Welcome to the Cornerstone Church Podcast.
Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Pilgrim's progress.
We hope you've been enjoying this series so far, and you can catch with any past episodes on our website or on podcast channels that you listen to.
We are now picking up the story.
Christian and Hopeful have left behind the Delectable mountains.
Which was a place of both warning and encouragement.
They got their first shaky sight of the gates of the celestial city.
And have been encouraged by that vision, but we're also taken up Mount Caution And Mount Era to be reminded that they mustn't depart from the way as they go on.
And so now they are back on the road, and they, first get sight of a a man called ignorance.
And, this begins quite a long conversation.
So this is a, there's less kind of visual stages in this and and just more conversation about, about following the lord in in a true way.
And so ignorance is the first 1 that they see.
And how does that conversation get going up again.
He's has come from sort of mountains, you know, the countryside of Concede.
That's his that's his City, isn't it? Yeah.
Yeah.
And he's come down this little crooked crooked lane, but it's a it's a it's a pretty lane, I think, isn't it? Pretty green and it's a brisk sort of walk, isn't it? And it gets them onto this road sort of quickly, crooked lane from conceit Mister ignorance.
Mhmm.
Yep.
Yeah.
And he's on the way to the celestial city, which is encouraging, to start with, I suppose, that they're going in the same direction.
But then Christian asks, but how do you think to get in at the gate for you may find some difficulty there? So the problem is that he has come from a land that is just a little off the left hand side of the road, country of conceit, as you say, and Christian well knows that the only way to the celestial city is to pass by the gate and to go through the cross and the resurrection of Christ in order to get there.
And, and then ignorance responds by saying as other good people do, said he, but what have you to show at the gate as Christian that may cause that the gate should be open to you? It's a celestial city.
It's a bit confusing.
Oh, yes.
Right.
Okay.
Not the the narrow gate.
Now now he said that when you get when he hadn't come through the narrow gate, Yes.
But now he's asking about the gate at the I see how you're gonna get in the heaven's gate.
Right.
Gotcha.
Okay.
Probably someone that takes everybody understands what's going on here.
That'll be good.
He thinks that he can get into the celestial city because he's done good things.
So he's Yeah.
He's paid, tithes.
He's given to charity.
He prays.
He does all the he does all the the religious duties.
That should get you into heaven, in his opinion, he and and he's very happy that he is a good man.
Hence Wikers from Conseats he's quite proud of his actions.
I suppose.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it's an easier route onto the onto the onto the path.
He doesn't have to go through the cross and resurrection, as you say.
He doesn't have to go through the narrow gate.
He's got all of the credentials in his mind to get into heaven.
So he's, ignorant Yeah.
Of salvation, isn't it? Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The wicket gate was a little too far from conceit.
So he thought I'd go silly, isn't it? Yeah.
Why would I go all the way around that way when I could put this lovely little It's a nice little crooked lane that takes you onto the path.
And here we are now.
So what you're talking about? Exactly.
Yeah.
And that's that's his sort of attitude, isn't it, really? Yeah.
And so Christian points out to him, well, if you've neglected to come by the Wicked Gay, don't think you've got a hope of standing before the celestial gate and getting in because when the day of reckoning will come, you shall be exposed as a thief and a robber.
And you have tried to enter this city by a way the lord has not appointed.
And, ignorance says gentlemen, ye be utter strangers to me.
I know you not you follow the religion of your country, and I follow the religion of mine.
And so there's no pretense here.
We've seen some of that with the other characters.
There's no a sort of argument really about the doctrines of grace or the way of salvation, and he doesn't try to claim, that he's been the right way.
He just says you do it your way.
I'll do it way, you know, you what you're saying is just utterly foreign to me.
I don't believe it.
I don't think it's true, so let's both crackle.
It reminds me of, I mean, I I did that's pretty much we quite say that, but when we did door to door over the the river at, Hampton Wick.
In Hampton Wick, we found a lot of these sort of women, like this, didn't we? You you knock on the door and and they totally despised you that why would why would a a Christian, from a from a real church, knock on a door.
You know, that's 1 thing.
And you you're sort of peddling this really cheap poor man's religion.
