Legalism

"Though the truth with regard to myself is really no different. It is a
fact that Pliable returned to his own house. But I also carnally
yielded to the persuasive arguments of Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, and
consequently turned aside toward the way that leads to death.
GOOD-WILL: Oh, did he prey upon you as well? Did he beguile
you by offering relief and ease by means of Mr. Legality? You
know they are both cheats. But did you pay attention to his advice?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, I went ahead as far as I dared to find Mr.
Legality, that is until I feared that the mountain that lies beside his
house would fall upon my head. And so for this reason I was
forced to stop.
GOOD-WILL: That mountain has been the death of many, and
will be the death of many more. It is just as well you escaped lest it
dash you to pieces." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


"When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife, then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and mourn her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her free, but you certainly shall not sell her for money; you shall not treat her brutally, because you have humbled her." Deuteronomy 21:10-14

There are laws for everything imaginable in Halaka. Halaka is the Law. It contains the collective body of the Law, biblical (mitzvot), the Talmudic, and the Rabbinic Law, as well as customs and traditions that must be observed. Halaka can be translated as the path. It is certainly the path that Christian took in his detour to Mr. Legality. On the path is the Mountain of Sinai, where Moses received the Law.

"Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-20

That is the Law and it has a job. It is the prosecutor. He has no mercy. You break his rules and he condemns you. What is the penalty? DEATH!!!

"For the wages of sin is death...." Romans 6:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

As a child I loved to watch 'Perry Mason' Perry was the defense attorney and Hamilton Burger was the prosecutor. One of the reasons I liked it was that the real bad guy was always caught. I felt sorry for Hamilton Burger because he really wanted to do his job well, but was always prosecuting the wrong guy. He lost hundreds of cases and won only one.

The Law isn't that way. It always gets its man! It wins every case. It has an unimpeachable witness to every crime. The Father sees everything and knows all.

Therefore we are all condemned to die and no defense attorney is good enough to get us off. BUT........... That is a great but! There was a propitiation for our sin. A what? Propitiation is to make an appeasement, placate, stand in the way of anger.

The penalty for sin is death and the law was only going to be appeased by shedding of blood and death.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice (propitiation) for our sins. I John 4:10

"The Father made Christ who had no sin to be sin for us (eventual Christians), so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God. II Corinthians 5:21 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

This is why Christian was told by Evangelist and now Good-Will that the path to the Law was no direction to take. It would have led to his death. The right path is the path of grace and mercy.  The path that leads to the Wicket-Gate and Christ's atonement.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 

Is Your Heart Plowed?

"GOOD-WILL: But did none of them follow you to persuade you to go back?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, both Obstinate and Pliable. But when they realized that their arguments had not been successful, Obstinate turned back in a rage, though Pliable did come with me for a short while.
GOOD-WILL: But why did he not persevere even to this place?
CHRISTIAN: Quite frankly, we did press on together, that is until we came to the Slough of Despond into which we both suddenly tumbled. At that point, my neighbor Pliable was immediately discouraged and refused to go any further. As a result, he drew himself out of the mire on that side which was nearest to his house; he then told me that I would possess the brave country alone on his behalf. So he went back in the direction of Obstinate and I proceeded forward to this Gate.
GOOD-WILL: How sad it is concerning Pliable in that he had such little appreciation of the heavenly glory to come, so much so that he did not consider it worth encountering a few hazards and difficulties to obtain it." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

Good-Will continues to ask Christian about how he has arrived at the Gate of Salvation or as Bunyan referred to it as the Wicket Gate. Good-Will is asking now, if anyone tried to coerce Christian to not continue on his journey.

Christian tells Good-Will about his first two traveling companions. They were aptly named, Obstinate and Pliable. Obstinate was a hard hearted individual that in no way was able to hear nor accept any warnings that Christian tried to give him. He was like the man who received the seed of faith that the Sower spread along the wayside.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside." Matthew 13:19

"Even when Christ wrought miracles and preached sermons there were numbers of His hearers who remained utterly unmoved. 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

The second individual, Pliable, went with Christian for awhile, but when he encounter a trial at the Slough of Despond he abandoned his journey. He is like the man who received the seeds from the Sower on stony ground. His response is very superficial. He turns away when things don't turn out the way he desires or when the good feelings go away.

