Let's look today to the Song
of Solomon. The Song of Solomon, chapter
two. In some Bibles, this book is
called the Canticles, but in most of our Bibles, it is the
Song of Solomon. I want to read verses eight through
13 of chapter two. The voice of my beloved, behold,
He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a
young heart. Behold, he standeth behind our
wall. He looketh forth at the windows,
showing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake and said unto
me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the
winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear
on the earth, the time of the singing of birds has come, and
the voice of the turtle doves is heard in our land. The fig
tree put it forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender
grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away. This book is a love song. In fact, it begins with the words,
the song of songs. It's a love song between Christ
and his bride. There are many metaphors and
similitudes in this book. And I want to identify four characters
that we see in this song before I go any further. Solomon, is
the bridegroom and he represents, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the heavenly bridegroom, the husband of his church. And in our text here that we
read, he is the beloved. If you notice that in verse eight,
he is the beloved, the voice of my beloved. That's Solomon. who represents, who pictures
to us the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the second character
is the Shulamite. She represents the bride of Christ,
his love for his church. She sees herself. It's interesting,
and this is so true to life, to the experience of every child
of God. His bride sees herself as black. but the bridegroom sees her all
fair. There's no spot in thee. And
then we come across the daughters of Jerusalem in this song, and
I believe that they represent to us very young believers, those
who have just recently been brought to know the Lord Jesus Christ
as their savior. And then fourthly, there are
watchmen. and watchmen represent preachers,
and as is true to life, there are good preachers and there
are bad preachers. There are those who are called
of God, who love the church, who love the people of God, and
minister to the people of God, who take seriously God's admonition. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith the Lord. There are those who are false,
they're hirelings and they're takers. Years ago, I heard a
preacher make this statement and I know it's true. He said,
there's only two kind of preachers, givers and takers, givers and
takers. And as you read through the song,
you see that some of the watchmen were very kind to the bride and
some mistreated her, took advantage of her. And we see that going
on today in churches where the watchmen are more interested
in filthy lucre, money, than they are the eternal well-being
of those to whom they preach. In verses 12 and 13 in this passage
that we're looking at this morning, I see a beautiful picture of
springtime. where everything speaks of life.
The flowers appear on the earth. The time of the singing of birds
has come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree put it forth her green figs, and the vines with
their tender grape give a good smell. A beautiful picture of
springtime, where everything speaks of life. Everything speaks
of life, and if you notice in verse 11, that springtime follows
the winter. In verse 11, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. We associate clouds and darkness
with the rain. Winter is past. The darkness
is over. Springtime has come. Now, I chose
this passage today. I don't remember ever having
preached from it before, but I chose this passage this morning
because of this day being the day that we celebrate and is
celebrated all over the world as the day of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus. It was with the death and resurrection
of Christ that the old dispensation ended. that old dispensation,
which was marked by darkness, by clouds when the gospel was
there. But yet, yes, it was given in
many types. If you notice in verse nine,
we read this about him showing himself through the lattice.
When we lived in Mexico, we lived in two houses in Merida while
we were there. And we lived in one house for
a long time, about nine years. And I remember the front door
on that house. It had something like a lattice.
The door was solid. It was two doors, actually. And
they opened in. And there was two, about eye
level, there was two small doors that opened up. And there was
some kind of grate work between, in that opening rather. It's
kind of like a lattice, or I think of it as a lattice. And you could
open those two doors, you could see out, you could see someone
there on the porch, but you couldn't see them nearly as well as when
you opened the door. Just open the door and you could
see them real good. And I think of that as the old
dispensation, the Old Testament. Some have described the Old Testament
as being similar to the moon. The moon does give light, but
sometimes it's very dim light. But the new dispensation is like
an unto the sun that gives great light, that gives plenty of light. Now, with the death of the Lord
Jesus Christ and his resurrection, a new dispensation has begun. And it is like the springtime,
if I may use that picture here. It is like the springtime when
everything speaks to us of life, of renewal, of resurrection, of joy, of gladness. Everything in this dispensation
is so different from that old dispensation. What a blessing
it is that in God's providence, you and I have been allowed to
live in this dispensation. And remember, it is God who determined
when you were born and the time you would live, who your parents
would be, the place where you would live. It's not mother nature and it's
not fortune and it's not good luck. The God of the Bible is
a God who lives, who rules, who reigns, who is in control of
all things, who's working all things after the counsel of His
will. There are no accidents with God.
