The Pilgrims Progress - Cornerstone Church Kingston
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The Pilgrims Progress

Pete, Tom, Ben and Rory unpack Pilgrim’s Progress, one of the best selling books in history, written by John Bunyan.

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#12 A Faithful Friend

Pete, Tom and Rory continue with Christian as he joins Faithful, a fellow pilgrim, who recounts his own personal journey to the Celestial City.

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Welcome, everybody to another episode of the Cornerstone Church Kingston Podcast.

This is a series that we're doing in the classic work, the pilgrims progress written by John Banyan, and we've been going through it together.

And, hope you've been enjoying it.

We had a lovely encouraging email from a reformed Baptist in America.

I think he's in Arkansas sent us an email saying you've been really enjoying it.

So if you're listening, we're glad that you can enjoy it.

And, we hope others hope in too.

I'm I'm here again with Pete.

Hello? Rory.

And, I'm Tom Ben has now left us.

Ben has taken up a post at a new church in Grace Church, Haywood Heath.

So if you're in the Haywood Heath area, Go check it out.

It's okay.

But we're carrying on in this great story, and, we're picking up the the journey where where Christian has spied out a friend, a fellow friend, or a companion, on the road.

And, this is about their interaction and their conversation.

And, who who wants to start with? Well, he He's been longing for Christian company, hasn't he Christian, and he sees faithful, who's from his, hometown and, he spies him and thinks I'm brilliant, and he calls out to him.

I mean, I I can't remember quite how Bunion puts it in the original, but it's something like, so yes.

Like hoe hoe hoe.

And, faithful doesn't it's not he's just marching on And then he calls out again, and Facebook says, I have no time to stop.

I you know, there's there's hounds, at my feet.

I've gotta I've gotta get to the celestial city.

I'm marching on faithfully, and it's just a it's just a lovely little, scene, isn't it? That no one's gonna distract me from from my walk.

And then Christian then is inspired by Faith Force, you know, commitment to head down and going.

And so he speeds up and then even overtakes faithful.

And there's that lovely sister lovely little scene, really, where, he he thinks to himself, oh, good.

You know, I'm even better than faithful.

I'm doing better than for.

And of course, because he's thinking like that, he trips up and falls.

And then So he, I think as he passes faithful, he's smiles straight in the audience vein gloriously, but he's beating another Christian.

Yeah.

I was more motivating his sunburst of energy that he might get the jump I mean, it's so real, isn't it? And so sort of lovely, really.

And, and but but but the but the he can't get up.

And he can't get up until faithful comes along and helps him up.

And then together, there's this comrade chip, and and that's gonna grow, you know, as we Unless the lord's garnished him, because that's a deeply humbling moment for him, isn't it? But he the the only way for him to get right is to accept help from the 1 that he's been trying to compete with.

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's been trying to prove that he's stronger and faster than this other Christian.

But now he the only way he used to accept his help, you know.

And, Yeah.

It is a love it's a lovely little brotherhood scene, isn't it, of of, you know, sort of love for each other, really, in the end and, and how silly we can be and that sort of stuff.

John records you know, at the end of the gospel, he he puts in little things like that.

The the disciple the disciple saw it first ran and got their first Yeah.

The disciple.

He went 1st.

Yeah.

So it's captured something of the Yeah.

A friendly rivalry that existed between the designers.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So then, this large conversation starts, and it's quite a it's quite a long issue about all kinds of things and what's happened in the past and Christian sort of says things about what happened with him, but we find out quite a lot about, about, about faithful and the people that he's met.

But we go right back because Chris I mean, this is a good thing, isn't it? So Christian really wants to know his testimony.

I wonder whether we do enough of this sort of stuff.

Because when you're telling your testimony, you're sort of rehearsing the truth, aren't you? And you're you're putting the truth back into your life.

You're you're seeing the goodness of god and how he worked in your life and the providences of god that worked to bring you as a Christian.

So talking to each other about our Christian faith, that that experience.

I mean, I know, you know, you know, certainly the methodists, when they first started that were into the they used to have this thing called the experience meeting.

