And I ask you to take your Bible
and turn with me to Song of Solomon, chapter 7. Song of Solomon. Song, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon. We know this. We know that the
Lord has a people that he loves. Now we know that. The Lord has
declared Jeremiah 31 3, I've loved thee with an everlasting
love. Now we know that. Now here's what I want to preach
on this morning. How do I know that the Lord loves me? I know
he loves his people. But how do I know he loves me? Song of Solomon chapter 7. I'd
like to deal with verses 10 to 13. The bride speaking says this,
I am my beloved's and his desire is toward me. Now the bride is saying something
of assurance. I am my Beloved's. She's saying that I know that
I am a blood bought possession of the Lord Jesus Christ. She knows something about not
being her own bought with a price. But how would she know that? We can't go right now into the
Lamb's Book of Life and read it. It's there. But we don't have access to it
right now. How is it that a sinner has some assurance of life in
Christ? can I truthfully and heartily
say this, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that
he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. How do you know that? The only
way that a sinner possesses any assurance of life in Christ is
by the Lord's revelation of His love to her, to the sinner, through
the experience of that love according to the scriptures. Now what did
I just say? What I said is this. Anybody can say, I know that
I'm a Christian. I know that I'm a Christian. You and I need to realize something. If we can't back that up with
the Word of God and see what God has to say concerning the
character of a believer. If we can't back it up and our
character doesn't match what it is, then something's wrong. We must be able to back up. The scripture says, John 5, 24,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, that
is, hears it with a new ear of faith, and believeth on him that
sent me, That is, not as I've said before, not believing that
there is a Jesus Christ. Demons believe that there is
a Jesus Christ. But believeth on Him, that is
casting and trusting my eternal soul to Him totally. Not looking to anything. I believe the five points of
Calvinism. Satan believes the five points
of Calvinism. I'm a member of Katie Baptist
Church. There's been a lot that's been members here. He that heareth my word and believeth
on him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation
but is passed from death unto life. He that hears the gospel
preached and has faith imparted to believe on Christ, the object
of the gospel. Does not, I cannot say this enough. If you believe that you're a
believer because you did something, you're not a believer. I was baptized. I walked down the aisle. I prayed through. I've always been a member here. He that heareth my word and believeth
on him hath everlasting life. Now, I'm going to read these
four verses, 10, 11, 12, 13. And I'm going to set forth Lord
willing why. What's the evidence of her statement? I am my beloved's and his desire
is toward me. What gives her that assurance? What gives the bride the assurance
to say he has made me willing in the day of his power to come
to him and he's promised to never cast me out and he's given me
a heart to consider all of my former works of self-righteousness
to be nothing but dumb. What is it that gives her the
right or the assurance to say, I am my Beloved's? I am my Beloved's by gift from
the Father, by purchase of His blood and by my heart's desire
and surrender to Him. I ask Him, Lord, save me. What is the ground of my hope
in Him? What is the ground of my hope
to say His desire is toward me? All right, let me tell you the
first thing that I know concerning the desire of the Lord toward
His people. Now, may the Lord by His Spirit
give us a heart to hear this. We need to hear it. Number one, He died for us. Now, Ephesians
5.25 sets forth the word concerning God's pleasure and exhibition
of his love to his people. Ephesians 5.25.27. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. that he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Now, his desire is toward all that he died for. His desire
is toward... What was the difference between
the dying thief that cried out for mercy, and the dying thief
that didn't. The Lord's desire toward the
dying thief that cried out for mercy was manifest in that the
dying thief did it. His desire is toward me. His desire is for me. By faith, that dying thief said, When you enter into your kingdom,
I know you got a kingdom. I know that you're dying right
now for me. Would you remember me? Would
you remember me? His desire is toward me. This was not presumption. On his part, on the bride's part,
It's not presumption with no scriptural foundation, but rather
it's a sure foundation set forth by divine revelation from the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit itself bears witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. Let me ask you
this. Whenever Christ died, do you believe that He died to make
salvation possible, or that he actually paid the debt of all
that the Father has ever given him. Now, let me tell you something. Why he died makes all the difference
in the world. Everybody and their brother,
except a believer, believes that he died for the sins of the whole
world. And He did not. I mean, John
10, 15, go back and look at it. 1 John 5, 20 says, And we
know that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding
that we may know Him that is true. And we're in Him that is
true, even His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal
life. How do I know that His desire is toward me? He's given
me a heart to believe that He died for me. He died for me. I do not believe
for one second that one drop of His blood was shed in vain.