God does what He does and He does it on purpose. And he does
it for his glory and for the good of his church. The winter's
past. The rains, the clouds are gone. And now the flowers appear and
the birds are singing and there's a sweet smell in the land and
we can hear the cooing of the doves. It's a beautiful, beautiful
picture of what has taken place. by the coming and dying and resurrection
of our Savior. Now I want you to keep your places
here, but look with me in the New Testament to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter one. Let me begin reading in verse
8 and read through verse 10. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord. We should be ashamed if we're
ever ashamed of Christ. Right? We should be ashamed if we are
ever ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the testimony of Christ. Timothy, be not therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, the apostle Paul,
a prisoner, not for evil doing, but for preaching the gospel. Going forth, bearing precious
seed from place to place and having enemies, enemies to the
truth, enemies to the gospel. This world has never been and
shall never be a friend to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It's never been a friend to grace.
This world will not help you on to God. This world, the world
system will do everything it possibly can to hinder you and
to keep you from ever coming to know God. This world is not your friend. It really isn't. And yet so many
people place all their time and all their attention and all their
effort on the things of this world which are temporal, which
are passing, which will only be here like a fog that appears
in the morning and it's gone in the afternoon. This world
is not a friend to grace. Be not ashamed, Timothy, of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. I'm not in
prison because of evil doing. I'm not a bank robber. I'm a preacher. I've testified to the truth,
the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about Christ. Don't be ashamed that I'm in
prison. It's an honor. It's a badge of
honor to be persecuted, to suffer for righteousness sake. That's
what the apostles thought. But be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel. You mean the gospel brings afflictions? It sure can. Most likely will. Your enemies many times will
be those of your house, your household. Our Lord said that. He said, I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword. The gospel separates Because
remember, there are only two classes of people in this world,
only two. They're not three, they're not
four. There are those who know God and those who do not know
God. There are those who are in the
kingdom of God and those who are in the kingdom of darkness,
who are ruled and taken captive by Satan at his will. This is
what the scriptures reveal unto us. Now notice verse nine, who hath
saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is
now made manifest by the appearing of our savior, Jesus Christ.
who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. Do you see there in verse 9,
the us, that the us God's elect, God's chosen people were given
grace according to his own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ, when? Before the foundation of the
world. But it was, in a sense, hidden. It was hidden, especially in
that old dispensation. And that is what is represented
in our text today by the winter. The winter is past. The rain
is over. The clouds are gone. It was there
in many prophecies and promises and types, but it was relatively
a dark period in comparison to now by the coming of Christ,
by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is what Paul
is saying, but according to his own purpose, men are saved on
purpose. upset, I guess, almost said aggravated. When people who claim to be preachers
talk about God giving everyone a chance to be saved, people
are not saved by chance. If you're saved today, you're
saved because God purposed to save you. And if you're ever
going to be saved, it's going to be because God purposed to
save you, not because of some chance You just happen to have
been born in this country. No, no. You're saved, it's because God
purposed to save you and gave you grace in Christ before the
world began. Now that's what the word of God
says. I believe it. I believe it. I believe the only hope I have
is that salvation is by grace. If it depends on any merit on
my part, I'm a goner. I know that. I believe that. And I rejoice in the truth that
salvation is according to God's purpose and God's grace which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But now
you see, he tells us, but it is now made manifest. It's made manifest. It's made
clearly known how it is that we are saved by grace, by the
coming of Christ, by the eternal son of God coming into this world,
becoming a man, living a life of righteousness on this world
in obedience to God, perfectly obeying God's law and suffering
at the hands of that broken law. He's now made manifest. He's shown it clearly to all
of us how it is that we are saved by grace. Who has saved us, but
is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death. and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. Life, spiritual life, eternal
life, everlasting life, immortality of the soul. He's brought light through the gospel. Before we go back to our text
there in the Song of Solomon, notice these two things here
that the apostle says Christ has done. He didn't, he doesn't
say he tried to do this. He gave it his best shot. No,
he did this. He accomplished this. He came
on purpose to do it and he did it. He abolished death. He abolished death. Well, death we know is in this
world as a result of sin. If there had never been sin,
there would never have been death. But he abolished death. He satisfied
God's justice for the sins of his people. And now the challenge
is given, who, who in heaven, in earth, in hell, who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ who has died. Yea, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession
for us. The sting of death is gone. When I started preparing this
message, I thought, I want to entitle this, the sting is gone. The sting is gone. But I didn't. But the sting of death is gone
for every child of God. Just like that old scorpion.
