Seeking After Riches

PLIABLE: Tell me, what things are there?

CHRISTIAN: There is an endless kingdom to be inhabited, and

everlasting life to be given to us so that we may inhabit that

kingdom forever.

PLIABLE: Again, well said; but tell me still more.

CHRISTIAN: There are crowns of glory to be given to us, and

garments that will make us shine like the sun in the firmament of

Heaven.

Pliable's questions prove his underlining motive, what he can get. What Christian says is true. There is waiting for the believer an eternal kingdom. The believer will also receive crowns of glory and garments of white.

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4


"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." I Peter 5:4


Throughout the Churches history there have been those who have used their power to get what they wanted. Popes and Bishops sold indulgences. A scale of prices was so fixed as to draw heavily from the rich and yet not overlook and miss the pennies of the poor. An example of this was that maybe one would be allowed a marriage with a first cousin at a cost of $5,000, while the sin of unfaithfulness may cost only $20.
  
Today, while the selling of indulgences is not as fashionable you can find numerous teachers that will tell you, as a Christian, it is your right to be rich. Prosperity theology, sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel or the "health and wealth" gospel is the teaching which claims the Bible illustrates that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. This false doctrine teaches that faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will always increase one's material wealth.


This is not old either. During the Renaissance some patrons had artists clothed Jesus and His mother in fine robes of silk and other wealth in their paintings. This was done to excuse their own excessive wealth. If Mary was clothed in fine silk, so could they.


What all of this has in common is a self-center based religion instead of  Christ-centered. What I can get from God. What He can do for me. How I can be better off. This is not the heart of the Bible. We need to die to our self.


"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Wheat and Tares

"NOW I saw in my dream that when Obstinate had turned back,
Christian and Pliable talked as they went ahead over the plain; and
thus they entered into earnest conversation.
CHRISTIAN: Now tell me, neighbor Pliable; how are you
getting along? I am glad you were persuaded to come along with
me. Had even Obstinate felt what I have sensed concerning the
powers and terrors of the world to come that are presently unseen,
he would not have so lightly turned his back upon us.
PLIABLE: Then good neighbor Christian, since there are only
the two of us here, do tell me further of the things that are ahead,
what they are like, how they will be enjoyed, and where we are
going.
CHRISTIAN: I can better appreciate them with my mind than
with my tongue. Nevertheless, since you are eager to know, I will
describe them to you from my book.
PLIABLE: And do you believe that the words of your book are
certainly true?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, definitely so, for it was written by he who
cannot possibly lie." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


There are now two on the journey.One is called by God, the other is seeking something better. The Church has both. The true believers that have Christ at the center of their lives. The others, have themselves as the center of their universe. They are their hoping to get something. The parable of the wheat and the tares illustrate this.


 "Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”


Once again we see two destinies. Extremely different destinies. Why? They from two different sources. The wheat was sowed by God. The tares by Satan. Both grew together, but had totally different outcomes.

"May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;

may the Lord rejoice in his works --

who looks on the earth and it trembles,

who touches the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

Let sinners be consumed from the earth,

and let the wicked be no more.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord!" Psalm 104

True Strength

"PLIABLE: Perhaps you are right. But don’t be so critical; if what
good Christian says is true, then the things that he seeks after are
better than ours; my heart is inclined to go with my neighbor.
OBSTINATE: What! Are there more fools than one? Let what I 
say over power you and go back. Who knows where such a 
brain-sick fellow will lead you? I insist, go back, go back, and be wise.
CHRISTIAN: Come with me neighbor Pliable. There are such
things to be had which I spoke of, and many more glories besides.
If you do not believe me, then read here in my book; for assuredly
the truth of what is expressed in these pages has been fully
confirmed by the blood of he who wrote it.
PLIABLE: Well neighbor Obstinate, I begin to come to a point
of decision. I intend to go along with this good man, and throw
in my lot with him. But, my good companion, do you know the
way to this desirable place?
CHRISTIAN: I have been directed by a man whose name is
Evangelist, to hasten toward a little gate that is before us, where
we will receive further instruction about the way ahead.
PLIABLE: Come then, my good neighbor, let us be on our way.
So both of them went on together.
OBSTINATE: And I will go back to my own place. I will be no
companion of such misled, fantastical fellows." 
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Obstinate reminds me of a young brash buffoon. He is a bully that needs to have power to feel comfort, this shows how weak he really is.


