Turn with me to Song of Solomon,
chapter 3. Song of Solomon, chapter 3. Brother
Scott just said something that made me realize think on this particular
passage of Scripture. He said the eternal security
that a believer knows and loves, the Christ in whom we trust does
not lead us. to looseness living. I'm paraphrasing what he said. He said it a lot better than
I could say it, but he doesn't do it. He just doesn't do it. A believer is one who is vitally
aware of his position in the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows it. And I'm telling you, on the other
hand, he is so concerned about his security and rest and peace
and fellowship in Christ, it's like it's two sides of one coin. He knows his security and he's
constantly seeking after Him, searching after Him. This Scripture
bears that out. Song of Solomon, chapter 3, verse
1, By night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loveth. I sought Him, but I found Him
not. I will rise now and go about
the city and the streets, and in the broad ways will I seek
Him whom my soul loveth. I sought Him, but I found Him
not. The watchman that go about the
city found me, to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed
from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth. I held him. I would not let him go until
I had brought him into my mother's house and into the chamber of
her that conceived me. I charge you, O daughters of
Jerusalem, by the rows and by the hinds of the field, that
ye stir not up, nor wake my love, till he please." Though the world's religion speaks boldly, brazenly, may
I say that, they are just very, arrogant about it. But they speak of loving and
seeking. They tell men how to find God. If you'll do this, then God will
do this. And they make you feel as though,
or try to, they don't want to believe her, but they make Their
congregations feel as though if you're not doing this, if
you're not being blessed, and if you don't have a lot of money,
and if you don't have good health, and if you don't this, that,
and the other, well, the thing is, you're just out of the will
of God. And you need to get ahold of... Oh, he's got a catchy phrase.
I mean, it's always something that's real, you know, pizazzy. Well, the Scriptures refute that. Romans 3.11 says, There is none
that understandeth by nature. There is none that seeketh after
God. There just is not. What does it mean when the Lord,
speaking through Paul the Apostle, said there is none? that seeketh after, understandeth."
Well, all men have a fallen and corrupt nature that they received
from Adam by natural generation. Like produces like. And by this
nature, all men in Adam all unregenerate, all natural men, all carnal mankind,
refuses to seek after Almighty God, refuses to believe, hates
the thought of salvation by grace, justification by the imputed
righteousness of Christ. To them, that is foolishness,
foolishness. They do not love Christ. They say they do, and they don't. They don't. Lord willing, I'm
going to preach this Sunday on repentance. What is it? The Lord
told a group, He said, lest you repent, you're going to perish.
And repentance, I'll tell you right now, has something to do
with knowing Him when He says, This is life eternal, they may
know Thee, the only true God, Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast
sent. Man by nature, I don't care what
he says, he does not seek after God. To seek God Almighty is to, by
a new nature, new heart, new mind, reborn, seek after Him. Come after Him. I've heard Brother
Scott say as a beggar, empty-handed, empty-handed, nothing. And that
takes life to do that. Man has to be alive to do that,
to ask. A dead man doesn't ask. Approach
Him. Seek after Him. Call on Him. any that truly seek Him." And
I will tell you this, a believer does. Exhibit the characteristics
that are revealed in the passage that we just read. Now this is
the characteristics of a believer. Now this is not an unbeliever
talking. I can tell you that right now.
This is a believer speaking right here. And I'll tell you, you
that know Him, You understand some of this. What did the bride do here? Well,
the Scripture reveals that she sought Him. She sought Him. The Lord said in Matthew 6, verse
33, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All these things will be added
unto you. Seek out. She sought Him. She
says, by night on my bed, I sought Him. I sought Him. I looked up
that word, sought. What does that mean? It means
to search out in worship, to strive after, to beg, to desire,
or to require. I'm not talking about seeking
after church membership, seeking after religion, seeking after
baptism for mere baptism's sake, to seek after wealth or health
or position. I'm talking about seeking Him. Now that is something that only
a believer, one made alive, can do. He can do. She said, I sought
Him. Deuteronomy 4.29 says, but if
from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find
Him if thou seek Him with all thy heart and all thy soul. And the word heart there means
understanding. Seeking with all your understanding
and all of your soul. That word soul there means life. I'm going to tell you something.
