Yeah. The notices for the coming week
are God willing as follows. Pastor will preach here next
Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. Also on Friday evening at 7 o'clock. There will be a prayer meeting
here on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 365 The tune is Alice, 279. Where
shall we go to seek and find a habitation for our God? a dwelling for the eternal mind
among the sons of flesh and blood. Hymn 365. I have heard you speak, and I
have heard your temptation, for I have come. ? O come all ye faithful joyful
and triumphant ? ? O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
? Heav'n-born Lord, take them,
chaste and fair, Outside of His ancient graves. And Zion keeps his dwelling still
His Church, his Spirit, his presence there Here did I pitch my gracious
crown, And grateful heaven set down for me. Here shall my pow'r and love revert, And blessing
shall attain, I swear. Here I will eat the hungry boar,
and fill the strong tree. Live in praise, stillness and
faith is all I know. ? His sweet permission shall be
paid ? ? Burdened with truth and full of grace ? Thy praise,
my mirth, in search shall shine, Not ever in this dust be pressed, Made an Echidna so divine The saints arrayed, bowed to
God's name. There he would joyous shout and sing. The Son of David it shall reign,
and Zion's royal kingdom Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Solomon's Song, chapters 5 and 6. The Song of Solomon, chapters
5 and 6, but we'll actually commence the reading in the last verse
of chapter 4. It is part of the next chapter,
really. Verse 16. Chapter 4 of Solomon's
Song. Awake, O north wind, and come
thou south. Blow upon my garden that the
spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his
garden and eat his pleasant fruits. I am coming to my garden, my
sister, my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with
my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with
my honey. I have drunk my wine with milk,
with my milk. Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved. I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my darb,
my undefiled. For my head is filled with dew
and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my
coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall
I defile them? My beloved put in his hand by
the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up
to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with myrrh, and
my fingers were sweet-smelling myrrh upon the handles of the
lock. I opened to my beloved, but my
beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul failed
when he spake. I sought him, but I could not
find him. I called him, but he gave me
no answer. The watchmen that went about
the city found me. They smoked me. They wounded
me. The keepers of the walls took
away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of
Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick
of love. What is thy beloved more than
another beloved? O thou fairest among women. What
is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge
us? This is a beautiful description
of the person of Christ. My beloved is white and ruddy,
the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine
gold. His locks are bushy and black
as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves
by the rivers of waters. washed with milk and fitly set.
His cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers. His lips like
lilies drop in sweet smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold
rings set with the beryl. His belly is as bright ivory
overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble
set upon sockets of fine gold. His countenance is as Lebanon,
excellent as the cedars. His mouth is Moswe, yea, he is
altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this
is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. And this first verse
is the answer of the daughters of Jerusalem. Whither is thy
beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved
turned aside, that we may seek him with thee? My beloved is
gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in
the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved
is mine. He feedeth. among thee lilies. Now Christ speaks of his love
for the church, of her beauty. Thou art beautiful, O my love,
as terse are comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me. Thy
hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. Thy teeth
are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof
every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among
them. As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and
virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled, is but
one. She is the only one of her mother.
