Turn with me to Song of Solomon,
chapter 1, and I want to just pick up where I left off last
Wednesday. But before we do, let's go to
our Lord and ask His blessing. Our Father, we come before You
tonight asking You to Remember these that have been voiced. We realize that You are the Great
Physician. We pray that You would, according
to Your will and purpose, heal those within our group to Your
honor, to their good. Lord, we pray even now that You
would bless the reading and the preaching of Your Word that you
would cause it to go forth in power, knowing that your word
shall accomplish the purpose for which it sent. Forgive us,
we pray, for Christ's sake. Amen. Song of Solomon, chapter
1. As I've said before, this book is
the love talk between the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ and
Christ himself, the bridegroom. Now, only a believer has the
right to associate himself with these words. Christ Himself does
not speak to the world in general with these words of love and
affection. And only the Bride of Christ,
only the Regenerate has the right to speak to Him in the way that
the Bride speaks to the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Bride is
being brought to maturity, and she is. We are being taught,
growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. When
we come together, there are so many times. I know for me, I'll
just be honest with you, there are times that I'll be able to
sit down and I'll read something. And I'm thinking to myself, I
don't think I've ever seen that before. I think I've read that
passage of Scripture. You know, that happens to you.
But the Lord teaches us. We know some things, but we don't
know as we ought. And by His grace, we don't know
as we shall. But we're being made aware, more
aware, of who we are and who He is. That's what the bride
said in verse 5. I'm black. I'm dusky. I realize what I am. There is
some light. The bride says this, you that
know Him, you can truthfully say this, I know that He's taught
me something of Himself. He's given me a heart. Paul says,
I know whom I believed, and I'm persuaded that He's able to keep
that which I've committed unto Him against that day. The bride
of Christ has some light, but she also recognizes the areas
of darkness because of the presence of sin. God's bride, believers,
the regenerate saints of God, they're honest about themselves.
I'm black. But it's very comforting to her
to know that in His eyes that she's comely, that she's beautiful. And she stands beautiful one
way, robed in His righteousness only. I am comely. The Lord said in Ezekiel 16,
14, Thy beauty perfect through My comeliness
which I put upon thee." That's the beauty of the bride. There
is nothing that is more beautiful. Especially, you know this, and
neither I know nor do you know the beauty of the believer. I mean, we see beauty in each
other. It's a wonderful, wonderful beauty
to be able to behold the grace of God upon someone to hear a
believer talk. A believer talks with such beauty
concerning their Lord. They speak of Him in terms of
endearment. They are beautiful, but oh, how
He sees her as beautiful. She doesn't see herself like
that, but He sees her. And she says, I know based on
His Word right there, I just read it. Your beauty, thy beauty,
thy beauty, perfect, perfect beauty. They say beauty is in
the eyes of the beholder. Think of who beholds. Think of
who looks. Think of who sees. She sees fluctuation
within herself. Isn't that true? I mean, really,
let's get honest about this. Boy, but never in Him. She sees
herself varying, changing. You know, she wishes that it
wasn't so, but never him. But though she sees something
of the struggles within, she knows, the bride knows that she's
kept by His power, kept by the power of God through faith. And so we see in verse 7, and
we just touched on this and I'll pick up right here in verse 7,
We see in verse 7 her plea of love to Him. This is what she
says, Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest,
where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon? That is in the
heat of the day, in the heat of the battle, in the struggles.
Now we're quite aware we've got struggles. All of us have got
struggles of God's own particular choosing. All things work together. He worketh all things, all things. Whatever you're going through
right now is by the hand of Almighty God, He worketh all things. Even the wrath of man shall praise
Him. Tell me, O thou whom my soul
loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest
at noon, for why should I be as one that turneth aside by
the flocks of thy companions?" Now, here is the heart of the
believer. Tell me! Tell me! Where? Tell me where? You know
why the bride asked that? Because many profess to be called
by His name. Many use the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Many of them have that title
over their assembly. Many of them say things that
have a seemingly consistent sound to it for a while. Tell me. You are the Good Shepherd. You
are the Chief Shepherd. Lead me. Direct me. Where do you provide for your
own? Where is it? Truly, not in word
only. Lord, I want to be where You
want me to be. That's where I want to be. Where
is your place for me? Where do you feed? Verse 8, we
see the answer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Graciously, He says,
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth
by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids besides the
shepherds' tents. I desire to know, where have
you been pleased to raise up your place of worship? If thou know not, he says, or
since you know not, the believer has no problem admitting their
ignorance. That's the most consistent thing
that I'll notice about God's people. They will admit this.
