Pilgrim's Progress.2026.08.23

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi, if you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock-solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibeltruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Speaker B [: 00:00:45

All right, so we have a privilege today, opportunity to hear a bit about Tim and Cheryl's trip to Spain. You guys want to come up? Guy and gal, thank the rocket.

Speaker C [: 00:00:59

Rocket, is that working?

Speaker D [: 00:01:02

Yeah.

Speaker B [: 00:01:02

Well, as you all know, some of you supported and were part of the trip over to Spain. That was your second, is that right?

Speaker E [: 00:01:09

Yes.

Speaker B [: 00:01:10

So talk a little bit about what you were able to accomplish and what was encouraging for you through that.

Speaker C [: 00:01:16

Yeah, well, first, yeah, Cheryl and I just want to start off by thanking you all for your support, your encouragement as a class to us and our team that went to Spain. We really, you know, view all of you and all that supported us in any way as part of the team. And so we really, as we went, we thought about you all and the fact that you were back here praying for us and just thinking of us and the encouragement that you were to all of us. So we thank you so much for that. And, you know, we were a small team. We started off initially early in the year with— we had recruited and, you know, there was 7 of us. And just through circumstances, people had to drop out that couldn't go. And then we got down to 5 and we were getting ready to leave.

Speaker C [: 00:02:08

And then all of you know Scott Evans here was in— was on our team. And, and just, you know, unfortunately, with a health situation, he, he couldn't go last minute. But we still felt Scott was, was there, was part of our team and was with us. We knew he was. He was. He and Glenda were back here praying for us. And so we were just very grateful for that. We were grateful that, you know, God was in control.

Speaker C [: 00:02:36

I mean, we were, we were sad that he couldn't go with us, but yet we were grateful that he didn't get to Spain and have that situation happen. And so, you know, again, just ways that God showed that he was He was in control, but we were very grateful for all of your support. And, uh, but I thought it just touched— I know most of you are familiar with the work in Spain, but Bible Chapel has supported, uh, Ken and Carolyn Muckle, uh, in Spain, uh, for almost 30 years. Cheryl and I actually remember when Ken and Carolyn came to the Bible Chapel 30-plus years ago. Ken had been a a student with Ron Moore at Dallas Seminary, and they knew each other. So they came here to kind of present their vision and mission to go to Spain, and, you know, the elders decided to go ahead and support them. So the Bible Chapel has had a long history with the Muckles and with this work in Spain, and— But through, you know, circumstances, and they'll share with you that, you know, there were a lot of struggles. Spain is a difficult country to operate in, and it's dark.

Speaker C [: 00:03:56

It's very cold to the gospel. And so they had a lot of starts and stops along the way, but then they finally got a church started, and they met in their home for a number of years. And so one of the things Ken did— was doing when he was in Spain, he was teaching at a seminary. a very— there's maybe only one evangelical seminary in Spain, and he was teaching there, and he had 2 students, Fede and Lucia, and they wanted to go into ministry. And so just again, the way God orchestrated all of that, they were able to begin to mentor this couple. I don't think they were married at the time.

Speaker E [: 00:04:42

Right.

Speaker C [: 00:04:43

And through circumstances, obviously God brought them together. They got married, And they began to work with Ken and Carolyn. Um, and then eventually Fede became the pastor of the church. They got a church, uh, I don't want to say a building, but they, they were able to rent a storefront there in, in their, their little village or town is called Cabanillas, Cabanillas del Campo. And, uh, so they had this small storefront, literally it's half the size of this room. And they operated their whole church out of that facility. And so Bible Chapel began sending some teams to visit the Muckles and their church, and but then in 2019, that was the last trip that was taken. And so then the church really wanted, because of COVID and so forth, you know, after all of that ran its course, we really wanted to get groups going again.

Speaker C [: 00:05:44

So last year was the first year back of a team, and Cheryl and I were on that team as well. And then so this year was our second, second time. And so it was, it was a great trip, and the work there is difficult work. But Ken and Carolyn now have come off the field. They're living here in Pennsylvania. But they go back. That's one of the beauties of this trip is that they can go with us. And so they're our translators.

Speaker C [: 00:06:17

So Cheryl maybe can tell you a little bit about the mission itself. We did.

Speaker E [: 00:06:24

Well, the stated mission of our trip was to go and help with an English conversation outreach and 5 nights of a teen evangelistic camp. So Even though we were only a team of 4, we still were able to accomplish that mission. And it was— they were wonderful opportunities to minister to the people that attend the conversation outreach or part of their book club or their English conversation club. This is how you meet Spaniards who are not They're actually suspicious of Christians. They see Christians as a cult, and even though they're steeped in Catholicism, they're not religious at all. So it's more friendship, person-to-person evangelism. The gospel takes root very slowly there. And so the, you know, we dispersed on different tables and they would rotate through our tables and there were questions on the table.