She is the choice one of her that bear her. The daughters
saw her and blessed her, yea, the queens and the concubines,
and they praised her. Who is she that looketh forth
as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as
an army with banners? I went down into the garden of
nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the
vine flourished and the pomegranates budded forth, or ever I was aware
my soul made me like the chariots of a minidib. Return, return,
O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee. What
will ye see in the Shulamite? as it were the company of two
armies. May the Lord bless the reading
of his 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 great
majesty, to call upon thy great and holy name. We desire grace,
O Lord, to worship thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Oh, we do pray that we may be
favoured even this day with thy divine spirit. And we pray, most
blessed spirit of truth, that thou wouldst fill our hearts
with that rich grace that is in Christ Jesus. And as one says,
convince us of our sin and lead to Jesus' blood and to our wandering
eyes reveal the secret love of God. Oh, we do 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. We do humbly pray thee. Lord,
we read in thy word that as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. May we have that evidence in
our hearts, in our circumstances, that we are being led of the
Spirit of God, that we are being guided by thee. We pray, dear
Lord, that thou wouldst graciously Bless us as a church and as a
congregation. We thank thee for all thy tender
mercies toward us, thy loving kindnesses. We thank thee for
the spirit of love, of union, of communion that is between
us. Lord, what a precious evidence
of divine life. By this shall they know that
ye are my disciples because ye have loved one to another. and
we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love
the brethren. Lord, increase our faith, increase
our love, one toward another. Increase our faith and love in
thee. Open thy precious word, open
thou the crystal fountain, let the healing waters flow. O Lord,
we do humbly beseech thee, for without thee we can do nothing. And we love Thee because Thou
didst first love us. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
that we may have the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, just
as Thou didst meet with Thy disciples and stood in the midst of them
and said, peace be unto you. So come and meet with us today. Come and stand in amaze. May
there be some poor trembling sinner that will be able to venture
forward and touch the hem of thy garment and draw from that
sacred fullness that is in thee, Lord Jesus. It may be there's
one, O Lord, that has come to the house of God today. Lord,
I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. Lord,
help them. Help them to look to thee and
help us each to lay aside every weight and the sin that doth
so easily beset us. that we may run with patience
the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
pray thee, and graciously guide us and direct us. Guide us and
direct us this day in the ministry of the word. Guide and direct
us as a church and as a congregation. Guide and direct us individually
in each of our pathways. May thy word be a lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our path. We do humbly pray thee. O Lord,
may thy word be a living word, a powerful word. May the spirit
of God apply it into our hearts. We do humbly pray thee. Lord,
we pray that there may be the furtherance of the gospel among
us. We pray yet to see mighty signs and wonders to follow the
preaching of the word. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly
pray thee, and send real prosperity. Turn us again, O God of hosts,
and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Let thy
hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of man, whom thou
madest strong for thyself, O Lord. so will not we turn back from
thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
thy blessing upon our brethren, the deacons, grace, wisdom, and
help may be given them in all their responsibilities, not only
here, but among the churches of God. Undertake for them, O
Lord, we do pray thee. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in church fellowship. Graciously grant that we may
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ. Remember our dear brother and
sister in Holland and bless them there. Undertake for them in
their lonely pathway. O Lord, we do beseech thee. And that, Lord, we do pray that
thou wouldst graciously remember the little ones that are among
us, the children we We love to see them in the sanctuary. And
we pray, most gracious Lord, that thou wouldst bless them
with the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Oh,
hear us, Lord. And the dear young friends, have
mercy upon them. Graciously bring them to living,
vital, saving faith in Jesus Christ. And open their hearts
and their eyes to receive thy word. but graciously guide them
in all the matters of providence. Lord, do hear us. We lovingly
commend them to thee and 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 do pray that they may
be guided and directed by thee in all the matters of providence. whether it be employment, education,
or regarding a partner in life's journey. May they commit their
way unto thee, trust also in thee. And Lord, we remember the
prodigals who've wandered from the house of God. We lovingly
commit and commend them to thee and to the word of thy grace,
which is able to build them up, which is able to gather them
in, which is able to turn them round. Lord, there is nothing
too hard for thee. Thou canst make a rebel a child,
that thou, O Lord, knowest exactly where they are. Oh, we do pray
that thou wouldst bless them and cause them to return. We
do humbly beseech them. Lord, we do pray for parents
and all in the midst of the journey of life that thou wouldst be
gracious unto each one. Defend us and deliver us from
the power of sin and of Satan, whether it comes as a roaring
lion or whether it comes as an angel of light. Deliver us from
his power. O Lord, we do beseech of thee.
Grant thy blessing, dearest Lord, that it may rest then upon each
one. Remember those of us in the evening
time of life's journey. Gracious Lord, that we may be
found looking and hasting unto the great day of the Lord, which
soon must come. We pray for grace to live as
we ought to live, to walk as we ought to walk, and to do what
we ought to do. We solemnly find a law within
our members that when I would do good, then evil is present
with me. Gracious God, do incline thine ear make us more spiritually
minded and set our affections on things above. We pray for
all in affliction, sorrow and sadness and bereavement. We pray
especially for our dear sister in her great age, that she may
know thy divine support and blessing day by day. Lord, we pray for
this village, that the glory and light of the gospel may shine
into this village. the strongholds of Satan be pulled
down, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus to be set up in the hearts
of sinners. For thou hast said in thy word,
and they shall come. And thou hast promised in thy
word, I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy
her poor with bread. Gracious God, come and bless
us. Come and pour forth thy spirit. Oh, most gracious Lord, we read
of those sweet promises in thy word, and there shall be showers
of blessing. Oh, grant that we may see it,
Lord, and experience it here. And we pray, most gracious Lord,
for all thy laboring servants as they labor in word and doctrine
upon the walls of Zion, that thou would set them free, set
them at liberty. Gracious God, and grant signs
to follow the preaching of the word. Grant that we may see a
turning again unto thee. Grant that we may see a humble
of ourselves before thee in repentance and godly sorrow. And grant that
we may see thy work. Let thy work appear unto thy
servants and thy glory unto their children. For thy great name's
sake, O Lord, we do beseech thee. We pray, most gracious Lord,
that thou wouldst remember our nation Remember our government,
and we're reminded, O Lord, in this election at this time, we're
reminded in thy word that by me kings reign, and princes decree
justice. Gracious God, we do pray that
thou wouldst graciously hear us on behalf of our leaders. We commend them to thee. and
remember our beloved Queen and all the royal household and grant
thy rich blessing there. Lord, we do pray for that war-torn
country of Ukraine, thousands being taken from time into eternity. Oh, we pray that thou wouldst
put a stop to war, bring to naught the counsels of the ungodly.