I don't know anything. I can't know anything. I need
His direction. I need His guidance. We know
something of our sinfulness, but certainly we know not how
sinful. We know not how desperately we
need Him. Here's the word of instruction
to our heart. Here's the best advice that anyone
is ever going to get. This is some good advice right
here. Lord, where do You feed? Where do You cause Your people
to rest? Where do You make Your people
to settle down where Your Word is proclaimed? He said, if you
know not, O fairest among women, isn't it wonderful to know that
He doesn't leave us to ourselves? That He didn't leave me. He didn't
leave you to try to figure it out. How would you know? How
would you know? How would I know what is so? How do I know where the truth
is set forth except that the Spirit of God would reveal that
to me? How would I know? No putting down. No belittling. Here are the words of love. O
thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps
of the flock. Now what are the footsteps of
the flock? Well, it's the paths that Almighty
God has always caused the sheep to walk by. The paths of faith,
true, saving faith and trust in Him alone, in submission to
Him, to obedience to Him. The path of love. to the Lord
Jesus Christ, to His Word and to His people. But listen, only
as He reveals Himself does a man or a woman know that they are
where they should be. Now you think that everybody
that makes a claim to know Him, or let me say it like this, everybody
that makes a claim to know Him believes that they're walking
in the path of truth. But for the grace of God, a man
or a woman will die in their sin and in unbelief all the while
making claim and believing in their heart that they're right.
Now, I'm telling you, it is by God's grace that Almighty God
reveals Christ, but the key to it is this. Salvation is all
of grace. There is no part whatsoever of
man's efforts to the adding to and the securing of salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Tell
me, O thou who my soul loveth, where thy feet is, where you
make your flock to rest. to rest in Christ, to rest in
Him. Why should I be as one that turneth
aside by the flocks of your companions, those that say that they're your
companions? A lot of folks out there making
a lot of claims. Why should I be as one? Lord,
if You leave me to myself, I will perish. O Thou fairest among
women, Go thy way by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids
beside the shepherds' tents." Go that place where Almighty
God has raised up a man. Now this is exactly what this
Scripture means. Go thy way by the shepherds'
tents. The Lord has promised, I will
give you pastors after my heart. They'll feed you. Go thy way
Go and find that place where a man has been raised up that
is determined, as Paul the Apostle said, not to know anything among
you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. A place where Almighty
God is sovereignly set forth. Sovereign in creation. Sovereign in providence. We just
spoke just a few moments ago some folks in our midst that
are sick or ill. Do you believe that any of that
is by accident? Do you believe that any of that
has befallen them by bad luck? Almighty God, He's sovereign
in creation. He's sovereign. He's sovereign
in providence. He's sovereign in salvation.
and man is not, go that place where God Almighty and His holiness
and honor is set forth, where men are declared to be totally
depraved, unable, unwilling because they are unable, totally depraved,
unconditionally, that is, Unconditionally in themselves. No condition in
them. I told someone one time, I said,
if you just make this statement, unconditional election, unconditional. Well, no condition in you. But
there is a condition. It's based totally on the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is conditional. But there's
no condition in you is what that's talking about. unconditional
election where men are redeemed in particular. The Lord Jesus
Christ laid down His life for the sheep. And where those sheep
are irresistibly called out, the Spirit of God who blows sovereignly
like the wind will cross the path of all that the Father has
chosen and Christ has redeemed And He shall call them out. He shall reveal the Lord Jesus
Christ to them. Almighty God shall give them
a new heart. They shall believe. It's not
up to them to just accept it or reject it at their own whim. Where do you feed, O thou whom
my soul loveth? Where? The place where God is
exalted. That's where. and where they
are sovereignly, these that the Lord has loved, preserved in
Christ alone. These shepherds, he says by the
shepherds' tense, they are given the responsibility of feeding
the flock. I say this just as sincerely
as I can. I'm standing here right now,
and if you want to know how I feel. Here's the way I feel right now.