And it sounds, you know, that it could be dodgy, but I don't think it is.

And it is where they would be in their sort of, kitchens and, small rooms that they would meet here, and they would share each other's testimony.

They would share how god had, saved them and rescued them and and the providences of god.

And that's the sort of thing that's going on here in the walk.

And it's very encouraging, isn't it? Because it's sealing those truths up.

On Sunday morning, we were looking at Hebrews 11.

And, 1 of the things that, you were showing us their pay is that that everyone's faith story is slightly different.

So some people congregate kingdoms, some congregate by kingdoms, some are involved in administering justice, some have to accept travesties of justice.

And yet, there are things that they all have to trust in in the great god.

And that's what you see in Christian.

There are things that they both experience.

You know, they've understood they were The less city was gonna be destroyed that they needed to escape.

They've both gone through difficulties and yet have triumphed by god's grace.

But the the the kind of the the stories and the things that experience are different within that, and it's just, you know, it's important to share.

Show that.

It's also something quite heartwarming for Christian, isn't it? Because why it's faithful left the city's destruction? Well, actually, he saw Christian go first, didn't he? Mhmm.

And I think although many of destruction, although they talk about it, long after until they until they stop, they stay, but Fayetteville sees that and goes actually I could see that this is going nowhere as well.

And it inspired me and it well, not inspired me, but it showed me that I needed to get out the destruction as well.

And so that is why he he so he followed the example.

He followed, the journey of Christian and actually that that that that must be test many of many people.

You you see, as the particularly with younger people, they look up and they see an older person walking maybe just close to their age and they see that they've become a Christian and they're going for Jesus and they go, yeah, I think I want that.

Well.

So and But even on this even on the sort of negative side to that, the whole town is speaking about about him, even though they're not But but but there's a worry, isn't there? And and god is using it as a warning because it's it it, faithful says the whole town when you left is is talking about its destruction.

Yeah.

And then and then, Christian says, well, why didn't they do anything about it? And he said, well, they didn't really believe it.

And, I mean, when when I read that, I just thought that that that was the COVID time, wasn't it? Yeah.

You know, the whole this this thing had come, and it was just we would never had anything like this, quite like this in the sense that the whole world was locked down.

I mean, you had the, Spanish flu.

Yeah.

But, and and people were talking, weren't they? But, you know, who's run from the city of destruction from that, you know, not that many have come to Christ, have they? Even though there's the warning there.

And so they talk then, don't they, about, their conversation moves to to Pliable.

Yeah.

Now Pliable, I think it would have been perhaps in our first session.

Or or our second session we we talked about.

So there were 2 people when Christian first left the city of destruction.

1 was good obstinate the other was called Plyable, and ultimate never really left.

He was very stubborn and and refused to go but Plyable did and went with him for a while.

And then when they fell into the slough to spawn, Pliable decided that all this talk of heaven and the glories of the celestial city was clearly Nonsense.

And if this was what it was, then he wasn't gonna have it.

And so he left the self despondent, went back cloved and caved in mud to the city of destruction, which Christian forged on.

And so they have a little discussion, don't they, about what have with Plyable.

What what are the things to draw out from that discussion? Well, what's interesting with with Plyable is that although Christian is ridiculed, pliable is seen in their worst light, isn't he? Because he didn't stay faithful to his profession.

And, because he can't hold to his convictions, I think people see him as a as a object of ridicule.

And so, you know, Bunyan says he is 7 times worse off now than if he had never left the city in the first place.

And and and actually I think he probably feels that because when when faithful walks past him, he he makes sure not to avoid to avoid him just before he leaves the city.

So he's obviously ashamed as well of how he's acted.

He knows he probably doesn't been wrong.

He knows he's bit it at, well, they say a term code.

Yeah.

And so there's a lot of shame for a pliable, but it's not enough shame to drive them to live in the city of destruction.

And he's in a much worse position now because the the the hardened residents of the city of destruction who've never explored the roads of the celestial city.