Speaker E [: 00:07:40

And then the Spaniard would pick what question they wanted to talk about, and it was for them to practice their English. And some of them picked spiritual questions and some of them picked secular questions, but Again, it was us coming alongside the missionaries and helping them in what they do and how they connect and share the gospel in Spain. And it was a great night, and so was the teen camp. We helped with all aspects of the teen camp, you know, the food, the games, the crafts. And we were able to give our testimony, and it's just— it was, it was a wonderful trip. But the thing that makes the biggest difference is just showing up. Ken and Carolyn showed— told us that Spaniards, being very secular, they work all year, save all their money so they can go on holiday sometime in July and August. And it's all about holiday, holiday, holiday.

Speaker E [: 00:08:42

That's the most important thing in their year. And so they cannot understand why a group of Americans would take their holiday time, their holiday money, and show up in Spain to work. So right then and there, just showing up is an open door for the gospel to say, oh, we come because we want to share the love of Christ with you. And so the ministry of presence has— is very powerful. And the other, the other ministry of presence is with the missionaries. We rented a house. We found a house this year that would hold 10 people, and it had a pool. Now, we didn't take a lot of pictures of the pool and post it on the blog because without explanation, some people would look at that and say, that's a little overkill for a mission.

Speaker D [: 00:09:39

That's holiday.

Speaker E [: 00:09:43

So, but when we saw it and we knew we could use it for ministry, sure, because the Spaniards, these 2 couples, well, the, um, uh, an American couple filled Ken and Carolyn's shoes in Spain, uh, the Duryeys. So the 4 of them and their kids, uh, are the ministry partnership there. And they both live in tiny apartments, no outdoor space, no grill, no yard, no pool. And Spaniards love grilled meats. And our Airbnb had a grill and a pool. And so what we were really able to do, if we hadn't done anything else besides these 2 lunches with the ministers, the missionaries, that would have been enough. Because we were able to invite the Alvarezes over one day for lunch and the Duryees over one day for lunch. Their kids enjoyed the pool.

Speaker E [: 00:10:45

Tim and, and Ken baked in the 100-degree sun grilling meat for them. And we, we were able to entertain them and spend quality, really unhurried time with the missionaries. There, and it was, it was just such a blessing. And what we discovered in talking to Fede and Lucia, and what you have to realize, usually you get on the mission field and the missionary is the busiest person there, and it's just go, go, go, go, go. It's so unusual to be able to have an afternoon to sit with the missionary and to allow them to give you, you know, how their life is, how their ministry is. And we really heard their heart. And they were kind of beaten up. They, they had this— they bought this new restaurant.

Speaker E [: 00:11:36

They bought a restaurant property that they had that they're going to turn into a church. They've owned it for 2 years. Nothing was happening. No renovations. Couldn't find contractor. They were super discouraged. But what— the week before we got there, they found a contractor. And while we were there, they had a meeting with them.

Speaker E [: 00:11:56

And he, he signed on, and 10 days after we got back, renovations started. So we saw that little progress take place while we were there. But the other thing was they had had a family in the church that had caused real harm and hurt, and they'd been dealing with that. And so we show up and they're really pretty discouraged. And And so our presence alone, again, we took our time and our money and all of you went with us and we were able to just sit and listen and pray and minister with our presence. And, and that's— you'll hear that from most mission teams, that the most important thing that we do is to show up. And besides, probably Word of Life, the missionaries we serve and we partner with in Panama. We hear this from all of our missionaries that we go to visit, that they have other churches that support them, but the Bible Chapel is the only one that sends teams.

Speaker B [: 00:13:02

Wow.

Speaker E [: 00:13:02

And it's really meaningful. So we go and we, we, we minister through our presence. And that's probably one of the most powerful things we do.

Speaker B [: 00:13:14

Yeah, because you think, oh, I'm going to do these things, or I'm going to, you know, all this thing's going to happen through me. And God is working on all different levels, right? He's working through you and the work you do. He's working for the ministry, for the, uh, those who are on the mission field over there who, you know, are battling out every day their frontline stuff. Then he's working in and through the team, and he's showing everybody that he's the Lord and all of that. One of the things I notice on those trips you're very attuned to God's providence and his provision because you're kind of hyper-attuned to that, where you in normal life you're not paying as much attention to all of that, but you're very attuned and then amidst of the team. So how about for you all, what, as you've gone on the trips, what has the Lord showed you about himself that really stood out? Yeah.