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Matthew 13: 20-21 


Christian, is like the man who has received the word on the prepared ground. It had been plowed up and fertilized. He was made to understand the word and the warnings that it contained. He had a heavy burden placed on his back that contained his conviction of sin. His ground was very fertile.


He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:23


How is your ground? As Christians, we allow our ground to grow weeds or allow the enemy to toss rocks onto our ground. Satan and his demons attend church more than we do.We must make sure to keep the ground of our heart weed and rock free. The weeds and thorns grow when we allow the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches take a place in our heart. These choke the word, and we  become unfruitful. If we are unfruitful, this is a major reason why. As for the rocks, they are unconfessed habitual sins. These rocks cause the believer to stumble and after awhile they do not rise and die there. There is a belief that we do not need to fear sin in our lives. We can play with fire and not get burned. Many Christians including pastors have fallen into this fallacy and are no longer with us. Keep care to make sure your heart is weed and rock free.


The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Christian's Family

"GOOD-WILL: Did any of them know of your coming?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, my wife and children were the first to notice
my departure, and they called out for me to return home.


Also some of my neighbors cried out as a group for me to come
back. But I put my fingers in my ears and continued on my way."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Good-Will, who opened the door of Salvation to Christian, is asking why he is alone upon his arrival. A pilgrim seeking God's will for his life must expect to do it alone. There may be others in the periphery, but ultimately it comes down to a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. It is heart wrenching that Christian's family did not make the trip with him, but it would not have altered his journey. He now is in a better situation to be an aid to them.


The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ”They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household. ” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. Acts 16


For those that have loved ones that are not Christians, the best action you can take is praying for their salvation. Saturate the floor of the throne with your prayers of petition. Pray that God's will be done in the lives of your loved ones. Be willing for God to do whatever it takes to draw them to Himself.


"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us." I John 5:16


The other action Christian took was that he literally placed his fingers in his ears and continued on his journey. There was a little girl in a school I worked at, that would place her fingers in her ears to block out noise as she walked. She was not very tolerant to any noise. We should also be that way to anything that will effect our Christian journey. We have way more information to distract us then Bunyan did in 1650. What we face would shake him to his knees, yet most of us are drenching ourselves in the numerous entertainment mediums. This has a huge effect on our walk. I came across an article by a "christian" movie critic.



"I always get a unique question: How do you deal with swearing/nudity/violence/crude humor…how can you stand all that depravity and soul-sucking grossness that Hollywood throws out?
Hmm… That one is hard.
The short answer is swearing, sex scenes, crude humor, and poop jokes don’t really bother me.
Brothers and Sisters, the danger is within, not without.
Christian theology states that we are sinful creatures, or, to put it in Oprah terms, we’re each weighed down with his or her weakness, each with our own lifelong struggles. This is to say that 'everything is permissible.'  Is it all beneficial?  It depends. There is a huge difference between a hormonal teen virgin struggling to remain celibate and a long-time married couple with a healthy sex life in watching an explicit movie like ‘Knocked Up.’


He goes on trying to justify his statement. What I have to say is, at least he is honest and doesn't pretend. He is not an actor. I am sure the movies that he watches no longer have an effect on him, they already have accomplished it's effect. We cannot be like the world.


"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." Romans 12 

Amazing Grace

"So when the pilgrim was fully inside, Good-will asked him,
“Who directed you to come this way?”
CHRISTIAN: Evangelist exhorted me to come this way and
knock at the Gate, just as I did. He further told me that you, sir,
would tell me what I must do next.
GOOD-WILL: An open door is set before you, and no man can
shut it.
CHRISTIAN: Now I begin to reap the benefits of my hazards.
GOOD-WILL: But how is it that you have come alone?
CHRISTIAN: Because none of my neighbors saw their danger as
I saw mine." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

I remember a warm Summer day. I was sitting by a pool and two guys about my age came up and began a conversation. I don't remember exactly what they said, but I remember they were trying to warn me of pending doom if I didn't change my way. I also remember I didn't understand what they were saying.It was like they were speaking a foreign language. I was blind and deaf to what they had to say.