Well, they're in a back they're in a dangerous place, but he's more so because he can now say, Oh, yeah.

I've tried it.

I know I know what it's like.

It's not as good as it's cracked up to be.

And there's a there's a level of hardness that his heart has now experienced because of that.

He he can't he's not ignorant and he wouldn't say he's tried it and he's turned back.

So he he it's gonna be even harder for him come to repentance now.

And that's a very clear warning, isn't it? It comes through the scriptures.

Yeah.

The book of Hebrews particularly for those who've had or sampled something of the gospel road and known their conscience to come awake even a little bit if they then suppress and go back, it's it's it's really possible for them to come to repentance because they've already tasted, and they think they know, you say, So that that's the problem.

And you're right.

The the the residents of the city of disruption won't have it because he's, you know, he's got his right foot in and his for out or whatever.

He doesn't belong in any world anymore.

He's left them saying, Yeah, actually I don't fancy you guys, but now he's had to come back they won't accept him anymore because, you know, so he's he's a very pissy character.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I thought quite where the term turn coat comes from, but I I guess it's So it says, army thing, is it? You're putting on the opposite coat, change colors.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But then it goes even worse, isn't it? Because he quotes the scriptures and says this is a dog to his own vomit.

He's he's returned to the to the vomit.

And, I mean, it is shocking.

I I think I think, obviously, as sort of Christians that have walked the way, we have seen people do this.

And I think when you first see this as a as a young Christian, it's 1 of the most shocking things, isn't it, that you you have, you know, someone that was walking with you for a little bit, and they've returned to their own vomit.

And you you just see what they're doing, and they think they're happy as they're licking up their own sins or their old sins, and they're mocking mocking you.

And it's very hard sometimes to, certainly when you first see that, but it does happen, you know, on a yeah.

What it costs is both Christian had faith of grace sadness.

Yeah.

I mean, Christian is interested in him, isn't he? Yes.

You know, he's he he asks about him, so he's concerned for him.

Yeah.

And he said, I had great hope for him.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I think it it feels in both of the sadness that they, the the the the they want to move on from this subject because they realize the pliable is He sort of had it, hasn't he? Had it.

And so they wanna Yeah.

They feel out and then they have they have to move on.

They wanna encourage and mourn solarly.

So then, Christian says, anybody else did you meet? And, and then, faithful says, this is a great 1, isn't it? And was that that was that the flower this 1 as well? No.

That's I isn't that at the gate? So FA faithful, escapes a loud despot.

He doesn't really go through it, does he? Yeah.

He says I want it to be fell into it.

And then it gets to the gate without suffering.

Then he meets a woman.

Just at the gates.

Yeah.

There's a woman called Walton.

And she's trying to do him harm.

He's the sort of, lustful woman of proverbs, isn't she, really? I think he probably quotes quite a lot of proverbs here, doesn't he bunion? And she's flashing her eyes and saying come down this road.

Don't go through that.

I can offer you luxuries and beauties and and faithful is tempted.

Yeah.

It's interesting.

He said that there's probably not You know, it's probably reading too much into it, but it it's interesting how, you know, Christian's temptations have so far been along the lines of legalism, haven't they? They they that he's quite drawn to, you know, goodwill and or, now he's good as an he, but morality and civility and and trying to get rid of his burden through law.

He quite likes that idea, but you wonder where faithful is more is more drawn to those sorts of temptations, you know, sexual sin and the desires of the flesh, so to speak, because that comes up a bit later on, doesn't it, see, And I there there may not be that may not be a No.

I mean, Christian is married, isn't he? It's definitely sort of true, isn't it? Yeah.

Christians have different areas that they attempted Yeah.

You know, patents.

Yes.

It's a great exchange, well, isn't it? Cause he because Christian's like, well, this is the this is the same woman who tempted Joseph.

Yeah.

Oh, I love that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Possibly his wife.

And then he says, you can't imagine how flattering her words were, so it's faithful.

And, so they go go through this as essential pleasure on her carnal and fleshy nature.

I just love that few Christian lets out a low whistle.

Thank god you escaped her because they're despised by the lord.