Speaker C [: 00:14:05

Well, as you said, Scott, you kind of go and, you know, you make the commitment to go, and then all of a sudden you kind of start getting these thoughts in your head. What am I— why am I going? You know, what can God do with me? What can I— you know, how can I help? I don't speak the language. And, you know, one of the things we— Part of the training that we do as a team One of the lessons is the story in Numbers where Moses sends the 12 spies to spy on the land, Canaan. And, you know, they go out and they see, you know, these, all these wonderful things, but they see these giants. And, you know, they come back to report to Moses. And, you know, all that they said, we can't do this. There's giants in the land. We can't go.

Speaker C [: 00:14:57

And, you know, we're inadequate. We can't. You know, they'll, they'll, they'll overtake us, except for 2, except for Caleb and Joshua. And Joshua and Caleb said, you know, no, we— God is with us. God has said, you know, this is our land. And so just that story, as you, as you start to prepare yourself and you say, okay, what are my giants? What are, what are the giants that I see? Uh, that, you know, I, oh, I can't go. I'm inadequate. I don't have anything to give.

Speaker C [: 00:15:30

But as you really just sort of lay yourself out before the Lord and say, Lord, I want to be used by you, and, uh, and then he just does, uh, things there that you just, you know, kind of blows your mind. Like, oh yeah, he's at work here. He's at work there. We're just coming in to, how can we help you, Lord? Use us in some way. And so That, that's, that's always, you know, on any of the trips I've been on, one of the things that just you struggle with, the, the doubts, the fears, the inadequacy, uh, but then God always shows up.

Speaker B [: 00:16:09

So. And talk a little bit about, I know you, you two have heard from missions for sure. And there's, when I was the, there's 3 things, right? You can go, of course, right? And there are reasons to go and maybe you talk to that. you can give on a regular basis and pray. Those are not unimportant things that not only are supporting the work on the front lines— not everybody goes on the front lines— but maybe talk about why all 3 of those and some mix of those, everyone, every believer is called to mixing those 3 together in some portion.

Speaker E [: 00:16:45

Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:46

Yeah.

Speaker E [: 00:16:47

Well, I mean, we say it all the time. That's why we wanted to report back to you all, because you guys were part of the team. We called it the Greater Spain Team. There were those of us that got on the plane, and then there was everybody else. And I may— I've probably shared this in class before, but it was Ken Mockle who shared the illustration of an aircraft carrier. Has everybody— has anybody not heard that illustration?

Speaker B [: 00:17:14

No.

Speaker E [: 00:17:15

Okay. So it's a great— it's a great analogy for missions. On an aircraft carrier, there's 5,000 crew members, but there's only 100 pilots. And the whole mission of the aircraft carrier is to carry the pilots close to the mission field so they can fly off, accomplish the mission, and safely return. But it takes every cook, every mechanic, every, you know, bathroom scrubber to support the mission of the pilots. And if it weren't for everybody else on the aircraft carrier, the pilots could never accomplish the mission. So they go, but it's a success. The mission is, is, is shared by— the successful mission is shared by everybody on the aircraft carrier.

Speaker E [: 00:18:03

And I just think it's a lovely illustration of missions. God doesn't call all of us to go, but he does call us to be part of the mission. And, and finding your part in that is Just thrilling, and that and so that's why we wanted to share because it really is a group project. Not everybody could go to Spain with us, but you don't. There's nothing to my my answer to your previous question was there's nothing more faith building than being on a mission trip and preparing for it. Of course, it's it's probably the same to being a Sunday school teacher or whatever else God calls you to. It's like when you finally trust. And, and we're asking— Tim and I could pay for the trip and go, but it misses the point of what God wants to do with the mission trip.

Speaker E [: 00:18:59

It's not just those of us who go, it's everybody else, all of you who contribute and are really truly, truly a part of the team. And what is God going to do through you, in you, through your partnership? And he, and he, he wants to, to grow hearts for his work around the the world, whether you are part of the support team or the going team. And we wanted to come back and tell you what your support did, because God credits that to your account. And so, like you say, it's all these layers, and it's not just what he does over there, but it's what he did in our hearts and what he hopefully did in, in your hearts and lives through the Park Through partnering with what he's doing in Spain.

Speaker B [: 00:19:47

And if they have a heart to pray on a regular basis for missionaries, what should they do?

Speaker E [: 00:19:52

Yeah, you can talk to me, or you can go online and sign up for an impact group. Now, to pray for the Alvarezes, you have to speak Spanish, so it might be a little hard, but we have them almost every night or morning of the week, and you can find a group to pray for. And again, The missionaries say that they have a lot of supporters, and the Bible Chapel is the only one that shows up monthly on Zoom to pray for them.