I look out. My heart is probably racing about
50% more than it normally would. I stand here with this thought
that goes through my mind. Here's some of God's elect. I
have the responsibility constrained by the love of Christ to stand
here to search these scriptures and to feed the flock of God.
And that is not a light thing. Who am I? Who am I? Why not you? Why aren't you here? Because it's the responsibility,
O thou whom my soul lovest. Where? Where? God says, I will
give you a pastor. I'll raise up a pastor after
my heart and they'll feed you. Responsible, responsible to feed
you. Almighty God has instructed His
bride to feed where the Lord is pleased to feed them. She's
fairest amongst women. How does He see her? Well, verse
9 says, I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses
in Pharaoh's chariots. I have compared you to these
horses. I looked up a little bit about
that. I found out that Solomon bought
his horses out of Egypt. that were used to pull Pharaoh's
chariots. These horses were absolutely,
in all of Egypt, they were the most beautiful of all the horses. The bride is beautiful by His
comeliness. He says, I've compared you two. This is the way men would pick
these horses. They would pick the most beautiful
of all the horses, but how I've made you to be beautiful, robed
in His righteousness. They were chosen horses. They were just picked out. They were the best, the choicest. Almighty God has chosen us in
the Lord Jesus Christ, not in anything that He saw in us, but
because it pleased Him. to set His affection upon us.
The horses that pull Pharaoh's chariots were the costliest of
all the horses. They were the most expensive.
The Bride of Christ has been purchased by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. What a price! I remember preaching
a message one time called, The High Cost of Free Grace. What it cost the Father. what
it cost the Lord Jesus Christ. What it cost. The high cost.
Free grace. Free to the believer. But, oh, the price! The horses
of Egypt that pulled Pharaoh's chariots, they were strong. They were the strongest of the
horses. But we're strong in Christ alone. But I made mention one time,
how does our strength manifest? How is the strength of a believer,
strong in Christ, how does it manifest? Paul says, when I am
weak, then am I strong. Strong in him. Weak in myself. In me, I can do nothing. I can't
think a good thought. I can't read and perceive aright. I can't say anything to you.
I can't say a word of encouragement to you and have a perfect spirit
about it. I just can't. Horses. He said, I've compared you. And
these horses I found out of Egypt, these Egyptian horses, they pulled
together as a team. They were together. One. That's
the way the bride of Christ is. They're one. One in Spirit. I know. I know that in ourselves,
there's times that we have these little spats. But compared to
the glory that is due Him, is there anything worth beckoning
over really? Now, you think about it. What
is it? For the sake of the Gospel, for the honor of Christ, forget
it! Forget it! It's not worth it. These horses, they pulled together
and they were fearless in battle. I mean, these horses, I read
some things about these horses. I thought these things were magnificent
animals. In my mind, I'd kind of think
of those Clydesdales, you know. Beautiful, big, Belgium-looking. Paul Mahan, he's got some Belgium
horses. I don't know anything about horses,
but all I know is when I saw those horses, that Paul's got
a huge, big old strong You know, just big things. I mean, just
majestic looking things. The Lord says, I've compared
you, O My love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks are comely as rows
of jewels. Thy neck with chains of gold. Cheeks here represent the face
of the bride. It's made to be turned toward
Him in love. Where before we hid, the Scripture
says, as it were, our faces from Him. We saw no beauty in Him. We just said, no love toward
Him. No love for His Gospel. No love
for His people. No love for His Word. But having
been made willing to look to Him. You remember when Moses
in the desert, the snakes were biting the people and Moses asked
the Lord, called upon the Lord for the sake of the people, and
He said, cause this brazen serpent to be made. It was a serpent
made in the image of what was biting the people. The snakes
there were a picture of sin. It was biting the people and
killing them. And this brazen serpent was made,
the Lord Jesus Christ. was made to be sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. And the Lord told