Oh, Lord, we do beseech thee for thy great namesake. And,
O Lord, we pray for those that labour in word and doctrine among
the nations of the earth. We think of those that go forth
from us. We think of Ian Sadler and that
great work that he is doing in India and Burma and Africa. Gracious God, do grant good success. We do humbly beseech thee for
thy great namesake. We pray, dear Lord, that thou
wouldst graciously Bless the Savannah Education Trust and
that great work that they're doing in Ghana, and remember
the Mombasa mission. Oh, do hear us, Lord. We do humbly
beseech thee. Graciously be with us. We thank
thee for thy holy day. We thank thee for the courts
of the Lord's house, the place where thine honour dwelleth.
We thank thee for the open Bible, for the gospel of thy grace.
But above all, we thank thee for that glorious fullness there
is in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the eternal Father, manifest
in the flesh. We thank thee for his holy life
and the law fulfilled and everlasting righteousness brought in. We
thank thee, most gracious Lord, for Calvary, where the Lamb was
slain, where sin has been put away, where God and sinners are
reconciled, where peace is made. between God and man. We thank
thee that he died for our sins and rose again for our justification. We thank thee that he is now
bodily ascended upon high, sitteth at thy right hand. Oh, we thank
thee that we have a great high priest. Through him we receive,
O Lord, that sacred spirit of adoption, that love to our eternal
Father. And by him we receive that precious
gift of the Holy Ghost. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's
sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 92, to the tune Hampstead 340. Who is this fair one in distress
that travels from this wilderness and pressed with sorrows and
with sins, on her beloved Lord she leans. Hymn 92. Jesus, have mercy. ? God of hosts, from whom we sing
our praise ? ? God of hosts, from whom we sing our praise
? ? God of hosts, from whom we sing our praise ? ? God of hosts,
from whom we sing our praise ? ? Progenies ? ? This is the house of Christ the
Lord ? ? Holds with a treasure of his
blood ? ? And a reflection deaf of day ? ? Is but the voice of every saint
? ? Oh, let my name be made great and sound ? ? Welcome thy host,
and all thy friends ? ? Still be a-callin' home and friends
? O Canada! God is love. Grace that's unfold,
God forever true. ? And hell and hell do make a bride
? ? To which a vow so much denied ? But I am jealous of thy heart. This it should come from thee
in heart. ? Then let thy name be well impressed
? ? As the first stain that on thy brow was cast ? ? Silver strong is in thy blood
? ? Earth is thy bosom, earth is thy bed ? I have looked in all the sea,
and often I have Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to the Solomon's Song
in chapter six. Read in verse 10 for our text. The Song of Solomon, chapter
six, verse 10. Who is she that looketh forth
as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible
as an army with banners. Who is she? This beautiful, sacred book of
Hebrew poetry, and as is normal with poetry, There's a lot of
metaphors that I use, things from daily life I use to illustrate
spiritual truth. And the principle thing that
is used here in Solomon's Song is that sacred union that is
between a husband and a wife, rightly united together. And
we find this right throughout Holy Scripture. We recently were
looking in the fifth chapter of the Ephesians and there the
apostle he speaks of that union between husband and wife and
then he says, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. So this
beautiful poetry, I honestly feel I would agree with Dr. Gill and several of the Puritans
and they say that Solomon's song is the holy of holies of the
scripture. You might say what do you mean
the holy of holies? You know friends the only way
that we can have any insight into the sacred spiritual language
is by experience and as the Holy Spirit leads us experimentally
into the truth. This was very vividly illustrated
in my own personal spiritual experience. When I was under
the law and I was under the law, what we term under the law, for
like two years and I remember once in my office in London when
the Lord had begun to work with me and I opened this book and
I read right through Solomon's Song. I remember it so distinctly. I closed the book And I said
to myself, I do not understand a syllable that I've read. I
didn't see anything in it whatsoever. Didn't understand the language. But after that two years under
the law, and Christ was then revealed to me as the way, the
truth, and the life, then I read Solomon's Song in a completely
different light. What was first so precious to
me was especially in the first chapter the prayers of the spouse,
of the spouse of Christ, of the church of Christ. It says here
in Solomon's Song, she is but one. And if you just turn with
me to chapter one and these sacred truths after Christ was made
precious to me. Do you know friends, I could
understand the meaning of it. Verse 2, let him kiss me with
the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. Oh, isn't that the desire of
the living soul to whom Christ has been made precious? Let him
kiss me. And then in verse 4, draw me,