And I go to the Anglican church, and it was it's very similar, isn't it? There's there's there's no attempt to listen.
There's there's no thought that they're wrong.
No.
No.
No.
I I go to the parish church.
And that's enough sort of thing, isn't it? And, they're, you know, it's quite amazing, isn't it? So Christian Christian and hopeful conclude that that ignorance is really a fool.
There's more, in fact, they say there is more hope for a fool than for him.
And, and, he shows that he's a fool.
And he's but I think your refusal to listen Yeah.
And to engage the with the fact that you may be wrong and you may be actually No.
I'm not wrong.
That's exactly it.
There's no even thought of I don't even need to argue with you, because you're wrong, and I'm right.
Yeah.
And I'm on the road.
So what you're talking about? And so Christian and Hopeful decide that he's not worth talking to much more.
And so, But it's done quite well, isn't it? Yes.
It's not it's not just they they they do want for him, don't they? They do want him saved.
But but but but they re but they realize that you can't If we just argue, it would turn into a rather nasty argument.
Let's leave her him, rather.
I'm thinking this woman over there.
Let's leave ignorance with the information that we've given may be He's not Yes.
They sure it will water the seed and, you know They don't think he's able to bear any more Yeah.
Than what they've already told him.
So he just needs to reflect on what's already been said, really.
It's a lot of wisdom in that though, isn't it? Yeah.
Yeah.
No.
It's good.
So they both went on it looks like they take over ignorance, actually, because he comes behind them then.
Yeah.
And then it says that when they passed him a little way, they entered into a very dark lane Yep.
Where they met a man whom 7 devils had bound with 7 strong chords, and they were carrying him back to the door that they saw on the side of a hill.
So this is quite an unnerving scene, isn't it? They're walking through this dark lane, which anyone who's ever walked home from the train station at night, and you've come through a dark lane, you know, it doesn't matter how old you are or how strong you feel that you are.
There is something intimidating about a dark lane.
Know, most of us would would would really, you know, would much rather go and get our wives from the station than let them walk through the dark lanes because it's just, it's just a traditionally bit of a spooky place where where all kinds of nasty things can happen.
And nasty things are happening.
So they see this man who's being bound up with 7 cords by 7 devils and being dragged, essentially back into hell.
And good Christian began to tremble and so did hope for.
And then they wonder who this person is, don't they? And although Christian can't see him, he wonders if it's a man called Turnaway, who dwelt in the town of apostasy.
And so here is a man we think who has been on the road, maybe, or appeared to be on the road.
But for whatever reason, has, has, has, has given up and has turned back and is in a post date.
He's forsaken that the gospel.
Yeah.
And then that's confirmed when, on his back, Christian and Hopeful see a label, which says wanton professor, and, and damnable apostates.
So, you know, he was right in his, in his guessing about this person.
That's that's that's who it is.
And so that, I mean, that scene sort of ends rather quickly, but that's that's what they see.
It says that we've we've met 2 characters so far, haven't we? We've got ignorance who has faith but it's totally in himself and the good things that he does.
Then we have, turn away or this imposter person who looked like he had faith in the gospel, but completely turned us back on it.
Yeah.
And lastly, we didn't have faith at all in the gospel.
And that then leads Christian to think about another character.
Little faith.
Yeah.
I think this is absolutely brilliant because he he, we'll talk about little faith, obviously.
But I I think he's just showing that the the the the the the the the clear differences here.
1 conceded, religious person, not prepared to think thing at anything through absolutely right.
You're, you know, you're wrong and all of that sort of stuff.
But then this Walton professor, you know, this this bloke who's professed in the past is, and and and now can't take it anymore.
It's turned back given up the faith.
And he's being dragged to hell.
It's it's it's it's quite frightening.
And then the sort of helpfulness of that because what am I? Could I be this? Yeah.
And then he leads us into a bloke who has little faith, but god will not let him go.
And we'll see that as we go in.
It's a 1 it's a wonderful thing that Bunion's doing here, isn't it? I can imagine him preaching this out in the woods.
And and picking on, you know, 3 types of people I wanna talk about.
Yeah.