There has to be some understanding and life given for a man to seek
after Him. Man by nature will not seek God. But I'll tell you this, you that
believe, you're seeking. You've come today, tonight. The
reason you've come is because I want to hear. I want to hear
something. I want to hear something of Him.
I see something of my frailty. I need Him. And I know. I know that God's raised up a
preacher. He said He did. I know that He
has said, I'll give you pastors after my heart. I know that He
speaks through His Word. I want to hear. I want to hear
something. But though the world seeks Him
not, some by the marvelous working of His power in a sinner do. They seek Him. As He is revealed
in His Word, they seek Him as a sovereign. Lord, I want to
know You. Lord, I know You. Paul said the
same thing, Paul the Apostle, that says, I know whom I have
believed. And I am persuaded that He is
able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that
day. The same man that said that said this, Oh, that I may know
Him. I know Him. I know Him. But I want to know
Him. I want to know Him. I sought
Him. Amazing words. Because the bride is said to
do something here that man by nature cannot do. I sought Him. The Lord said, no man can come
to Me except the Father which hath sent Me, draw him. So here
we see the response of a work of grace. I sought Him. I sought
Him by night on My bed. He did something for Me that
I couldn't do for Myself. I wouldn't do for Myself. David
said in Psalm 27a, he said, When thou saidest, Seek ye my face. My heart set unto thee, thy face,
Lord, will I seek." David said, when you said to me, in power,
seek my face, David said, my heart said, Lord, I seek you.
I'll come after you. Well, secondly, when did the
bride seek him? When? Well, it says in that first
verse, by night, on my bed, Whenever a believer is sensitive to the
apparent absence of His presence, it's night to them. It's getting kind of late in
the day. Give it just a little bit more time. It'll be dark
outside. This is not what this is talking about right here.
This is talking about in the night season. He's talking about
when it's night to me, when I don't see Him. Night has the insinuation
of dark. I don't see. Night is indicative of the absence
of light, though I know He's there. He said, I'll never leave
you. I'll never forsake you. But when
He's absent, absent as far as I'm concerned. Though He is there,
my unawareness of His presence is soul aching. Now listen. Be real honest with you. I'm
not going to say that I understand the depth of this right here,
but I'm going to tell you this, and I'm convinced that there's
some here that knows what I'm talking about. I know somewhat
of what this is talking about. I know somewhat of this by experience. I know the aching of the heart
when you just are not aware of His presence. No, He's there. This is the bottom line of a
believer's trial. This is the trial right here
of a believer. This is the testing, the trial,
the teaching. You want to see a man or woman
that God Almighty has taught something of depending on Him.
Let God make them aware of His apparent absence. And I'm telling
you something. That person, that believer will
say this, by night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loved. For whatever the reason, let
men say what they will. Oh, I read what those men said
to Job as apparent friends. And Job, you're this and you're
that. You've done this and you've done that. For whatever the reason, You need to be very careful,
and I need to be very careful, when you find someone going through
some real trials, be careful how much judgment you make on,
well, I wonder what they've done. Well, I'll tell you this, if
the truth would be known, what you've done. Okay? Let's be real careful. Whatever
the reason, the enlightened soul is never satisfied with this
outlook. I don't know where he is, but
you know, the Lord's sovereign. I'm going to tell you something.
It's grieving to a believer. That prodigal son said, when
he came to himself, I'm going to go back to my father's house. And I'm going to tell you. I've
sinned against heaven before you. Isaiah 26.9 says, With my
soul, Have I desired thee in the night?"