Speaker B [: 00:20:22

Wow.

Speaker E [: 00:20:23

And it is just a— it's a monthly reminder that they are, they are known and loved and supported. And, and we don't just get to pray for them at some separate, uh, prayer meeting. We pray with them and over them. And, you know, imagine the blessing that is if somebody were to do that for us every one.

Speaker B [: 00:20:48

So, so give more, pray more, and if God calls you, go, go. I mean, it's because it will, it will change you in a whole lot of ways. But yeah, give more, pray more, and go more. Thank you. Thanks for sharing. Well, we're in our summer series, and I think The thing that it reminds me of, that those who are on the mission field feel very much alone because they're in a foreign culture. I mean, that's why it's important to be in a study. That's why it's important to be in each other's lives.

Speaker B [: 00:21:18

I mean, that's the point of it. So enduring to the end, those who endure to the end. So I thought it would be good. We're gonna see a short video on Pilgrim's Progress. Pilgrim's Progress. Great.

Speaker D [: 00:21:34

Of all the things I've been asked to do— teach, preach, write— I think that being asked to do this little series, the DVD series on Pilgrim's Progress, was the most fun. 19 lectures on Pilgrim's Progress. The retakes were enormous fun. When you might have said the wrong date or something and you go back and have to edit these, those were just enormous fun. I was introduced to Pilgrim's Progress. I wanted to do what Bob Godfrey did and ask how many people have not read Pilgrim's Progress, but I don't want you to identify yourselves. I just need you to identify yourselves to yourselves because it is criminal.

Speaker E [: 00:22:24

Yeah, I'm going to turn this on.

Speaker D [: 00:22:27

There is a reason why Pilgrim's Progress, next to the Bible, is the most published work in religious literature. But I do think that this generation may be the generation that doesn't read Pilgrim's Progress anymore. I teach at a seminary, and I ask my classes on a fairly frequent basis, How many of you— these are future preachers and missionaries— how many of you have read Pilgrim's Progress? And out of a class of 25, you know, maybe one. Sometimes if it's two, I feel really good. And it's sad. Someone gave me a copy of Pilgrim's Progress just after I was converted, and I fell in love with it. And in an age where fantasy literature It's all the vogue. Lord of the Rings, The Narnia Chronicles, Harry Potter perhaps.

Speaker D [: 00:23:24

Why would we not enjoy Pilgrim's Progress? It's a cracking good story. And there are 2 books. There is Part 1, and then there's Part 2. Part 2 is the story of Christiana and the 4 boys. Bunyan's dates, 1628 to 1688, so he falls right smack dab in the middle of the 17th century. He is 16 years old. His mother has died, and his sister has died, and his father remarried with enormous haste. Within about a month of his wife's death, he remarried.

Speaker D [: 00:24:08

That wasn't altogether unheard of in Puritan England, but that really was quick. I don't think Bunyan had a great affection for his new mother-in-law, and he left. He lied about his age. He joined— this is the 1640s, and he's about 1644. About a year prior to that, the Civil War between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists had broken out, and Bunyan joined the parliamentary army with Cromwell, of course, at the head of it. He would have lied about his age to do that. I don't think Bunyan ever saw any battle. I think he saw the results of battles.

Speaker D [: 00:24:47

They were— the Civil War was fought in very set battles, but he would have seen men coming back with horrendous wounds and some being fatal wounds. And some of that description will find its way into Pilgrim's Progress. When he was disbanded, he married, 1649. They have 4 children. She brings to the marriage 2 books of general Christian piety. We don't know her name. Bunyan would write 60 books, but he would never mention the name of his first wife. It's just one of those odd things about Bunyan.

Speaker D [: 00:25:33

In 1660, Bunyan has been converted. He went through a fairly lengthy process, maybe a 3-year process, in which he was under conviction of sin. He was playing a game, tip-cat, which I think is a bit like what we used to call hoops. You have a metal ring and you have to tip it on either side to keep it upright as it goes along. But he was playing this on a Sunday and was chastised for breaking Puritan rules about the Sabbath on the Lord's Day, and that brought him under conviction of sin. And then he had a foul mouth. He swore a lot. And the story is told of a certain group of women, and not pious women at that, who refer to him as foul-mouthed and chastise him.

Speaker D [: 00:26:25

And these are events that lead him further down the path of conviction. And eventually, he comes to an assurance of faith as he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Interestingly, as in so many after him and some before him, it was reading Luther's commentary on Galatians that brought about that understanding of the gospel. In 1649, Charles I is beheaded. This happens in public in London. Richard Sibbes, the Puritan, was there at the beheading of Charles I. He fainted when the king's head fell to the floor. And then for the 1650s, England is a republic for the only period in its history that it's ever been a republic, with Oliver Cromwell at its head.

