Last week, if you can follow my little arrow floating around there, he went up the hill of difficulty and at the top of the hill he found the palace beautiful. But as he grew close to it, he ran into some difficulties which had caused some of the others, timorous and mistrust, to turn around and run back. There were lions in the way. But the porter told him, just stay right in the middle of the road. Come in and they won't hurt you because they're chained. So he got over his fears and listened to the porter and came in there to the house. The porter questioned him a little bit and Christian told him he wanted to rest there for the night. He said, well, I've got to call somebody to visit with you. And he called in a young lady named Discretion. And just for your remembrance from last week what Discretion is, it's having cautious reserve in speech and the ability to make responsible decisions. And some of her decisions were who she's going to let in the house. who she's going to allow into the palace and ask some discreet questions to find out who people are and what they want. And having been satisfied with that, she called him into the house and brought three other young ladies to meet him. And their names are Prudence, Piety, and Charity. I've met somebody named Prudence and I've met somebody named Charity. I haven't met Piety yet. But here's these three young ladies, and I conclude something from this. Discretion was a male or female? Female. Prudence, piety and charity are? Does that tell you anything about Bunyan's concept of womanhood? It should. He evidently had a very high regard for godly women. He's not a chauvinist. He's not a man only. He is not an egalitarian, which means that women can do everything that men do. But he is very highly regarding of women and their abilities and their contributions to the beauty of the palace, which I think is important to understand. A lot of times some of our godly ladies may feel like they're second class citizens in Christianity, and Bunyan did not treat them that way. In fact, I don't know if you remember in his biography, besides the pastor, Gifford, the ladies who were sitting outside the church sowing and talking about the things of the Lord had more impact on him than anything else. So he had a very, very high regard for godly women, and men so should you. And ladies, don't think you're second class. You're not. They're very crucial to the story today. So each one of them talks to Pilgrim or to the Christian. The first one that talks to him is Piety. If you look in your Bibles at 1 Timothy 5 and verse 4, you probably see where Bunyan found this name. If you have something besides the King James, it might not be so clear because piety can be defined or translated in several ways. I'll read you what mine is, then I'll tell you what the King James says. But it will help you understand what piety is. 1 Timothy 5, verse 4. It's not talking here about a young woman. It's talking about a widow. It says, if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first show godliness to their own household to make some return to their parents for its pleasing in the sight of God. Now the King James says, let them show piety at home. Piety is essentially faithfulness to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental. That's what a pious person is. They know what their duties are and they're faithful to their duties. It could be rendered godly, as it is in my version, godliness. Or it could be rendered devout. Sometimes we speak of somebody being devout. That's all encompassed in her name. Now, what did she want to talk to Christian about? His pilgrimage? What about his pilgrimage? Yeah. First question that she asks after she's introduced. What moved you at first to betake yourself to a pilgrimage? What moved you to do this? Did you see what his answer was? I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful sound that was in my ears. That unavoidable destruction did attend me if I abode in that place where I was. And her second question is, well, how did it happen that you came out of your own country this way? What was his answer there? I just flipped a coin. It was as God would have it. For when I was under the fears of destruction, I did not know where to go. But by chance, I think he's chuckling at that word, by chance there came a man even to me as I was trembling and weeping whose name is Evangelist. He directed me to the wicked gate. Now look what he says. Which else I should never have found. And so sent me into the way that has led me directly to this house. How did he get into the way? What's he sound like? what we would call a Calvinist. Before Calvin, it was an Augustinian. And before Augustine, it was a Paulinist. And before Paul, it was a Christian. These words would describe Christ's words to us. Paul's words to us. We are all going out of the way. There's none that understands. God has to move upon us. Some people don't like that concept that He would say, I was driven out, or I never would have found it. It was as God would have it. But folks, that's the way salvation truly is. You're not seeking God. If you think you're seeking God, you don't know who God is. Because God says, you don't seek Me, I seek you. I initiate. You're not the initiator. And that's what Bunyan is relating to her, that God has done a very gracious work in my life. Did He drag him out of town? Screaming and shouting and saying, I don't want to leave town. No, He so worked in his heart that He was willing to go. When I was in college, we had a faculty trio And every now and then they'd sing for us. And one of their songs they sang was the Hornet song. I don't know if you've ever