You you want to, you, apostates turn away.
Yep.
You gotta you gotta remember, Buckingham was in prison.
He, was often allowed out by the prison.
He was jumped out the window very often, from his prison on on the on the bridge in in, in in Bedford, would go out into the woods and people would gather who are real believers.
Yeah.
But often, there were there were spies there to get to get hold of him, or to to or to see who the Christians were, and that then turned people away.
And they became apostates.
So he you can see him preaching this 3 point sermon, can't he? Yeah.
Gone on enough there.
But you know, let's get to little little faith.
Well, we begin the little faith, and he, at first, we're told about his his sin or a mistake that he made so so here is the man of the faith, and he was passing through dead man's lane, which I suppose is a bit like the very dark lane, that Christian hoped will just pass through.
And this is so called because there are, it's known or it's got a reputation for being a place where murderers hang out and and kill people.
And we're told that little faith actually falls asleep in dead man's lane.
Yeah.
Now we know from Pilgrim's progress so far that to fall asleep, even in the most beautiful and restful of gardens, is a bad idea.
The lord puts these places here for temporary rest.
But not for slumber.
How much worse then to fall asleep, not in a garden, but in an alley famed for murders.
You know, that's that's a very dangerous thing to do.
And you just imagine, you know, as I said earlier, walking home from the train station through the dark alley, nobody thinks Always be a good place for a Kip.
You know, you you wanna get through it as soon as you can.
The the lane down the end of the road from where we're speaking is called cutthroat out which originally was the the 1 that goes under the railway bridge cutthroat alley.
I wouldn't want to sleep in a place called Cutflower.
No.
No.
But, sorry.
You just missed something which I think is quite important because there's a broad gate to this little lane.
It's quite interesting, isn't it? So so it's easy to go into this lane, and then suddenly you're in it.
Yes.
So that that there's there's something there at Bunyan again is saying.
And so little faith has fallen asleep in a dangerous place.
And now, you know, this could be this could be a season of life, any season of life, really, where for whatever reason our soul is in a bit more jeopardy than it would be at other times.
So it could be if a season of suffer incomes upon us, or on someone we love.
There's a that there's a danger there that that we might begin to lose our lose our confidence and wonder what's going on.
Or it might be that we've got personal sin that we used to really be conscious of and want to fight But in recent times, it's become more acceptable, and we're beginning to allow it to take root in our lives.
That's a very dangerous alley to walk through Yeah.
There could be all kinds of things, couldn't there, but it's a it's a place of You you were gonna jump in.
Were you Rory, I think? Well, as you said, it it could be you know, a point of where you've you've got too comfortable in this world.
Yeah.
And that might be something similar with, comfortable with your sin, but has allowed for sin to creep in or allowed for you to trust in other things or allowed you to have things on other things rather than negospel, or you've seen the broad way.
Yeah.
The broad gate, rather.
Yeah.
And it lots of people are going down it.
So you're you're tempted to give up the narrow way as well.
That's right.
Yeah.
And then you end up in this dangerous alley.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And those are times for more alert.
It's not less, aren't they? You know, so you know, to give an illustration if somebody's, you know, in an unhappy marriage, for instance, and, you know, they're beginning to wonder or to daydream about what life might be with somebody else.
And then they get to work and there's a brand new employee who seems to take a shine to you, and, you know, she or he is a track and you wanna you you you're entering into a dark alley there, and that is not the time for slothfulness.
That is the time to think what is I'm I'm daydreaming about, like, I better run through this and not fall asleep.
You know? Yeah.
Absolutely.
So anyway, that's where that's where he's at.
Right? And then and then what happens is, there are these 3, sturdy ropes.
Brothers.
Brothers.
Yeah.
Faint heart mistrust and guilt who who look for any opportunity to do harm to people, it seems.
And they aspire little faith where he was, and they gallop up to hit speed.
And, yeah, what what happens I mean, I think that that that that's just the illustration that you've given there.
Yeah.
You know, But these these are here quick.
Yeah.
Yeah.
They they spy they spy the opportunity, to to really kill you.
Yeah.