If he died for everybody and everybody's not converted, then
there's people in hell that is manifesting that he's a failure.
He's a failure. He died to make it possible,
but he couldn't save them. First time, as I've said before,
you open your mouth and say, well, he left it up to you to
make the decision. Now we're into works. As I've
said before, it's not going to fly. How do I know that His desire
is toward me? He died for me. His desire is
toward me. Had He not everlastingly loved
His people, had He eternally not purposed to redeem them and
to bring them to God, bring them to the Father wholly and without
blame before, He would not have died. He would not have died. Greater love, John 15, 13, hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. And he said, ye are my friends
if you do whatsoever I command you. Well, that's going to lead
me to my second point. Back in Psalm of Solomon 7. I know this, his desire is toward
those for whom he died. And the Spirit of God is going
to, before they die and leave this world, He's going to give
them a new heart to believe that. They're going to believe what
God has to say about the crucifixion. The second thing I know concerning
her assurance that He is her beloved and his desire is toward
her is found in verse 11. The bride says to the beloved,
says to Christ, come my beloved, let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages. Now what is she saying? Here's
what she said, let us go into the country, into the field,
the place of retirement. in those green pastures that
you lead me to lie down in." Now where did she come up with
that thought? To say unto him, let us go. Well in Song of Solomon 2 verses
9 and 10, that's what he said to her. The scripture says in
verse 9, my beloved, That's the Lord Jesus. 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. But he said something to her.
My beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair
one, and come away. Now he just told her something.
He told her, he gave her a commandment concerning His will, His purpose
for her. So therefore, what does she say
back to Him? You know it's always the safest
thing in the world to say back to the Lord what the Lord has
said to us. Don't try to come up with some new thing. That
won't work. But to repeat back to Him. So
she says the same thing to Him. And He first said to her. She
says, come my beloved, according to your words. according to your
command. Let us go forth into the field.
Lord, according to your will, let us lodge in the villages.
It's a blessing to repeat, you know. Let's go to the pleasant
place. Let's go to the field. Let's
go to the field of your scriptures. Those that you've opened up.
Let's go to the field of assembling with your people. Let's go to
the field of the retirement of the prayer closet. What she's
saying is, Lord, wherever you lead, that's where I want to
go. Wherever you direct me, wherever
you bid me go. The bride rejoices in her relation
to Christ and the fact that she has an interest in Him. So she humbly desires communion
with Him. Lord, let us walk together. Lord, like the two on the road
to Emmaus, you came up, you walked with them. Lord, let us go. Let's go into the field, that
I may receive counsel and instruction and comfort from you. To her,
she longs for quietness with Him, fellowship with Him, communion
with Him. You that believe. Are you not
doing this very thing right now? having communion wherever He's
directed you. We're right here. We're in this
world. Or you say, well, we're sitting
inside this church building. We're still in this world. We're
in the field. But we're in the field with Him. His desire is toward me because
I want to be with Him. I want to be where He is. with Christ is what all that
are made holy earnestly breathe after. That's what they want. Those that would converse with
Christ must, in their heart, go forth from the world. They go forth. They're in the
world, but they're not of the world. They do it in their heart. And you that know Him, you know
and desire and long for that quiet time with Him as you hear
the gospel preached. Right now. What are we doing? Well, we're going forth into
the field. But we're going forth in communion.