heard the Hornet song, but it goes something like this. Oh, he did not compel them to go. Oh no, he did not compel them to go. He did not compel them to go against their will. He just made them willing to go. with the hornets. There's a Bible passage where the hornets came in and drove a people out. That's kind of how God's sovereign grace works. He doesn't make us go against our will. He just makes us willing to go. He awakens us to our condition. He shows us our distress. He shows us our inability. He shows us our sinfulness. And then He empowers us by His grace to move that direction. He uses means. What means did God use to get him in the way? Okay, he was reading the book, but he didn't know how to answer. The evangelists. Somebody came to him to the Gospel just like Philip came to the Ethiopian eunuch and said, do you understand what you're reading? How can I unless somebody help me? And the evangelist became the one that helped him to the human means to help him understand the Word of God. So then she asked him, well, where have you been since then? Did you come by the house of the interpreter? And he said, yes. And he says there were especially three things that impressed him. Now, he saw seven pictures. And you'll have to review what all seven were, but there were three of them he said were especially a blessing to him. What were they? What was the first one? Okay? Doing what? Do you remember the one where there was a fire in the room and a man was pouring water on it? But outside there was another hand that was pouring oil into the fire to keep it going? And of the three, that's the one that he remembered the most, evidently. As to how Christ, in spite of Satan, maintains His work of grace in the heart. How did He get up the hill of difficulty? Why didn't he turn back and run like Timorous and Mistrust? Why didn't he take a different path like the other two did down at the bottom of the hill? Why was he allowed to go back down to the arbor and to find his scroll? Why was he not afraid of the lions and walk through? how Christ, in spite of Satan, maintains His work of grace in the heart. That's called the perseverance of the saints. It's the work that God does in those that He calls to Himself that in spite of all the obstacles they face, He empowers them to go through them. That's a wonderful work of grace in our heart. That what He begins, those of you who studied Philippians, He who began a good work in you, We'll perform it until the day of Christ. That's such a wonderful promise, isn't it? Because we run into obstacles all the time. We're ready to throw up our hands and say, I've had it. Can't go any further. And yet, the grace maintains us. That's a wonderful truth to really get a hold of. And you're going to hear about it this morning in the morning's message as well. About the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weakness. He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. The grace of God in Christ toward us is so wonderful to maintain. Otherwise, not only would we not begin it, we wouldn't keep it going. So he reviews that. The second thing that stood out to him at Interpreter's House was which one? The man in the iron cage who had sent away his hope. Why do you suppose Christian was interested in that one? Why are there warnings in the Scripture that appear to be directed at believers? Beware lest you slip. They who have tasted the heavenly gift turn away. Why do you suppose those warnings are in there? What's the purpose of biblical warnings? To persevere? No. All of it together. The fact that he believes that Christ maintains His work of grace in the heart does not then mean that you and your Christian life can just kind of float along. That you can say, well, man, I've got the ticket to glory here. I'm just waiting to go there. And have a carnal security about your life. Christian understands that if he's not diligent, he may end up right back where this man's at, Aaron Cage. Christians have to live in fear. No. But they do have to live conscious of not knowing their own heart and being alert to the dangers of false securities, Christian almost got into that on the way up the hill of difficulty at the arbor where he went to sleep and he lost his assurance for a period of time until God mercifully allowed him to go back and get it. The third thing, it says, also the dream of him that thought in his sleep the day of judgment was come. Evidently that picture was so incredible to him that it burned it into his memory. Day of Judgment. I'm going to stand before God. And again, these are concepts in balance. You've got how Christ maintains His work of grace in the heart. Yes. But you're still going to be called to give an account. And when you stand before Him, It's going to be revealed whether or not heaven was your home or not. And when we get to the end of the story, if you've already read it, the last person that we meet in Pilgrim's Progress is a man named Ignorance who made it all the way to the gates of the city and then was turned away because he did not have genuine faith. We need to think about the Day of Judgment. Even if we know that heaven is our home, you still need to think about the Day of Judgment because you're going to be judged according to your works, what you've done. Ephesians 2.10 tells us what? We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works and not good works that you pick and choose. Good works that He has foreordained that you should walk in them. God has works that He wants you to do. He gives you gifts to do them. And it may be something as simple as giving a cup of cold water to someone to drink in the name of an apostle. Which is that verily you