David said in Psalm 77, 2, in the day of my trouble, I sought
the Lord. My sore, s-o-r-e-r, that is,
my hand is the way that word is interpreted, ran in the night. What he was saying, looking,
feeling after. You ever get up in the middle
of the night, sleepy, trying to find your way? You don't want
to walk into a door. You want to kind of put your
arm out for something. He said, by my hand in the night,
I ceased not my soul. He said, refused to be comforted. Someone might come to me and
I can remember a time when going through a very, very, very tough
time. Somebody come up to me and say,
listen, don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. See, that's
easy for you to say. You're not here. You're not standing
where I am. Okay? I refuse to be comforted. One could give me comfort, and
Him I would seek. Dark seasons and trying nights
are no proof of a Christ-less state. In fact, those who enjoy
the closeness of His fellowship Those who are called to a trying
work often find this to be the case. Those that walk most closely
with Him usually have the toughest trials, go through the toughest
of trials in this world. Toughest. Oh, it is of His tender
mercy that these night seasons come. Why? Because if we left
ourselves We won't seek Him. Without me, He said, you can
do nothing. Thirdly, why did she seek Him? She sought Him. When did she seek Him in the
night season? Why did she seek Him? Well, based on the bride's
words there, it's because she loved Him. The soul that truly
seeks Christ And I'm going to tell you something. We seek Him
in the hearing of His Word. We seek Him in the reading of
His Word. We seek Him in prayer. You know that. We seek Him. Call
Him and ask Him. Lord, I need You. Lord, I know
I'm convinced without You I can't do nothing. Lord, You speak to
me. There's times I come and sit
down at that desk right there and just sit there and sit there.
And I'd say, Lord, I don't know where to go from here. I want
a word from You. I'm not looking for a doctrinal
discourse. You want to just hear something
doctrinally, I'll give you something doctrinally. Lord, I want to hear from You. I want to hear something for
Your people. These that You have lived for,
died for, that You intercede for. Your people. I need to hear. I want to hear. She said, I sought Him. I asked
Him. Why? Because she loved Him. In
the first four verses, here's what she said, the bride said,
I sought Him on my bed. I sought Him whom my soul loveth. Verse 2, I'll rise now and go
in the city of the streets and the broad ways. I'll seek Him
whom my soul loveth. Verse 3, last part. She said
to the watchman, Have you seen Him whom my soul loveth? Verse 4, just a little while,
she said, I found Him whom my soul loveth. Whom my soul loveth. My soul. I thought that was unusual. Not unusual that it said it.
It was unusual to me. It needed to be looked into.
She said, four times, whom my soul loveth. My soul. That word soul there means my
appetite, those that hunger after righteousness. Blessed are those
that hunger and thirst after righteousness. She said, my soul
loves you. My soul, I hunger after you. It means life. The word soul
means life. And the word soul here means
my will. My will. Whom my will loves. Those that are made willing in
the day of His power. God Almighty gives His people
a willingness after Him. They come because they want to
come. I speak not of that carnal, fleshly, lustful words of disrespect
like those that pretend to love God, the little g God of their
imagination that's only concerned with this temporal world and
this temporal satisfaction. Everything's just for right now,
never for eternal. But I speak of Him who is the
life of His people. They're bred in hope. They're
Savior. They're Redeemer. They're King. their righteousness, their propitiation,
their satisfaction. I sought Him at night on my bed. I sought Him whom my soul loves,
my appetite loves, my will loves, my life. Him whom my soul loves,
who is my heart longing. That's what she's saying. He's
given me a heart with which to love Him, and I love Him. Only
those who know Him love Him. And we love Him because He first
loved us. We love Him for who He is. Almighty God. 1 Timothy 3.16
says, Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in
the flesh. God. Consider what He has done for
His own. Lived for us. Died for us. Reigns with us. Reigns for us. Intercede. And how did she seek
Him? She sought Him diligently. Just sought Him. It wasn't enough
just hit and miss. Now and then. Every once in a
while. I want to know Him. I want to
search Him. I want to seek Him. I want to
know Him. It's not enough just when it's
convenient. I sought Him. In that first verse,
she said, but I found Him not. In the second verse, she said,
I sought Him. I sought Him in the city, in
the streets. I found Him not. The watchmen
who were in the streets, they found me. I asked them, where
is he? But then the Scripture says that
eventually she did find him. But boy, there was a time when
she didn't find him. She didn't know. Those who seek
Him, and I'm telling you, this seeking, You better believe it
is by God's grace. Those of you that seek Him, you
know, I'm telling you, you realize right now, if He didn't give
me a heart to seek Him, I wouldn't. I would not. I would not. You
realize your need of Him. And they don't cease to seek
Him. They don't stop. I sought Him
and I found Him not. Is that good enough? No! No. The mark of a living soul, a
loving soul, is a seeking soul, seeking after Christ. That soul
is not satisfied with the apparent absence. I know, I know that
He is the One that withholds Himself good purposes in His
wisdom, and He creates a hunger after Him. And I think upon Him,
I think, oh, He who has died for me, put away my guilt, paid
my debt. He who is alive right now, I'm
convinced right now, my high priest, ever living to make intercession
for me, His very presence in heaven seated in the heavenlies. Tell me about Him one more time.