we will run after thee. that desire to be drawn to Christ,
to be in union with Christ. And you begin to understand it. And then of course we have in
verse seven, tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, this is
the believer, the spouse, praying unto Christ, tell me, O thou
whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy
flock to rest at noon? For why should I be as one that
turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions. And then we have
the immediate answer from Christ. If thou know not, O thou fairest
among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
and feed thy kids by the shepherds' tents. What are the footsteps
of the flock? They are the footsteps of Christ.
My sheep They know my voice and they follow me and a stranger
were they not follow. That's what it is. The footsteps
of the flock is to follow Christ, is to follow his example. And so in this beautiful poetry,
Sometimes, and I pointed it out to you as we were reading, sometimes
Christ is speaking, and sometimes the spouse, the believer, is
speaking. And praying unto Christ. You
know, we have it here in the, where we began our reading. And
in verse 16, Awake, O Northwind, and come thou South, and blow
upon my garden, that the spice is there, of may flow out. That's
the desire. The garden is the church. There
is another sense in Solomon's Song when the garden is the soul
of the believer. But I believe in particular here
it's the church of God. Awake oh north wind and come
thou south and blow upon my garden. That the spices thereof may flow
out. and the desire of the spouse,
let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits
and then we have the answer of Christ immediately in the beginning
of chapter 5, I am come into my garden and notice the language
he uses, it's the language of love it's the language of love,
love and kindness and compassion because that is the language
of Jesus I am coming to my garden, my sister, my spouse. I've gathered my myrrh with my
spice, I've eaten my honeycomb with my honey, I've drunk my
wine with my milk. Eat, oh friends, drink, yea,
drink abundantly, oh beloved. You see, I am coming to my garden. What a mercy it is, my beloved
friends, when Christ visits His church, His people. When the ministry of the Word
is made special to your soul, when there's a softening of your
heart, when you feed upon the Word, when you feel a love to
Christ and you feel drawn to Christ, and you feel it's been
good to be in the sanctuary. You see, in this chapter five,
we've often pointed it out to you, is that lovely description
of Christ. This is what the spouse saw in
her beloved. This is what the church sees
in Christ. My beloved is white and ruddy. Ruddy is red. What that represents
in this metaphorical language is the blood ruddy, and the righteousness
of Christ, white. My beloved is white. She sees
him as pure, as holy. Have you ever had a little glimpse
of Christ? The holiness of Christ? The perfect
obedience of Christ? As he lived here as a man on
the earth? Have you ever seen a beauty in that? Have you ever
seen a loveliness in that? How beautiful, how sacred is
Christ? The Holy One of Israel. as he
was made of a woman made under the law that he might redeem
them that are under the law and when he became a man he came
under the law and he lived under the law as a man and he fulfilled
it. I have not come to destroy the
law but to fulfill it and that is what Christ has done and you
know to the believer there is something so beautiful and sacred
in that that he's come to fulfill the
law. And not only that, he has fulfilled
the law. And as Daniel puts it in his
prophecy, the bringing in of everlasting righteousness. That's
what Christ has done. Oh, my beloved is white and ruddy. But not only that glorious everlasting
robe of the righteousness of Christ, but the cross of Christ,
the blood of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ. It becomes something
that is so needful and necessary for the believer. Was Jesus crucified
for me? Did he suffer, bleed and die
for me? Were my sins laid upon him in
Gethsemane? Did he suffer for me when he
suffered and bled and died for his people? You see, when thou
my righteous judge shalt come, to take thy ransomed people home,
shall I among them stand? Shall I among them stand? That's
the desire of the true believer. The apostle says, don't he, that
I may be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that righteousness which is by faith of the Son
of God. Faith of the Son of God. My beloved
is white and ruddy, the chiefest among 10,000. You know friends
you put him among 10,000 of the sons of men and he stands out
the most glorious. You put him among 10,000 of the
angels of heaven and he stands out as most glorious. He's the
chiefest. He's the center. He's the sun. He's the substance of all your
hopes and desires. Give me Christ or else I die. That's the language of the true
believer. Give me Christ or else I die. His head has the most
fine gold. Gold represents divinity. He's
not just a man, he's not just a good man, he's not just a holy
man, a righteous man. He's the God-man. He's the eternal
son of the eternal father. And that righteousness that he
brought out for his people is an everlasting righteousness.
