I had a brief visit with Brother Todd Nybert earlier this week. We were chatting about preaching. And I made this statement concerning preaching. Preaching is not just instructing people with facts, doctrinal truths. There's no preaching unless there is that kind of instruction. A man who doesn't instruct you with facts, gospel truths, hasn't preached the Word of God. But preaching is more than that. Preaching is somehow moving men and women toward God. and no man can do that. Only God the Holy Spirit speaking through these lips of clay can move you toward God.

Now I pray that he will. As we look tonight in the Song of Solomon chapter 8 and verse 14, I try to set before you this urgent prayer of God's people. This song of Solomon is an allegorical song, as we've seen many times, describing the love of Christ for his people and the love of his people for him. A song describing the love of Christ, our bridegroom, for his bride chosen, redeemed, robed in his righteousness and the love of his bride for him. Our Lord's last word to his church in this song of love was this request in verse 13.

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice, calls me to give it. He bids us, calls him to hear our voice unceasingly. But the last stanza of the song, comes from the heart of the bride, the church of God in this world, whom he's left here for a season. It is a word expressing the intense desire of every believing heart in this world, the great longing of God's church, that the Lord Jesus Christ, who has gone away, may make haste and come again to us, that he may come quickly from heaven to earth, as we sang a little bit ago to snatch his bride away. The last verse of the song then is a prayer. A prayer for the glorious second advent of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus. Look at verse 14. Make haste, my beloved. Make haste, my beloved. Be thou like to a roe or to a young heart upon the mountains of spices. Make haste, my beloved.

It's the same prayer that John utters at the close of the book. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. You promised when you went away to prepare a place for us, that if you went away, you would come again and receive us unto yourself, that where you are, we may be there to dwell in your presence forever. Our hearts, then, are filled with hope. We look for you. We wait for you. We long for you. We pray, make haste, my beloved.

I hope your heart is in tune with this desire. Do you long for the Lord's advent, for his second coming? Sometimes I'm afraid that we accept the doctrine of Christ's second advent in our heads, but somehow we have missed the intense desire for his coming. It is my purpose this evening, by God's grace, to stir up our hearts that we may indeed long for the coming of our Redeemer. We ought always to live upon the tiptoe of faith, looking for and expecting the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I can't stress this sufficiently. I've said it to you many, many times. We do not look for signs. If you're looking for signs, you'll live in confusion all your life. We do not look for times and dates. No one knows the day or hour of the Lord's coming. any got any idea when it's gonna happen nobody anybody who pretends to is either confused or deceived or both we however Must ever look for him live upon the tiptoe of faith Expecting him looking for him day by day We who believe should live every day in anticipation of the Lord's glorious return behold he cometh And every eye shall see him, they also which pierced him shall wail because of him. Now in our text this evening, there are three things to which I want to call your attention. First, I'll talk to you a little bit about the beloved, and then the mountains, and then the prayer that's here set before us.

First, our text speaks about Christ the beloved. Jesus Christ is the beloved object of believing hearts. The title the church gives him throughout this song is My Beloved. James read in Ephesians 1 how that we are made accepted in the beloved. Jesus Christ is the beloved of every believing heart.

There are no exceptions. True religion has many aspects, many facets, many sides. It is practical. It is doctrinal. and it is personal. But it matters not how practical your religion is, how doctrinally correct your religion is, or how personal and experimental your religion is. If your religion has not produced in you a genuine love for the Son of God, your religion is a mockery to your soul. Believers love Jesus Christ. All of God's people do.

We don't love him like we should. We don't love him like we want to. Blessed be his name. We don't love him like we soon shall, but love him we do. We don't brag about our love. We don't like to sing about our love. We don't talk about our love for him. It's not worthy of mention, but we never deny it.

We love him. We love him. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit says, let him be damned. The Lord is coming. He is so worthy of our love that those who love him not are worthy to be damned. Loving him does not bring us into union with him. It's faith that brings us into union with him. But those and those only who are born of God, those and all of those who are born of God do love Jesus Christ sincerely. Turn to first Peter chapter two. 1 Peter chapter 2. In verse 7, the apostle Peter describes believers this way, unto you therefore which believe, he is precious, precious, precious.

We use that term a little too loosely. This dear lady sitting here, she's precious to me. She's precious to me. Our Lord Jesus Christ to every believer is precious. That means that nobody likes him. Nothing to compare to him. Rare, rare, rare, precious. Something about him makes him precious. And it is our faith in him that causes him to be precious to us. This is the true testimony then of every believer.

