service this evening by singing
together hymn 582, the tune is Cedar 900. High beyond imagination
is the love of God to man. Far too deep for human reason,
fathomed that it never can. Love eternal richly dwells in
Christ the Lamb. hymn 582, tune Cedar, 900. My people's only imagination
is the love of God to man. God to Him for human reason,
more than that He ever can. Love eternal, love eternal, In thee dwells in Christ the
Lamb. Thou art Jesus, Thou, Thou Worship,
Glorious Dimensions, Thou, There's no ground but a hill, filled
up by its waters, filled with flowers. For it was seen, for it was seen,
That man may sit straight below. Jesus, hope and love forever,
I will always love thus now. ? He will ever, ever, ever ? ?
Be with his children ? ? And look after them ? ? All is settled,
all is settled ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Song of Solomon, reading chapter 3
and chapter 8. Solomon's Song chapter 3 and
then chapter 8. By night on my bed I sought him
whom my soul loveth. I sought him but I found him
not. I will rise now and go about the city in the streets and in
the broad ways. I will seek him whom my soul
loveth. I sought him but I found him
not. The watchmen that go about the
city found me, to whom I said, saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed
from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him and
would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother's
house and into the chamber of her that conceived me. I charge
you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the rows and by the hinds
of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake, my love, till
he please. Who is this that cometh out of
the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh, and
frankincense with all powders of the merchant. Behold his bed
which is Solomon's. Threescore valiant men are about
it of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert
in war. Every man hath his sword upon
his thigh because of fear in the night. King Solomon made
himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon, He made the pillars
thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering
of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love for the
daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,
and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother
crowned him in the day of his espousals, in the day of the
gladness of his heart. Now let us read together chapter
8. O that thou wert as my brother,
that sucked the breasts of my mother, when I should find thee
without, I would kiss thee, yea, I should not be despised. I would
lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would
instruct me, that I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine
of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand should be under
my head, and his right hand should embrace me. I charge you, O daughters
of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love till he
please. Who is this that cometh up from
the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? I raise thee up
unto the apple tree, There thy mother brought thee forth, There
she brought thee forth that bare thee. Set me as a seal upon thine
heart, As a seal upon thine arm, For love is strong as death,
Jealousy is cruel as the grave, The coals thereof are coals of
fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench
love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man would give
all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be
contemned. We have a little sister, and
she hath no breasts. What shall we do for our sister
in the day when she shall be spoken for? If she be a wall,
we will build upon her a palace of silver. If she be a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar. I am a wall, and my
breast like towers. Then was I in his eyes as one
that found favour, Solomon hath a vineyard at Baal Harman. He
let out the vineyard unto keepers. Every one for the fruit thereof
was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which
is mine, is before me. Thou, O Solomon, must have a
thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy
voice, cause me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and be
thou light to a row, for a young heart upon the mountains of spices. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come. We desire to bow before thy glorious
majesty. We desire to worship in thy holy
hill of Zion. We desire thy presence, O Lord
God, that we may hear thy voice. that we may see thy countenance,
that we may truly worship thee, that they that worship thee must
worship thee in spirit and in truth. We pray that thou wouldst
grant us that true spiritual worship, grant us union and communion
with Jesus Christ, Grant that we may be like those who in the
days of thy flesh did touch the hem of thy garment and draw from
that sacred fullness that is in thee. O Lord, we pray that
it may be so with us here tonight, a little company gathered together
in thy name, with that desire and that longing to worship thee,
to see thy countenance, have union and communion with thee. We come, O Lord, as the poor
guilty sons and daughters of Adam, born in sin, shapen in
iniquity, unclean and unrighteous altogether. We come, O Lord,
and seek and hope to find a portion for our soul that we may see
your lovely man that we may worship at Emmanuel's feet, and that