It clothes them forever, for all eternity to come. They're
clothed in that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. You see, his head is as the most
fine gold. Is there a beauty to you in Christ
being the eternal son of the eternal father? The apostle adds
to that in the Hebrews and he's speaking of him as the eternal
son of God and he says wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth. He's the
eternal Son of the eternal Father. Therefore, He's able to save
unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. One of the hymn
writers, he says, once in Him, in Him forever. And my beloved
friends, that's true. You can't fall out of Christ.
If you're in Christ, you're in Christ eternally. If you're in
Christ, you've been in Him from eternity past. and you'll be
in him all eternity to come. If you're justified by Christ,
you've been justified from all eternity and you're justified
for all eternity to come. It's an everlasting salvation. You know, what brings me to say
that? I remember years ago, somebody,
a young Dutchman disputing this point and as he was speaking
of it, it came so suddenly to my mind what is found in Psalm
103, the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear Him. You see, the Lord's people are
saved with an everlasting salvation and they are safe eternally in
Christ. None shall pluck them out of
my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. His head is as the most fine
gold, his locks are bushy and black as a raven, his eyes are
as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk fitly
set. What is it with eyes? You can
tell if you're with somebody, in one sense you can tell what
mood they're in and what is going through their mind. If a person
is really angry, their eyes shine brighter and And it's not a nice
look, it's an angry look. But if a person, such as we have
this sacred relationship between Christ and his church, if a person
even naturally loves you, you look into one another's eyes.
There's something beautiful in it, even in a natural sense of
the word. How much more so in the spiritual
sense of the word? Just consider Peter. When he
denied his Lord and Master three times, and the last time with
oaths and with curses, Christ was being judged. But what happened? Jesus turned and looked upon
Peter. And what happened to Peter? He
went out and wept bitterly. Why did he go out and weep bitterly? Because that look of Christ was
a look of love, a look of compassion. Even though Peter denied him
with oaths and curses, yet he looked on him with love and with
compassion. And it broke his heart. It broke
his heart at what he had done to his Lord and his Master. But
it was a look of love, not a look of anger. Again, when Christ
comes to judgment in the book of the Revelation, We read his
eyes are as a flame of fire. His eyes are as a flame of fire,
coming to judgment, piercing through everything he looks at.
But here, when he looks upon his spouse, upon his bride, upon
the believer, his eyes are as the eyes of doves, eyes of peace,
eyes of love. by the rivers of waters washed
with milk, fitly set." Oh, my beloved friends, I love Solomon's
Song, and I love these descriptions that are given to us of Christ.
You see, this is my beloved. This is my friend. Oh, daughters
of Jerusalem, Just look at verse 15. His legs are as pillars of
marble set upon sockets of fine gold. Again, the fine gold. The pillars of marble represent
strength and stability. The fine gold represents divinity. He's the eternal son of the eternal
father. Upon this rock I build my church
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. All the sacred
strength and stability there is in Christ. That's what these
things represent. His legs are as pillars of marble,
set upon sockets of fine gold. His countenance, that is the
whole of his countenance, as she looks upon him, his countenance
is as Lebanon, excellent, as the seed, as his mouth is most
sweet, yea. You see, here he speaks of his
lips and then it says his mouth here is most sweet. How soft
the words my Saviour speaks. How kind the promises He makes. All the promises of God are yay
and amen in Christ Jesus. And when He breathes those promises
into your heart by the Holy Ghost, then His mouth is most sweet. My meditation of Him shall be
sweet. And then it's almost as if she's
lost for words. Yay! He is altogether lovely. He's altogether lovely. She expresses
her overflown love. And you know, friends, we love
Him because He first loved us. Because He first loved us. Now,
as we come through here, Christ speaks so beautifully
of His church here in chapter 6. Thou art beautiful, O my love,
as terse are comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners."