I remember another time. I was now in West Germany in the Air Force. I man that worked with me had need of a ride to work. My two roommates and I obliged. I remember him talking about what God was doing in his life. I argued with him every day. I was still blind and deaf.

John Newton was born in London July 24, 1725, he was a son of a merchant ship commander. At eleven, he went to sea with his father. In 1744 John was on the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured and publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman. Finally at his own request he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, which took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. Newton ultimately became captain of his own slave ship.


Although he had had some early religious instruction from his mother, who had died when he was a child, he had long since given up any religious convictions. However, on a homeward voyage, while he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm, he experienced what he was to refer to later as his “great deliverance.” He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work in him. He later commented that during his time on the sea,he was blind and deaf.

What does that mean? I certainly wasn't physically blind nor deaf. What I wasn't capable of doing was comprehending anything of God. I went to church and followed it's precepts, but I could not hear anything of true spiritual value to my soul. It was only when Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes and ears, I was able to hear what God was saying to me. This was great grace! I think John Newton said it better.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be...

as long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

and mortal life shall cease, 

I shall possess within the veil, 

a life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years...

bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise...

then when we've first begun.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, 

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

The Almighty Lord - Our Protector

"At last their came to the Gate a respected person named
Good-will, who asked, “Who is there? From where have you
come? What is your purpose in knocking?”
CHRISTIAN: It is a poor burdened sinner who comes from
the City of Destruction. But more importantly, I am going to
Mount Zion, so that I may be delivered from the wrath to come.
Therefore sir, since I have been informed that the way to my
destination is through this Gate, I would like to know if you are
willing to let me enter.
GOOD-WILL: I am willing with all my heart. (And at that he
immediately opened the Gate.)
Now as Christian was stepping through the Gate, he was quite
surprised when suddenly, Good-will pulled him through. In
seeking an explanation for this forceful manner, Christian was
told, “Just a little distance outside this Gate, a strong castle has
been built and its captain is named Beelzebub. From there, both he
and his army shoot arrows at those who seek entrance at the Gate,
endeavoring to slay pilgrims before they pass through.” Then said
Christian, “I rejoice and tremble.”
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Christian has arrived at the gate of Salvation and been granted entrance. He was granted entrance, not by anything he had done. He knew he was a terrible sinner and carried that burden upon his back. He had not sought the path, in fact he had sought a different path, but had been guided along the way to the right path. He had fallen into the Slough of Despond, but had been rescued from it by Help. So when he was granted entrance there was nothing that he had done for him to brag on. He didn't even walk through the gate on his own.


As the gate swung open and Christian was getting ready to step through the gate he was pulled through. Good-Will grabbed him forcefully and pulled him through. When Christian questioned this action, he was given the answer. Beelzebub and his minions were prepared even then to stop him from entering in. Ba‘al Zəbûb is Arabic to mean "lord of flies" We know him as Satan, the enemy of God.

Christian wasn't even trusted to get in the gate by himself, least he was slain by the enemy before he did. 

Satan is the enemy of God. He has been about trying to destroy what the Father is about. Satan tempted Jesus. He tempted Him with doubt, pride, and earthly power. He failed. He failed when he thought he had Jesus contained in Hell. He know seeks to kill those that are seeking God. "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." I Peter 5:8  We do not fight the enemy in our power. We are far too weak. The prophet Zachariah communicated it is not by might, nor by power, but by Holy Spirit.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2


"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty ( El Shaddai ), the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." Revelation 11:17


"And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty ( El Shaddai ), true and just are your judgments." Revelation 16:7

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty( El Shaddai ), 

who was and is and is to come!” 

Revelation 4:8

The Wicket Gate - Blessed and Very Much So

"SO after a while Christian arrived at the Wicket-gate. Now over the
gate there was written a sign, 'Knock and it shall be opened unto you.'
Therefore he knocked more than once or twice while saying:
May I now enter here? Will he within
Open to sorry me, though I have been
An undeserving rebel? Then shall I
Not fail to sing his lasting praise on high."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Christian has finally arrived at the wicket gate. He has gotten here by having a burden placed on his back, a burden that all others that he knew didn't have. He was direct this way by Evangelist. He fell during the way, but was lifted up by Help. He made a detour, but was redirected by Evangelist. He would not have been here, but if it wasn't that he was directed to. Now he is in front of the gate, the entrance, the way. He is in front of Christ. He has been directed by Christ to Christ! What marvelous grace this is!