They they wanna destroy you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I I think, sorry, to build on that, like, you're in that that period of of temptation or that period of suffering, whatever it is, these 3 scoundrels will come upon you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That I'm sometimes tempted to doubt the promises of god in this in this area.
Mhmm.
Or or I'm sometimes tempted to to shrink back from the battle, faint heart.
Or when I when I actually So with your your your marriage, illustration, I start to think, you know, sort of fantasy thoughts about this.
I start to feel guilt because I've actually I've started to drift away from god's promises and and and into into sin.
So these 3 scoundrels are are very much gonna be upon you when you're you're in this dark lane.
Yeah.
We haven't spelled out their names.
I know you've just said them.
Yeah.
But but it's so have we? Did we say their names? Yeah.
We said them.
Yeah.
But I didn't well, yeah, who are they then? Well, faint heart, is what? Well, this is someone, I I think I know you've said I've given it, but I didn't think we've said it.
Going.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, fae with his faint heart who, seems to be someone who's who's, beginning to lose their convictions, perhaps.
And, they haven't got as much courage in the battle as they once had because they're not drawing strength from the promises of god.
So they're beginning to lose their grasp on truth, really.
And therefore they're becoming vulnerable and perhaps less confident in what was right and what was wrong.
The conscience is a little less active then it should be.
Yeah.
You you imagine, like, because you you've you've you may have gone lukewarm.
And then you're you're put into a situation where you have to stand up for Jesus.
If I'm faint of heart, I might shrink back from that and actually, you know, What what do you what do you do? Oh, well, I'm, you know, I'm just a teacher.
I don't say I'm, I work for a church as well.
Do you see, like, I had a chance to stand up for Jesus at that point, and I and I failed.
So I shrink back because of my faint heart.
That's good.
Fain heart mistrust.
Yeah.
Mistrust.
I'm not entirely sure.
I think I'm in a simple way might be just trusting in the wrong things, perhaps.
I think I think it could be 1 of 2 things, actually.
I think it could be that you you put your trust in other things.
You know, money, for instance, we we we when when we look at Feiner.
But it could also be that I I start to doubt the promises of God that he is good.
Again, you think about If you thought god would do Yeah.
Would do this, but he never promised to do that sort of thing.
Yeah.
So so why why why didn't he help me here? Yeah.
Or life is gonna be easy.
So Yeah.
If I'm with God, I'll have an easy life, but actually now I'm being threatened to be beaten up by these thugs.
You know, yeah, I'm suffering here.
So why isn't god helping me in this situation? So I think that could be your mistrust there.
Yeah.
And guilt.
Guilt, you know, can be a positive thing if it leads us back to Jesus and we deal with it but, this seems to be the sort of guilt, which leads us away from Christ, and we begin to look inwards or, just wallow in our own failure.
And, I can't be forgiven again.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
I think I think so.
I I I as so that I think that's helpful, but I asked the story sorry, goes.
If you if you, notice the first person to attack is faint heart.
So he says, hand over your purse.
So the first thing that attacks is that he's he's he's a little bit comfortable shrinking back the faint heart, attacks first.
And thenmistress steps in and takes his money from him.
He puts his hand in his pocket takes his money and then guilt hits So it's it's an interesting, successions that you have your faint heart first.
So I've I've stopped.
I've stopped, with my eyes at Jesus.
Now I don't trust as I did before, and then guilt hits with a massive club and leaves him lying on the floor bleeding profusely about to die.
So then I think that's quite an interesting, succession of of how it works, that those 3 things would happen in that order.
I've I'm now guilty that I had a faint heart Yeah.
And I didn't trust.
Yeah.
And then the guilt really hits him hard.
He's sort of praised, but it isn't prayer in 1 sense, but it does produce something, doesn't it? So he shouts out thieves thieves.
Yeah.
And then he's smashed on the head, and he's blea he's bleeding, and he could bleed to death.
Here.
So this could be the end of him, while the thieves, stood stood by.
But there is an answer, isn't there? It's it's a very weak prayer, isn't it? Cause he has little faith, but he does have faith.
And so he cries out thieves and then then you get this answer.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, then the thieves are standing by.