And then, she looks to him. Remember this is, the illustration
is between a husband and a wife. And he says, turn away thine
eyes from me. She was looking at him, she was
looking unto him. As a believer does, she prays
to him. She pleads with him. She looks
to him. She loves him. Turn away thine
eyes from me, for they have overcome me. He was overcome with her
love as she looked to him. And this is such sacred spiritual
language. He speaks so beautifully of her. In chapter four, he says, Thou
art all fair, my love. There is no spot in thee. What,
you say, a poor believer? A sinful believer? Yes, there
is no spot in there. Why? Because she's washed in
his precious blood. She's clothed in that glorious
everlasting robe of his righteousness. We have this question in the
beginning of our text. Who is she? Who is she? Well, we have an answer given
to us so beautifully in Psalm 45. The king's daughter is all
glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold.
The king's daughter, that, who she is? Or we've just sung in
the hymn, this is the spouse of Christ our God, bought with
the treasures of his blood. Who is she? Then it describes
what she's doing. Who is she that looketh forth
as the morning? She looketh forth as the morning. In faith. In faith. fair as the moon, clear as the
sun, terrible as an army with banners. Who is she that looketh
forth as the morning? You know, there comes the dawning
of light in the soul of the Lord's people. When the Lord shines
in, he shines into their heart. When that first dawning of light
into the soul, when the Spirit of God enters, quickens the soul
into life, and you discover your darkness, but there's a light
that shines. Remember Bunyan and Pilgrim? The evangelist, he said to Pilgrim,
see yon shining light, First off, he says, see yon wicket
gate. And he said, no. He says, see yon shining light.
I think so. Well, you go there. He's speaking
of Christ, the glorious person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yon
shining light. We read, do we not, in the gospels,
the Lord Jesus Christ says, I am the light of the world. I am
the light of the world. So we read in 2 Corinthians chapter
4 and verses 5 and 6. For we preach not ourselves but
Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. in the face
of Jesus Christ. That's where this light shines,
in the face of Jesus Christ. When it says in the face of Jesus
Christ, it means in the person of Jesus Christ. In the person
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God that is manifest in the flesh.
That is where that light shines and enlightens your darkness.
Who is she that looketh forth? She, the spirit of faith in the
believer looks forth. When the soul is quickened by
the spirit and learns and realizes their lost condition and then
the Holy Ghost reveals the things of Jesus. And there's a light
that shines into the soul. Who is she? That looketh forth. There's a looking forth. Where?
Out of this world. Out of the things of this world.
This world is a wilderness and becomes a wilderness to the true
believer. And so they look out of South,
and out of this world, they look to Jesus. Doesn't the Apostle
say so beautifully in Hebrews chapter 12? Let us lay aside
every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and
let us run with patience the race that is set before us. You
say, how can I run this race? Looking unto Jesus. That's the
only way that you'll run this race. looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross despising the shame thereof and
is now set down at the right hand of the majesty on high who
is she that looketh forth as the morning you know there's
that lovely word in the prophet Malachi unto you that fear my
name shall the Son of Righteousness arise, that is Son, S-U-N, the
Son of Righteousness arise. Christ there is likened to the
Son in the heavens. Unto you that fear my name shall
the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. He's
the glorious, eternal Son of Righteousness. He gives righteousness
unto his people. They have no righteousness of
their own. But in him they find an everlasting righteousness.
Who is she that looketh forth as the morning? You see the dawning
on the soul, the sun of righteousness arising with healing. Healing. Doesn't the hymn writer say,
heal us Emmanuel, here we are. Waiting to feel thy touch, deep
wounded souls to thee repair and save you. We are such, who
is she, that looketh forth as the morning. She looks forth
as the morning, the dawning of the day. Fair as the moon, clear
as the sun. The moon, in a metaphorical sense,
in holy scripture, represents the church. The sun represents
Christ. Christ is the son of righteousness. He has healing in his wings.
Now, the fact is, is that the moon has no light of its own.
The light that you see on the moon comes from the sun. It is literally a reflection
of the light of the sun. There is no light in itself.