She'll fall into her pit and you should think about proverbs of the the the the the person who falls in to be adulterous.

But he still he's faithful is still worried.

He's like, I'm not sure I completely escape this this 1.

I think that's just fantastic because he said he closed his eyes, so he wouldn't actually go with her.

And he said he didn't actually I can't remember the term that Bunyan uses, but didn't actually physically go along.

Defile myself with her.

He didn't defile himself with her, but he's He clearly knows that you can close your eyes and not defile yourself, but in your mind, it there there's an attraction there, and that in itself is up at horror.

And that's gonna come up, I think, later when he meets someone else in the minute, but, yeah, really, really realistic, isn't it? Yeah.

You know, you you say no to that.

You close your eyes.

You turn your back on it, but your mind is lurking, you know, with what could have happened.

And and also reminds us that temptation comes back, doesn't it? I think that's kinda what you're saying, Tom.

Just because you win the battle once doesn't mean the battle would come back again.

Yeah.

Feels like he's gonna sort of struggle with this in an ongoing fashion.

And that this might come back to try and tempt him again.

So so that's a very real like we said, we've had we all have our kind of habits and struggles and sins that we kind of go for.

And I think this is the 1 for for faithfulness, you say, maybe more legalism for for Christian.

And, I mean, her offers are really wonderful, aren't they? It's the same in proverbs.

You know, the sheets are clean.

You know, husbands aren't around, you'll be perfectly alright.

You know? There's religious stuff there.

Come on.

You know, it's all very nice.

Yeah, he resists her.

So who's the next 1? So the next 1 is probably the, yeah, I mean, after Ply, but it's probably the longest, isn't it? And this is where both Christian and and we looked at this in a whole episode and Fayetteville have had to go up this difficult hill hill difficulty.

Yeah.

And that's place where Christian rested for too long and fell asleep and lost the scroll of his assurance, and there were the lions on the road and then the Palace Beautiful at the top, and they've seen these things.

Both of them have seen these things, but have had slightly different experiences.

And faithful when it was his turn to climb uphill difficulty, he met this aged man at the bottom, who begins to to talk to him, doesn't he? I'm asking asking the classic question.

Who are you? Where are you and Yeah.

No.

But he's been he's not only he it says he beats him with word and blows.

He starts beating him, isn't he? Isn't that Does does Does that have I got have I got Moses or what? Well, I think that starts later on.

Yeah.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

So, I mean, it's part of the same thing, really, but, so, Adam, the first bit I can remember I haven't got in front of me is when he, yes, as you say, so he asks him for his story.

Then does he say I've I've look, you you might you might like to hear my offer.

I've got 3 ladies, who you it's interesting he says, he starts with you.

You look like an honest an honest bloke, essentially, would you want to come and live with me and I'll pay you? So you're an honest bloke, but actually he lives in a town called Desipts.

This is Adam the first.

He says, I'll give you a, an honest way to think, but actually it's a decision.

It's all deceitful.

It's a light of way.

This is so so funny.

And then he says he told me that his work offered many delights and that his wages would make me a full air in his family.

And so then then it comes apparent that there's these 3, these 3 children.

These 3 children.

Yeah.

What is it? Lost of a flesh? Yeah.

Lost of the flesh, lost of the eyes, and the pride of life.

So this is an invitation, isn't it, for faithful? To come with this man and into the town of deceit and to enjoy the life and the pleasures that he can.

And who is this man? Well, this person is core.

He's core.

I don't know.

He's called His name is Adam the first, but he's called it in the first.

It is revealed.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But is it So what is this, though? Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, this this is this is on this is what you would call our our nature.

Our old nature.

Yeah.

Our old nature.

So Adam, the first, you know, you've got this theology in the Bible, but, there are really 2 men.

There's the first Adam and the second Adam, and they stand as the represent atives for all of humanity.

But in Adam, everyone fell.

Yeah.

And everyone born after the fall of Genesis 3 has inherited this corrupt fallen nature, so that although we weren't literally there in the garden, we have inherited that nature and do what adam and Eve did by choice as a result of that.