Speaker D [: 00:27:14

It's not a good thing for the leader of the army then to become the political leader. Africa has lots to teach us about how bad that can get. And it got bad in Cromwell's case. Then in 1660, there's the Restoration. Charles II is restored to the crown. Britain is no longer a republic but a monarchy. And immediately there is persecution, persecution of Christians, and in particular, various sets of rules that forbid those who are not licensed to preach, and basically weren't Anglicans, forbidding them to preach. And there were things like, at first, you weren't allowed to preach before a congregation, so they would erect some kind of veil between the preacher and the congregation.

Speaker D [: 00:27:59

Then the law was tightened that you couldn't preach in the same building as a congregation, so the congregation would stay inside, they'd open the windows, and the preacher would preach through the window. And then there was the Five Mile Act, and you couldn't preach within 5 miles of a registered congregational meeting place. So, they would walk 5 miles, put a stake in the ground, and they would preach there. And it was in that period in the 1660s that Bunyan falls foul. He's preaching, and not only that, he's a Baptist in 1660, and this is when just 75, 80 years prior to Bunyan being a Baptist, would have meant also being Unitarian and a denial of the Trinity and so on. So, Bunyan has many strokes here against him. He's in Elstow. He's preaching.

Speaker D [: 00:28:47

Just before he begins to preach, the sheriffs come in. They arrest him. He's taken to a prison. He waits 6 months before the trial. And during the trial, the person who is the judge in 1660, had himself been arrested by the Parliamentarians in 1644. He had spent 16 years in prison. This is your judge. So, it was hopeless for Bunyan.

Speaker D [: 00:29:16

As soon as they had chosen that man to be the judge, Bunyan's fate was secure. And he would spend the next 12 years in prison from 1660 to 1672. It's during that period that he writes most of Part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress. There is a point in the narrative of Pilgrim's Progress where— and it's only a couple of sentences, so you could easily miss it— but Bunyan says that he woke from his dream, and then he fell asleep again, and he dreamed again. And what he's telling you is that up to that point was written during that first period of imprisonment from 1660 to 1672. He was released for 4 or 5 years, and then was imprisoned again in 1676 to 1677 for about 6 to 7 months where he finished part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress. It was published the following year in 1678. He couldn't find a publisher for it.

Speaker D [: 00:30:09

And it was John Owen, the famous Puritan, and John Owen is an extraordinary story. John Owen was the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell during the Parliamentary Civil War, but after the restoration of Charles II, John Owen is in the company of the king on many an occasion. How Owen manages to play all of those cards is an astonishing thing in itself. But he's in the presence of Charles II. Charles II, by this time, Bunyan is preaching in a church in London, and Charles II makes some sneering comment about Bunyan. And Owen says about Bunyan that he would give all of his learning if he could preach one sermon like John Bunyan. It was John Owen's doing. He contacted his own publishers to ensure that John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Part 1, would be published.

Speaker D [: 00:31:07

It was an immediate success. I think it brought John Bunyan some much-needed finance. He'd spent 12 and a half, almost 13 years in prison. He wouldn't have had 2 pennies to rub together. But I think the publication of Pilgrim's Progress meant that his latter years— and he would die in 1610, 10 years after the publication of Part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress— but those 10 years were a little better. Most of the pictures that you see of John Bunyan are pictures of him, you know, not lacking a pound or 2. I mean, he's quite full in his face, and I think Bunyan loved food. And when you read Pilgrim's Progress, read closely the description of meals and And he tells you a great deal.

Speaker D [: 00:31:46

I think in prison he missed a great deal of good food, and I think he made up for it when he went out of prison. It was an enormous success. It went through several publications. But then, anonymously, 3 different editions of Part 2 appear, because the question at the end of Pilgrim's Progress is, what happened to Christian's wife and 4 children and Bunyan himself? has 4 children. He remarried, and the second wife raised his 4 children when his wife died— when his first wife died. The story of Christiana and the 4 boys. Opportunists, seeing an opportunity to publish a book and make some money, wrote Part 2 on Bunyan's behalf, not, let me say, with Bunyan's permission. And his publisher said to Bunyan, it's, you know, you must publish a second part.