But then they hear the sound of somebody coming up the road.
So whether that be, you know, he's I can hear that his boots clinking on the floor or whatever.
And, they they they leg it, I think, don't they? Because they think it might be, a man called Great Grace, who dwells in the town of good confidence.
And so it says they got up and made shifts to scramble, or dissipate us that rather.
So anyway, they're afraid of this kind of person who's later called, you know, like the king's champion, who looks like he sort of patrols the roads looking for bad guys to kill and good guys to help, really, isn't it? Yeah.
So good to know.
It's our row or something.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so they they run off, didn't they? They do leggett.
It's the they took to their heels.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and so what happens to little faith then? Well, well, I was wondering whether they take everything that he has and he says, no, it doesn't take everything.
He still, has his jewels.
That and that's the things that he wants to keep.
The takers spending money, and he doesn't have much money.
And so he's sort of he's now gonna struggle on to the celestial city.
Hungry.
Hungry? Because, because it's not easy, to be saved.
You know, that, you know, he he had bunions is really quite in 1 p at 4 18 if if it is with difficulty that the righteous has saved, what will become of the godless mind and the sinner.
It's not easy that the path to the celestial city is not easy.
You've seen that, throughout.
And because he's been robbed of his money, it's gonna be a hard journey onto the celestial city, but he's still gonna It turns me into sort of a baker, doesn't it? Rather than a son of a king.
Yeah.
You know, there's definitely something missing here, isn't it? But he's he's gonna hobble on and by the providences of god, he'll get there because he hasn't lost his, his scroll, and he hasn't lost these jewels, whatever they are.
I guess promises have got to keep him and the providences of god that will keep him.
And the fact because later on, it's about he saw, and it says about his birthright, he he he would not give up on the promise that he's a child of god, actually.
I know he Yeah.
He he is a a unexperience for him, and he will not give his soul to the world.
No.
So, you know, what good is it for a man to forfeit his soul? Well, I'm not gonna forfeit my soul, my soul, my soul, my soul must stay with the lord Jesus Christ, and I think that's the jewels that he has.
He has he has faith, but he doesn't enjoy his Christian life.
There's not seems to be a lack of joy here, doesn't it? And, there's a perseverance, which is is terrific, but it's not a joyful perseverance.
He's just gonna it it feels like he's gonna hobble on, and he'll get there.
Yeah.
Yep.
Well, I I just I think that's just brilliant of bunion, isn't it? The, you know, there are people we know people like this, that they they, you know, and and I wonder if we're all like this, to some degree, aren't we? There's there's times in our lives where guilt and mistrust, mistrust and faintheartedness just beats us up and we go through these times, don't we? And and and then we But but we we persevere by the providences of god.
Oh, I I mean, I, you know, I was I was telling you earlier.
And and, I mean, I don't think she's I don't think she's little faith, but, it's it's interesting that this happens.
Her a woman rang me up last night.
She's 998, I I knew her when I was at another church, and she prays for us.
And, she rings me up probably once a year, and, she had she's had a tough life.
Her husband died at 40 at 42.
He was a pastor.
And she asks, why? Why why why did he god do this? Then her daughter, you know, died after giving birth, you know, 6 weeks gave birth to a child and then died 6 weeks later.
And and these are very painful.
Even now at 98, They're pay, you know, just talking about them.
They're very painful events in her life, but she's holding on and trusting god.
And it it's a rather lovely thing.
So I'm not calling her, of of little faith.
I think she's got strong faith in, but it doesn't mean that you can't question and you can't ask and you can't be real before god.
Is it that he's not saying that, is he? He's not saying that No.
That's wrong.
No.
No.
He's not.
No.
I think and and you find that all through the Bible.
You know, there is a there is a very honest and godly way of asking the why question, isn't there? And there's a there's a there's a way of asking it, which is full of accusation an unbelief, which is basically if I was god, I think I would do things better than you.
Why have you done that? That wasn't the right thing.
You know, I don't trust you, and there's the why of someone who's basically convinced that god is sovereign and good and loving, but finds it hard to match it with what's happening in life sometimes.
And that's a question of faith.