You know, it's not that we sin and become sinners.

We are sinners Therefore, we sin.

That's what we inherit from him.

But then Christ comes as the second Adam Yeah.

Resisting temptation, living the perfect life, and through faith, we can have our headship, in him, we find a new representative.

And so Alan the first, it really, it stands for our nature apart from the saving work of Christ.

This this is who we are, and this is what we do, isn't it? He's appealing.

This is faithful.

You know, Adam the first, you know, although, although faithful has left him behind, he's not in heaven yet.

And so he's not outside of the reach of the old nature just yet.

So here is Adam the first, he's starting to come off So even even though sorry.

Even though you can leave the city of destruction, because in many ways, it's the same sort of thing, isn't it? Yeah.

You wherever you go, you take Adam the first with even though you've got Christ as your head, there's Adam the first there.

And it and it's Adam the first who sparks up his ears and sparks up his desires when wanton comes comes to him.

So wanton may be outside of you, but Adam the first response to Walter, isn't it? There is a and, you know, you suddenly think, oh, she's she is actually very nice, and I wanna go go there.

So that's the back isn't it? That's the battle.

Yeah.

That's what Paul talks about in New Testament where he says, you know, I want the things that I hate.

You know, there's there's the mystery in the how is this still possible that I I'm still drawn towards the things that I know are wrong and harmful? And that's because although he's you know, been dealt at death low.

You still have to contend with the old nature for now.

And and and these 3 daughters, it's I mean, buddy is quoting 1 John 2.

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

That's the world.

Yeah.

And so to be on the Adam is to be off the world.

And so that's that's and that's Adam's offering our access to a faithful.

You can marry these 3.

And so Faith was like, well, how long do you expect me to to live with you, to get these these women, these daughters of yours.

And he says as long as he lived himself, So you That's all you can be promised, isn't it? Yeah.

Live for the world now.

Until the world's gone, you'll have these 3 things.

Which which is actually, you know, part of the wages he's offering because the wages are sinned his death.

I mean, he doesn't say that, but that's what's gonna happen, isn't it? But I think that this is a really important thing, isn't it? Because as Christians, we feel we've left the world of destruction.

And we we we're we're walking this road, but suddenly we're faced with this internal battle.

It's not just external battles, is it? But the external appeals to the internal.

And, and that can be that's hard, isn't it, as a young Christian? To sort of get that, well, it's hard as any age Christian, isn't it? But it it's if you don't understand that, you can easily fall in this area, I think, the yeah.

Go on.

Sorry, man.

Carry on.

No.

I've done.

Well, I just think it's an amazing.

It's an Change again.

I just think Bunion's so masterful at these sort of things because, as you say, there's that that pullet that design to do it, but then he looks closely at this man and and on his forehead, this So good.

Put off the old man.

Yes.

And so he's got the the then he's like, no, I can't go with this I I know that he will sell me as a slave.

I know that if I go down this line, I'll be enslaved to sin and and then obviously as you say, the waves of sin is death.

So he tries to go.

And as he goes There's the pool.

There's this pool.

Well, it's a scorn at first.

It's like you what are you doing? And then as he he leaves pulls him back, he jerked him back.

That's kinda what you're talking about, Tom.

It's this Roman 7, a wretched man that I am, who will set me free It's always his poll.

It always, as you try and live for Jesus, it's always the poll of the world.

And it's interesting, like, you see this with people.

I mean, you see it with yourself, but if you if you ever involved the ministry, particularly I think with youth, I found this, doing you, you have certain individuals that are kind of willing to live for Jesus.

And they've got like an armed being pulled by Jesus this way, but they've got an arm the other side pulling them that's the world, and all the desires of this world, and and the things that they have.

And that is the the that is the sort of nature of being a Christian in this world.

You wanna go and live for Jesus and go to war slash your city, but yet this world is always there and this flesh is always there with you pulling you back saying, look at this, look at this.

And then and then the next 1.

He resisted it, doesn't he? Fields pulled back.

Yeah.

