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 truth. 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. And 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, and cause me to hear it. He bids us cause 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 head, 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're living confusion all your life. We do not look for times
and dates. No one knows the day or hour
the Lord's coming or got any idea when it's going to 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 pissed 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. 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, Red and
John and Ephesians 1 have it, 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 1 Peter chapter 2. 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 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 loved 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 hearts and that love being shed abroad in our hearts 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 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,
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 accomplishment. 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 heart 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. Many women who know
him, love him as he's revealed in this book. All of them do.
If any man loves 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 to 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 buttonhole
religionist. He wasn't much of a father of
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, every one of you, every one of you, we're coming
now to Christ. Merle Hart, I'm 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 is. 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 he said. That's
just what he said. You mean you have to hate that
woman who just said 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 she say? Well, she can go with me if she
wants to. What you gonna do? Whatever he
commands. What did she say? I don't consult her about it.
What you gonna do? Whatever he says. No matter what
the consequences. He's the object of my love. And
that's what he's talking about. That's what he's talking about.
My wife won't worship with me. I'm sorry, but she can go to
hell by herself. She's not going. 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 him.
No, sir. This is what it 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, cut 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, he 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 desire. Understand what it means? My
beloved. My beloved. There is no other. My beloved. My darling daughter,
yeah, but he's my beloved. She's my beloved daughter, yeah,
but he is my beloved. He's my beloved wife, yes, but
he's my beloved. Doug's 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 many 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 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 the 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 whiff 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, Bobby don't know
his law. That's all it's done. 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? Oh yeah, I love him because he
first loved me and purchased my pardon on Calvary Street. Now then, our text talks about
the mountains too. Make haste, my beloved, and be
thou like unto a roe, a deer, or to a young hark 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 two, verse
17. Until the daybreak and the shadows
flee away, turn my beloved and be thou like unto a roe or a
young heart upon the mountains of Bithyr. The word Bithyr means
divisions. And she says, be like a roe 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 sins. Oh, 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 a manna
from the top of Sinai 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
and 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 does not God. He's talking then about death
and hell and patience. 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 4, in verse
6, 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. It's used to speak of perfume. He shall lie as a bundle of myrrh
between my breast, she says, all night. He's talking about,
she's talking about perfume, sweet, sweet fragrance. But to
taste it, oh, how bitter, how bitter. She'll be, if I splosh
on some aftershave or some cologne and I go pour her a cup of coffee,
she'll take and pour it out and get a fresh cup because she's
got to taste that bitter cologne. 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 imputed 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 to us. 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 hill 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 merit. the mountain 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've
preached the gospel. I've preached the gospel to you.
Some of you hear it, some of you don't, but I preached it
to all of you. It's appeared to all of us. But for God's elect,
something's happened. Teaching us. Teaching us. The word means educating us. See, God doesn't try to teach.
We've got some teachers in the auditorium here 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 lessons.
See to it that they hear it and get the lessons. I had a professor
of New Testament Greek when I was in college. He was the toughest
professor I ever had. I mean, he was tough. All he required
to pass the course was a perfect score. That's all it required.
Perfect score. Anything less, you've lost it.
on everything. But when you got done, you knew
Greek. You got the message. He thought to it that you got
the message. Well, God sees to it that we get the message. Educating
us. This is what the grace of God
teaches us. That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. 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 Him. Looking for
Him. 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 eight 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, he put an end to it. I believe I look for him. Oh, even so come Lord Jesus. And when he comes, there's going
to be a great resurrection. I thought, 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, shouldn't we? 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. My Redeemer lives. 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 or that thing of prophecy. 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 going to 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 in not another, though my reign
be consumed with anger. When he comes, our Lord's going
to create all things new. And he's going to set everything
in his proper order. When he comes, he's going to
clear his elect of all charges from every corner, all of it. Folks misjudge you now, you'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
in everything. 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 comes Lord Jesus. Make
haste, my beloved. Amen. All right, you come listen
to him and the deacons who serve the Lord's table.