Robert Lewis Stevenson in his essay 'Crabbed Age and Youth wrote, "Those who go to the devil in youth, with anything like a fair chance, were probably little worth saving from the first; they must have been feeble fellows - creatures made of putty and pack-thread, without steel or fire, anger or true joyfulness, in their composition; we may sympathise with their parents, but there is not much cause to go into mourning for themselves; for to be quite honest, the weak brother is the worst of mankind."


On the opposite side was Saul. Saul was a fiery pharisee! He was a pharisee among pharisees! His zeal was known throughout the region. He was full of anger,steel and fire. He was a rampaging wild beast, who in his hateful opposition to the disciples of the Lord did all that was necessary, including murder.  It was this man that God chose to lead His church. 


No other man on earth has been more responsible for shaping the modern church's theology and beliefs than Saul from Tarsus. We know him now as Paul. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. This is a man that never walked with Jesus. He did not have the benefits of what Peter or the others had. This man who started out as its most sworn enemy became the Churches champion.


How did Saul change? What captivated him so? Lady Powerscourt put it this way, “If we want to be thoroughly hot with zeal, we must go near to the furnace of the Saviour’s love.” 


"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9


How is your zeal? Do you need to catch on fire? Get closer to God and His love will set you ablaze!

What is the Truth?

"CHRISTIAN: So come away with me and prove my
words.
OBSTINATE: What are the things that you seek, since you leave
all of the world to find them?
CHRISTIAN: I seek an inheritance that is incorruptible,
undefiled, and does not fade away; and it is laid up in Heaven,
being secure there, ready to be bestowed at the appointed time
upon those that diligently seek it. Read about it, if you will, in my
book.
OBSTINATE: Tush [nonsense], put away your foolish book.
Tell me whether you will return with us or not.
CHRISTIAN: No, not for a moment, because I have laid my
hand to the plough and will not look back.
OBSTINATE: Come then, neighbor Pliable, let us turn about
and go home without him. He represents those crazy-headed
pompous and silly strutting cocks who, when
possessed by some blind passion, are wiser in their own eyes than
seven men who can offer a reason." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

In is not a new accusation that Christians are arrogant lunatics. Bunyan had one of his character's call Christian that in the mid 1600s. One can go much further.  "For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18 and "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

We know what we know and there are no excuses, but it doesn't come from great studying. The truth was given to us. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:13

There is subjective truth, where a child may think I am tall, but someone much taller would think me short. Both of them can be speaking the truth.

Then there is absolute truth. There is no debating. The truth is truth and all that object are in error. These are absolute truths:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

the Maker of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,

and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

The Man Gets a Name

"The Man: Be more content good
neighbors, and go along with me.”
OBSTINATE: What! And leave our friends and our comforts
behind us!
CHRISTIAN: Yes (now claiming the pilgrim name of
Christian), because all of that which you cling to, and should
forsake, is not even close to being worthy to be compared with a
little of that which I am seeking to enjoy.  If you will go along with
me and persevere, you shall obtain as I myself; for where I go
there is more than enough to spare. So come away with me and prove
my words." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


The man is now going by the name, Christian. He has been trying to convince two gentlemen from his former town, City of Destruction, to follow him on his journey. Their names are Obstinate and Pliable.


At first glace, Christian uses what we may call the prosperity gospel to lure his two acquaintances, but a closer observation would reveal something entirely different. The two men are clinging to this world and all that it has to offer, including its wealth. What Christian is offering them is so much more than what the world has to offer in comparison.


So often we forget that our aim isn't to gather up the most toys here. Many people don't know why they are here. The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catacysim makes it clear. It is, "What is the chief end and duty of man? Answer, Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. 


Are aim should not be what we can get, but what we can give.We are to glorify God. "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:20 The next verse tells another lesson. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21


Where is your heart? According to verse 21, your heart is wherever your treasure is. Therefore, when I say, "Where is your heart?" I'm asking, what are the investments in your life, motives, attitudes, and thought patterns. 


Do not chase after what you can get today. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us," Romans 8:18 or as Bob Jones Sr said, "Don't sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate."

Sound the Warning

"Then said the man, 'Neighbors, why have you come
after me?' They said, 'To persuade you to go back with us.' 
But he said, 'That can by no means be. You dwell in the City of
Destruction, the town of my birth, and dying there sooner or later, 
you will sink lower than the grave, into a place that burns with fire 
and brimstone. Be more content good neighbors, and go along 
with me.'" John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


The people we see everyday live in the City of Destruction. It is hard to believe, since they are our neighbors, friends, and co-workers, but they have a destiny that is not one to look forward to. We have an entirely different destiny and we need to stop keeping it a secret.



