Take me to Song of Solomon. Song
of Solomon. We looked about a week ago at
the first three verses of this blessed book. Solomon's scripture reveals that he had
written many songs, but this was the Song of Songs. This song is concerning the relationship between the
Lord Jesus Christ and His Bride. And the bride, just to bring
us up to where we were, said in verse 2, let him kiss me with
the kisses of his mouth. For thy love is better than wine. The bride desires His embrace,
desires His affection. And she longs to know it. By faith, behold it. Because,
verse 3, of the savor of thy good ointments. Those good ointments speak of His anointings. He was anointed. He is our surety. He is our mediator. He is our substitute. He is the
Lamb of God. And the savor, the smell to the
believer, to hear of Him, to rejoice in Him, to feast upon
Him, it smells to her of life. It has the fragrance of holiness. enter into the fullness, but
she knows Him, smells Him. The savor of thy good ointments,
thy name is as ointment poured forth." We looked at that passage
when it spoke of the woman that broke the alabaster box and she
poured the ointment and it just filled the room. of our Lord
who was broken, His body was broken, His blood that was shed,
and the Savior. Now, to a believer, I know they
enter in to what is said here. They know. Now, to one that has
not been given a heart to behold by faith what the writer speaks
of, one that has been anointed by the Spirit of God to understand.
They hear these words, but they don't enter in, but a believer
does. The church, the bride does. The hope of Christ is her peace. Therefore, the believer desires
His kisses, and we'll pick up now in verse 4, and she also
desires His direction and His guidance. Draw me, verse 4, we
will run after Thee. The King hath brought me into
His chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in
Thee. We will remember Thy love more
than wine. The upright love Thee. Draw me. Draw me with the cords
of your love and your kindness, because nothing else will draw
me. Unless you draw me, I will not
come. I cannot come. As you have effectually
called me out of spiritual darkness, called me unto yourself, As you
have given me a heart, a new heart, as you have regenerated
me, born me again, rebirthed me, as you've given me life,
draw me. Draw me that I might be more
intimately acquainted with you, even now. Stop and just think
for just a minute. Is that not the believer's heart? Right now, right now, we're here
for a few minutes tonight. It's just an evening. But right now, Lord, if You're
pleased to draw me, if You're pleased to right now give me
an understanding, Something beyond my capability. Something beyond
my ability. I can't do it. You draw me. Draw me by granting me a hungering
and a thirsting after You. If You leave me to myself, I
just can't conjure it up. Draw me. Draw me and we'll run
after Thee. We will, because You've made
us willing in the day of Your power. If you draw, we'll come. Willing to come. When You first revealed Yourself
to me, and willing to come afresh, the coming of last service is
not sufficient for me. from yesterday is not enough. I need you to draw me now. Draw
me right now. We would not run after Him if
He didn't draw us. Here is the believer's cry right
now. Lord, don't leave me to myself.
If you don't draw, if you don't speak to me right now in this
service, Under Your Word, by Your Spirit, I walk out of here
the same. Lord, if You don't give me a
heart, if You don't draw, if I run after You, if I'm drawn
by You, I'll finish the course. And it's only because You drew
me. And where is the place where
He's drawn? Draw me, we'll run after you. Sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus. Psalm 45, verse 14 says, She
shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needlework. In His righteousness. Robed in
His righteousness. The King has brought me. Brought me having satisfied Himself
in the putting away of my guilt at Calvary, He's brought me.