Proverbs 3:6 says, "Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."What God makes sure to do is He places within us the desire to seek His will, His way. Without this we would seek our own ways. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2:9


If you have had that burden of sin placed on your back, due to an overwhelming conviction of your own personal sin, a sin so horrible in makes you puke to think how disgusting it is, then you have been truly blessed!


If you have been so burdened by that sin that no one could talk you out of pursuing a way to remove that sin, even though you knew it meant dying to the person that you are and being transformed into the image of Christ, then you have been truly blessed!


If when you were burdened by your sin and you were tempted to seek an easier way to remove it by a member of a gospel other than Christ's and Holy Spirit revealed it to you as folly, then you have been truly blessed!


If you have been convicted by Christ of your sin, called by Christ to seek to be forgiven for that sin, shown the way by Christ to Christ, and protected along the way to Christ, then you are truly blessed!
 

Two Evils

"EVANGELIST: Your sin is very great since you have in fact
committed two evils; you have forsaken the way that is good, and
then pursued forbidden paths. Nevertheless, the man at the Gate
will welcome you because he offers goodwill to approaching
pilgrims. Even so, be careful that you do not turn aside again, for
then you may perish altogether when his wrath is kindled but a
little.
Then Christian made preparation to return to the right way.
After Evangelist had kissed him, encouraged him with a smile, and
commended him to God’s keeping, the pilgrim quickly pressed
forward; he was now especially careful not to speak to anyone;
even if spoken to by a stranger, he would not offer a reply. Now
his manner of walking was as if he was stepping on forbidden
ground in unsafe territory; he seemed so intent on reaching the
right way where he was first beguiled by the counsel of Mr.
Worldly-Wiseman." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


What is Evangelist referring to when he accuses to Christian of committing two evils? We know he listened to Worldly-Wiseman and took the detour, but two evils? What Christian did is what Israel did. HE not only turned away from the True and Living God, but he turned to a false religion. Israel turned away from the God that set them free, to worship idols made of their own hands. We turn away from God, but our idols are not as easily identified. Whatever causes you to turn away from God, becomes an object of worship. Anything that we treasure, other than God is an idol.


"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13


Evangelist, doesn't make it easy for Christian. He makes it known that Christian's sin is horrible. He makes it known that Christian's sin is dangerous. He warns Christian that this mercy may not always draw him back. How many people have we sat next to in a pew have fooled around with sin to lose themselves in that folly?


"We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." 
Hebrews 2:1-4 


"So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 
¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Hebrews  3:7-19


Evangelist also shows his love and devotion to his sheep. Christian has committed a grievous sin, but Evangelist gives him a kiss. He encourages Christian with a smile. We have been made to picture Evangelist before this as stern, and he had to be due to the seriousness of the journey, but Evangelist knows Christian needs this smile.He needs to be shown this side of love as well. Christian is then set on the right path again. He is refreshed. He is serious. He is committed.

Will I Be Forgiven?

"Now Christian anticipated nothing but death, and so gave out
an agonizing cry, even cursing the occasion when he met Mr.
Worldly-Wiseman, and called himself a thousand fools for paying
attention to his advice. He also felt terribly ashamed to think that
this gentleman’s arguments, though originating from the flesh,
should prevail with him and be the cause of his abandonment of
the right way. So having scolded himself, he again directed himself
to Evangelist with great earnestness.
CHRISTIAN: Sir, tell me what you think. Is there any hope for
me? May I now return to the right way and then approach the
Wicket-gate? Or shall I be abandoned on account of my
waywardness, and be sent back to certain shame at the City of
Destruction? I am heartily sorry for having listened to this man’s
counsel; yet may my sin be forgiven?" John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Christian was waylaid by Worldly-Wiseman, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a hireling in the pasture. Worldly-Wiseman was not a shepherd. A shepherd is willing to give his life in defense of his sheep. A shepherd is always on the lookout for any danger that my befall his flock. Worldly-Wiseman was all about himself. His heart was cold and only was looking out for himself. What is horrible is that there are far too many Worldly-Wisemen in our pulpits and few shepherds. 