John says in 1 John 4, 19, We love him because he first loved us. He loved us before we loved him. And so his love certainly precedes our love for him. He said, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drove you. His love certainly exceeds our love to Him. He loves us infinitely. He loves us infinitely better than we could possibly love Him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. Herein is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. But his love for us that love which he has for us from eternity that love which he has revealed in us Causes us to love him the love of god is shed abroad in our heart and that love being shed abroad in our heart Creates in us love for him And we love the lord jesus christ experimentally every believer walks in varying unceasing experience of Christ's love. Sometimes we walk in the blessed knowledge of the experience of his love. Sometimes we experience his love from his chastening rod, but we constantly experience his love. Not only do we love him and experience his love, but we love him sincerely.

We love him growingly, And yet we love him supremely so that we we love the son of God above all others and nothing rivals him. And we continually grow in that love for him so that the believer, while he doesn't increase in his holiness, he doesn't increase in righteousness, he doesn't in any way make himself more favorable to God. Certainly the believer does grow in sanctification. He does grow in that grace of God, which causes us to love him, to love him unceasingly and to love him growingly.

We love the Lord Jesus Christ. because of who he is. He is God incarnate, revealed to us. Jesus Christ is himself God Almighty, altogether lovely. Lovely in his Godhood lovely in his covenant offices, lovely as our surety, lovely as our substitute, lovely as our king, lovely as our sovereign, lovely in his sacrifice, lovely in his accomplishments.

We love him for all that he is and for all that he's done. So that the believer has Christ revealed in him and Christ revealed in him is God revealed in him, revealed in us in such a way that makes us in our hearts to be completely reconciled to Him. All that He is. All that He is.

People talk to me all the time and say, well, you know, these folks, they're Christians, they're believers, but they don't like God's sovereignty. They don't like effectual redemption. They don't like particular grace. They don't like distinguishing love. They don't like God. That's what you're saying. Oh, no, no, no, they love Jesus. No, they don't love their notion about Jesus.

Men and women who know him, love him, as he's revealed in this book. All of them do. All of them. If any man loved not the Lord Jesus Christ, Larry, just like he's revealed right here, let him be damned. He deserves it. The Lord's coming. We love him because of all that he is. Where there is genuine faith in Christ, there is sincere, increasing love for him.

Turn to Luke chapter 14. Luke the 14th chapter. I don't know how to say this, to state it any plainer than our Lord states it here. I certainly don't know how to preach it in such a way as make folks understand what he's saying, apparently, because most folks don't pay any attention to it. But I want you to see what our Lord says here in Luke 14. Our Lord had been preaching and there went great multitudes with him. Verse 25. And he wasn't much of a soul winner. He wasn't much of a He wasn't much of a buttonhole religionist. He wasn't much of a fellow to pump professions out of folks. He turned and said to them, these folks come and following after him, well, let's get them in the church. No, let's tell them what this thing involves.

Let's tell them what it involves to be a follower of Christ. Let me tell you what it means to confess him, to be his disciple. He turned and said to them, if any man come to me, you're coming to me. You're coming to me. Listen to me now, everyone. Every one of you, we're coming now to Christ. Merle Harden talking to you, just as if you had never heard my voice before, we're coming to him. Now, if you come to him, if I come to him, he says, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yes, and his own life also. He'll get to heaven by the skin of his teeth.

That's not what he says. He cannot be my disciple. Cannot. Cannot. Although I don't know many folks who know that kind of Christianity, you don't know many folks who know any kind of Christianity. That's just what it says. That's just what it says. You mean you have to hate that woman you just said is precious to you? Yes, sir. And in this context, I do. and I have to renew it every day. What does that mean? That means this dear lady, the dearest object of my affection of anything on this earth, is not even to be considered when it comes to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

What you gonna do? Whatever he says. What's she say? Well, she can go with me if she wants to. What are you going to do? Whatever he commands. What did she say? I don't consult her about it. What are you going to do? Whatever he says, no matter what the consequences. He's the object of my love. That's what he's talking about. That's what he's talking about.

Well, my wife won't worship with me. I'm sorry, but she can go to hell by herself. I'm not going with her. My sons and daughters won't worship with me. They can go to hell if they're determined, but they're not going to keep me from worshiping them. No, sir. This is what he says, if you come after me and hate not father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and your own life also.