Moses, He said, tell the people, just look. Just look. Look to
it. And all that looked didn't die. All of them that looked were
preserved. We look to Christ. We look to
Him. Our faces are turned toward Him. Your cheeks, your faces are beautiful
with rows of jewels, highly adorned. But I want you to recognize something
right here. The bride's beauty is not a natural
beauty. He said, your cheeks, thy cheeks
are comely with rows of jewels. What I've put on you, it's not
that you were naturally beauty. Her beauty is from being adorned
by the Lord Jesus Christ. Highly adorned. 1 Peter 3, 3
and 4 says, not that outward adorning of the plaiting of hair
or the wearing of gold or putting on apparel, but let it be the
hidden man of the heart and that which is not corruptible, even
the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight
of God of great price. What an adorning, you know. You
think about what we think is a beautiful adorning. What we
think looks good. Long earrings on women or big,
you know, somethings. What we believe what the Lord
says is beautiful. He said your cheeks, thy cheeks
are beautiful with a rose of jewels. What are these jewels?
Meek. A submissive is what that word
meek means. Submissive. Submissive to the
providence and the will and the purpose of Almighty God and a
quiet spirit, quiet before Him. Lord, You speak. You know, let
me close my mouth. Let me hush. Let me shut up.
Let God be true and let every man be a liar. That's beautiful. Thy neck, He says, with chains
of gold, These chains of gold are graces that have been given
by the Spirit of God. Turn with me to Ezekiel 16. Ezekiel
16, verses 11, 12, and 13. Ezekiel 16, verse 11. Here's
the Lord speaking. He said, I put a jewel in thy forehead,
and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked with gold
and silver. Thy raiment was as fine linen."
That is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That fine
linen, I said last week, fine linen is made out of flax from
the earth. fine linen and silk, embroidered
work. Thou didst eat fine flour." Lord
willing, we'll deal with this fine flour in Leviticus. There was a sacrifice, an offering,
the meat offering, and it was fine flour, a picture of the
perfection of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said,
Thou didst eat fine flour. The Lord said, Eat of Me. And
honey and oil and thou wast feeding beautiful as thou didst prosper
into a kingdom." The Lord says back in Song of Solomon, He said,
"...your cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with
chains of gold." Romans 13, 14 says, "...put ye on Christ, put
on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, vows of
mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering,
forbearing one another, forgiving one another. Boy, when you consider,
you know what, as I said a moment ago, what we call beautiful.
And the Lord says, this is beauty. This is lovely. This is what
I've made you. How beautiful are the faces of
God's people in His sight, being adorned with His graces, Their
necks, beautiful, lovely, and submissive to Him. While before,
we were stiff-necked and hard against Him, but He says, I made
you what you are. And then in verse 11, and we'll
stop with this one, it says, we will make the borders of gold
with studs of silver. And you know, I was thinking,
for a moment. You know, there is nothing that
is more pleasing for a couple, a man and his wife, that speaks
to each other respectfully. And just, you know, I mean, doesn't
it? I mean, for a man to tell his
wife, honey, you know, you've never been so lovely to me. You've never been more beautiful
than you are right now for a wife to tell her husband, you know,
you are to me. I love you. I love you. I love
you. You're handsome to me. They back
and forth, back and forth. Oh, and it's because they love
one another. Think of these words of love
that Christ is speaking to His bride. We will make the borders
of gold with studs of silver. We, we, the Father, the Son,
and the Spirit. We will, and whatsoever God wills,
that He does. We will make the borders. God will do for His own what
He demands. It is God's will that His people
shall be holy and without blame before Him in love." That's what
God wills. God's will. That is accomplished
in the Lord Jesus Christ, the surety of the sheep, the representative
of the sheep, predestinated, the Scripture says, to be conformed
to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And believers shall be
adorned in a way that is worthy and becoming of their Master.