Now, there are some things that I absolutely realize and admit
that I just don't enter into right now in the fullness. Paul
said, we see through a glass darkly. But I know this, in the
person of my Lord, in the person of my Redeemer, I am as He is
right now, as He is in this world. I am as He is. He has brought
me into His chambers. He has showed me mercy by providing
Himself a Lamb, satisfying His own law in my stead. He has brought me into His chambers. into that secret place of fellowship
with Him. Wherever He is, I am. He brought me. I couldn't bring
myself. He brought me because He has
everlastingly loved me. That's what Jeremiah 13 verse
3 says, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore,
with loving kindness, Have I drawn you? I've always loved you. I've loved you. I've always loved
you. We'll be glad and we'll rejoice
in thee. We do now and we shall forever. Glad inwardly, delighting in
Him who is the delight of the Father, and rejoicing in Him. Psalm 211 says, Serve the Lord
with fear and rejoice with trembling. Serve the Lord with respect and
rejoice. And that word rejoice means to
rest. Rest. Rest in Him. God's people rejoice in that
they do rest in Him. who has finished the work that
the Father gave Him to do. Draw me. We'll run after Thee. The King has brought me into
His chambers. We'll be glad and rejoice in Thee. And we will
remember Thy love more than wine. We will rehearse what that word
means. We'll remember Thy love. Now, believers do remember. They
remember. They've given a heart. to remember. But they rehearse, they speak
of Him. Men cannot but speak and think
of that which they love and cherish. The Scripture says, Out of the
abundance of a man's heart is mouth speaketh. I've said this
before, if you want to know what a man thinks, what a man cherishes,
what a man loves, just listen to him. Listen to what he's got
to say. Psalm 45, verse 1, David said,
My heart is indicting. That means it bubbles up a good
matter. I speak of the things which I
have made touching the King. He said, My tongue is the pen
of a ready writer. I speak of Him. It's amazing. You find two people that the
Lord's given a heart after Him. And you listen to their conversation. Oh, they may have a few things
to talk about. You know, they may talk about
fish they caught. You know, last week went hunting
or something like that. But you give it just a few minutes.
And two people that the Lord's given a heart after Him. I'll
tell you what they won't talk about. They won't speak of Him. And they never tire of speaking
of Him. He is their endless conversation. We love Him and speak of Him.
The Scripture says, We will remember thy love more than wine, as wine
being drunk causes a person to show jolly. Ephesians 5, 18,
19 says, drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with
the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." And
then that last part of verse 4 says this, "...the upright
love thee." Now, you know, I thought a long time on that. As I thought on it, I thought
back on some things that I've heard many folks say. Someone might say, Do you love
the Lord? Oh, I love the Lord. I love the Lord. I remember years ago when I was
growing up in religion, that was a real comforting phrase
to say, you know. Love Jesus. Love the Lord. Give
my heart to the Lord. I love Him. Talk is cheap. Talk is very, very cheap. That's
the easiest thing in the world to say. I love Him. You know, I'd hate to know that
my love to Him was known by my thoughts, by my actions, by my
attitudes. I'd hate to know that. I'd hate
to know that my affection, my cherishing of Him is determined
by my best ability. The upright love Thee. I know this. concerning the love
toward Almighty God, toward the Lord Jesus Christ. I am absolutely
convinced of this. Those truly made upright by the
imputed righteousness of Christ, I know that they love Him. I
know they do. I know. The Scripture says, the
bride is speaking, the upright love Thee. None other than the
regenerate saint does love Him. Man, woman, left to themselves
does not love Christ, does not love the Lord. The Scripture
says the carnal mind is enmity against Him. They don't love
Him. It doesn't matter what a man says. Talk is cheap. Anybody. can stand up and say,
ìI love the Lord.î Many say they do, but Isaiah
29, 13 says, ìThe Lord sayeth, ìFor as much as this people draw
near Me with their mouth,î now you know thatís so, ìthese people
draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor
Me, Now you listen to anybody sitting anywhere in any church
building, just listen to what they're going to say. Many of
them sing the same songs that we sing. Same songs. Many of
them are quoting the same Scripture. The Lord says that they draw
near Me with their mouth and with their lips they do honor
Me. But He says they have removed their heart far from me. And their fear toward me is taught
by the precepts of men. Their respect toward me is dictated
by what they know of man's means and man's precepts and man's
concepts." The man stands up and says, ìThis is what it is
to love the Lord. This is the way you will act. This is what
you will do.î He talks cheap. ìThe Lord said to those that
had I've seen Him feed 5,000 men plus the women and children.
He said, you seek Me not because you saw the miracles, not because
you understood the miracles, but because you did eat of the
loaves and were filled. Man left himself does not serve
or love or hunger or thirst after Christ. He just doesn't. They serve Him for gain. But
Solomon says in this fourth verse, he says, the upright love Him. They love Him. They love His
Word. They love His people as a principle
of love within them with a view toward the glory of Almighty
God. They love Him. I know they love
Him. I know they do. They love Him because He has
first loved them. I know that. I know that. They count His honor, His kingdom,
His majesty to be worthy of praise. And that only by His grace. I know that. But it is not And hear me well,
it is not the redeemed sinner that decides the love that he
has for the Lord. It is not the redeemed sinner
that settles the case. Turn with me to John 21, and
I want to read something to you that was a real blessing to me. And while you're turning there,
it's John 21. I'm going to start reading verse 15 and 2. But as
I read that last part of that fourth verse, the upright love
thee. They love thee. Now, I know that even within
this congregation tonight, I know, I'm convinced, I believe that
there's some folks here that the Lord's given a heart after
Him. I believe that. I believe that. And I believe
that there's some folks here that love Him, that do love Him. And I know that if you'd ask
them, if you'd ask the folks here that the Lord's given a
heart after them, you'd ask them, you said, you love the Lord.