Got that stinger on his tail. That tail comes up, you know,
and you get stung with that scorpion, may cause you death. But I'll
tell you something, someone cuts the tail off. The sting is gone. That's what Christ did to death.
He abolished death. He abolished death, the second
death for his people. The sting of death, Paul says,
is sin. But the sins of God's people
are gone. Therefore, the sting of death
is gone. He conquered death and he now
lives at his father's right hand. And the scripture presents him
in the book of Revelation as having the keys of death and
hell, that is the death, death and the grave in his hands. When you die, we'll be according
to his will. He's got the keys. He's got the
key. Satan doesn't have the key. Good luck, bad luck doesn't have
the key. Christ has the key to both death
and hell. That is that separated time between
the soul, when the soul and the body are separated. He has the
key to death and hell. They're hanging on his girdle.
And they're there because he conquered, he vanquished death. The second thing we see here,
he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ, he was
the first one who rose from the dead, physically, bodily, the
first one who rose from the dead. Now there had been two men before
who had escaped death. They had been taken to heaven
without seeing death, but they had to have been changed somehow.
We know Enoch was the seventh, wasn't he? The seventh from Adam. He walked with God. Can you believe
this? He walked with God. Oh, nothing
like that. The privilege of walking with
God, fellowshipping with God, knowing God, enjoying God. And one day, God just took him
home. And he was no more. And then Elijah, of course, he
was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, wasn't he? In a chariot of fire.
Chariot of angels escorted him. Those two men did not die physically. The other men died physically,
and the Lord raised them from the dead. I believe Elisha, there
was two, and Elijah, both of those prophets, they were young
men who were raised from death, but they lived to die another
day. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
first who died and rose bodily, as he said he would do. He told his disciples at least
three times in the Gospels, we're going up to Jerusalem and the
Son of Man, speaking of himself, will be crucified and slain and
shall rise again the third day. And that's when Simon Peter tried
to straighten the Lord out, remember? Be that far from thee. They're
not gonna crucify you. They're not gonna put you to
death. It wouldn't do that to you, Lord. But they did. And he came out of that grave
on that third day. Isn't that a hallelujah, right? Hallelujah. This world would
be a very, very dark place. Wintertime, the clouds, the rain
would still be here. if it were not for the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Well, now we live in a time when
the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming. There's a good
smell in the land from the fruit trees. The doves are cooing. Beautiful, beautiful springtime. All because of Christ. All because
of Jesus Christ, our Lord. To Him be all the glory, the
praise, and honor, both now and even forevermore. You know, I get excited when
I preach. And I just can't help it. And I tell you, all of us, and I know we are
in our hearts today, if you know Christ, you're excited, aren't
you? When you hear about what he's done, that he conquered
death, that he brought life, eternal life to light, immortality
to light. We're not going to die. We're
going to leave this body one day, yes. But we're going to
receive a new body. And it's going to be a glorified
body. And it's going to be a body like
he has. Nothing wrong with that. Amen. Go back with me now to the song
of Solomon. Let me take just a few more minutes
of your time. I want to point out four things
in this passage, and I trust the Lord will bless them. First
of all, in the second chapter, we begin in verse eight. The
first thing I'll point out is the voice of the bridegroom. Notice how that verse eight begins,
the voice of my beloved and an exclamation point. The voice of my beloved exclamation
mark. You know, at John 10, the good
shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ said this, he said, my sheep
know my voice. You see the bride here, she knew
the voice. She heard the voice of my beloved. She recognized his voice. She
knew the voice of her husband and God's people, God's chosen
people, God's elect people. They recognize his voice when
they hear the gospel. They know, they hear His voice
when they hear, for by grace are you saved through faith and
that not of yourselves. They hear His voice. They hear
His voice when they hear, whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. They hear His voice in the gospel
when they hear, whosoever believeth in Him is justified from all
things. His voice, His sheep, His bride
recognize His voice. Oh, the voice of my beloved. And hearing the gospel, we recognize
His voice. When we hear Him cry from the
cross, it's finished. It's finished. And when we hear
someone who claims to be a representative of Christ, and he tells us, well,
to be saved, you've got to be baptized. To be saved, you've
got to tithe. To be saved, you've got to do
this, that, and the other, and a whole long list of things.