This is the way. He said, We are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus, and He alone is able to do exceedingly,
abundantly, above all that we ask or think. Here is the sad thing. We read
these words right now. We read them. He says, this is
the way you are to Me. And because of the presence of
sin within us, you know what the believer says? I'm comely,
I know, but I'm black. Oh, how little I perceive of
what he is even saying to me. Make thee borders of gold with
studs of silver." Last Scripture right here. Turn with me to Isaiah
62. Isaiah 62, verses 1 to 4. And with this, I'm going to close. I was reading this today and
I was thinking, Lord, would You just grant me a heart to just
enter into this. I hear these blessed words that
you're saying to me, and I am so insensitive. You're speaking to your people
in such high terms here, such high lofty things. And Lord,
I am so silly in myself. I am so pitiful in myself. I don't even hear what you're
saying. Oh, but for Your grace that You
would keep me in spite of me." You talk about salvation by grace. Aren't you glad that Almighty
God doesn't keep His people based on their appreciation of what
He's done for them? He said, We're going to make
Thee borders of gold with studs of silver. What does that mean?
It means actually that headbands or diadems with studs or points
of silver. It's like a crown is what he's
talking about. Isaiah 62, verses 1 through 4,
for Zion's sake, that is for the bride, for the church, for
God's elect, for Zion's sake, will I not hold my peace? And for Jerusalem's sake, I will
not rest until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness
and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the
Gentiles shall see thy righteousness in all kings thy glory, and thou
shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall
name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God, thou shalt no more
be termed forsaken, neither shalt thy land any more be termed desolate,
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah in thy land Beulah, for the Lord
delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married." Oh, how little
we realize of the glory and the honor that Almighty God has bestowed
upon His people for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. It
is as if we see truly through a glass darkly. We see, but oh,
how dimly do we see. We read these words of beauty
and we say, Lord, as You say we are, we are. As You say You see us, You do
see us. Lord, I'm black, but You say
I'm lovely based on You. Oh, salvation, glorious salvation
is of the Lord. Our Father, how we thank You
that we can just read. And Lord, behold the wonder of
the glory of Almighty God to bestow in mercy and grace upon
a people undeserving in ourselves, we admit it. But we ask You,
Lord, would You reveal to us something of who You have said
that we are in Christ Jesus. We pray that You would forgive
us where we read these blessed words, and because of the presence
of sin, Lord, we realize that we don't behold it as we ought. But Lord, we do behold it. We
behold something of it. We know, though, that there shall
be a time in that day we'll see you as you are. And Scripture
says, be like you. We ask you now to forgive us
where we failed you. Keep us by your grace, we pray
for Christ's sake. Amen. Okay, Pat, if you'd just
lead us in our closing hymn. hymn number thirty. Bless the Lord and sing His praises. Bless the Lord now, O my soul. Join the song all heaven raises. Let the anthem loudly roll. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, bless
His holy name. Bless the Lord for the victorious
love that conquered on the tree. For His grace so great and glorious
flowing out from Calvary. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, bless
His holy name. Bless the Lord, He walks beside
me. And He lights the path before. Every need is now supplied me
From His bounteous heavenly store. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within thee,
bless His holy name. Bless the Lord for truth He's
given. for the work of prophecy that
has drawn the veil from heaven and rebuilt my destiny. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Father,
we thank you for your kindness. We thank you for your blessings. Thank you for the blessings,
dear father, that you supremely bestow. We don't ask for, we
don't even realize. Help us to be so appreciative
of the kindness that you supremely bestow. Help us to be so appreciative
of the fact that this congregation is a place we can meet. May dear
father, everything that we do, in some way, Refrain from bringing
shame or reproach against your neighbor. Help us to love you
to the measure of your worthiness. Guide us, direct us, bring us
back to do your will. We thank God and pray.