Christian cries out to Evangelist, "Is there any hope for me?" He knows that it would do him no good to place all the blame on Worldly-Wiseman. Christian is aware that he ignored the directions that was given him. He knows that there is ultimately no one to blame, but himself. He has been before the mountain and seen it shake with thunder and spit out fire. Christian knows that he deserves no mercy.


What Christian is about to find out about his God, is what King David found out. David was given everything by God. God had lifted him out of being a nobody and made him King. He had take a child and made him the most feared man on earth. Despite all that God had done for David, David sought after his own desires and turned away from God. David deserved no mercy.


Yet David found mercy from God. Yes, there was a penalty for his sin, sin always leaves a mark on our lives, but David found that his God was a merciful God.



"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His mercy endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His mercy endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His mercy endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His mercy endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His mercy  endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His mercy endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night.
His mercy endures forever." Psalm 136

The Worldly Church

“Third, you must hate his directing of your feet along the way
that leads to the ministration of death. And in this respect you
must carefully consider the person to whom he sent you, and
especially how unable that person is to deliver you from your
burden. He to whom you were sent for ease, that is Legality by
name, is the son of the Bondwoman who is in bondage along with
her children; she represents Mount Sinai as a mystery, which you
have feared would fall on your head. Now if she, with her
children, are in bondage, then how can you expect to be made free
by them? Therefore this Legality is not able to set you free from
your burden. No man has ever got rid of his burden by him, no,
and is not likely to be so delivered in the future.”
“You cannot be justified by the works of the law; for no man
living can be rid of his burden by means of the works of the law.
Therefore Mr. Worldly-Wiseman is an alien guide, and Mr.
Legality a cheat; as for his son Civility, in spite of his
smiling manner, he is yet a hypocrite and cannot help you.
Believe me, there is no substance in such blustering talk that you
have heard from this intoxicated man. His only
design has been to deprive you of your salvation by means of
turning you from the way along which I sent you.”
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


The biblical example of Legality is the Pharisees. They were all about making sure everyone believed that they were holy men. They made public displays of giving and their robes made people notice them. They were great at condemnation, but were failures themselves. We have men like that today that speak out publicly against something, but are prisoners of that very sin. Jesus spoke about them.


"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. Matthew 23:27


Today, you can't watch a sport or award show without seeing someone thank God for their win. I don't find fault with this at all. We are to give Him all the glory and I have to believe they are. What bothers me is the amount of sport, music, television, and movie stars that use the cross to decorate their bodies, but appear not to have the cross applied to their lives. 


They are just the examples I use, but we need to question ourselves more so. Are we living for Christ? Have we allowed our selfish hearts to be crucified with Christ? Are we different on Wednesday than we are on Sunday? Jude 4 warns us that there will be men like Worldly-Wiseman that will enter unnoticed into our churches. These ungodly men will turn the grace of God into a life of obscenities.


"For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. " Jude 4


But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
 II Timothy 3:1-3



But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. II Peter 2:1-3

You Gotta Serve Somebody!

“Second, you must abhor his zeal in attempting to depict the
Cross to you as offensive; for you are to prefer it to the treasures of
Egypt; besides, the King of glory has told you that he who will
save his life shall lose it; and he who follows Him, but does not
hate his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers,
and sisters, yes even his own life as well, cannot be His disciple.
Therefore I say, for a man to work hard to persuade you that the
King’s advice will lead to your death, yet without any support from
the truth, is to be detoured from the way that points you to eternal
life. So you must completely loathe this doctrine.”
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress


Evangelist, continues to correct Christian. That is one of the jobs of a shepherd, to correct the actions of his sheep. Christian had been led astray by Worldly-Wiseman when he gave in to his self-centered desires.