thou wouldst teach us thy ways, and lead us in thy paths, and
open our hearts to receive thy word. We pray to be made more
spiritually minded, and that our heart and our affections
may be set upon things above and not on things of the earth. Lord, we pray that the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God our Father, and
the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit may rest and abide
upon us. All do hear us in heaven by holy
dwelling place, and when thou hearest, O Lord, forgive. We're very conscious, O Lord,
that everything we touch, or even say, is stained and died
with sin. So we will bow our heads before
thee and humble ourselves before thee. Pray that we may have real
repentance and godly sorrow for our sin and faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ. That we might love thee and serve
thee and follow thee in our day and in our generation. That we
might be given that grace, O Lord, to lay aside every weight and
the sin that does so easily beset us, and that we might run with
patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. Oh, we do come, Lord, in all
our need, in all our insufficiency, in all our poverty, we come and
pray for grace to worship Thee. Lord, Pray that we might know
those divine drawings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us unto
His best Beloved, an all-glorious Son, for none come except the
Father draw. We pray that we might know the
divine power and the heavenly unction of the Holy Ghost, and
that we may be led and taught and guided and directed by Him,
for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. Oh, to know that divine leading,
that inward teaching of the Holy Ghost as we gather together around
thy precious Word. We pray for our brethren, the
deacons, that grace and wisdom may be given to them in all their
responsibilities, in all their needs, in all their concerns. We pray for grace to pray for
one another, to bear one another's burdens, thereby fulfilling the
law of Christ. Lord, we pray that thou would
remember each one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship, and graciously help us to love
each other, to serve each other, to bear each other's burdens,
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. O Lord, we do pray that
Thou in Thy great mercy would remember then us as a church
and as a congregation, and work mightily, powerfully, and effectually
among us to the great glory of Thy name, to the great wonder
of Thy grace, to the great fullness of that salvation that is in
Christ Jesus. Remember, Lord, the little ones
and the children as they are brought into the sanctuary. Week
by week, we pray that they would put the fear of the Lord, which
is the beginning of wisdom, into their hearts. And we pray that
they would bless the young friends, each one of them, Bless them
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with
faith, living faith in Jesus Christ, that they may become
true followers of Thee and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. Lord, we do pray that Thou in
Thy precious mercy would hear us, be with them in all the paths
of providence, guide and direct them in their education, undertake
for them regarding any future employment, and graciously remember
them, Lord, regarding a partner in life's journey. We lovingly
commend them to Thee, to the word of Thy grace, which is able
to build them up and to grant them an inheritance among them
that are sanctified. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
remember the prodigals that have wandered away. Stretch out thy
almighty arm. Cause them to be in want. Cause
them to return unto the sanctuary. Give us that rejoicing, O Lord,
over one sinner that repented. And, O Lord, we pray that thou
wouldst remember this village, and the surrounding villages
and hamlets, that the glory and light of the gospel may shine
forth. Precious souls may be gathered
unto Christ, the strongholds of Satan pulled down, the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners. Lord, let
thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. We do humbly beseech of thee. We do pray, most gracious Lord,
for all in the midst of the journey of life. Remember them with the
favour that thou barest unto thy people, that visit them with
thy great salvation. Graciously draw them to thyself,
O Lord, we do beseech of thee. Supply all their many returning
needs. Be with parents and give wisdom
and grace. to bring up their children in
the nurture and in the admonition of the Lord. O Lord, we do pray
that thou, in thy great mercy, would remember those of us that
are in the evening time of life's journey. And Lord, the longest can't be
long before we must soar through tracks unknown and see thee on
thy judgment throne. Oh, do hear us, Lord, and prepare
us for that great day. We do humbly beseech thee. We pray, O Lord, that thou would
remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion, that they may dip their foot in oil,
that they may be made acceptable unto the brethren, and that the
word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much
assurance. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. O Lord, we do beseech thee for
thy great name's sake. Grant us that determination to
know nothing among men, save Jesus Christ and him crucified,
And, O Lord, graciously grant that the Lord Jesus Christ may
be exalted among us, and that poor sinners may look and live.