Speaker D [: 00:32:37

Which he does, and that's published in 1684, 6 years after Part 1. In many ways, Part 2 of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is more important theologically than Part 1. Part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress raises some enormously interesting issues. You've got a man— His back is toward the City of Destruction. He's got a book in his hand. He's got a burden on his back, and he's crying, what shall I do to be saved? And he meets Evangelist, you remember, and Evangelist says, do you see yon cross? Which he doesn't, so he says to him, do you see yon Wicket Gate? And after a brush with Legalist and Formalist and the City of Morality and so on, Eventually, he gets, you remember, to the Wicket Gate and through the— knocks on the Wicket Gate, gets through the Wicket Gate. Wicket with a T, not wicked with a D. Wicket meaning narrow, the narrow gate, the straight gate, the Wicket Gate.

Speaker D [: 00:33:43

That confused me a lot when I first read it. So, he gets through the Wicket Gate and he's in the House of Interpreter. You remember all the different things he sees. He sees a fire, for example, and somebody is throwing water on the fire, but the fire is getting hotter and hotter because on the other side, which you cannot see, somebody's throwing oil on the fire. And it's an allegory about the Holy Spirit. Despite all the attempts of unbelief and Satan and so on to put out the fire of the gospel, the Holy Spirit pours oil on the fire to reignite it. Remember, he sees the man in the iron cage who had sinned grievously and couldn't get out. This fearful phenomenon in the 17th century that you could sin the sin against the Holy Spirit, which was unforgivable.

Speaker D [: 00:34:26

And all of this before Christian has lost his burden. And it's only— you're about a quarter of the way into the narrative before Bunyan actually comes to that hill called Difficulty. And as he's climbing that hill, his burden falls off his back and rolls down into the tomb, into the sepulcher, and disappears forever. And he's given a scroll, you remember, and so on. Now, the question arises, as a result of reading that. Why did it take so long for Bunyan to have Christian lose his burden? There's a famous sermon by Spurgeon, and Spurgeon is telling a story of having met a fishwife. I don't believe any of this, but Spurgeon says that he had been walking to church that evening and he passed this fishwife, And she'd said to him, where are you going? And he was saying, my name is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I'm going to preach, and this is my text, and I'm going to mention about Bunyan.

Speaker D [: 00:35:22

And she said to him, according to Spurgeon, she said to him, ah, that Mr. Bunyan. If I had written Pilgrim's Progress, I would have ensured that Christian would have lost his burden a lot sooner than Bunyan managed to get it done, or words to that effect. And then Spurgeon agrees with her in the sermon. I actually think Spurgeon is being a little unfair to his fellow Baptist preacher. But it is a significant issue. Why does Christian, first of all, go through a narrow gate, then to the house of Interpreter, only then to lose his burden? If Bunyan is saying that you need to experience all of these things before you can become a Christian, the allegation, the charge then becomes that Bunyan is, and I've got to use the P word here, preparationistic. And that's not nice.

Speaker D [: 00:36:22

That's about as bad a thing to call Bunyan as you could possibly imagine. Actually, that issue, and it still is an important issue, I actually think that's It's a somewhat misguided issue, although I do think that Bunyan himself was caught in that charge, and he corrects it in part 2 of the story. Part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress is, to all intents and purposes, an autobiography. He is saying this is how he experienced faith, coming to faith. It's a bit like me and my wife. Rosemary is an Irish girl. She's a Presbyterian. Her parents were Presbyterians, her grandparents were Presbyterians, her great-grandparents, forever.

Speaker D [: 00:37:06

She went to church 3 times on Sunday. She sat around the piano singing hymns on Sunday afternoon. She was a Sabbatarian. I was a pagan. I would go to the local dump looking for wheels to make a bicycle, a tubeless bicycle, on a Sunday. We grew up in different worlds. My conversion was was very definite. December 28th, 1971, 11:00, 11:15 at night.

Speaker D [: 00:37:33

I mean, it's that close. Rosemary, my wife, will say, I don't remember a day when I didn't believe. I've always believed. From the first conscious memory, she has been a Christian. She has never known a time in her life when she did not believe. A bit like John the Baptist or Samuel. When were they regenerated, we might ask? And the answer is perhaps in their mother's womb. César Malan, the French hymn writer, said, some of God's children are awakened like a mother awakens her children from her sleep with a kiss, you know, gently, quietly.

Speaker D [: 00:38:20

And some of us, it's entirely different. It's very dramatic. And I think part 1 of Pilgrim's Progress is how Bunyan himself experienced coming to faith. He went through a 3, 3.5-year period of conviction of sin. He's not saying that every conversion must be like that. And in between 1678 and 1684, part 1 and part 2 of Pilgrim's Progress, that allegation, that misunderstanding grew. So, in Part 2, Christiana's conversion is very gentle, and there is no period where she's carrying this great burden, nor the boys, the 4 sons in the allegory. And then, in the notes, and these were notes that Bunyan added to the 3rd edition of Pilgrim's Progress, he adds, The Wicket Gate is coming to Christ, right? In the 3rd edition of Pilgrim's Progress, when Christian, you know, when was Christian converted? Was he converted at the Wicket Gate or was he converted at the tomb, at the sepulchre? And he says, at the Wicket Gate.