He knows that that's gonna be the battle, I guess.

Yep.

And so he then gets some some way up the hill, isn't he? And then he I don't know whether this is, just insert it.

Whether then he meets another sort of footprints.

We're missing up behind you.

Yeah.

And then he he gets covered.

It's absolutely cruel.

Away from Christian at first, isn't it? Because last time a man came up behind us.

He got slacked.

Yeah.

Yeah.

With word and blow.

It says I like that.

So he he he experiences a merciless beating on the road here.

There's this figure who who knocks him down.

I mean repeatedly And he calls for mercy Yeah.

And lays it in Yeah.

He calls from us.

He says, I have no mercy.

Yeah.

I I don't know how to do mercy.

And so it's this, yeah, I mean, it's like seen outside of a bar on Saturday night, isn't he? You know, he's he's in the fetal position, curled up on the floor and he's just being stomped on and laid into and crying out mercy, you know, it's pretty, pretty brutal, isn't it? And then he he requires Christian's interpretation, doesn't it? Your Christian tells him who this was.

Is that right? Yeah.

Well, I mean, you know, the the good thing for, favor has to get us beaten up.

It's about to be finished off and then someone someone steps in and stops him.

And so then the beating is stopped and then he goes, and then Christian asks, who's the man who stopped? And it's lovely, He says at first I didn't recognize him, but as he went by, I noticed the hole in his hands and in his side, then I concluded that he was our lord.

I continued up the hill.

And then Christian says, well, the guy that the man who beat you up was Moses.

Yeah.

And it's the law god, isn't it, that Moses is standing for there? I mean, we'll chat about this, but, yeah, it's it's it's it's the savior, isn't it? So so so what so what Moses is beating, partly what Moses is beating faithful up for was that he was inclined to listen to Adam.

That's right.

And so I think what I think what Banyan's doing here is And I there's there's a lot of right here that, you know, there's a lot of right here, but I think there may be some things that are not quite right.

He's he's he's he's showing that when, you know, if you break the law of god, then you are under the condemnation of god, So if you go the way of trying to be saved by the law, it will only bring condemnation on you.

And so, a part of knowing that condemnation is the drawing that that you would be interested in wanting that, you know, she she's a whore She's, you know, abhorred by god, we're told.

She's only going to lead to death.

She'll give you a feast that will take you to hell, you know.

And the the the ridiculousness that our nature is drawn to that just for a few seconds or few minutes of pleasure or a night of pleasure.

You know, is just is just crazy.

And so the law is saying, you are a mad man.

You're a law breaker in your desires, in your very nature, And so it smashes you.

And what we need to see is that, actually, when I see my very nature, when I see my very sin, I turn to the 1 who's the savior Yeah.

And the law also, it defines our sin for us, doesn't it? So So you, you know, you've got the 10th commander that you shall not cover, you know, it it kind of it gives expression and understanding to what was going on in faithful's heart.

When he heard about the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, and when he saw wanton, he may not quite have had the language to describe what was going on in him, but the law says, that was coveting.

That's the turn of commands.

You're coveting something that didn't belong to you.

That was a woman that wasn't yours.

Smash.

Bang.

Yeah.

And and then it's a it strikes you.

Doesn't even No mercy there.

What about yours? You know? Yep.

You know, and the 7th come up and you shall not commit adultery oh, that's what I was doing in my heart.

It's, you know, it's like, it's and so that's how it's hitting you because it's labeling and defining and showing you what you are.

I mean, which is a painful I mean, well, but the the law does bring mercy because it shows us Christ.

And I I guess that he's actually bunion is doing this, isn't he? Because The law is beating him, but but then Christ comes along.

And so that's the point of it's not that there isn't any mercy in Moses because m Moses is pointing to Christ, isn't he? Yes.

And so the very here, the mercy is in in in cry he does he does turn him to Christ, doesn't it? Yes.

And I think I think he's maybe bunyan's picking up imagery from, like, the book of John, for instance, you know, in Moses, there was the law, but in Christ, it was Grace.

Truth.