"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4 



Evangelist, points out to Christian that is exactly what happened. Worldly_Wiseman, told Christian, if he continued his journey toward the cross of Christ, he would die. Evangelist, pointed out though, that the person who sought to live for himself would never accomplish it. As Bob Dylan's song goes, "You gotta serve somebody. It may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you gotta serve somebody." We are not free ever!


What rises up when we hear that? Self! We want to be free. We demand to be free! Teenagers can't wait for their freedom. Spouses feel smothered and demand freedom. 


Self-centeredness is deceptive. It mostly deceives the person who is. They are the ones who pray and wonder if they are impressing anyone. They are the ones who give their offering in such a way to make sure everyone knows. If no one pats them on the back, they are hurt. Pray to be released from the power of sin. Pray to be rescued from selfishness. The way to be free is to die at the cross and live for Christ.


"Whoever seeks to preserve (cling to) his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it." Luke 17:33


"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

Don't Be Led Astray

Evangelist: “Now there are three things in this man’s counsel that you must
utterly detest.
1. His ability to lead you out of the way.
2. His zealous effort to portray the Cross as abhorrent to you.
3. And his directing of your feet toward that way which leads
to the administration of death.”

“First, you must despise his ability to turn you out of the way; yes,
and your own agreement to such a proposal as well: because this is to
reject the counsel of God for the sake of the counsel of a Worldly-
Wiseman. The Lord says, ‘Strive to enter in at the strait and narrow
gate,’the gate to which I am sending you; ‘for strait is the gate that
leads to life, and there are few that find it.’This wicked man has
turned you from the Wicket-gate and the way that leads up to it, and
almost brought you to destruction. Therefore hate his ability to turn
you out of the way, and loathe yourself for listening to him.”


Evangelist continues to give instruction to Christian. He is being a good shepherd. He explains to Christian that Worldly-Wiseman did three things that are abhorrent. The first is, this church leader led Christian away from the path that he was supposed to be on. 


It is so easy to divert the journeys of those seeking God today. The reason is that there is absolutely no doctrine being taught today. During Bunyan's time, in order to join the church one had to pass a test given by three elders. These elders had been given the responsibility to make sure the member had studied the Westminster Shorter Cathacism and could answer the questions within it verbatim. If the person couldn't answer them they were sent away to study more. The importance was that a person needed to know what they believed in and why. Without this foundation how can one question what is being taught them is correct?


"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 


Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”


We do not hesitate to respect the flag. We recognize what acts of valor were displayed to keep it flying. We stand at attention, hat in hand, right hand over heart when it appears. Many martyrs have also died to make sure we have the Word. There were countless beheaded, burnt at the stake, drowned, pulled apart, for the word we ignore today. One was Nicholas Burton. Google him and find out what happened to him.


"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained." Revelation 6:9


Get into the Word of God. Study it. Meditate on the Word. Ask questions. Do not be so weak that someone can came and easily led you away.

Pastors Beware

Then Christian fell down at his feet as if dead, lamentably
crying, “Woe is me, for I am ruined.” At the sight of this
Evangelist caught him by the right hand saying,
Evangelist: “All manner of sin and blasphemies shall be
forgiven men; be not faithless, but believing.”
As a consequence Christian revived a little more and
stood up trembling before Evangelist, even as he had first done.

Then Evangelist continued to speak, saying,
Evangelist: “Give more earnest attention to the things that I shall
tell you about. I will now show you who it was that deluded you,
and also to whom it was he sent you. The man that met you is none
other than Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, and how right it is for him to have
this name. The reason is partly because he favors only the doctrine
of this world, therefore he always attends church in the Town of
Morality, and partly because he loves the doctrine of that Town the
best, for it saves him from the Cross. So because he is of a carnal nature,
therefore he seeks to oppose my ways, even though they are right.”
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

Evangelist makes it clear what kind of man Worldly-Wiseman is. He also makes it clear that Worldly-Wiseman's church has a "doctrine of this world." This is incredible considering that Pilgrim's Progress was written in the 1600s. What would Bunyan say of today's churches? Numbers or butts in pews is all important. Pastors are to equip God's people in such a way that they can go out out and do Christ's work. They are to prepare the body of Christ for the groom's return. Most pastors are ignoring this and making services so friendly to the lost to come in that there is no room for sermons that make the believers tremble and fall to the ground.