Speaker D [: 00:39:30

And he does that, I think, because of the allegation that he was being somewhat preparationistic, that he was saying that there are certain things that you that you must do before you can be assured of your salvation. And that got him into trouble, perhaps, because it undermined justification by faith alone and apart from any doing or any works or any experience of religion on your part. Why should we read and remember Pilgrim's Progress? A variety of reasons. Let me just give you a couple of them. That the Christian life is a battle. It's a battle. It's a war against the world and the flesh and the devil. That it's a sore fight all the way.

Speaker D [: 00:40:30

That Christians are called upon to take up a sword and to enter into a battle against sin, indwelling sin, against the hostility of the world, against the rulers of the powers of the darkness of this world. The description in part 1 of the battle with Apollyon is one of the most graphic battle descriptions that you will ever read. Pilgrim's Progress contains some of the most wonderful names and locations. Worldly Wiseman, Pliable, Obstinate, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Talkative, Giant Despair, and then in the second part, Madam Bubble and Mr. Great Heart, and Mr. Valiant for Truth. Places like the wilderness of this world, Vanity Fair, the Slough of Despond— that's not right, it's the Slough of Despond— and Doubting Castle, the Delectable Mountains, and so on. But here's the reason why I absolutely love Pilgrim's Progress.

Speaker D [: 00:41:54

This is at the end of Part 1, and Hopeful— Faithful, of course, has died, and the story of his death in Vanity, City of Vanity, is a very graphic one, and the trial. But now Christian has another friend, Hopeful. It's amazing how important friends were To Bunyan, I think, after spending 12 years in prison. I think friends were important to him. And this is them. This is Hopeful and Christian. Then they addressed themselves to the water. And entering, Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful, he said, I sink in deep waters.

Speaker D [: 00:42:28

The billows go over my head. All his waves go over me. Then said the other, be of good cheer, my brother. I feel the bottom, and it is good. Then said Christian, Ah, my friend, the sorrows of death have compassed me about. I shall not see the land that flows with milk and honey. And with that, a great darkness and horror fell upon Christian so that he could not see before him. Also, herein, a great measure lost his senses so that he could neither remember nor orderly talk of any of those sweet refreshments that he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage.

Speaker D [: 00:43:00

But all the words that he spoke still tended to discover That he had horror of mind and heart fears that he should die in that river and never obtain entrance in at the gate. Here also, as they stood by, perceived he was much in the troublesome thoughts of the sins that he had committed both since and before he began to be a pilgrim. It was also observed that he was troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits forever and anon. He would intimate so much by words. Hopeful, therefore, here had much ado to keep his brother's head above water. Yea, sometimes He would be quite down, and then, ere a while, he would rise up again half dead. Hopeful also would endeavor to comfort him, saying, Brother, I see the gate and men standing to receive us. But Christian would not answer.

Speaker D [: 00:43:40

'Tis you, 'tis you they wait for, for you have been hopeful ever since I knew you. And so have you, said he to Christian. Ah, brother, said he, surely if I was right, he would now arise to help me, but for my sins he hath brought me into the snare and hath left me. Then said Hopeful, My brother, you have quite forgotten the text. When it is said of the wicked, there is no band in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not troubled as other men, neither are they plagued like other men. These troubles and distresses that you go through in these waters are no sign that God hath forsaken you, but are sent to try you whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of His goodness and live upon Him in your distresses. Then I saw in my dream that Christian was in a muse awhile, to whom also Hopeful added these words.

Speaker D [: 00:44:23

Be of good cheer. Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. And with that, Christian break out with a loud voice, Oh, I see Him again, and He tells me, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a stone until they were gone over. Christian therefore presently found ground to stand upon, and so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow. Thus they got over. Now, upon the bank of the river on the other side, they saw the 2 shining men again who there waited for them. Wherefore, being come out of the river, they saluted them, saying, We are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those that shall be heirs of salvation.

Speaker D [: 00:45:05

Well, the description goes on and how they climbed the hill to enter the gate. They talk about the description of the celestial city. That lies before them. And then we read a little further on, while they were thus drawing towards the gate, behold, a company of the heavenly host came out to meet them, to whom it was said by the other 2 shining ones, these are the men that have loved our Lord when they were in the world, and that have left all for His holy name, and He hath sent us to fetch them, and we have brought them thus far on their desired journey, that they may go in and look their Redeemer in the face with joy.