It's a borrowed light. It comes from the sun. What a
beautiful description of the Church. The Church has no light
of her own. The only light she has comes
from the Son, from the Son of Righteousness, our Lord and our
Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the book of the Revelation
in chapter 12, John is given a revelation there
of Christ and of the chapter 12 and verse 1 and there
appeared a great wonder in heaven a woman clothed with the sun
and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. In this initial sense in this
first verse it's the 12 tribes of the children of Israel that
are represented the old testament church there
appeared a great wonder in heaven a woman clothed with the sun
and the moon under her feet and upon her was a crown of 12 stars
and she being with child cried what is this here that is being
described it's the birth of christ the the Levitical Church of the
Jews were waiting for the coming of Christ. They were looking
forth as the morning, waiting for the promised Messiah. They
listened to the promises of the prophets that were breathed into
their heart and they were waiting and watching for the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is she that looketh forth
as the morning? And then She being with child,
travailed in birth and pain to be delivered. That's what they
were longing for. To be delivered of the child that had been promised
right from the beginning of time. Seed of the woman. Seed of the woman. That's what
they were looking for. It's narrowed down as we come
through scripture. First it's the whole of the human
race. But then when we come to Abraham,
it's the seed of Abraham. So it narrows down. to the seed
of Abraham and the house of Israel. And then when we come to the
generation of David it's narrowed down even further. It's David. Christ is called the Son of David.
And so there was a looking in that line of the Son of David
for the coming of the Messiah which in due time He did come. You see and... She would pain to be delivered.
and there appeared another wonder in heaven and behold a great
red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns
upon his head and his tail drew in the third part of the stars
of heaven and he cast them to the earth. I believe that gives
us a little intimation as to how many angels fell when Satan
fell. Lucifer, the son of the morning,
he fell. And It says there a third part
of the stars of heaven and did cast him to the earth and the
dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered
for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And we know that
in the days of Herod the king that he searched diligently that
he might destroy that young child but the Lord delivered him and
she brought forth a man child who was to rule all nations with
a rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to
His throne. You see, my beloved friends,
and then we now have the New Testament church, and the woman
fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared of God,
and they should feed her there 1,203 score days. And now we're flashing back into
heaven, verse 7, But there was war in heaven. Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought with his
angels. And this is a wonderful mercy, and prevailed not. Neither
was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon
was cast out. The old serpent called the devil
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. and then
we have this beautiful word with the casting out of Satan and
it actually describes to us how Satan was cast out and I heard
a loud voice saying now is come salvation and strength and the
kingdom of our God and the power is Christ for the accuser of
our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day
and night and now it speaks of these true believers, the spouse
of Christ, and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives
unto death. Unto death. We have here, my
beloved friends, a beautiful description of the church on
earth, and how the Lord will preserve her. They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.
that we may be enabled to give that word of our testimony. If
Jesus loves you, if you know that he loves you, if you've
experienced his love in your soul, we need to give a testimony
of what Jesus has done for your soul. Come and hear all you that
fear God and declare what he hath done for my soul. Who is
she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear
as the sun, and terrible as an army? with banners. Terrible
as an army with banners. If you look at Christ describing
his church in verse 4, Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tersa,
comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. What
would probably illustrate this the best? Mary, Queen of Scots,
who later became what is known as Bloody Mary, When she was the Queen of Scots,
she said on one occasion, I fear the prayers of John Knox more
than an army of 10,000 men. You see, terrible as an army
with banners. The weakest saint upon his knees.
Doesn't it say in the hymn there? Satan trembles when he sees the
weakest saint upon his knees. Terrible. as an army of banners. One of the hymn writers says
the force of their united cries no power can long withstand.