It is easy to get numbers. I could go to Mexico and with cases of Cokes and hot dogs have a large gathering. There would be nice music about how good God is, and I would make sure not to have any songs that would convict the sinners hearts. This is not what God has called pastors to do. The modern church is becoming irrelevant. They are taking so much of the salt out of their services that there is no flavor of Christ in the church.

Churches are now packed with adulterers. Not just those that have cheated on their spouse (through these numbers are grow astronomically), but also those that are cheating on Christ with a relationship with the world. Pastors are silent to both. One Sunday, I heard Holy Spirit tell me that someone in the service that day was contemplating having an adulterous relationship. It was so strong that I stood up and spoke this word. It turned out months later that it was the pastor.

One day pastors will have to give an account. They will be judged according to their actions or inaction.

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28


"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." James 3:1

"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve." I Peter 5:1-2

The Prodigal Son

"Yet at that very moment he saw Evangelist coming directly
toward him, and this caused him to blush with shame. 
EVANGELIST: What are you doing here? (At this Christian was
at a loss for words. He just stood speechless.) Are you not the same
person that I found weeping outside the walls of the City of
Destruction?
EVANGELIST: Then stand still for a little while, so that I can
explain to you the Word of God. (Christian quietly listened and
trembled.) Make sure that you do not reject he who speaks to you
as was the manner of Israel. For if God’s ancient people did not
escape judgment when they refused to heed God’s messenger on
Earth, how much more shall we not escape if we turn away from
he who speaks from Heaven?
Moreover, the just shall live by faith; but if any man draws back,
my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (Then he made specific
application.) You are the man who, in running into such a
miserable backslidden condition, have begun to reject the counsel
of the most high God and withdraw your feet from walking along
the way of peace, even to the point of being in danger of eternal
perdition." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress



Christian had taken a detour from the road that was set before him. This led him into terrible trouble. At that moment Evangelist appears and asks Christian why he is off course. Christian took the detour, because he didn't want to go through the pain of the cross. What the cross does is put to death, self. We recoil at the thought. We don't what to give up who we are. We like the opportunity to take offense at what someone says or does to us. We don't like to give up total control to God. It is the last thing we give up at the cross. The problem with saving ourselves is we lose ourselves. We are never really ever in control. If we don't die, we live for the enemy. 


 "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." 
Matthew 16:25


I have known men who for years seemed like model husbands, but then had affairs. What happened? They never died to their rights and desires. They were "putting up" with their spouse instead of loving her. They were inwardly angry that their spouse wasn't doing things their way. Finally they blew a gasket and lost their minds. They didn't die to self. 


My father-in-law had one answer for every complaint I ever had, "A dead person doesn't need to defend themselves. A dead person doesn't care if they aren't the center of attention. A dead person does't care what people say about them. A dead person doesn't care."


The only way to follow the command to love your enemies is to be dead to those things that made your enemy an enemy. If you are off course, get back on track heading for the cross. Once there, die to self and become alive in Christ. The prodigal son did just that.


"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” 
Luke 15:11-32

Christian Takes a Detour

"SO Christian departed from his present course so as to head
toward Mr. Legality’s house for help. But notice that when he had
drawn very close to the Hill, it seemed so high that it appeared to
almost hang over him and threaten to crush him. Being paralyzed
with fear, he stopped rather than go any further. As a result he did
not know what to do. Also his burden now seemed much heavier
than when he was formerly in the way.
There also came flashes of fire erupting out of the Hill that made
Christian fear that he would be burned.1 For this reason he was
terrified and began to sweat and tremble in his body. Now he was
sorry that he had taken Mr. Worldly-Wiseman’s advice."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

It didn't take long for Worldly-Wiseman to convince Christian to abandon his journey and take a detour. One can understand why. He was promised ease and comfort. He was told that there would be no pain or distress. His flesh loved hearing this. The flesh wants to keep our dreams, hopes, carefree living, desires, and life. It doesn't like thinking about the cross and dying to self.