And they know that he's doing doing something that they're good, but they can't, I mean, even Christ prays that.
My god, my god, why have you forsaken me.
He knows what he knows.
Yeah.
But he's still it's still the experience is so hard.
And painful that he asks the question why have you forsaken me? Mhmm.
And so although there's something to be careful of with little faith, we shouldn't fall asleep when life's difficult he is commended here because, he doesn't, in the end, sell that which is most valuable.
He won't surrender the gospel truths unlike the wanton professor Yeah.
Who does do that, who turn who turns away.
And sells his.
And sells his, yeah.
And and then and then hopeful said hopeful brings in that he saw here and says, well, look, what, you know, he saw sold his birth right, for a bowl of soup, and that was his greatest duel.
If he did, why might not little faith do as well? And, Christian responds by saying no, you've got to understand there's a big difference between Esaw and little faith.
You know, Esaw was really still thinking about this world.
Yeah.
You know, he his belly was his god.
You know, he couldn't see further than the next hour.
He wasn't looking to eternity.
You know, his was a a physical birthright, but little faith's birthright was spiritual.
And he was looking forward to eternity, and he was thinking of the world to come, and his god was the true god.
So these are not these are not the same things, you know.
And so again, little faith is being kind of held out here as, yeah, you know, even though his whole life has collapsed, he won't he won't say Jesus is not lord anymore, you know, and hopeful seems to think, well, if he, you know, if he'd pawned his if he pawned his jewels, he would have had an easier time in this life, which is probably true, isn't you know, what, you know, he could have he could have just said, oh, look, you know, this is too hard.
I'll give up this.
You know, where's Vanity Fair? That looked better.
You know, and he could have enjoyed life a bit more, but he's not gonna forsake that.
And in the end, that choice will be vindicated, and he'll be rewarded for it, you know, but, I think we know we know this, in ourselves, but we also know this as pastors of churches.
There there are people hobbling, aren't there? And Our job is not to smash them and make them feel more guilty.
No.
Our job is to it's like the bruise Read, isn't it, and the smoldering flack.
We're just to fan and to fame their flame that that that little faith.
And it's it's gotta be gentle, haven't these sometimes? And and, and it is difficult, to know whether someone is will be in a prostate or whether they'll will have little faith, but we have got to keep fanning that into flame and keep, you know, caring for someone.
And then and you know that at the end, that they're they're hobbled through it as it were.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you can use that term, because god is good, isn't he? And he will keep his people.
Despite our little faith.
Yeah.
Christian just really puts hopeful in this place really says, look, You you can't ask someone to do something that is not natural to them.
And he has had saving faith, so he cannot give up his precious due because they're the things that saved him.
Yeah.
And hope hopeful to kind of moo becomes quite critical of little faith in the end, isn't he? And and seems to think that he should have put on a better show than he did.
Yeah.
So at Hopeful actually says, to Christian, why did not little faith pluck up a greater heart? He might me thinks have stood 1 brush with them and have yielded when there had been no more remedy.
In other words, he said, come on.
He could have he could have at least put his fist up you know, and given and given them a bit of a 1, 2, you know, even if he eventually got knocked out, he could have done something more and how does Christian respond to that? Well, he says he he doesn't have a courageous heart to do that.
He's he's a he's weak.
He's got little faith He's got a little faith, but he hasn't got that much faith.
And so, actually, why would he have stood up? And I and then he goes, And if you think you'd have done better, hopefully, you're mistaken, and that re is really, criticizing pride that they're point.
Like, we all love to think that we would have done the better thing.
And that we would have we wouldn't have fallen in that battle.
And Christian's pretty, realistic, actually.
The he knows his heart a bit better than hope on those his and says that I've I've I've I've been confronted with these, and I would have done the same as, yeah, as, little faith.
And I think that's really helpful.
Like, we must, you know, we mustn't get too high thoughts of our own selves, and and we need to know that we're as susceptible as the next person.
In their battles with sin.
Yeah.
And I think that's really helpful.
And it's it's sort of thinking about another man's shoes, isn't it? You know, what what, you know, the where that where walking or, you know, they may have done things, and and their conscience is, you know, really high, and there's this sense of guilt and can god forgive me, can Christ forgive me? They keep coming back to that again and again.