I want to seek Him one more time. If this is the last night that
I ever live on this earth, may I be found seeking after Him. He said, He said, you that seek
Me will find Me. You seek for Me with all your
heart. Seek Me. What seek ye? That's what he told those two
of John's disciples. What do you want? What they said
was, Lord, we want to know where you are. Not enough to just let it go. There's hunger. God creates a
hunger. Man gets hungry. Woman gets hungry.
Gets up in the morning. It's breakfast time and you're
hungry. Is it enough just to say, well, I ate last night. No big deal. No, I'm hungry. I've got to eat. Psalm 119.10, David said, with
my whole heart. That word whole there means new. That means healthy. Man that's
whole is healthy. with a healthy heart, a heart
that He's given, with my whole heart have I sought Thee. Oh, let me not wander from Thy
commandments." That's what it said. If you feel your need of
Him, it's because He's given you a heart after Him. And if you feel that need of
Him, you'll seek Him. God has ordained the desire and
the means to seek Him. They said in that second verse,
the bride said, I will rise now. I will rise now and go about
in the city, in the streets, and in the broad ways, and will
seek Him whom my soul loveth. Now, that word city right there
means guarded city. And in the streets and in the
broad ways, it means in the place where God resides. It doesn't
mean in the byways and just out and about and nowhere. It means
in the place where God has ordained. That's what it means. In the
city. Go about in the city. And I'll seek Him. The bride
knows where He's most likely to be found. Most likely. Now you just stop and just think
for just a second. Where would you say would be
most likely the place, come Wednesday night or Sunday morning, Sunday
night, where would probably be the most likely place that you
could go and you'd hear something concerning God's glory and the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ The message of salvation by grace,
where would it be? Well, you'd say right here, this
place where God is ordained. The bride was not going just
out and about. She was going in the place where
it was most likely that she'd find Him. And as she was going,
she came across the watchman, the pastors. Verse 3, the watchman. Those that God had set up, the
watchmen that watch over, that watch over the souls of God's
people that go about the city. See, they were in the city. So
it's talking about the place where God has raised up these
watchmen. She said, I'll go in the city
and the watchmen that go about the city found me. I said to
them, saw ye Him whom my soul loveth? She was in that place
where she could hear. She heard from the pastors doing
what they were called to do. Preach Christ. It doesn't say
that they were being inconsistent. They were in the city doing just
exactly. But here's the truth of this. Whenever God reveals Himself
to you, That's when you find Him. She said in verse 4, it
was but a little that I passed from them. God uses pastors. He's raised up a place. But I'm
going to tell you something, coming and sitting in this building
right here where God is raised up, sitting and listening to
either myself or Brother Scott or any other man that will set
forth the truth. of God's grace does not make
you find God. He reveals Himself to you. Seek
Him. She said, I went in the city.