Lord, who heareth, Lord, we pray thee for thy great namesake. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies. Thy mercies to us, O Lord, are
new every morning, and great is thy faithfulness. We do thank
thee, most gracious Lord, for the incarnation of the Son of
God, our Lord Jesus Christ. We think of those wonderful words
of grace, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and
we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth. We thank Thee for the holy life
He lived as a man, when He was made of a woman made under the
law, that He might redeem them that are under the law. Oh, we
do thank Thee, most gracious Lord, for that holy life and
for the holy law fulfilled on the behalf of Thy people and
Thee bringing Him of everlasting righteousness. We thank thee
for the sacred and most precious sacrifice, that holy sacrifice,
that glorious atonement made for sin and uncleanness by our
Lord Jesus Christ when he was crucified on Calvary's tree. We thank thee for his precious
blood that cleanses from all sin, We thank thee that he loved
not his life unto death, but he gave his life of ransom for
all to be testified in due time. Oh, but we thank thee that he
is risen from the dead. We thank thee that there is an
empty tomb and that death is swallowed up in victory and a
new and living way has been made into the holy place and our Lord
Jesus Christ has ascended into glory. Sitting at thy right hand
we have a great High Priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God. Oh we thank thee most gracious
Lord and we pray that thou wouldst guide us and direct us and open
our hearts to receive thy word and make us more spiritually
minded. and draw us unto thee, even tonight
as we gather around thy word. But without thy heavenly power,
O Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford. How we need the heavenly
power and the divine unction of the Holy Ghost to rest upon
us in the pulpit and in the pew. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
pray thee. Have mercy upon us, we beseech
thee. We pray for any that are not
able to be with us tonight, whatever that reason may be. And we pray,
most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst bless them in their homes.
Oh, do hear us, Lord. Remember all in trouble or trial
or affliction or sorrow or sadness or bereavement. Lord, undertake
for each one. Come and touch one's lips with
a live cold. From off the heavenly altar,
we ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1075. The tune is Euphany, 700. and 86. Thou hidden love of God, whose
height, whose depth unfathomed no man knows, I see from far
thy beauteous light, and in this I for thy repose. My heart is
pained, nor can it be at rest till I find rest in thee. Hymn 1075, the tune is Euphany
786. This I give of heaven and earth, I see the world I build as mine
And in each I pour my great heart ? By God's great name ? ? Lord
have mercy ? ? Have mercy on me ? ? Have mercy on me ? Is there a name in England's
sky? ? Yes, my jail will be ? ? Like
God's ill pleasure ? ? I'll take it ? ? And break the code ? ?
Break the code ? May we share the glory of God
on earth, we believe. is ? Divine nature hath taught ? ?
The whole of Christ ? ? In divinity ? ? The angels cry ? ? O come, O
come, Emmanuel ? ? Christ the Lord! ? ? O come, O come, Emmanuel
? O say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, ? O to my God ? ? Long have I prayed
? ? And prayed to the Lord ? ? In the night of my death ? ? A new
day has dawned for us today ? ? A new day has dawned for us today ?