won't lose your reward. And we need to be conscious of the fact that though we have a loving Heavenly Father, we also have a judge before whom we are going to stand who is going to evaluate our life. and our service for Him. To hear, well done, you also have to hear what? Good and faithful servant. That's who gets the well done. Good and faithful servant. And as Christians, we need to be committed to serving Christ in this world until He calls us home. Ask Him, was there anything else? He says, yeah, there were a few other things. He kind of liked the man who had the sword that fought his way into the palace. Again, Bunyan is stressing that the Christian life isn't easy. It's hard. It's difficult. It's dangerous. But those who fight win. Those who stand on the sidelines and watch Lose. It's a fight you have to be involved with. Methought these things did ravish my heart. He liked him, in other words. I could have stayed at that good man's house a twelve month, but I knew I had to go further. What did you see on your way? Now he talks about that place of the skull. I saw in my mind one hanging on a tree, bleeding. The very sight of him made my burden fall off my back. It was a strange thing to me, for I never saw such a thing before. Yea, and while I stood looking up, for I could not forbear looking, three shining ones came to me. One gave me the word of forgiveness. Another gave me the embroidered coat. And the third was a mark on the head. He tells about simple sloth and presumption that he met along the way. He talks about formality and hypocrisy and how they came tumbling over the wall and eventually were lost. And he talks about going up the hill. And here's what he says about that. He says, above all, I found it hard work to get up this hill. Have you found the Christian life difficult? If you haven't, you're not very far along in the journey because it is difficult. In Acts 14, Paul told the disciples he had made on his first missionary journeys, he went back and confirmed the souls of the disciples, telling them that through much tribulation, you must enter the kingdom of God. If you're not having any difficulties in your Christian life, Well, I guess two things. For the moment, be thankful. But if it's an extended, unbroken, everything's hunky-dory, you better check out your Christian life because it's going to be difficult. You're going to face obstacles that will tax you to the end of your strength. Why? Why do you suppose God does that to us? Brings us to the place that we have no strength. so that you find out about the grace of God and how it can strengthen you. I don't know if you've ever heard the song, Through It All. It's really a neat song. And the chorus goes like, Through it all I've learned to trust in Jesus. I've learned to trust in God. Through it all I've learned to depend upon His Word. That's why God puts you in those situations. It's not because He doesn't like you. It's not because He's trying to lure the boom on you. It's because He's trying to stretch your faith in Him. Are you going to trust Me or not? Are you going to depend on yourself? Or are you going to depend on Me? And a lot of times that's where our difficulties come. I found it hard work to get up this hill, as hard to come by the lion's mouth, and truly if it had not been for the good man, the porter that stands in the gate, I do not know but that after all I might have gone back again. But now I thank God I am here. So that's his visit with piety. Next he talks to prudence. And I'm not sure where he got that name, but the book of Proverbs talks a lot about the prudent. And especially Proverbs 8 and verse 12. It says, I, wisdom, dwell with prudence. And I find knowledge in discretion. So we've met discretion and prudence. Knowledge must be somewhere in that house. What's prudence? Well, prudence is skill and good judgment in the use of our resources. So now, what's her conversation center in? She starts to talk to Christian and asks him questions. is she addressing? Okay, his former life and the leftovers of that life that he still has to deal with. Yeah, it's kind of like the word in Romans 7, wretched. Wretched man that I am. The good I would do, I don't find how to do it. The evil that I would do, I don't want to do, I do. He's basically describing now his inward experience that is the remnants of his experience before he was a believer. She begins by asking him what he thinks about his former country. Do you not sometimes think of the country from which you came? His answer is, yes, but with much shame and detestation. And then he cites the verse from Hebrews that if they had been mindful of the country they left, they would have gone back. But now they desire a better country. It's a heavenly. So he has no desire to go back where he came from. He's ashamed of it. He detests it. He doesn't want anything to do with it. Then she says, do you not yet bear away with some of the things that then you were conversant with all? Didn't you still carry over some of the sins that you had back there? The struggles that you had? And look at his answer. This is a true Christian answer to that question. Yes, but greatly against my will. especially my inward, carnal cogitations or thoughts, with which all my countrymen as well as myself were delighted, but now all those things are my grief. And might I but choose my own things, I would never choose to think of those things more. But when I would be doing that which is best, that which is worst is with me. That's somebody who has now entered into the Christian experience. He knows what's right. He knows what's good. He wants that, and yet he still feels the tug of the things that he once did with delight, but now he hates. A Christian will experience that tension in their life. So she asks him another question. Do you not find sometimes as if those things were vanquished or conquered, which at other times are your perplexity?" He says, yes, but that is but seldom. In other words, he doesn't have very many times where he feels like he's an overcomer. Most of the time he feels like he's being overcome. But he says, those times when I am overcoming, they're like golden hours to me in which such things happen. So now she asks him another question. She's just going right down the line, leading him to what she is, which is knowing what the resources are and how to apply them. Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances at times as if they were vanquished? And he gives several ways by which he gets power over his corruption. What are they? These are important for you to understand because they are your means of overcoming the corruption that's within you. The first one, the cross. When I thank what I saw at the cross, that will do it. Have you ever wondered why as you're preached to in our congregation and all churches that are faithful churches do this, why we always keep bringing you back to the cross? Always back to the crucifixion. Don't you ever get tired of hearing that? No. Because that's the very heart that transforms your life. That's the place where sin is removed. That's the place where righteousness is given. What I saw at the cross, that will do it. What else? What was the second thing he listed as a means that he used to overcome his corruptions? His holy clothing. He had been clothed in righteousness. He says that will do it. When he remembers what he is. Christian, what are you? It's very important you understand this. What are you? Your new creation. Child of God. Both a saint and a sinner. but not both a sinner and a saint. Emphasis first is on the saint. Do you realize, Christian, you are righteous? Not your righteousness. This is a coat that's been given to you. You're righteous. And a lot of times we go around saying, I'm just a horrible sinner. I'm just a horrible sinner. I'm just a horrible sinner. Yeah, that's not all you are. And that's not what you should focus on if you want to overcome sin. Because if you're telling yourself, I'm a horrible sinner, what do sinners do? Sin. If you remind yourself, I'm a saint of God, I'm righteous, what do those people do? Holy things. Righteous things. Remember what you have been made in Christ. That's the way I should live. That's a means that he found to help himself. If we just think that we're righteous, we may become self-righteous and ignore our sins. That's wrong. But if all you do is focus on the fact that you're a sinner, you're never going to overcome sin because you're going to keep telling yourself, well, if I'm a sinner, I sin. I'm righteous. God expects me to do righteousness. God gives me the grace to do what's righteous. I want to do what's righteous. That's not the only means, but that's an important means that Bunyan is sharing with us that I think we can see from the Scripture as well. We need to remind ourselves what we are in Christ. I'm in Christ. I'm not in the flesh. That's Romans 8. I'm not in the flesh. I can't please God. Those who are in the Spirit are the ones who please God. Remember what you are, not just what you were and the remnants have been left over. What's the third thing that he used as a means that God had given him? The scroll. When I look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it. Have you ever heard the comment, this book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book? Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to your work." If you want to overcome your corruption, you've got to be in this book every day. If you're not in this book, folks, your corrupt nature is going to take you over. God gave us this not just to get us into heaven, but to help us all along the road. We need to be in the Word of God. We need to know how to handle it, to use it, so that we can, if we're having trouble, man, I know the Bible must say something about this, but I have no idea where to look. Have you ever been there? Man, I'm struggling with this, but I don't know where to look in the Bible. Let's see, try this. Ha ha! Go out and hang yourself. That'll cure me. Now, you've got to learn how to handle the Scriptures correctly. to rightly divide the Word of Truth. And folks, the answers are there. And if you don't know how to find them, you need to get yourself under somebody who can teach you how to find them so that you can find them for yourself. God gives us teachers and helpers. A good teacher not only gives you a fish, he teaches you how to fish. And that's important. Well, there's one other thing that will do it for him. What's that? No. Well, I mean, it could involve prayer, but that's not what he's saying. He thinks about where he's going. My thoughts wax warm about where I am going. That will do it. Do you know how long eternity with Christ is going to be? Forever. Unending. How long is this life going to be? 70-80 years. Maybe a little beyond that. Maybe less than that. Who knows? In God's providence. Why do we focus on temporal things instead of eternal things? That's in Romans 8 too. We're looking at that as well. Our light affliction is but for a moment. It works for a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We ought to be more eternally minded. Colossians says, set your affection Not on things on the earth, but on things which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Seek those things that are above. That will help you with your corruption. There's no corruption