I went about the city. The broad ways. Seek Him whom
my soul loveth. Verse 2. I sought Him, but I
found Him not. The watchman that go about the
city found me to whom I said, saw ye Him whom my soul loveth?
Now this is a believer speaking. It was but a little while that,
verse 4, I passed from them, but I found Him whom my soul
loveth. Was but a little. I found Him. I found Him. That's what she
said. Does that not say, but I found
Him whom my soul loveth? I want you to look at a couple
of Scriptures with me here. Turn with me to John 1. Let me
show you a little bit about finding Him. Ah, she says, I looked, I couldn't
find Him. God had created a hunger. And
I'll tell you, you that believe, this is not right here the beginning
of the revelation of Christ to us. I'm talking about this is
a lifelong struggle. This is going on. I'm telling
you, you that believe, you that have known Him, you that have
been in the faith for years and years and years, say the same
thing right now that that brand new young believer says, I seek
Him. I look for Him. I search after
Him. Have you ever had any struggles trying to find the mind and will
of Almighty God? I search for Him. I look for
Him. Have you ever come to a pastor relate a problem to them and
say, you know, I've got a problem right here. And just sometimes
a pastor, not even a pastor, knows exactly what to say. He's
going to have to reveal Himself to you. Let me show you something
about the bride said in that fourth verse, For a little while
I passed from them, and I found Him whom my soul loveth. John 1 verse 43. The day following, Jesus would
go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow
me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. And Philip findeth Nathanael,
and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law
and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Now you listen to exactly what
Philip said. to Nathanael. We found Him. We found Him. We found Him. Well, let's just go back now
to verse 43 and just read the first part again. The day following,
Jesus would go forth into Galilee and find Philip. So when Philip
found Christ, why did he find Him? Because Christ found him. That's why. When the bride says,
back in Song of Solomon 3, 4, it was a little while I passed
from them, but I found Him whom my soul loveth, you know why
she found Him? Because He found her first. You
know why the bride seeks Him? Because He sought her first.
You know why she says, whom my soul loveth? Because He loved
her first. This is the response. of God
Almighty's action on her first. I found Him whom my soul loveth. I found Him. Those that find
Him hold Him fast. It was but a little while that
I passed from them, but I found Him whom my soul loveth. I held
Him and I would not let Him go. If you know by experience something
of the sense of His absence, you know by experience the joy
of His revealed presence, of His revelation. And I say the
revealed presence, and I mean this, the presence in His Word
to my heart, that He'd speak to me through His Word. I'm not
talking about, I've heard people tell me, I saw Jesus. in my bedroom
one night. He was in a vision. I've never
seen him. I've never seen him with these
corporal eyes. I've never seen him. But I'll
tell you this, I've seen him here. I've seen him in my heart,
in my mind. And I've seen him by faith. And you're guarded of that presence. Now, I know this. I know just
Someone says, yes, but if the Lord is pleased to remove Himself,
who could hold on to Him? She says, I held Him and I wouldn't
let Him go. You're mindful of your frailty
and your silliness and your carelessness. And you ask Him, Lord, keep me. You say as David says, Lord,
take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. of the awareness of your
presence. Like Jacob when he was wrestling.
You think the Lord could have just removed himself from Jacob? You think He could? And the Lord
told him, He said, let me go. And God Almighty created a hunger
in that man's heart for Him. And Jacob said, I won't let you
go unless you bless me. God gave him that desire. Jacob
held on to Him because God held on to Jacob. It was God Almighty. The bride says, I found Him. I found Him whom my soul loved.
He revealed Himself to you. And I wouldn't let Him go because
He wouldn't let you go. Oh, I'm going to hold Him. I won't let Him go. Turn with
me to Luke 24. I'm going to just bring this
to Luke 24. Verse 28, they drew nigh. This is the two on the road to
Emmaus unto the village where they went. He made as though
he would have gone further, but they constrained him, saying,
Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.