Yeah.

And then later on when when Jesus is talking about how he's, or he is the sort of god essentially, he says that if you live by the law then your judges Moses.

And so we there is a there is an aspect of where our judges Moses if we live by the law.

And that's or we live by our own self righteous? Well, we try and be be saved by the lord.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So that that should drive us then to Christ, I think.

Yeah.

Paul says it doesn't know if you wanna get right with god that way, then you have to keep every single part of it.

Yeah.

And if you break even 1 part of it, you break whole lot of it.

So if you really want to go that route, that's what's required.

I I think the thing is, since you know, when you read the old testament and and you see that, there there's really no way that kind of faithful old testament believers thought the law was only there to beat and to Troy and hammered them, and that it was a horrible thing to possess because if you read something like some 119 or whatever, they Delight.

They delight in the lord.

They delight in the lord because it's a revelation of the character of god, and that's the sweetest thing that there is to believe is that they can know god, and they've been told what to do by god and what he loves.

And so, although, although it was brutal in a sense that it convicted them, sin, and the law always pointed beyond itself to Christ.

I think Moses would have also partly been seen as a as a bringer of something wonderful to to the people of God.

Which I think Runyon would have believed.

I'm sure.

I I think he's doing this in the salvation Yeah.

Aspect, isn't he? If if you go down the route of the law, that you're going to be saved.

And so the law can't change you.

Now that's the thing, isn't it? The law can't change the old Adam in you.

Yeah.

All all the law can do is to show you that you've seen it.

Isn't it? So it's it's like the, you know, I use this illustration quite when you go if you go if you go if you go to the tunnel that goes under the Yara, I think, or Yara, or so, I can't remember what it is, the river in in Melbourne.

There's a tunnel that goes under the river in Melbourne and Australia.

And when you go under the tunnel, there's all these signs that say do not spit.

You you've never I, you know, I I hadn't thought of spitting.

And, and then you see the sign, and the sign the rule of the law says do not spit.

And saliva starts coming in your mouth.

Yeah.

And you look around if there's anyone, and you spit.

And I'd never thought of spitting until the sign said.

And and in 1 sense, the law is that.

It shows you're a rebel You don't know you're a rebel until you see until you see the law.

And then your heart is drawn out.

You're a rebel.

It can't give you mercy.

It doesn't change you.

It just says this is the truth, whereas the gospel does.

But, I mean, yeah, I mean, I'm I'm perhaps changing my mind a bit on bunion here because you know, as he's being beaten, Jesus does come, doesn't he? So yeah.

Well, I think that's it.

I think that's the the John the John Feist of the way way says Moses is your judge to the pharisees is those who are living by the law.

Yeah.

So Moses will judge you.

Yes.

Moses will judge you because you haven't got the law.

Yeah.

Moses will judge you because you don't listen to him.

And you haven't listened to Jesus? Yeah.

Yeah.

Because because Moses is giving prophecy that there will be 1 like you, a prophet that you need to listen to.

Yes.

And that's Jesus.

Yeah.

Yep.

And so I think those that's why they'll beat you because you haven't listened is about Jesus and you haven't listened to the so you've tried to live by the law, and therefore, you're on the condemnation.

Well, there's some of the people he met.

He he's gonna do, the conversation carries on, and and then together, they meet another man.

I think that'll be next next time.

Yeah.

It's just interesting when he gets to the top of the hill, he, you know, faithful finds that the lions were asleep.

Yeah.

That's something he didn't have to Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Because it was noon when he got there.

Yeah.

And the lines were sleeping and and so he because it was earlier in the day, he passed straight Beyond.

Well, it wasn't an issue.

Oh, didn't it? Yep.

As well.

So just different different ways the lord is leading them, but, Yeah.

Well, do do, if you've missed any of the episodes, I know we've we've referred to things, and scenes from previous episodes.

So, you might you might find it useful catch up on the ones we've done and, do keep tuning in for more episodes.

And Cornerstonechurchkingston.

org, you can find all kinds of other sermons resources after course, but thanks for listening.

.

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