We must talk about why we have a different destiny. If this causes them to see Christ's divine love, they would no longer speculate why God would be interested in them. They need to understand how the blood of Christ paid the penalty for sin. How Christ's blood and not their good works is worthy to be accepted as the ransom for the worst of sins. Only then the neighbor can recognize that he is accepted by God, not because of who he is, but because of the value God puts on the blood, obedience, and intercession of His Son. Seeing this from someone they know has more value and worth then any sermon or booklet they may pickup.

I have a destiny I know I shall fulfil
I have a destiny in that city on a hill
I have a destiny and it's not an empty wish
For I know I was born for such a time as this

Long before the ages You predestined me
To walk in all the works You have prepared for me
You've given me a part to play in history
To help prepare a bride for eternity

I did not choose You but You have chosen me
And appointed me for bearing fruit abundantly
I know You will complete the work begun in me
By the power of Your Spirit working mightily

Mark Altrogge
© 1986 People of Destiny International/Word Music 

Obstinate and Pliable

"The neighbors also came out to see him run;1 and as he ran, some
mocked, others threatened; and some cried for him to return. Now
among those that did so, there were two that were determined to
fetch him back by force. The name of one was Obstinate, and the
name of the other was Pliable. Now by this time the man was a
good distance ahead of them; however they were resolved to
pursue him, and this they did and in a little while overtook him."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress Progress

The man's first two traveling companions are aptly named, Obstinate and Pliable. That the man was well ahead of the two at one time, but that they were able to catch up to him shows that the man wasn't moving very fast. Perhaps he began to daydream, to dawdle, to hesitate. We are commanded to, "not be slow, to be swift in entering in and possessing the land." Judges 18:9

Obstinate is a class of those that hear the word of God. They hear, but their hearts are hardened. Pharaoh was such a person. He knew what was right, but God hardened his heart. The parable of the sower also explains such a person. 


"Even when Christ wrought miracles and preached sermons there were numbers of His hearers who remained utterly unmoved. What right have we to wonder if the hearers of modern sermons in countless instances remain unbelieving? ‘The disciple is not greater than his Master.’ If even the hearers of Christ did not believe, how much more should we expect to find unbelief among the hearers of His ministers? Let the truth be spoken and confessed: man’s obstinate unbelief is one among many of the indirect proofs that the Bible is true." J.C. Ryle


Another class of those that hear the word of God are those that are pliable. It was not unusual to see these people join a church. but after hearing the word of God preached from the pulpit they don't last long. Many pastors have "weakened" their sermons to keep these people in the congregations. Paul warned against doing this.


"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." II Tim 4 


I think that the pastors who do not preach against sinful life styles and the reality of Hell, think that as long as the non-believer is going to their church the better. The problem is they are not doing the non-believer a favor. They need to know they are going to hell.


"The beginning of the way to heaven, is to feel that we are on the way to hell." J.C.Ryle

Former Friends

"The neighbors also came out to see him run; and as he ran, some
mocked, others threatened; and some cried for him to return. Now
among those that did so, there were two that were determined to
fetch him back by force. The name of one was Obstinate, and the
name of the other was Pliable. Now by this time the man was a
good distance ahead of them; however they were resolved to
pursue him, and this they did and in a little while overtook him." 
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


As the man ran, toward his escape, his former neighbors came out to mock him. He was in good company. As Noah did what God had told him to do, he also was ridiculed.



"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,  and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24; 37-39


I have found that our former neighbors will do many strange things to get us to return. Many hope for us to fail. Why would they do this? They hope that following Christ is an illusion so that they can continue to live their lives without guilt.



"For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.” Jeremiah 20:10 


What they do not know is that our God is faithful.


"I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. 'You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations." Psalm 89:1-3

Pursuing God

"So I saw in my dream that the man began to run. Now he had
not run far from his own door when his wife and children,
perceiving his departure, began to cry out to him so that he might
return. But the man put his fingers in his ears and ran on crying,
“Life, life, eternal life.” So he did not look behind him, but
rather fled toward the middle of the plain." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

The man is instantly faced with his first obstacle, his wife and children crying out for him to return. Bunyan is not saying that the man deserted his family, but that his family were asking him to not change. They wanted him to continue to be the person they had come to know, but he dramatically didn't listen to them.

It was shortly after I followed God, that I came up with an obstacle. The person that was sharing why I needed Christ, told me that I wasn't yet a Christian because I had yet spoken in tongues. He shared several scriptures with me to backup his point. I did not know where my wisdom came from, but instead of being filled with doubt and despair. I was able to know what I knew.