And he went in to tarry with them. Why did they say that? Why did they constrain Him? Why did they say, abide with
us? Because He put it in their heart. He was going to teach
them something. He spoke to their heart. They
responded, turn me and I shall be turned. Lord, as I read a
while ago, Lord, You say, seek my face. My heart will say, Lord,
I seek Your face. I wouldn't let Him go. Back in
Song of Solomon, she said, I wouldn't let him go until I brought him
into my mother's house, into the chamber of her that conceived
me. Galatians 4 sheds some light
on this, until I brought him into my mother's house. Now what in the world could the
bride be talking about when she said, I brought him into my mother's
house? Galatians 4. Verse 22, Galatians
4, it is written, Galatians 4, 22,
that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other
by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman
was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. which things are an allegory. For these are the two covenants,
the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which
is Agar, or Hagar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai
in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage
with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above,
is free, which is the mother of us all. Now when the bride
says, back in Song of Solomon 3-4, I held him, wouldn't let
him go until I brought him into my mother's house, into the chamber
of her that conceived me. She's speaking of the mother
of freedom. I'll explain. There was two women,
Hagar and Sarah. God had told Abraham, He said,
I'm going to give you a son. And Sarah is going to have this
son. Going to be a son. I promise. Sarah, the Scripture
says, was past the ways of a woman. She couldn't have children anymore.
And time went on. She told Abraham, surely this
is what God meant. Surely He meant for you to take
my handmaid, Hagar, and have a son by Hagar. And then that
would be the way God decided to do it. And Hagar had a son
by Abraham. Called him Ishmael. And that
boy not the son of promise. God told him later, He said,
I want you to take Isaac, your son, your only son, the son of
promise. Now, this allegory that is spoken
of, of these two women, Hagar and Sarah, one of them was of
Mount Sinai, one was the law, works of the flesh. Salvation
or the attempts of salvation by works. That is what Abraham
and Sarah decided they'd do. We'll have a son by Hagar, and
we'll produce life by our own flesh, what we can do, what we
can produce. God said, that's not the son
I talk about. And Sarah had a son by Abraham. When Sarah was past, naturally
speaking, the age of the ability to have a son, had Isaac. In Isaac shall thy seed be called,
son of promise. The covenant of Sinai is spoken
of by what Hagar and Abraham produced, bondage. But Sarah, the woman to whom
God told Abraham that he would have a son, was the free woman,
and that by God's promise. Back in Galatians 4, 26, speaking
of Jerusalem which is above, which is free and the mother
of its all, it speaks of the covenant of grace that God had
made with Abraham and Sarah, having a son, by grace, not what
you can produce, not what you can do, but what God alone can
produce. Speaking of Christ, our Messiah,
our Mediator, our Representative, our Sin Offering, His Kingdom,
which is above. The Scripture says, that Mother
of Sarah, which is the picture of the true Jerusalem, the free
Jerusalem, which is the Mother of us all. That's what He's talking
about. The Mother of freedom and grace and mercy We are born
saved by grace and not by works. So when the Scriptures, back
in Song of Solomon 3 verse 4, she said, it was but a little
while. I passed from, I found Him whom my soul loveth, I held
Him, I wouldn't let Him go till I brought Him into my mother's
house. The mother that here speaks of grace, God's promise, God's
Word. God's Word that will not fail.
What God alone can do. Grace, grace, grace. I wouldn't let Him go. I brought
Him into my mother's house, into the chamber of her that conceived
me. It's here in this place where
we hear of God's marvelous grace and the benefit of a found Christ,
Messiah, a believer rejoices in a found Messiah to the blessing
of the congregation of believers. David said in Psalm 66, 16, Come
and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath
done for my soul. The bride she seeks after. And though there are times that
she will tell you, I sought Him whom my soul loved. I found him
not. I sought him in the city, the
place where he is raised up in the broad streets, the watchman. I asked him, Have you seen him
whom my soul loveth? He said, It was but a little
while. I passed from them, and I found him, because he found
me. And I held him, and I wouldn't let him go. I brought him into
my mother's house in the chambers of her that conceived me. May
the Lord add his blessings unto his word.