Speaker B [: 00:45:42

Amen.

Speaker D [: 00:45:42

Then the heavenly host gave a great shout, saying, Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! There came out also at this time to meet them several of the King's trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who with melodious noises and loud made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with 10,000 welcomes from the world, and this they did with shouting and sound of trumpet. This done, they compassed them round on every side, Some went before, some behind, some on the right hand, some on the left, as it were to guard them through the upper regions, continually sounding as they went with melodious noise in notes on high, so that the very sight was to them that could behold it as if heaven itself was come down to meet them. Thus, therefore, they walked on together, and as they walked ever and anon, these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would by mixing their music with looks and gestures still signify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company, and with what gladness they came to meet them. And now, with these 2 men, as it were, in heaven before they came at it, being swallowed up with the sight of angels and with hearing of their melodious notes, here also they had the city itself in view, and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring to welcome them thereto, but above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there with such company, and that forever and ever. Oh, by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed? Thus they came to the gate. Well, so it goes on, and I would love to read more and more of it, but it's a beautiful description of triumph in death, and that is probably one of the leading landmarks of Puritan theology and of John Bunyan. We read Pilgrim's Progress in order to learn how to be pilgrims, But we read Pilgrim's Progress in order to learn how to live and how to die with assurance and in confidence in the Lord.

Speaker D [: 00:47:39

Well, if you listen to these lectures on Pilgrim's Progress, I wish you well and hope you profit from them. Thank you.

Speaker B [: 00:47:47

Okay, so write down something you got from that, and it's not just an amazing Allegory and, um, literary work, but it was written where?

Speaker E [: 00:48:03

Prison.

Speaker B [: 00:48:04

In prison. In prison. 12 years in prison. How often would you think, has the Lord left me? Has the Lord left me alone? So it's, it's always the story behind the story, right? It's a story about endurance in the midst of suffering, and it's not a Theory, theoretical for him than actual. So write down something you got. Let's share a few. I didn't actually, I didn't know there was a part 2. I didn't know there was a part 2.

Speaker B [: 00:48:39

So that was, that was interesting. Yeah, it's worthy of, it's a worthy read. I think in today's world, People struggle with it because they're used to this. They're being taught that everything's quick, quick, quick, right? Look, book, book. You don't want to read long descriptions. It's like, you know, short sentences, small minds, little attention spans. So it's kind of like, get on with it, get on with it, right? Why is it so wordy? Luther came to Christ reading Romans. Of course, Galatians is a mini, a mini version of Romans, if you will, a compact version of the reality of salvation.

Speaker B [: 00:49:30

You know, the thing is, at night we'll read a Psalm and pray right before bed. And if you go through the Psalms, you realize David was struggling a lot of the time. A lot of the time, you know, the great, the great verses we have from the Psalms are through process. He goes up and down, and he, through frustration and all of it, laying it all before the Lord. And the thing about Bunyan is it shows you there is day-to-day struggle. Day to day, not just missionary struggle, but every one of us struggles, right, with our day to day. That's kind of the reality. Of that, then it's really a battle.

Speaker B [: 00:50:07

So hopefully you'd be encouraged to, to read that along with anything that helps you walk the path and stay the path. I don't know about all of you, but you know, it's my prayer. One thing I've asked, that I shall seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. My biggest fear is me, not the Lord. My biggest fear is me. No, that I would dishonor him. Somehow in the days that he would keep me, right? Keep me, keep me, keep me, and that I would honor him till the end, Lord, that I would honor him to the end. Here's the reality.

Speaker B [: 00:50:42

If you're a Christian, you battle for peace. I, I don't wake up peaceful. I wake up with anxiety most every day. I don't know about you. Some of that's personality, some of that's experiential, whatever it is. But the thought is, man, you're just cruising with peace. I'm not cruising with peace. You battle for peace.

Speaker B [: 00:51:00

You battle for peace. Everybody get it? You battle with the gospel. You battle with the truth. You push through, right? You have, you have greater purpose in the midst of your day. But there's a lot to be anxious about. There's a lot to be anxious about. And so battling every day for that peace, to stand in the peace in which the Lord Jesus Christ gives us, and the assurance of everything that we have in him. And at the end of the day, we're his.

Speaker B [: 00:51:29

We're his. And he keeps his. He keeps his. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority. May he bless you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you his peace, his shalom, deep in your soul as you battle with anxiety and fear and worry and doubt. May he be your shalom deep in your soul, down to your toes, deep in your heart, right? Day by day, minute by minute.

Speaker B [: 00:52:13

May he bless you and keep you. Amen.

Scott Keffer [: 00:52:21

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you His peace, His shalom, in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.