in that place. And that's where you're headed. That ought to have some impact on you. Well, those are four means that Bunyan has Christian tell prudence about how he deals with the corruptions of his life. And they are really, really good. So now he asks something else. She says, what is it that makes you so desirous to go to Mount Zion? The celestial city where Christ is. And what are some of the reasons he gives there? Why does he want to go there? The pastor was preaching on heaven, and at the end of his message, he said, now, how many of you would really love to go to heaven now? Everybody raised their hands except one little boy. He said, son, don't you want to go to heaven? He said, yes, sir. He said, why didn't you raise your hand? He said, not that you meant right now. Would you like to go to heaven right now? If so, why? What was it? that gave him such a desire to do this journey and to get to that place. What does he say? What are some of the things? What's the first thing? I want to see Him who was dead and alive. That's the first thing he wanted to see. He didn't want to see streets of gold. He didn't want to see Aunt Minnie. He wanted to see Jesus, the One who died. and was made alive. That's why you want to be there. I want to see Jesus. What was his second reason for wanting to go there? There I hope to be rid of all those things that to this day are in me and an annoyance. Look at 1 John 3. This connects his first desire with his second desire. 1 John 3 and verse 2. It says, Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. We shall be like Him. That means, free of all those corruptions that have remained in me. Early in my Christian life, the Bible that I had, I wrote in the margin there, goodbye sin. When I see Jesus and I'm there, all these corruptions that continue in me are gone forever. That should be something we desire. And that's when they will finally be rid of all these things. Now why else? Why did He so desire us to go there? Because there they say there is no death. No death. Some of the most traumatic moments in our life are connected with death. Our own or someone that we love. There there's no more death. And he says, there I shall dwell with such company as I like best. Won't that be wonderful? I mean, you'll even be able to tolerate me there. Because I won't have any sin anymore. The company that I love best. For to tell you the truth, I love Him because I was by Him eased of my burden and I am weary of my inward sickness. I fain would be where I shall die no more, and with the company that shall continually cry, Holy, Holy, Holy." Wow. Now he meets Charity. Talks with her a little bit. He's talking King James Version now. Because if you've ever read 1 Corinthians 13, And in King James, you see charity over and over and over and over. And it's a good word. And it meant more in Bunyan's day than it means in our day. In our day, charity is just, you see the guy along the interstate, you give him a buck. That's charity. No. Charity is love. It's a self-sacrificing love for the well-being of someone else. It's unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another. And I think it's significant that Charity is the one who talks to him now about what? His family. What about your family? Do you have family? Oh yes, I have a wife and four children. Well, why didn't you bring them along? Christian weapons said, oh, how willingly I would have done it. But they were all of them utterly averse to my going on pilgrimage. I have the fortune, the blessing of God, to have grown up at least third, maybe fourth generation Christians. My grandparents were strong believers. My parents were strong believers. And by the grace of God, I became a believer. I've never had to go through difficulties like this. My first wife, Ann, was the only believer in her family for many years. Her mother made a confession of faith near the end of her life. But her sisters, her father, her brother. Her brother is somewhat religious and will talk to me about religion. But the sisters basically don't want anything to do, never have with Christianity. It's sad to be in a family situation where your loved ones, you've gone one direction and they're going another. And here you have Bunyan's heart, Christian's heart about his loved ones. You know, she asked him all the right things. Didn't you endeavor to talk to them? Didn't you pray for them? Didn't you tell them about what you were going through? Didn't you show them that by what you were doing that they ought to do the same? He said, yeah, I did all that. I did all that. they wouldn't come. Well, fortunately, if you've read the rest of the story, part two is about Christiana and her friend Mercy and the four sons and their journey to the Celestial City. God finally deals with them. That's not the way it always happens, is it? I've done a lot of funerals in my life. And sometimes people come up to me and say, well, how can I deal with the fact that my loved ones are not Christian and they're going to hell? Or that this loved one didn't know Christ and is in hell. How do I deal with that? It's hard, isn't it? I'm thankful for Revelation 21 though that says, God will wipe away all tears from the eyes. Someday you'll understand. God is just. He's righteous. And if you have any tears, it will be tears of joy as to why am I here. It won't be tears of sorrow as to why somebody's not there. But it's a difficult thing to deal with when your loved ones for the moment or for a lifetime, do not see what you see and believe what you believe in Christ. The rest of the time there, he did several things. They sat down to a meal. And here's a thought for you to think about. What is