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." I John 5:20

Do not let anyone stop you from your journey in pursuing God, no matter how close or important that person is in your life. Do as the man did, close your ears to them and run toward Christ! Do not look behind you! Stay in the middle of your path!

The Evangelist

"I also saw that he looked this way and that way, as if he would
run; yet he stood still because, as I perceived, he could not tell
which way to go. I then looked and saw a man named Evangelist
coming to him who asked, “For what reason are you crying?” He
answered, “Sir, I understand by the book in my hand that I am
condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment; and I find
that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second.”
Then said Evangelist, “Why are you not willing to die since this
life is accompanied with so many evils?” The man answered,
“Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me
lower than the grave; and I shall fall into Tophet [a place of
burning]. And sir, if I am not fit to go to prison, I am quite sure I
am not fit to go to judgment, and as a consequence to execution;
and the thoughts of these things make me cry.”
Then said Evangelist, “If this is your condition, then why are
you standing still?” He answered, “Because I do not know which
way to go.” Then Evangelist gave him a parchment scroll on
which was written within, “Fly from the wrath to come.”
Therefore the man read the scroll, and looking upon Evangelist
very carefully, said, “Which way must I go to escape?” Then said
Evangelist, pointing with his finger beyond a very large field, “Do
you see a Wicket-gate [small gate] over there?” The man replied,
“No.” Then he was asked, “Do you see a shining light not quite
so far away?” He said, “I think I do.” Then said Evangelist, “Keep
that light before your eye, and go directly toward it, and then you
shall see the gate, at which, when you knock, you will be told
what you are to do.”

I want to make note of the evangelist. He is notably genuine. He is not described as what might come to mind when we think of our modern day evangelists. He is not a slick dressed, flamboyant, charlatan like we have prancing on our televisions, today. He is a non-judgmental, soft spoken, empathetic shepherd.

When Evangelist tried to point out the way of escape and the man couldn't see it, he  asked another question? He didn't give up. He didn't chastise.

He also did something extremely important. He sent the man on a journey. He didn't give him all the answers. He gave the man one answer, and sent him on his pilgrimage.

Before Charles Finney in the mid 1800s there was hardly anything resembling an alter call. Man is unable to give up sin with any act of self will, let a lone a one-time act of coming forward. God may use an alter call to start a work in a person's life or it is a culmination of what God has been doing in a person's life, but too often we proclaim someone who comes forward a Christian, by that act.

Alter calls, with a soft hymn playing and the begging of the preacher to the sinner to come forward, was foreign to congregations before Finney and John Wesley. Shepherds knew that the conversion process was just that, a process and allowed Holy Spirit to do the effectual calling of the sinner. as Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draw him” John 6:44.

We now follow the man on his journey.

What Shall I do to be Saved

"Now I noticed on a particular occasion, when he was walking in
the fields, that he was, according to his habit, reading in his book,
and greatly distressed in his mind; and as he read, he burst out, as
he had done before, crying, “What shall I do to be saved?”"
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Those that heard Peter preach had the same response, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do to be saved?” Acts 2:37


The jailer that listened to Paul responded in kind, "He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30


When brokenness comes, the first question to leap to the lips of the sinner is, "What shall I do to be saved!"


The psalmist made it clear that the sinner is forever in danger of just slipping forever into the pit of Hell.

"Surely thou settest them in slippery places: Thou castest them down to destruction.

How are they become a desolation in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors."

Psalm 73:18-19

The great theologian Jonathan Edwards preached, "There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands. -- He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel, who has found means to fortify himself, and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?"

The Westminster Shorter Catechism makes it clear what state we are in without Christ.


"All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath, and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
This is a horrible situation to be in and the man, in Bunyan's story, was in full realization that he was in such a situation!


He is ready to meet a dear man that goes by the name, Evangelist.

A Man Alone

"At this these close relatives of his were greatly amazed. It was not
that they believed to be true what he said to them, but rather
because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head.
Consequently, with the night approaching, and with the hope that sleep
might settle his brains, they got him to bed with all haste. However
instead of sleeping, he spent that evening in sighs and tears.
So when the morning was come, they enquired as to how he was
feeling, and he told them, “Worse and worse.” He also intended to
talk to them again, but they began to firmly resist him. They also
contrived to drive away his demented frame of mind by means of
surly carriages toward him [responding with contemptuous and
irritating behavior]. Sometimes they would deride, sometimes they
would chide, and at other times they would quite neglect him.
Therefore he began to retire to his bedroom to pray for and pity
them, and also lament over his misery. He would also
walk alone in the nearby fields, sometimes reading and sometimes
praying; and so for some days he spent his time in this manner."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


The man was still struggling with his sin. The guilt over his sin would not go away. What made matters worse was that those that he thought would be there to comfort him and give him support were doing just the opposite. They thought he was mentally ill. They were condescending, disdainful, and scornful. When one is down it is extremely disheartening when your loved ones do not support you.

"Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me." Psalm 41:9

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide.
But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship. Psalm 55:12-14

Like the man, one must carry on seeking after God, no matter what those around them may say. Your relationship with Him is far and away the most important. You may lose all around you, but don't lose God.

A Man Undone and Crushed

"Therefore in this plight he went home, and strained himself as
long as he could, so that his wife and children would not notice his
distress. But he could not be silent long for the reason that his
trouble increased. Therefore at length he broke down to his wife
and children; and thus he began to talk to them. “Oh my dear
wife,” he said, “and you the children of my bowels, I your dear
friend am myself undone and crushed, by reason of a burden that 
weighs heavily upon me: moreover, I am certainly informed that this 
our city will be burned with fire from Heaven, in which fearful 
overthrow, both myself, with you my wife and sweet babes, shall 
come to a miserable ruin, except, which alternative is not yet 
apparent, some way of escape can be found, whereby we may 
be delivered.” John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Where has brokenness over sin gone? What happened to the shame over habitual sin? People have done things I would have never dreamed that they would have done, but that isn't what surprised me, it was the lack of brokenness in their lives.


A man after God's own heart is crushed when he falls. Like Isaiah, the man has seen that without a redeemer he is filthy. Woe is me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 6:5


He is so miserable he cannot keep quiet about it. His burden has become so heavy, it is crushing the breath out of him. No matter how hard he has tried to be better, he has failed. So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. Romans 7:21 He wants to be free of the burden. He is fearfully of the penalty. He wants to be rescued. Who will come to his aid?

The Plight of Man

"Therefore in this plight he went home, and strained himself as
long as he could, so that his wife and children would not notice his
distress. But he could not be silent long for the reason that his
trouble increased. Therefore at length he broke down to his wife
and children; and thus he began to talk to them. “Oh my dear
wife,” he said, “and you the children of my bowels, I your dear
friend am myself undone and crushed, by reason of a burden that 
weighs heavily upon me: moreover, I am certainly informed that this 
our city will be burned with fire from Heaven, in which fearful 
overthrow, both myself, with you my wife and sweet babes, shall 
come to a miserable ruin, except, which alternative is not yet 
apparent, some way of escape can be found, whereby we may 
be delivered.” John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


This man has read in his book that his city and all its inhabitants will be burned by fire from Heaven. He may have read something like this, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." 


He has yet to find a way to escape the destruction, if there is even a way to escape it. He deeply loves his wife and children and senses that the end is near for them all. Is there an answer to his despair?

A Man with a Burden

AS I walked through the wilderness of this world, I came upon a
certain place where there was a den; and I lay down in that place
to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream.




I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed in rags standing in a
certain place, with his face turned away from his own house, a
book in his hand, and a great burden on his back. I looked and
saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept
and trembled: and not being able to contain himself any longer, he
broke out with a lamentable cry, saying, “What shall I do?” 
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Bunyan depicts the man with an actual burden on his back. It is extemely large and weighed heavily on the man. It was clear to those around him.


We all are burdened by something, especially today. Unemployment, debt, uncertainty of the future, health, family, and worrying about worrying.


God calls us to Himself, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28


If you are weary, burdened or feel like you can't go on read it again. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."


God is good!

A Man with a Book in His Hand

AS I walked through the wilderness of this world, I came upon a
certain place where there was a den; and I lay down in that place
to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream.



I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed in rags standing in a
certain place, with his face turned away from his own house, a
book in his hand, and a great burden on his back. I looked and
saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept
and trembled: and not being able to contain himself any longer, he
broke out with a lamentable cry, saying, “What shall I do?” 
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


The book is the Word Of God. It is extremely powerful! When Holy Spirit yields it in His hands, the Word breaks through our facade. Paul wrote, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12


Many have tried to read the Bible, but have gone away frustrated. Holy Spirit must open our eyes and ears. "He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Luke 24:45 


Bunyan loved the Word of God. It was one of two books he brought along with him to jail. Bunyan once wrote, “I was then never out of the Bible, either by reading or meditation; still crying out to God, that I might know the truth, the way to heaven and glory.”