Lord, let us. You remember when the Lord told
Moses, I'm going to send an angel. I'm not going with you. And Moses
said, Lord, if you don't go, don't send us. Loneliest place would ever be
Well, you're somewhere and you don't feel the presence or believe
the presence of the Lord is there. That's a lonely place. You ever
been somewhere with just... My mind is going to a place in
Mexico where we went into this heathen temple. And just to walk
in that and see all of the silliness and the filth and the religion. It made you sick at your stomach
to think, the Lord's not in this place. This is anathema. The Lord is not here. She asked
him, she says, let's lodge in the villages. Lord, here we are. We're going forth into the field. Oh, what a blessedness. We've
gone forth. We're going forth with Him, but
you know when we go forth with His people, Now there's communion. Now here's communion right here.
Where we're found, two or three are gathered together in His
name. We're together. We're meeting together. Gathered
together. We're together. He's in the midst
of us. There's no fellowship. Fellowship
with Him is found when you fellowship with God's people. when you're
defending God's people. When you're covering their character.
You're not doing or saying anything that would bring harm to their
name or to their... Oh, you love the brethren. That's a believer. They love
the brethren. Let's lodge in the villages. Now that's a sweet word right
there. To understand what she said,
you've got to understand what word she used. Let's lodge in
the villages. That is, the place protected
by walls. And that word villages comes
from a root word that means to cover, to appease, to make atonement,
to cleanse, to disannul, to forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon,
to pitch, purge away, and to reconcile. Boy, what a word. What a word. Let's lodge in the
villages. Let's lodge in that walled place
of security. His desires toward me because
this is what I want to be. I want to be where He is and
I want to be secure in Him. That place of safety. where the
atonement has been made, where God is appeased toward us and
no danger can come. That's where I want to be. Our hearts, at this point, are
directed surely toward the cities of refuge in the Old Testament. Six cities on this side of Jordan,
six cities on that side of Jordan. Twelve cities. Twelve cities. I all spoke of Christ, every
one of them. Let's lodge in those villages. Let's lodge in that place where
we're protected from the avenger of blood, safe and secure. Lord,
I want to be found in you. His desire is toward me because
He who has loved me first has given me a love for Him. Not
from a self. Not from my ability. Lord, let's
lodge. Lord, would you allow me to stay,
to reside in that walled village of pardon and atonement, forgiveness. It's what Paul said. Oh, to be found in Him. To be
found in Him. In that village. She knows that
her desire, her beloved and his desire is toward her because
he's given her a heart to seek her security. Only in him. No
place else. Thirdly, his desire is toward
me because of this manifestation. Listen. She says, let us, verse
12, get up early to the vineyards. Let us see if the vine flourish,
whether the tender grape appear and the pomegranates bud forth.
There will I give thee my loves. I tell you the way she knows
the third way. Number one, he died for her. She has a heart to only be found
in him. Secure. And thirdly, we find
this manifestation of those that the Lord desires toward. her priority and faithfulness
and desire for that which He has commissioned her to do. When the Lord was about to ascend
into heaven, He commissioned His disciples, and this is what
He said, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, He that believeth not shall be damned. Now let me tell you how the church,
the bride, knows that His desire is toward her. Because she has
a heart to obey what He has commissioned her to do. What's He commissioned her to
do? The Lord said, go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. He didn't tell them go and preach
to every creature. He said you go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. There's a big difference
between preaching and preaching the gospel. What does the bride say to the
Lord? She says, let us get early. Let's
go to the vineyards. Here's what the bride longs for. His kingdom come. His will be
done in earth as it is in heaven. Her desire toward Him who has
a desire toward her is she longs for obedience. What is the attitude
of a believer when it comes to the salvation of God's elect? They desire it. But you know
what a believer is going to do? He is going to preach the gospel
to them and leave them alone. Leave them alone. I can't talk you into anything.
I can't talk you into anything. I can try as hard as I want to.
I cannot give you a new heart. I cannot give you a new mind,
a new spirit. I can't do it. But I can tell
you what I can do. I can preach the gospel. I can
ask you to pray for me. That's what I can ask you to
do. Paul asked that. Brethren, pray for us. But here's what the bride desires. Let's go early to the vineyards.