? A new day has dawned for us today ? O my God, my God. greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to Solomon's Psalm,
chapter eight, and we will read verses two and three for our
text. The Song of Solomon, chapter
eight, reading verses two and three. I would lead thee and
bring thee into my mother's house who would instruct me. I would
cause thee to drink of the spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand should be under
my head and his right hand should embrace me. Solomon's Song is a song of love and it's no ordinary love. It's
the eternal love of God to man. It's the almighty love of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The apostle speaks of
it in the epistle to the Romans and he says the Love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. What a mercy
if we know something of that experience, the love of God shed
abroad in our hearts. It's the most precious thing. When the Lord first revealed
himself to me it was in the epistle to the Ephesians in chapter three. And Christ was made so exceedingly
precious to my soul. And it was the first time that light
had shone into my heart. Up until that time, for some
two years, is all I knew was darkness and bondage. And I believe that that was the
Spirit of God teaching me. And then I came to a place, my
beloved friend, she said, when I was single, and I came in from
my work, and I think my father had gone to preach somewhere,
and I felt utterly and absolutely finished. I remember standing in the middle
of our lounge and thinking, I'm utterly finished, I can't go
another step. I felt absolute blackness and
darkness and terrible bondage. And it was these words in Ephesians
chapter three and from verse 17. that were breathed into my heart
by the Holy Ghost, and the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to
me as the way, the truth, and the life. It says there in Ephesians
that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, and that ye be
enrooted and grounded in love. What a view I had of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And we just quoted that scripture
in Romans chapter five and verse five, for the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. And that is what
I experienced at that time, that Christ may dwell in your hearts
by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be
able to comprehend with all saints What is the breadth and length
and depth and height? And to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God. And then it follows, now unto
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto
him be glory in the church, by Jesus Christ throughout all ages,
world without end. And you know, friends, when Christ
is revealed, we embrace Him in the arms of
faith. We embrace Him in the arms of
faith. And it's something, well, as
it was with me at that time, I went from darkness into light,
and from bondage into liberty, and from being far off, I was
made nigh. And oh, the love of Christ. It's
beyond expression. It's exceedingly, abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. That eternal love of God
in Christ. And this, the Song of Solomon,
is indeed A song of love. It's called the Song of Songs,
which is Solomon's. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
There's no other song like it. That's why it's called the Song
of Songs. There's no other Redeemer like Jesus Christ. That's why
it's called the King of Kings. You know, What we see in Solomon's
song is the experience of the love of God in the hearts of
the Lord's children. And every one of them in some
little measure will know what that love is. We sung in our opening hymn,
high beyond imagination is the love of God to man. Why should
he love us? We're sinners. Why should he
love us? We're in a state of rebellion
against God. That's how we're born. David, he says, in sin did my
mother conceive me. How true this is. We have original
sin. It's in our very nature, we're
born with it. We read in Romans 5, as in Adam
or die. But in Christ, All are made alive. We read in the Word of God in
him is life. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. There's only life in Jesus Christ. It's the only place you'll ever
find it. And so we have a dialogue here
in Solomon's Song And this is what makes it so precious. A dialogue between a living soul
and a living Christ. We see the longings and the yearnings
of that living soul. In chapter one, let him kiss
me with the kisses of his mouth. This is the language of the spouse
of Christ. Let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. Draw me, this is the language
of the spouse of Christ. Draw me, we will run after thee. The King, that's Christ, hath
brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in
thee. We will remember thy love more
than wine. The upright love thee. The upright love thee. And she says in verse 5 of chapter
1, I am black, but come they. She feels and knows herself to
be a sinner. John, in his first epistle, he
says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the life of God is not in
us. It's a very solemn word, isn't it? if we say that we have
no sin. One of the experiences of the
living child of God is the realization that they're a sinner. Not just at the beginning of
Christian experience, but it carries on after Christ has been
made precious. This experience of our sense
of uncleanness and unrighteousness continues. Paul, he outlines
it so clearly in Romans 7, that which I would, I do not, that
which I would not, I do. I find a law within my members
that when I would do good, then he was present with me. That, my beloved friends, is
the experience of every true child of God. In real religion, there is sin and salvation. In all real religion, sin and
salvation. And it's when we're brought to
know that we're sinners that we desire salvation. And it's
when we're brought by the Spirit of God to realize that we're
under the curse of the law, it's then that we desire to be delivered
from the curse of the law. It is when the Holy Spirit convicts
and convinces of our sin that we desire then salvation. The Lord Jesus said the whole
need not a physician but they that are sick. I come not to
call the righteous but sinners to repentance. That divine call
and As we look through this, this sacred book, we read in
chapter three together, and it begins, by night on my bed, I
sought him whom my soul loveth. In the night time, when it's
dark, maybe there's one and another
here. And there may be that felt sense
of darkness in your soul, in your circumstances, in your family. It's like a cloud hanging over
your head. By night on my bed, I sought him, whom the Lord loveth
he chaseth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. And we
come into these dark dispensations, these dark times, these perplexing
things and the purpose of the Lord is to bring us to the end
of ourself and to bring us to his footstool. I sought him,
but I found him not. How many of us here as we come
to chapel tonight have sought him? I sought him, but I found him
not. Have you come seeking? Do you
understand the language of the hymn, I seek and hope to find
a portion for my soul? What a mercy if you know what that
is. Now, she rises from her bed. It says in verse two, I will
rise now and go about the city in the streets and in the broad
ways. I will seek him whom my soul loveth. I sought him. but I found him not. The watchman,
that's the ministers, that go about the city found me, to whom
I said, saw ye him whom my soul loveth? See, this soul is seeking
after Christ, and she cannot be satisfied until she finds
Christ. Jacob, when he wrestled, or the
angel of the Lord, which was Christ, The angel of the covenant
wrestled with Jacob. We must always remember that,
how it speaks in scripture, that the angel wrestled with Jacob.