fellowship? What is Christian fellowship? You have to have a cup of coffee to have Christian fellowship. Good, because I don't drink coffee. If you need it, that's fine. It's not an essential. What is essential to Christian fellowship? Look what they did. Now the table was furnished with fat things and with wine that was well refined. And all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill, as namely about what He had done. And why he did what he did. And why he had built that house. And by what they said, I perceive that he had been a great warrior. And so forth. Yeah, it's nice to talk about what's happening in our lives. It's nice to ask others about what's happening in their lives. But if you want real, genuine Christian fellowship, you start talking about The One who binds you together. What He did. What He's doing. Why He did it. What it's leading to. I don't think we fellowship around that enough. You might add that to another one of the means of overcoming your corruptions is the fellowship you have with other believers and the encouragement you can give. What did you find out about Jesus this week in your Bible study? I found this. What did you find?" That's such a blessing, and I think that's what genuine Christian fellowship involves. Well, after that evening, he went to bed in a large upper chamber, found out that the chamber's name was Peace. What a good night's sleep he had. When he awoke, he sang, Where am I now? Is this the love and care of Jesus? For the men that pilgrims are, thus to provide, that I should be forgiven and dwell already the next door to heaven. Well, you're not quite there, Christian, but it's a nice place, isn't it? They got him up the next morning and took him outside to look further down the road. They showed him The realities of a place that he was going to come to. The Delectable Mountains. Or did I jump ahead a little bit? I jumped ahead a little bit, didn't I? That's the next morning he wakes up and sees that. They took him into some rooms and showed him some rarities. The first thing he saw was the pedigree of the Lord of the Hill. That he was the son of the Ancient of Days and came by an eternal generation. That sentence is worth several lessons. We had some on the doctrine of Christ and the Trinity. He showed him some of the worthy acts that some of his servants had done. And he's citing things that are recorded in Hebrews chapter 11. And it says, then they read again in another part of the records of the house where it was showed how willingly their Lord was to receive into His favor any, even any, though they in time past had offered great affronts to His person in proceedings. Here also were several other histories of many other famous things of all which Christian had a view. Have you ever seen this book? Boxer's Book of Martyrs. If you've never seen this book, you ought to get it and read it. It's the history of the lives and sufferings and deaths of early Christians from Stephen all the way up. He ends his book about halfway through Adoniram Judson's life in Burma, which was the 1830's. There have been more martyrdoms for Christ in the last hundred years than are listed in this book. We live in a country where it's Fox's book of entertainers. That's not the history of the Christian church, folks. It's Fox's book of martyrs. The history of the Christian church has been one of suffering. And those sufferings are recorded. You'll read in the Revelation, there's a place where it talks about, I saw the souls of those who had been martyred under the throne saying, how long, O Lord? We know so little of suffering. Most of our suffering is simply rejection. Very rarely is it physical and very rarely does it lead to death. But those are some of the things that he was shown there. The next day they took him to the armory and they showed him all the things that were there. You can see in Ephesians chapter 6, the sword, the shield, the helmet, the breastplate, the shoes that don't wear out and so forth. And then they showed him some of the engines. That's what some of these pictures are back here of things like Moses' rod. the hammer and nail that Jail used to slew Cicero, pitchers, trumpets, and lance, too, which Gideon put to flight the armors of Midian, the jawbone which Samson did smite the mighty, sling and stone of David. All those things are recorded. Next day he's shown the delectable mountains. They harnessed him from head to foot and he's on the way down. to the Valley of Humiliation where we'll be next week. The next lesson's back there. I would encourage you to take it. Here's his words as he leaves and we'll conclude here. He says, "...as it was difficult coming up the hill." So it's dangerous going down into the Valley of Humiliation. The Christian life is both difficult and dangerous. Don't be surprised when you're confronted with that. Thankfully, the Christian pilgrimage has its times of comfort and blessings. But they are only interludes, not lasting this side of the life to come. They serve also to prepare for the rigors to follow. If he had not been at the Palace Beautiful, he wouldn't have got this armor. Boy, is he going to need it in the lesson that comes up next. Father in Heaven, we do thank You for times in our life that You give us which are free from difficulty, times when we can reflect on what You have done in our life. And yet, Father, we still struggle with those inward corruptions. Help us to use the means that You've provided to overcome them. to press forward. And we thank you, Father, for that day that's coming when we will be forever free from our sin and all of its effects. Thank you for the Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.