If your right hand offends you, cut it off. Right eye offends you, pluck it out. Your foot offends you, cut it off. What on earth does that mean? It doesn't mean cut your arm off, cut your hand off, pluck your eyes out. Literally, no, no, no, no. But Merle, there are some things in this world as precious to you as your right hand. as precious to you as your right eye, as precious to you as your right foot, and if they hinder you from worshiping Christ, cut it off. That's what it says. This is serious business.

If you're going to be my disciple, you follow me, love me. Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Look at verse 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple. Now then, understand what this means. My Jesus, I love Thee. I know Thou art mine. For Thee, all the follies of sin I beside. Understand what it means? I be loved. Gary, there is no other. I be loved.

My darling daughter, yeah, but he's my beloved. She's my beloved daughter, yeah, but he is my beloved. She's my beloved wife, yeah, but he's my beloved. Doug, my beloved son, but he's my beloved. Audrey Grace, my beloved grandchild, he is my beloved.

You understand what I'm saying? Believers are men and women. whose lives are ruled and governed and motivated by the love of Christ. The love of Christ constrains us. I made this statement just the other day to someone talking about, you know, every now and then preachers, they try to, folks aren't doing what they think they ought to be doing, so preachers will revert to law and they'll get out the whip and start working them over pretty good. Intimidate, threaten, promise. Now you listen carefully to me.

If the love of Christ. If the love of Christ. Will not cause you to serve him, you don't know him. If the whip of the law, if the threat of punishment, the promise of reward will get you to do what the love of Christ will get you to do, probably you don't know who he is. That's all there is to it. Believers are motivated, governed, ruled, controlled by the love of Christ.

This, then, is the test of true faith. By this, let us determine whether or not the grace of God is in us. Do I love the Lord Jesus Christ or not? Is he or is he not my beloved? I love him because he first loved me and purchased my pardon on Calvary Street.

Now then, our text talks about some mountains, too. Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like unto a roe, a deer, or to a young heart upon the mountains of bitter, or mountains of spices, rather. Now, in this text, The bride is calling for the bridegroom to come from the place where he now is, the Mountains of Spices. But as we've gone through this Song of Solomon, we've seen four references to mountains now. Let's look at them just briefly. Turn back to chapter 2, verse 17.

Until the daybreak and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like unto a roe, our young heart, upon the mountains of Pisa. The word bither means divisions. And she says, be like a row or a young heart coming to me on the mountains of divisions.

You see, there were mountains of divisions standing between us and our God. Mountains which we could never cross, mountains which we could never get over, mountains which God in his absolute strict godhood could never come across to us either. Mountains of righteousness, the mountain of his strict justice, the mountain of our sin. But the Lord Jesus Christ God incarnate this one who is truly God and truly man he is able to bridge the gap he comes leaping across the mountains of division and Levels every mountain and brings us together with God in perfect reconciliation Then in chapter 4 in verse 8 We're told about some other mountains Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Ammanah, from the top of Shinar and Hermon, from the lion's den, from the mountains of leopards.

Some years ago, I read about a lion escaping from a circus. Of course, it had been declawed, defanged, But it had gotten hold of some child and mauled that child. Can you imagine the terror? Just the horrid, horrid, horrid terror that went through the mind of that child as that lion roared and jumped on him. This horrid shock.

He's talking here about terrifying mountains. Mountains that create quaking in our souls. Mountains of terror to every man who knows not God. He's talking then about death. and hell and Satan. Ah, but the Lord Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation, he who has conquered death, hell and the grave and conquered Satan for us comes to us across the mountains of terror. He has put to silence all those things that would terrify his people. And he has made us to be more than conquerors in him.

And then in chapter four in verse six, until the daybreak and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountains of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. Now, myrrh has two meanings, signifies two things. Myrrh means bitterness, bitterness, bitterness, but it signifies fragrance as well. that she used to speak of perfume. He shall lie as a bundle of myrrh between my breast, she says, all night. She's talking about perfume, sweet, sweet fragrance.

But to taste it, oh, how bitter, how bitter. She'll be, if I slosh him with an aftershave or some cologne, and I go pour her a cup of coffee, she'll take it and pour it out and get a fresh cup because it's got the taste of that bitter cologne on it. Smells good, but tastes horrible. Tastes horrible.