And that is Christ, the angel of the covenant, wrestling with
Jacob. And then Jacob, he says, I will
not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he blessed him
there. We sing in that hymn, don't we?
Wrestling prayer can wonders do. Bring relief in deepest straits. Prayer can force a passage through
iron bars and brazen gates. So ye him whom my soul loveth. And he says here in verse four,
it was but a little that I passed from them. I held him. I found him whom my soul loveth. What a precious thing when we
find Christ. I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him. That means she held
him in the arms of faith. Faith that worketh by love. She
embraced him by faith. Embrace that glorious savior.
that precious Redeemer, who'd loved her with an everlasting
love, who lived for her, suffered for her, died for her, rose again
for her, and has ascended into glory, and has made a new and
living way into the holy place. She held him. And if you are
ever favoured to do that, my beloved friends, there is no
expressing the blessedness. of holding Christ in the arms
of faith. I held him and would not let
him go until I had brought him into my mother's house and into
the chamber of her that conceived me. Into my mother's house. And the reason I point you to
that verse is because of our text. And in our text he says,
it's the spouse speaking again, I would lead thee and bring thee
into my mother's house who would instruct me. I would cause thee
to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. I would
lead thee. You know, this is quite an unusual
thing because It's very clear from scripture that Christ leads
his children. My sheep, they know my voice
and they follow me. What a precious experience that
is when we're following Christ. And they follow me. And he says,
doesn't he, I go before my sheep. The Lord Jesus goes before his
sheep. But here, in our text, the spouse of Christ,
the bride of Christ, she says, I would lead thee and bring thee
into my mother's house. So we need to know what my mother's
house is. It's the church of God. The church
of God is called the womb of the morning in Psalm 110. In
the womb of the morning, in Psalm 87, it says that this and that
man was born in her and the highest himself shall establish her. To be born a child of God in
Zion, to be quickened by the spirit of God, to be brought
to seek and to search after Jesus Christ to become a follower of
him and of those who through faith and patience inherit the
promises but here the spouse actually lays hold of Christ
and actually embraces Christ and her desire when she's in
the embrace of Christ is that She wants to go to the house
of God. She wants to go to the house of God. And she doesn't
want to lose him. She wants to take him with her
to the house of God so that she can enjoy the presence of her
beloved in the sanctuary, in the house of God. I would lead
thee and bring thee into my mother's house who would instruct me,
who would instruct me. Now the true believer receives
instruction under the word of God. The true ministers of the gospel
preach the word, that's the exhortation given in the word of God, preach
the word, be instant in season and out of season. So the true
ministers of the gospel are preachers of the word. By the grace of God they seek
to open the scriptures of truth. And the Holy Spirit dwelling
in them seals that word into the hearts of the hearers. Has the Lord sealed a word into
your heart? Mercy if he has. Mercy if he has. Perhaps mine
be only one word. But that one word is a quickening
word. It gives life. It gives life. Doesn't Peter speak of this? I think it's in his first epistle. He speaks there of the word of
the Lord, a quickening word, in the first epistle of Peter
and chapter 1. He says there in verse 22, seeing
you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the spirit unto one find love of the brethren see that you
love one another with a pure heart fervently. Now he tells
us Why it is that you love one another with a pure heart fervently,
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by
the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, nor
the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord, endures
forever and this is the word which by the gospel is preached
unto you this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto
you the word of his grace the word of his grace and James in his epistle in the
first chapter he speaks in a very similar way. He says in James
chapter 1 and verse 21, wherefore lay in a part all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the
engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But if you
be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceive in your
own self. For if any man be a hearer of
the word, and not a doer, is like unto a man, beholding his
natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetting what manner of man
he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and
continueth therein, he be not a forgetful hearer. A perfect
law of liberty is in Christ. and the Son shall make you free.