And from within the innermost part of that being, of that person,
they're going to say, realizing and thinking upon their attitudes
and their heart. Probably take a deep breath. Yeah, I love Him. I love Him. But I tell you, they will not
be the one that decides the case. John 21, verse 15. Listen to
these words. So when they had dined, Jesus,
saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these?" Now, let's just recount just a second of
what had happened previously. The Lord had told Peter, He said,
Peter, He said, before the cock crows
twice, You're going to deny me three times." And sure enough, before that
rooster crowed the second time, Peter had denied that he knew
the Lord. I don't know Him. They'd say,
yeah, but I saw you with Him. They said, I don't know Him.
I don't know Him. I don't know Him. Yeah, but your
speech betrays you. I told you, I told you I don't
know him. I don't know the man. I don't
have any association with him. I don't care for him. I don't
know him. And then in one Scripture it
says that the second time that the cock crowed, it said Peter
looked and the Lord looked at him. Now you know, that had to
cut him. Peter, lovest thou me more than these?
And he saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.
And he saith unto him, Feed my lambs. And he saith to him again
the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And he
saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And
he saith unto him, Feed my sheep. And he saith unto him the third
time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And Peter was grieved,
because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And
he said unto him, Lord, now here is the point I want to make.
Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. And Jesus saith unto him, Feed
my sheep. God's people will not leave the fact of their
love to the Lord Jesus Christ to themselves. But they will
cast themselves upon Him who is the searcher of hearts. Peter, do you love me? Now, you
ask a believer. Do you feel as though that your
actions and your attitudes, is it consistent with your love
toward Christ? I'm telling you, they'll take
a deep breath inside. You may not see them, but they
will. Lord, Peter said, you know all things. You know all things. I don't know the depth. The believer
will not appeal to his own ways. He won't appeal to his own affection.
He won't appeal to his own conclusion as to his love toward Christ.
He will not trust his heart to decide, but appeals to the Lord
alone to settle it. Old John Newton wrote in a song,
it said, decide the doubtful case. Thou who art thy people's
son, shine upon thy work of grace, if it be indeed begun. The believer
rests upon the Lord's knowledge of His love for him. Peter, you
love me. Lord, you know all things. Lord,
you know. Lord, I don't. I don't know the
depth of it. Do you love me, Lord? You know
all things. You know I love you. I'm telling you, talk is cheap. But one, that the Lord has given
a heart to love him. They consider their love toward
him. And they think this, if it was
left up to me to come up with to conjure, to build up, to sustain
my love toward Him, I wouldn't have a hope. Lord, You draw me
and I'll run after You. Here in the Lord's omniscience
is where the confidence of Him is truly found. True humility toward Him rests. Love for Him concludes this,
Lord, You know all things. Lord, You've given me a heart
after You. You've given me a heart after
Your Word. You've given me a heart after
Your people. You've given me a heart towards
Your Gospel. You've given me a heart towards
Your glory. Lord, You know all things. Lord,
don't leave me to myself. Lord, You made me. You saved
me. You must keep me." What the believer
feels concerning his love toward Christ is this, I am far from
loving Thee as I ought. I am far from loving Thee as
You are worthy to be loved. But, Lord, You know that in spite
of my failings, and notwithstanding my present weakness, by Your
grace, by that heart that You have given me, as Almighty God
considers me totally and only in You, by Your imputed righteousness
that covers me, I love You. I love You. Tonight as we consider all the
speech of your people toward you, the honesty toward you,
the love that we have toward you, Lord, we realize in how
thankful we are that you consider us, look upon us, accept us totally
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we say, draw us,
we'll run after You. Lord, we realize You've brought
us into Your chambers, into that innermost presence with You. And Lord, given us a hungering
and a thirsting after hearing You, and truly, in truth, The
upright do love you. We ask you to forgive us for
we failed you for Christ's sake. Amen. Pat, would you come and
just lead us in a closing prayer?