And here's what he's talking about. It refers to the bitterness which our Lord Jesus endured as our substitute. When he had our sin impeded to him, and he was forsaken by his father, and the wrath of God poured out upon him. Oh, what bitterness in his soul! Oh, what fragrance does. What sweet myrrh for us. When he was made sin, we were made righteous. He was forsaken that we might forever be accepted. He bore the wrath of God that we might forever bear his smile.

And then in our text here in verse 14 of chapter 8, she cries, come to me upon the mountains of spices. These mountains of spices are the mountains of heaven itself where our Redeemer now dwells. He sits keying upon His holy heel of Zion, and these spices, I'm just guessing, but I suspect that much more could be added to it than this, but certainly these mountains of spices are talking about the mountains of His merits, the mountains of His intercession, the mountain of His advocacy, the mountain in which He is forever praised. You read about it back in Revelation 5. He's praised in heaven's glory upon the mountains of spices.

And then thirdly, our text gives us a prayer. Every believing heart should desire and anticipate with expectation the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Make haste, my beloved. Turn to Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. In verse 11, the Apostle Paul gives this admonition. He says, the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Titus 2,

11. That doesn't mean that God has come and offered salvation to everybody.

It means that Jesus Christ has been preached to all men. We preach the gospel. I preach the gospel to you. Some of you hear it, some of you don't, but I preach it to all of you. It's appeared to all of us. But for God's elect, something's happening, teaching us. teaching us. The word means educating us.

See, God doesn't try to teach. He doesn't teach you in the auditorium this evening. And good teachers do more than give the lessons. Good teachers see to it that the students get the lessons. Just whatever it takes, see to it they get the lesson. See to it that they hear it and get the lesson. I had a Professor of New Testament Greek when I was in college is toughest professor I ever had I mean he was tough all he required to pass the course was perfect score It's all required perfect score anything less you plugged it on everything But when you got done you knew Greek You got the lesson. He saw to it that you got the lesson.

Well God sees to it that we get the lesson Educating us. This is what the grace of God teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, right now, right here, in this world, in this age, in this generation.

No excuses. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearance of the great God and our Savior. The grace of God teaches us to live in this world denying ungodliness and unrighteousness, looking for Jesus Christ the Lord. How do you expect folks to live for Christ in this world? Looking for it, that's how. Looking for it, living on the tiptoe of faith, anticipating Him. Well, why should we be so anxious for His speedy return? Why should we eagerly anticipate the glorious appearing of this great God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus? Well, that's a question that seems a little redundant, isn't it?

That's the result of true love. I'm going to be gone for a couple of days this week. Come Friday evening, about 8 o'clock, she's going to be looking for me. She's going to be looking for me. That's the appointed time of my arrival back. Thus God's pleased to intervene. That's why I'm supposed to be here. And she'll be looking for me. How come? Because she loves me. That's all. That's all.

And those who love him are looking for him. When our Savior comes, he's going to bring an end to all our present conflict. All the struggles we have with sin and this world, with our flesh and with Satan, all sorrow, all bereavement, all heartache. I believe I'll look for him. Oh, even so come Lord Jesus. And when he comes, there's going to be a great resurrection. I thought this afternoon, where am I going to go with this and what text?

Let's look at one, Job chapter 19. Job chapter 19. We ought to have at least as much confidence in this matter as the fellow who wrote the oldest book in the Bible should. This is Job now. This is Job. The book of Job is the oldest of all books in the Bible, probably. This fellow lived a long, long, long time ago, and this is what he said. Job chapter 19, verse 25.

I know. I know. Rex, I know this. I know this. I redeem this. Not only is he alive, he is life. And I know this, I'm absolutely certain of this, don't have any question about this. He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. I get letters all the time, folks ask me about this thing of prophecy, that thing of prophecy, and I've got some pretty firm convictions, but I tell them, well, I don't know much about prophecy and I'm not interested, but I know this, he's gonna stand on the earth, that's good enough. He's coming, that's what I'm looking for, and I'm not even concerned about the details. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself. And mine eyes shall behold and not another, though my reign be consumed with envy. When he comes, our Lord's gonna create all things new. And he's gonna set everything in his proper order. When he comes, he's going to clear his elect of all charges from every corner.

All of them. Folks misjudge you now, he'll straighten it out. Folks slander you now, he'll straighten it out. No charges, gonna be laid against you. He'll clear everything. He's going to show the honor of his name. Everything gonna praise him. He's going to display the glory of His great grace in all His people. He's going to tread upon the necks of all His enemies and ours. And He's going to be glorious in everything forever. Even so, come, O Jesus, make haste, my beloved.