Son, the Son of God, Jesus, the Son shall make you free. Whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein,
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed. This man shall be blessed in
his deed. A hearer of the word, a doer the Word. Are we doers
of the Word? It's a very researching question
isn't it? Not just hearers of the Word. Some people they sit under the
Word all their life but they never become doers of the Word.
And why is that? Because the Word hasn't entered
into their heart with the divine power of the Spirit of God. because
the word hasn't quickened them into life by the divine work
of the spirit in their hearts. They're just hearers of the word.
Jesus, when he gives the parable of the sower, he says, take heed
how you hear. Take heed how you hear. And he gives us an illustration
in the grain that is sown and someone stony ground, no depth
of earth. Some they receive the word with
joy and on it dies away, having no depth of earth. Some the briars and etc. they swamp the word, all the
weeds overgrowing and it becomes unfruitful. But they that receive
the seed into good ground. They bring forth fruit to the
great glory of his name. I would lead thee and bring thee
into my mother's house who would instruct me, who would instruct
me. That's what we receive instruction
in the reading of the word, in the preaching of the word, in
the exposition of the word, in the opening of these things in
an experimental way, we're instructed. And where there are these good
ground hearers, that instruction finds an abiding place in their
hearts. Who would instruct me? All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable and is profitable. All scripture,
not just some scripture, but all scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable. It is profitable. It's divinely inspired. the Lord
sent his word, the Lord gave the word, and great
was the company of them that published it. We should always remember, friends,
we hear from professors of divinity today, in the colleges, etc.,
men that are very learned in the original languages of Greek
and Hebrew, And they will tell you that the Bible contains the
Word of God. Now that is a very erroneous
statement. The Bible is the Word of God. The reason that they say it contains
the Word of God, because then they can go through it and pick
out the pieces that they want and leave the pieces that they
don't like. You see, That's the devil's work, that's the devil's
work. Scripture is all given by inspiration
of God, all of it, from Genesis to Revelation. When Paul writes
to Timothy, in the second book, Epistle to Timothy, chapter three,
we read in verse 14, but continue thou in the things which thou
hast learned. has been assured of knowing of
whom thou hast learned them and that from a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given
by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works. You see, it's all given by inspiration
of God. Paul, he exhorts his son Timothy
in the faith in the second of Timothy chapter four, he says
in verse two, preach the word. be instant, in season and out
of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. And that doctrine must be drawn
from the Word of God, from the pure, holy Word of God. The Word of God will never deceive
you. The Word of God will never lead
you astray. No. It's God's Word. David, he
says in Psalm 119, I think it's verse 105, let thy word be a
lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I would lead thee
and bring thee into my mother's house who would instruct me. I would cause thee to drink of
the spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate, spiced Wine. In this metaphorical, poetical
language, the spiced wine would represent those precious graces
of the spirit. Faith. Faith that worketh by
love. Repentance. Godly sorrow. She's speaking to her beloved. I would cause thee to drink of
the spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. Those precious graces of the
Holy Ghost in the heart. Jesus loves his people. He loves his bride. He loves
her with an everlasting love. And when he sheds abroad that
love in her heart, and when he reveals himself to her, there
is that union and communion that takes place between Christ and
the living soul. In union with the Lamb, from
condemnation free, the saints from everlasting were and shall
forever be. This union This communion, it
comes from love, divine love. Divine love shed abroad in the
heart. And it's a love to Christ. Then he says, his left hand should
be under my head and his right hand does embrace me. Left hand
blessings are providential blessings. So what she's saying, his left
hand, he supplies all my needs in providence. His left hand
should be under my head. My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. All your need, my God. And all that need is supplied
in the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. not only your spiritual blessings
but your providential blessings as well. He speaks of his left
hand and his right hand here. The right hand are spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The left hand
are providential blessings. The Lord will supply all your
needs. He will. He's promised to. He's
promised to. Seek ye first the kingdom of
heaven and my righteousness and all these things, that's providential
things, all these things shall be added unto you. His left hand
should be under my head. We can rest and recline on the covenant eternal love
of our God in Christ. all your needs he will supply,
all of them, not just some of them, all of them. But we have that exhortation
that we should get things in the right perspective. Seek ye
first the kingdom of heaven and my righteousness and all these
things. They will be added they will
be added. When we have things in the right
order, when we're seeking Christ, when we're longing to lay hold
of Christ, when we're found looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, looking unto Him, casting all your care upon Him,
for He careth for you. His left hand should be under
my head and his right hand should embrace me. His right hand should
embrace me. So the illustration here in this
poetic language is a very sacred illustration. It's Christ and
his church. Embrace it. His left hand is
under her head. His right hand does embrace her.