So, Christian decides to do things his way. He was chasing after what God had promised, but his flesh got in the way. This reminds me of a story that was told by my first pastor, Sammy Tippit. When I first was saved by God, I started attending his church, Hahn Baptist. Sammy was going through Genesis on Sunday mornings. I learned a lot. One important lesson was Abram and what happened when he walked by sight and not by faith.

Abram was promised many things by God. He had a very special relationship with God. He is the only person to be called a friend of God (James). This was one such promise.

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3

Now, the problem was that Abram and his wife had no children. How could he bless all the families on earth if he had no decedents? Abram decided to not wait for God to figure that out, he took a detour.

"Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children" Genesis 16

This detour had a price to pay. We still pay for Abram's sin today. His son, born out of wedlock, grew up and had followers that contend with Abraham's son, that God eventually gave him and his wife, to this day.

"And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 16:12

Today, people start churches without God. These churches are very much like Worldly-Wiseman. They are fleshly, self seeking, morality without holiness, spiritual without Holy Spirit services. They are also very much like Abram's child born out of wedlock. These churches born out of wedlock, think that they have all the answers. They blow up small things to follow, so that the large ones that they do not follow won't be noticed.

Like Abraham and Christian we can return to the path that God has set for us. We must stop, turn around, and precede in the original direction that God had set for us, before our detour. We may carry a price for that detour, but we will be on the right path.

Another Gospel

"A short distance away is Morality Village , in which their
lives a gentleman whose name is Legality. Now he is a very
judicious man of the highest reputation, and as such he is well
able to assist men with the removal of burdens from their
shoulders such as you have. In fact to my knowledge he has
been a great help to many pilgrims in this regard. Yes, and
besides this, he is most skillful in curing those who are plagued
with anxiety concerning their burdens. To him you should go
right now for immediate help. His house is less than a mile from
here, and if perhaps you should not find him at home, then he
has a very pleasant son named Civility who is able to give the
same assistance as his father. As I have said, there you can be
relieved of your burden, and should you then prefer not to return
home, as I would indeed recommend, you can then send for your
wife and children to come to this Village. There you will also find
suitable empty houses available that are reasonably priced. Living
standards and food, while being inexpensive, are of a very high
quality. Added to this enjoyable environment would be the
company of honest neighbors who maintain financial security and
an attractive lifestyle." John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

Mr.Legality is a very pleasant man. You would instantly like him, upon meeting him. He makes one feel welcomed and special. He is a man of impeccable reputation, mainly, because it is his most desired goal.  He cares what people say about him, therefore he makes sure not to create controversy. He preaches a gospel that he says frees man from their burden without need of death, it is called religion. He is an angel of light.

"But I am afraid.... your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough..... For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."
II Corinthians 11

Mr. Legality's son is named Civility. He is an amenable, courteousness and polite fellow. He certainly demands attention when he does something good. He has been taught the etiquette and manners of a gentleman. He dresses impeccably. He is heavily involved in social justice activities that place him front and center of attention.

C.S. Lewis in his gifted book 'The Screwtape Letters' wrote about how demons may keep Christians busy doing anything other than what God had called them to do.

"On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means of their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to do anything -- even to social justice. The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy (God) demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice. For the Enemy (God) will not be used as a convenience." C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters

"Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 1-4

Morality, Civility, and Legality are all attempts by man to please God, the problem is we can't please Him outside of the grace of God. Men's attempts are muck and slime before Him. It is when we throw up our hands and say we cannot do it, He comes and uses us.

In Me

Artist: Casting Crowns

If you ask me to leap

Out of my boat on the crashing waves

If You ask me to go

Preach to the lost world that Jesus saves

I'll go, but I cannot go alone

Cause I know I'm nothing on my own

But the power of Christ in me makes me strong

Makes me strong

Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong

When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me

Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability

How refreshing to know You don't need me

How amazing to find that you want me

So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength

Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

If You ask me to run

And carry Your light into foreign land

If You ask me to fight

Deliver Your people from Satan's hand

To reach out with Your hands

To learn through Your eyes

To love with the love of a savior

To feel with Your heart

And to think with Your mind

I'd give my last breath for Your glory