he reads the beautiful promise of Matthew 7:7.

Knock, and it shall be opened to you. The commands in this verse ask seek and knock are all present tense in the Greek, suggesting a continuing action. We are exhorted to keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Christian persists in his desire to enter in by knocking more than once or twice.

God's sovereign work of salvation necessarily employs human responsibility. The burden sinner must come to Christ in faith and repentance. And so he comes to the wicked gate, he comes to Christ. And in due time, we will see him.

Coming to a place of more full understanding of the cross of Christ, I think that will be coming in future lessons. Let's go ahead and, and pray because I have used up too much time. Heavenly Father, we just come before you and we thank you Lord for the work of your spirit in our hearts, Lord. We think of the hymn where it says, it was grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Lord, I trust that every single one of us has experienced the convicting work of the Spirit in our souls, whereby we knew that we were guilty before a holy God, and that Lord, we knew that we were headed to hell and that Lord we were asking in ourselves who will rescue us from this body of death. And that Lord, every single one of us had come to that place in our life where we were able to say thanks be to God through Jesus Christ. That Lord, we came to an understanding of the great sacrifice that you made at Calvary's cross for us.

How Lord, you took upon yourself the punishment that our sin sick souls deserved, and that Lord, you stood in the way.

That Lord, you took upon yourself all of the wrath of Almighty God so that we might not be condemned. Lord, let our hearts be filled with praise because of you for who you are and what you have done for us, Lord. Help us, Lord, to grow in our thankfulness to you, and the joy that flows from being at peace with you and in relationship to you, Lord. Help us, Lord.

And bless the remainder of our morning. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.