He's discovering to her the eternal love of God in Christ. He's discovering
to her the love of her heavenly father, that in Christ she has
a heavenly father, in and through the precious blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ. She has a heavenly father. She
loves him. She loves him, she loves the
Son of God, she loves the Father, she loves the Holy Ghost. Very
precious, you know, friends, when these things are experimentally
revealed unto us and we experience the love of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost. It's a precious thing. And then
we see the Lord's hand with us in Providence go before us. His
left hand should be under my head and his right hand should
embrace me. And then the spouse, she says,
I charge you, oh daughters of Jerusalem, that you stir not
up nor wake my love until you please. She didn't want them
to disturb her beloved. Why? Because she was enjoying
his embrace. She was resting in his love,
his everlasting love to her. She was resting in that eternal
covenant that has been sealed with the blood of Jesus. We read
in Hebrews chapter 13, the blood of Jesus Christ, it is called
the blood of the everlasting covenant. The blood of the everlasting
covenant. In verse five, we read, who is
this that cometh up from the wilderness? The wilderness is
the wilderness of this world. Who is this that cometh up from
the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? What a wonderful
mercy. There thy mother brought thee
forth. There she brought thee forth
that bear thee, leaning upon her beloved. Oh, friends, it's
indescribable when indeed we are found leaning upon our beloved,
it is, cast in all our care upon him, I would lead thee and bring
thee into my mother's house, into the church of God. Jesus said, If ye love me, keep
my commandments. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Those wonderful commandments that we have in the gospel of
Jesus Christ. We spoke of it recently in Matthew
chapter three, when the Lord Jesus said to John the Baptist,
when he came to baptize him, suffer it to be so now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. It's a righteous
thing to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost. I would lead thee and bring thee
into my mother's house who would instruct me to follow the Lord
Jesus, to walk in his holy commandments, to confess him before men, The
hymn writer says, doesn't he, then shall I tell to sinners
round, what a dear saviour I have found. I'll point to his redeeming
blood and say, behold the way to God. Behold the way to God. I would lead thee and bring thee
into my mother's house, who would instruct me. I would cause thee
to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate, those
precious graces of the Spirit, his left hand should be under
my head and his right hand should embrace me. May the Lord add
his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 10. The tune is Mainzer 364. It was with an everlasting love
that God his own elect embraced before he made the worlds above
or earth on her huge columns placed. Hymn number 10. The tune
is Mainzer 364. ? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ?
O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Love, hear the psalms we boldly
pray, Guide me though shades of darkness show, They only say it was a play,
but with an everlasting love. Then in the gospel, his decree,
Christ and his tribe are here as one. ill seen by imputation,
is thou seeing some person at all. Her love thou find'st, thy glories
tell, How great Thee, beautiful and free! 10,000 sins as black as death have swollen
up, grown up in me. When a wretch did outwit him,
that thou bid'st have him be with them, A slave to every lustful scene,
Who, living, lived up to the end. It may bear thine comforts and
prompt us to thus salvation's stream. Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.