Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim is a traveller on a long journey to reach a sacred destination of Divine destiny . In the process of the journey, the pilgrim will pass through an unknown land and he is known as foreigner or aliens or stranger. The pilgrim doesn't feel at home until he reaches his destination. He is always vulnerable to temptations which may halt his progress. We are pilgrims on earth, passing through cos our citizenship is over at the other side. According to the Bible, life on earth is a pilgrimage. Whether we are conscious of it ir big, we are all gong somewhere. Do you know that you are now travel lug. On a certain road to somewhere? And do you know where YU are heading? Someday your journey will come to an end and you will be on the other side of time called eternity. There are only two destinations to receive every pilgrim from earth, either Heaven or Hell. It should be our all-consuming desire to desire that we and our loved ones end up in the right place. When the time comes, that's all that matters. Genesis 47:9 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” Exodus 6:4 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. God told Abraham and later on Tor Isaac and Jacob that he will give them the land called Canaan. But they were pilgrims as they do not belong to the land as they are not going to stay there for very long. Psalm 119:54 54 Your statutes have been my songs In the house of my pilgrimage. John Bunyan was in prison for preaching the bible. He was in prisonment and was asked to write about pilgrims during this time. This story is about a man by the name of christian who has a terrible burden. He has a book with him called Bible. Being convicted of his sinfulness, he displeased God and brought anguish to his soul. Isaiah 64:6 6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. Romans 3:23 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Most people living on this earth that they do not realise that they are will ready to face God when they perish. We have to rejoice the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ. The horrors of hell are the wounds don't die and Fire will go on. The whole world will be burnt out. When he shared with his wife and children they thought he was tired and asked him to sleep. The next day he repeated this again to his family. Then a man named Evangelist came. He says to go the light and go through he narrow gate. So he resolved to start on the journey of pilgrimage. He strived to go through the narrow gate. We are just like this man named Christian. The time we struggled to reach Jesus Christ. We faced all the temptations and distractions trying to derail us. Jesus talked about the shallow ground. Hear the word of word gladly and then backslide very quickly. There are 4 groups of people 1. Unsaved hearts 2. Shallow irresponsible believers 3. Problem hearts. Ground filled with thorns 4. Fertile heart The cares of this life that distract us - career, children. The road in earth is narrow and uneven. We need to look to the cross to stay convicted. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. We can try to win those who went astray back but don't be soaked by them. We have to stay firm in our pilgrimage for Jesus Christ. We can get ourselves into a fix that we don't know what to do but we don't want to obey God. We are in an untenable situation. Last year there were 36 incidents in school and this year 51 incidents regarding people who used guns to shoot at people in the States when their mind snapped. Next year school shootings are expected to increase in view of the above trend. If children don't control themselves and continue playing those online shooting games, the situation will get worse. In Singapore we are so sheltered where we don't have the exposure of gun ownership. Our thinking is more simplistic. Those who argued for gun ownership feels they have the right to protect the ownership to fend for themselves. Even professional criminals are owning guns. We began to see their untenable situation as if they don't fight for the gun ownership, those bad guys will not give up this ownership so their life will be in danger. The question is if they don't control guns, what will happen in the future. We are in an untenable situation that man has no answer. Mankind is destroying themselves. Churches have worked themselves in an untenable situation. Most church goers will be saved but not all for those who don't repent of their sins. Everybody is lulled into a deep spiritual slumber. Some churches made it so easy to go heaven - don't have to be concerned about backsliding, once saved all saved, don't have to be repentant. Because many dare not address this situation, both believers and unbelievers believe they don't have to repent as their past and future sins have been forgiven. No responsiblity. More and more people are preaching the fun gospel in order not to lose church goers to their church. If all Americsns can trust God and turn to God by taking personal responsibility about gun control, the situation will be resolved. Luke 13:23-24 23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. God gives us ample chances and he is not answerable to us. Strive - is to exert and fight with great urgency. If many seek to enter but not able means many did not make it. But if we seek christ we will not be in that situation. Few means countless of millions since Adam's time. We have to begin to know what is significant and what is not. We have seeker friendly sermons that try to make people comfortable when they listen. Doctors have never come out with patient friendly words by not mentioning the word cancer. Many seek but don't find. Luke 23:25-28 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. We have a magnitude of problem today. Don't be overwhelmed by this magnitude. One man who saw the magnitude of the starfish on the shore. We can make a difference to the one we help throw into the sea. We can make a difference to those around us by preaching the gospel to them. We are pilgrims. There is nothing much on this earth which belong to us. We cannot feel at home in this world. We are going to bring as many people as possible to be saved. Hebrews 11:10 10 for he waited expectantly and confidently for the city which has fixed and firm foundations, whose builder and maker is God. That building will not fall down forever and no spec of dust if the building (heaven) is made by God. Colossians 3:1-2 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Does not mean we don't take responsibility on things on earth but this is for our future in heaven. Our old man our selfish nature our life of sin die. Christ is going to come again to judge the world Colossians 3:3-4 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Something glorious when we are with christ, we are in co-ownership in heaven with Christ. Don't be too tied down with things on the earth. We can make a big difference to our home our colleagues - difference between heaven and hell.

Sermon note taken by Veron from Ps Rony's sermon on 2.11.2014

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