The man was affected by the book when he opened the book and read it. He wept and trembled. He could not contain his grief. He was truly broken over his sinful state. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17


We need to open ours and read it more. It does us no good sitting on our counter, waiting for Saturday or Sunday, placing it under our arms, and marching with it to church. Choose a quiet place. Read through a gospel; Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Proverbs and Psalms are great starts also. Ask Holy Spirit to speak to you though His word. No better time to start than, now.

A Man Clothed in Rags

"AS I walked through the wilderness of this world, I came upon a certain place where there was a den; and I lay down in that place to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream. 


I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed in rags standing in a certain place, with his face [turned away from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden on his back. I looked and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled: and not being able to contain himself any longer, he broke out with a lamentable cry, saying, “What shall I do?”John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


"I saw a man clothed in rags." Bunyan draws our attention to the initial person in his extraordinary story. Like any story the first descriptions of the characters are extremely important. Bunyan doesn't describe the surroundings, weather, or era. 


Charles Dickens in "A Tale of Two Cities" tells us "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Fyodor Dostoevsky begins Crime and Punishment telling us that it was "an exceptional hot evening early in July." Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" states, "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow."


Bunyan wants us first and foremost to imagine a man clad in tattered remnants. Bunyan wants the reader to think this man is wanting and miserable. His fellow countryman may think this man is an important man, a well dressed man, a man of means, but we see this man as his creator sees him.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.: Isaiah 64:6 

The man may have fooled his neighbors, but not God. How often have we admired someone to then learn that they were captives to a secret sin? It has been proven that psychologically we treat people different by how tall they are or by the color of their hair or value of their clothes, but God does not show favoritism. He is not, like James said, a respecter of persons.

The Dream

"AS I walked through the wilderness of this world, I came upon a certain place where there was a den; and I lay down in that place to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress



In religion there is strong emphases placed upon literal interpretation. Rules and laws are what often come to people's minds when they think about religion. Thou shalt do this and thou shalt not do that. There are laws on what we should wear, eat, and how to wash ourselves. We know the ten commandments, but there are actually 613 commandments. Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.


Interestingly, Jesus often did not speak literally, but figuratively. He spoke in allegories, parables, and images. He painted word pictures. Instead of literally coming out and saying what he meant, he often would tell a story and let people draw their own conclusions. These were intended hidden messages. The parables frequently frustrated his disciples. They wished that he would speak literally and not be quite so subtle.


One day they asked Jesus why He spoke so often in parables. 

Matthew 13: ¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 

This is tough to swallow, but Bunyan believed that God called those that He desired. In 1684 four years before his death Bunyan wrote The Strait Gate, based on Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you , will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."

God called the prophet Jeremiah to himself before Jeremiah was a thought. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” and again in Romans 9 "“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

It was not a mistake that you became a Christian. God has a plan for your life. He has called you to Himself. He opened your eyes and ears. He called you even though you, like Saul (later named Paul) was a captive to the evil one. God is good!!!!

The Den

"AS I walked through the wilderness of this world, I came upon a
certain place where there was a den;and I lay down in that place
to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress



Bunyan spent over 12 years in a foreboding Bedford County jail cell (his den), thanks to the Church of England. They did not like that he was preaching and was not a member of the sanctioned Church of England. 


Among his possessions was his Bible and a copy the Book of Martyrs by John Day. It was latter updated by John Foxe and is now known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Published early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and only five years after the death of the Catholic Queen Mary I, Foxe's Book of Martyrs was an affirmation of the Reformation in England during a period of religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. 


The jails were small. They stunk dreadfully and a person battled rats at night. It was wet, cold and full of sicknesses. There were no beds nor toilets. It was in these conditions that Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress.

The Wilderness:

"As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream." John Bunyon's Pilgrim's Progress

This present world is not our paradise. I mean it was supposed to be long along, but the Fall ruined all of that. As Augustine put it, "All of humanity was really present in Adam when he sinned, and therefore all have sinned. As sinners, humans are utterly depraved in nature, lack the freedom to do good, and cannot respond to the will of God without divine grace. The present world is almost inhabitable. Human beasts roam about seeking to devour one another. Like Moses (who named a son Gershom) and the Hebrews who wandered their way through the wilderness, we now spend our time in a land where we are foreigners in a foreign land. I Peter said it best that we are aliens and strangers.