We have evidences in the word of God of the Lord's people crying
unto the Lord in desperate circumstances and the Lord in a moment sends
deliverance. They are terrible as an army
with banners. The church on its knees, the
church in prayer. You know the church is never
stronger than when she's on her knees in prayer. The things that
will bring you on your knees will be very troubling and very
trying and very perplexing. But it will bring you on your
knees, it will bring you to feel your weakness, your helplessness,
your hopelessness, but it will bring you on your knees, crying
unto the Lord, Lord help me. And you'll prove what the apostle
did, when I am weak, then am I strong. It's in your felt weakness
that you find strength in Christ. It's in your felt weakness that
you are strong in faith. Strong in faith. We read of those
faithful in the epistle to the Hebrews. These all died in faith,
not having received the promises. They died in faith, believing. They believed. Well, what a wonderful
thing it is when we're brought to believe. Very lovely words, very simple
words that were spoken by the Apostle to the Philippian jailer
when the man was about to fall upon his sword. And he said, what must I do to
be saved? And the Apostle said, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's where
safety is, that's where salvation is. That precious blood of Christ
that cleanses from all sin that prepares the church for eternal
glory, that clothes the church in that everlasting righteousness
of our Lord Jesus Christ. My mind, as I preach, it keeps
going to that lovely, beautiful, messianic psalm, Psalm 45, and
how there it speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son
of the eternal Father. My heart is indicting a good
matter I speak of the things that I have made touching the
King. The King is Christ. He's God over all and blessed
forevermore. My tongue is the pen of a ready
writer. Thou art fairer than the children
of men. This is the description of Christ. Thou art fairer than the children
of men. Grace is poured into thy lips. You know, we read in
John, he is full of grace and truth. And He's always full of
grace and truth. He'll never, He always will be
full of grace and truth. That grace in Christ will never
diminish. We read in another place, it's
a word that has been very special to me, and He giveth more grace. Is that what you feel to need?
More grace? Grace to follow Him, grace to
serve Him, grace to live unto Him? Thou art fairer than the
children of Beal. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore God hath blessed thee forever. Now listen to the desire
of the church. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty, and in thy majesty,
ride prosperously. This is a church praying for
spiritual prosperity. In thy majesty, ride prosperously
because of truth and meekness and righteousness, and thy right
hand shall teach thee. terrible thing. Just look at
verse 6. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever. The scepter of thy kingdom is
a right scepter. He sitteth king forever. The
scepter of thy kingdom. It's a right scepter. It's a
righteous scepter. That's what it means. The scepter
is the symbol of power and authority. and it hath pleased the Father
that in him should all fullness dwell. And that fullness dwells
there for his people. And the other thing it says,
of course, concerning Jesus Christ, in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, in the glorious person of Christ. Then
it goes on in that Psalm 45, verse 9, it speaks of the church,
the spouse of Christ, king's daughters, were among thy honourable
women. Upon thy right hand did stand
the Queen in gold of Ophir, that's the church, the spouse of Christ,
in gold of Ophir. And then there's a word of exhortation,
hearken, O daughter, and consider and incline thine ear, forget
also thine own people and thy father's house. So shall the
King greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord, and worship
thou him. Precious words of grace, aren't
they? And then we've already quoted verse 13. The king's daughter
is all glorious within. Her clothing is of wrought gold.
She shall be brought unto the king in raiment and needlework.
That's the righteousness of Christ. The virgins, her companions that
follow her, these are the daughters of Jerusalem, shall be brought
unto thee. with gladness and rejoicing shall
they be brought, they shall enter into the king's palace. Wonderful
words of grace, aren't they? They shall enter into the king's
palace. That is, the king's daughter.
Into those mansions that are spoken of in John chapter 14. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. They shall enter into the king's
palace." What a precious thought, to enter into the king's palace. Not a hoof shall be left behind.
No. They will enter into the King's
Palace. It's something that is divinely certain, my beloved
friends. You may feel yourself to be so
small and so insignificant, but you have union with Christ. And that is the great thing.
And you will enter into the King's Palace. You're among those that
we have in our text. Who is she? that looketh forth
as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible
as an army with banners. Who is she? This is the spouse of Christ
our God, brought with the treasures of His blood. May the Lord add
His blessings. Let us now sing together hymn
number 268. The tune is Sabbath Eve 919. If Jesus kindly say,
and with a whispering word, arise my love and come away, I run to meet my Lord. Hymn 268. ? And in the whispered words ?
? The words more exalted than the moment ? ? I run to meet
my Lord ? ? My heart is full of praise ?
? My eyes don't sleep in empty tears ? ? And melted is thy praise ? ? I'm not just a well-night ? ?
And give the cheerful strain ? And of the moon, and of the stars,
Till each day silence brings. ? He makes me wait on His ? ? And
with Him I'm in place ? ? I take the fear and doubt in place ?
? And wonder at his face ? ? Then the moon drops its shadows
? ? High on a hilltop ? As I reach my Saviour's heart,
I give Him all my heart. Blessed and generous I ? Now he's my fellow pest ? ? I
long to lay me down and die ? ? And find himself a friend ? 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. Amen.