The Delectable Mountains

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Puritans called the Lord's Day "the market day of the soul," when God's people are strengthened and refreshed on their journey toward heaven. Today, Derek Thomas explores John Bunyan's illustration of the Delectable Mountains.

For your donation of any amount, receive The Pilgrim's Progress book by John Bunyan, together with Derek Thomas' video teaching series on DVD. You'll also get lifetime digital access to this 19-message series and its study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4401/offer

Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Get the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global

Meet Today's Teacher:

Derek Thomas is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Lord's Day is something to be enjoyed.
0:03.0	They are delectable mountains and they are full of extraordinary blessings.
0:08.0	The Puritans didn't see the Lord's Day as a burden.
0:12.0	They didn't approach it in a legalistic fashion.
0:15.0	They saw it as something to look forward to and anticipate.
0:19.0	It is the market day of the soul.
0:25.6	In many places today, the Lord's Day, Sunday, is no longer esteemed or observed as it once was.
0:34.6	In recent years, some even in the church have questioned whether or not it's important
0:40.1	to gather together in person.
0:42.6	But in the 17th century, the Puritans saw the Lord's Day as a blessing, and John Bunyan
0:48.6	describes it like being on delectable mountains.
0:52.9	You're listening to the Thursday edition of renewing your mind.
0:56.3	I'm Nathan W. Bingham. This week, we are walking through Bunyan's classic allegory,
1:02.5	The Pilgrim's Progress, and the main character of the tale is a man named Christian.
1:08.2	So far this week, he has walked through the valley of the shadow of death
1:12.1	and Vanity Fair, and he was held captive in Giant Despairs Castle. But today, he finds
1:19.5	himself somewhere delectable, what he called the Delectable Mountains. Here's Ligonier
1:26.0	Teaching Fellow, Derek Thomas, to guide us through
1:28.6	this section and to help us see the value and blessing of the Lord's Day and gathered worship.
1:38.0	Welcome back. We come to the Delectable Mountains today. And do you remember when Christian was in the palace beautiful,
1:50.4	and on the last day, he was taken to a little spot where in the distance he could see the
1:58.1	delectable mountains? Well, since then, he has been in many a different place,
	...

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