And we know that's not the voice of my beloved. That's not his
voice. No, no. His voice is a voice
that speaks to us of love and of grace, of giving. The second thing in this text,
the announcement of the bridegroom's coming. Again, in verse 8. Behold, he cometh. Behold, he
cometh. This was the message of the Old
Testament. All through, from Genesis to
Malachi, behold, he cometh. Immediately after Adam and Eve
sinned, it was revealed, behold, he cometh, he cometh, the seed
of the woman cometh, he will crush the head of the serpent.
And all the prophets after spoke of him, and they all said the
same thing, behold, he cometh. He cometh, the old patriarch
Jacob. He was born a deceiver, wasn't
he? A lost man like all of us, a suppurant, a cheater. But by
the grace of God, God saved him. And when he come down to almost
the very last days of his life, and he prophesied over his 12
sons, and he came to his son Judah, and he spoke of him as
through him, Judah. would Shiloh come, Shiloh, the
one who would bring peace, peace between you and God, Shiloh,
Jesus Christ. Behold, he cometh. And David,
he was a prophet also. And he said this, they all said
the same thing. Behold, he cometh. Behold, he
cometh. And then notice the third thing
here in this passage, again in verse eight and nine. He cometh
leaping, he cometh leaping the eagerness of the bridegroom. See, the voice of the bridegroom,
the message of the bridegroom, and the eagerness of the bridegroom. He doesn't just come. That's
not the way Christ is presented to us in the word of God. Oh,
no, no, no. He's presented as a savior who
loves to save his people. It were as though he waited until
the fullness of time, anxious to come and do the Father's will
and save his people. And that day came, and he said,
Lo, it is written of me in the volume of the book. I come to
do thy will, O God. The eagerness that he came. Christ,
you've heard this and I believe it so, he's more willing to save
you than you are willing to be saved. If you could just get
a hold of that. You may be doubting and wondering
and thinking, well, I don't know if he'll save, listen. He came into this world on purpose
to save sinners. He delights, his delights are
with the sons of men from old eternity. And the last thing, the invitation
of the bridegroom. Two times he invites the bride. If you notice in verse 10, my
beloved spake and said unto me, rise up my love, my fair one,
and come away. And then at the end of verse
13 again, arise my love, my fair one, and come away. The invitation of the bridegroom. Now, his invitation is clearly
to the bride to come away. But I see no reason this morning
that I cannot quote this invitation to any here who are lost without
Christ. His invitation to you, a little
different. It's not come away, but it is
come unto me. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. His invitation
is, if any man thirsts, any man, if any man has a thirst to have
his sins forgiven, to know God, to be reconciled to God, to have
a relationship to God, to know that you are a child of God,
does any man thirst? Let him come unto me and drink. I read the story the other day
of a After World War II in Europe, people had suffered so, so greatly,
so little food and things like that. And aid worker lady was
working in one of those countries after, after the war. And she
had a glass of milk and it was full and she gave it to one of
those boys who was half starved. And, and he, she handed the glass
to the little boy and he took the glass and he said, ma'am,
How much can I drink? How much can I drink? You see,
you've been accustomed to being told you can only drink to here,
and the next one you can drink to here. How much can I drink? If any man thirsts, let him come
unto me and drink. Drink, drink, and you'll never
drink Christ dry. Drink. But the invitation is
to the bride here, arise. And I wonder if we couldn't say
to those of us who know Christ here this morning, Christ, the
bridegroom, speaks to us and tells us, come away. Come away
from the things of this world which distract, which hinder
you in following me. Come away from the lust of the
flesh and walk in the spirit Come away from the things of
this world, the bubbles of this world that are so attractive
and are so full of temptation. Come away. Arise. Come away with
me. Come away with me. Fellowship
with me. Eat with me. Drink with me. And one day, One day, my friends,
all of us are going to hear him say this to us. If we're his
children, come away. Come away with me. Come away with me to the Father's
house. Come home. Come home. That's going to be
a glorious day, isn't it? When he speaks to you, speaks
to me, come away, come away. And I bid
farewell, bid farewell to this world of woe and open our eyes
in the presence of him. I pray the Lord bless his word
to us here today.