The believer looks out in pity to a perishing world that lies
in wickedness. You know why? A world that every
believer knows something about it because they were there at
one time. They know something about spiritual
darkness and self-righteousness. And the bride longs for the salvation
of God's own and desires that the Lord would save His people
exactly the way He said He would through preaching the gospel.
I want God. There's some people sitting in
this congregation this morning that I'm convinced know the Lord.
And there's some that very possibly don't. You know what Paul the
Apostle said? He who believed the gospel of
God's free grace. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I don't want anybody to perish.
But I can tell you this, I'm not the final authority. I can
preach the gospel to you. Let's go early to the vineyards. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go
into the vineyard of your people that's found within the desert
of this world. Go into all the world and preach
the gospel. Lord, I know there's some oases
out there. There's some vineyards out there.
I know that. Let's go. Who are these vineyards? Well, thanks be unto God, He
didn't leave us to wonder. Who is the vineyard? Listen to
this, Isaiah 5-7, For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house
of Israel. Lord, You've got a people out
there. I know You do. Let's go. Lord, let's go. Let's go to the garden of your
love, the place, that location that you only know, the vineyard
of your mercy where you have a people that you're surely going
to call out of spiritual darkness. And Lord, let us be seeking first
your kingdom, your righteousness. Let us be found obediently preaching
the gospel of the kingdom. Lord, let's get up early. Let's
see if the vine flourish. Let's see whether the tender
grape appear and the pomegranates bud forth. You know, there's
nothing that's more beautiful to a believer than to behold
the first drawings of God's grace to His people. It's like the
appearance the scripture sets forth of the tender grape, the
budding pomegranate. How wonderful to behold the mercy
of Almighty God to call out some sheep. And you watch them, and
you see them. Before, they didn't talk like
a believer. Now they do. Just a tender grape. To observe
the working of the Lord in the hearts, creating an interest
in Him, keeping them under the sound of the gospel. All the
while, those that have known Him in grace are praying in their
heart, Lord, let's see if the vine flourish. Lord, let's see. Let's see whether the tender
grapes are going to appear. Let's see, Lord. If you will,
you can. Let us behold what you alone
can do. Produce the fruit of your Spirit
in the hearts of your people according to your will and purpose.
I know this. The believer's heart and love
for him is totally because of his love for her. I know that. Just like when the Lord was 12
years old and He was separated from Mary and Joseph. They didn't
know where He was. They lost Him three days. They
came back and found Him. And He said, Wist not that I
must be about my Father's business. How do I know that His desire
is toward me? Toward us that believe? How do
I know that? We want to be about the Father's
business. Preaching the Gospel. is my life. It's my life. It's my life. Nothing matters
above this. This is my life. Lord, let's
see. He said, if you love me, keep
my commandments. The scripture says, The bride
says to him, let us get up early to the vineyards, let's see if
the vines flourish. Let's see whether the tender grape appear
and the pomegranates bud forth. Then she says to him, there will
I give thee my loves. There will I give thee, there
will I render or show forth my loves. You know how a believer
is known? They love the brethren. They
love the brethren. They defend the brethren. They're
taken up with the preaching of the gospel. They support it. They pray for it. Let's see. And then lastly, the Lord, you
know, exhibiting His desire toward her, He gives her an answer concerning
whether or not He has produced any fruit in the vineyard. She
made the statement. I am my Beloved's and His desires
toward me. What's she base that on? She wants communion with Him.
That's it. I want communion with Him. I'm
not going to share Him with anything else in this world. I want Him.