Or, you know, there's just the mistrust again because they've had things in their lives where people have been untrustworthy, you know, and so now it's hard to trust God as father.
You you often have that many of the fathers have been outrageously not fathers and abusers, and so it's hard to think of god as father.
And so that it it is sort of walking in another man's shoes sometimes, isn't it? That we don't just blast this person, but encourage them to keep walking.
And that little faith can move mountains.
Yeah.
And that little faith will bring them into in into into salvation because god is provident providential in in that.
Yeah.
Thank you.
So where do we go where do we go to now? I mean, there's a little bit more, isn't there, about, Yeah.
Well, so so hopeful hopeful is, yeah, hopeful is saying, well, look, they've had a way from great grace.
Yeah.
Great when great when they thought great grace was here, and I and I think, again, Christian's helpful here because he says that there is a distinction between some people.
There are there are champions of the faith.
There's a king's champion.
Who who's, like, who rides a stallion and can fly into battle.
And and then there are foot soldiers.
Yeah.
And, we have champions that are helpful for us because it can inspire us to grow in our faith and, to to follow them.
Because that's what you do with it.
When when you have a great champion in in the army, they lead the way and you follow in.
And, so he said, look, you gotta you gotta Look, not everyone's gonna be the same.
And so I think he's he's helpful again, bringing in this and that he says there are some people more along the way than others.
There are some people that God has used like your David's, he pulls.
Yeah.
You know, who were who who were more along the way and were able to fight the battle.
Yet, they're not they're not they're also not susceptible.
They're not, removed from the attack of these 3 scoundrels.
No.
And again, again, just because they they often did well, David, Dave got it wrong.
David had a faint heart.
He mistrusted there was hit with you.
And Peter as well.
I mean, he sounded like a great grace, didn't he? You know, even if all others forsake you lord, I never will.
I mean, that's the sound of great grace, isn't it? You know, it's, a man who's supremely confident in his own ability to withstand people like mistrust and faint heart and guilt but even he is an example to us in the scriptures of, of be careful.
You know, you think you stand, but you may be about to fall.
And so basically, everybody, is is vulnerable on the road, and we we all need we all need Christ, and we need to trust in the promises of God.
And what makes a champion a champion is that he thinks he's weak Yeah.
And that he trusts Christ.
Yep.
That's what makes him a champion because he's aware of how vulnerable he is.
He trusts the real champion.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so There's this lovely line here.
I hope I got it right where he says that, look, you know, in this in this battle, the king is at their whistle.
So I I assume that that means you can call a king Yeah.
Call a king, and that's probably what little faith should have done.
Yeah.
Caller King, although he's there, he's there, but Yes.
Caller King.
And then he's, he's always hearing and that he's he's, he's got the the sword and the the arrows and everything to to deal with the enemy.
Yeah.
And the hab the habogion.
What's that, Rory? It's a javelin.
No.
It's not.
Isn't it? No.
I've just looked it up.
Is it dark, or is it happy to be honest? Is it some kind of like, sort of blunt hammer into an axe thing.
No.
Okay.
Beard or javelin? No.
I've just looked it up.
What is it? No.
I'm not gonna tell you.
Is is is spelled haberge0n.
Look it up.
Okay.
Okay.
Or write in.
Writing.
Yeah.
Or write in.
They conclude with these 2 lessons, don't they? The first is this Christian and Hope will say to each other.
Well, if there's 1 thing we've learned here, we must be sure to take the shield of faith with us.
In other words, we have to wear the full armor of God.
This is a dangerous road.
We need protection.
And secondly, it's good that we desire the king to be with us always, you know, when we, which is what you're saying about the whistling, you know, we mustn't go 1 step without god.
We need god.
And, Those are the lessons that they draw from these these people.
So plenty there to, be thinking through.
I hope that was, hope that was helpful for you.
As ever, you can catch up with the with the back with the back episodes and then any other sermons on Cornerstonechurchkingston.
org, our website But until next time, keep wearing the armor, keep walking with an order, and the habit yarn be with you.
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