She wants to be obedient in doing what He said to do. You go in
all the world and you preach the gospel. You preach the gospel
to every creature. And then He gives her as she
desires to see the fruit. Let's see if the Lord's been
pleased to do something. And he told her. He said, this
is how you're going to know. You be obedient to me. You preach
the gospel and I'll tell you how you're going to know whether
or not I've been pleased to call any grapes or pomegranates or
vines to flourish. I'll show you how. I'll tell
you how you'll know. The mandrakes give a smell. At our gates are
all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I've laid
up for thee, O my beloved." How's she going to know? How? He says, well, he said, the mandrakes. The mandrakes, I found out, were
sweet-smelling flowers of the field. They were thought to be
flowers of love. And in our context of our passage,
the Lord answers the bride when she says, let's see, let's see
if there's any fruit. Well, let's see if you've been
pleased to bring forth fruit. He said, here's how you're going
to know. The mandrakes, they give a smell. They give a smell. They have a fragrance about them. These mandrakes are believers. God's called out of darkness.
They have a smell about them. What do they smell like? Well,
Psalm 45, Psalm 45 verses 6 to 8, this is how they smell. Thy throne, O God, is forever
and ever, the scepter of thy kingdom, like a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, hatest
wickedness. Therefore, God, thy God, hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh
and aloes, cassia, out of ivory palaces whereby they've made
thee glad." He said, they're going to smell like me. They're
going to smell like righteousness. Oh, they're well aware of what
they are inside. They know that in them that is
in their flesh. They know that there's no good
thing. They know that. But I tell you what they smell
like. They have a savor of life. They smell as they exhibit the
fruit of God's Spirit. Love, meekness, kindness, longsuffering,
and gentleness. They don't have a spirit of animosity,
resentment, rebellion, backbiting. How are you going to know the
mandrakes? They give a smell. They have a smell, a savor. Then he tells her, at our gates,
at our doors, at our entrances, are all manner of pleasant fruits. Every place where the Lord's
been pleased to grant the blessing of the preaching and the hearing
of the gospel. It smells the same. At our gates are all manner
of pleasant fruits of God's Spirit. Do you know what it smells like
whenever Mike Walker or Todd Nybert or Don Fortner, you know
what it smells like when they preach the gospel? And God calls
out of darkness His mandrakes, His flowers of love. You know
what it smells like? Same smell as here. Smells of
love. Smells of Christ, blessing. Paul had asked concerning that
door at all of our gates. Paul says, continue in prayer,
watch the same with thanksgiving, praying with all for us that
God would open up us a door, a gate of utterance to speak
the mystery of Christ. Every place where the gospel
is freely preached, there is the savor of Christ, the pleasant
fruits of God's Spirit. It doesn't smell like that to
everybody. For one we're a saver of death unto death, the other
a saver of life unto life, who's sufficient. But the Lord said,
this is how you'll know if I've blessed it. The man drakes a
smell, they give a smell, that our gates are all manner of pleasant
fruit. New and old, new and old, new and fresh and alive, quickening
every day. I haven't said anything today
that you've never heard before. I might have used a different
word, but it's the same message. But you know what? It was just
as new and fresh and alive. It was new and old. Old in the
sense that it had no beginning. It springs from the Lord. And
this is what He said about that new and old. Which I have laid
up for thee. Which I have treasured. I laid
it up. Now listen to this. I've laid
it up. I've hidden it. I've stored it for you. Remember when the Lord was praying
the last passage of scripture? He said, I've taken this truth
that I've taught you. Lord, your desire is toward me.
How does she know that? Well, she wants to be with Him. He died for her. She wants to
be obedient. He said, this is how you'll know
what I've done. It's the savor of life. You taught
the gospel. He said, I've laid that up. for
you, O my beloved." Matthew 11 verse 25, at that time Jesus
answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent and has revealed them unto babes. How do I know that
the Lord's desire is toward me? How do you know? Well, according
to His Scriptures, There is a desire to be where He is. I want to
be where He's honored. I want to be where His gospel
is preached. I want to be found faithful. I want to be found
faithful to preach the gospel, to support the gospel in all
the world. I want to be found in fellowship
with God's people. I want to be able to be with
them, fellowship with them. Be one with them in heart. And
I need for the Lord to teach me the evidence of Him doing
a work in the lives of His people. Me. Me. I pray God bless these
words to our heart for Christ's sake. Amen.