If you wish to follow along,
turn to the Song of Solomon. God willing, we're not done yet
with the Song of Solomon. I still have at least one more
passage, but there may be more. The Song of Solomon, chapter
2. The Song of Solomon, chapter 2. Same text as we have been
in for the past couple Sundays. Let me begin reading in verse
1. I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys as, and
then here is my text, as the lily among thorns. That's my text for this morning.
The lily among thorns. My title is that the lily among
thorns. Think about this. When the all
wise, Almighty Creator came to earth. He did not come as a wise
old sage with his legs crossed, doling out advice and counsel
to men and women, did he? You're right. Neither did he
come as a mighty warrior with sword in hand, ushering forth
the justice of God. You're right. Did he? No. No? The prophet had declared
that he would grow up as a tender plant. Think about it. Omnipotent deity was born infant. Think about that. Omnipotent
deity was born infant, born in pain and sweat and blood. Omnipotent deity was born in
a stable, wrapped not in the royal cloths of dignity, but
wrapped in swaddling clothes. And he was laid in a feeding
trough. That's what he was, laid in a
feeding trough. There is no question that Jesus Christ was the lily
among thorns. In that day, some came from the
east to bestow upon this one great honor, and they came to
worship him, right? We read of that in one of the
gospels. But before his second year in
the flesh, others sought to murder him. An infant, a toddler, somewhere
in between zero and two years old, sought to murder him. But
then think about it, but he who drowned the ungodly in Noah's
day. He who drowned the ungodly in
Noah's day, God drowned everyone, this God. This God, this lily
among thorns, this God drowned the whole world save for eight
people. And yet this God placed himself
under his heavenly father's providence and Joseph's protection. And
Joseph being warned in a dream about Herod's dastardly intent,
he took him and fled with him down into Egypt. This is the
God of all glory, Joe. Truly, truly, he was the lily
among thorns. Then, having returned to Nazareth
after Herod's death, think of it, he whom the holy angels fly
about his throne, day and night, crying holy, holy, holy. Think about it, that very one,
day and night, yet this one lived there in Nazareth in obscurity
for another some twenty years. The lily among thorns indeed. He worked carpentry, he attended
synagogue, The angels, Mason must have stood in awe at their
creator, the creator, the sovereign king of heaven and earth, working
in a carpentry shop, going to synagogue for 20 some years,
and was not even recognized among men. They must have stood in
holy awe at their God now being the lily among thorns. Hmm, what a thing. One day, he
stood in the synagogue in his hometown, that very hometown
of Nazareth. And his neighbors wondered at
his gracious words as he read from Holy Scripture. And the
Scripture even acknowledges, they said, what gracious words. Until he explained those gracious
words to these people. And once he began to explain
the gracious words, and what were these gracious words that
he began to speak? It was about sovereign election.
It was about God Almighty showing mercy to whom he would show mercy.
He used two examples, one of a woman and one of a man, and
neither one were Israelites. And there were many widows and
many lepers in Israel in that day, and yet God Almighty did
not feed or cleanse one of them. He cleansed a Gentile woman and
He cleansed a Gentile man. Some like to think they were
upset simply because He mentioned these being Gentiles, but that's
not so. That's not so. Remember Ruth?
She was no Gentile. Remember Jonah, the prophet? He was sent to the city of Nineveh.
That wasn't the real problem. The real problem is men and women
by nature hate the free and sovereign electing grace of God in Jesus
Christ. That's what it was all about.
They said, oh, what gracious words, and men still do that
today. You can read the Bible and they
say, boy, wasn't that great. Take a Bible verse and put it
up on your billboard where your church building's at. I remember
an individual one time, quote, it had a scripture quote, and
they met an individual in the store that he owned. And this
lady said, I really liked the saying you all had on your church
board. She said, he said, well, I put
those up there. And she said, did you come up
with that? That was so good. He was quoting the scripture.
Men and women will talk about the glory of the Bible, the glory
of the scripture, until those scriptures are explained to them
and declared for what they truly teach. Think about it. Until he explained the grace
that he was speaking about, then they sought to kill him. They
physically laid hold of him, drug him out of the city up unto
a brow of the hill whereby they might cast him down headlong. And yet he who burned the cities
of the plains in Lot's day. Think about that. He who burned
the cities and overthrew them with a great overthrow, what
did he do? He simply passed through their
midst. Think about that. Truly, truly,
my brothers and sisters, he was the lily among thorns. Was he
not the lily among thorns? For another three years or so,
he went about doing nothing but good. Went about doing nothing, but
good he healed the sick Enabled the lame to walk even raised
the dead to life again and Everywhere he went about doing good. He
did not just go do good. He also taught truth everywhere
He did not couch the truth as we are often prone to do I He
did not try to slip the truth in the back door as we are often
prone ourselves to do. He did good and preached truth. He preached what some call tough
love. Telling people the truth in spite
of themselves. He preached truth. Yet men called
him mad. They called him a blasphemer.
They called him demon-possessed. They even called him a drunk.
Didn't they? They even called him a drunk. Most did not recognize him as
the lily among thorns. Did they? Most did not recognize
him as the lily among thorns. But turn to John, the Gospel
according to John, chapter one. You know the passage. Most did
not recognize him as the lily among thorns, but oh, thank God,
some did. Thank God, some did. But based upon what? Based upon
their wise intuition? Based upon their fleshly ability? No. Look, this is what it says,
John chapter one. And it says of him, let's start
in verse 10. He was in the world. Who was in the world? This one
I've been talking about. This one who drowned the world
in the days of Noah. This one who rained down fire
from heaven and destroyed the cities of the plain, Sodom and
Gomorrah, and a few others we indicated. This very one, he
was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world
knew him not. One thing let's get for sure,
none of us know him in and of ourselves. None of us know him
by our own ability, and that's just not my opinion. John qualifies
this for sure. Look, he was in the world, the
world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came into
his own, and his own received him not. Oh, isn't that a glorious
thing? But as many as received Him,
to them gave He the power. That is both right and ability. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name. But did they believe because
of something that they mustered up? Did they believe by their
own ability? Did they believe by their own
will? as so many in our day are prone
to stress about human will. No, which were born. Which lets me know they were
born before they ever believed. Which were born not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but what
they are born of God. And the word was made flesh. and dwelt among us, and we beheld
his glory. Amen. As a lily among thorns. Amen. Was he not as a lily among
thorns? And we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth. Have you ever had someone ask
you, well, what really is the truth? What is your answer? Find out who Jesus Christ is.
and you'll see the truth. Well, what is grace really? Find
out who Jesus Christ is and you will find out what grace is because
Joe, he is full of grace and truth. Thus, if I want to know
what grace and truth is, look to him, look at him, follow him,
trust him, lean upon him. Think about it. He finally, finally
was arrested and was arraigned and was falsely accused. And
most everyone in the arraignment knew it. Most everyone in the
arraignment knew it. He was beaten, he was malked,
and remember even had a crown of what? Thorns. and it wasn't just laid up there,
David, right? I figure whoever, whoever that
Roman soldier was, took that crown of thorns, that round,
and probably stuck it into his skull so hard that the thorns
pierced into his bone. Beaten, malked, and slain on
a tree. This is the one who slew the
firstborn in Egypt. Was he not? This is the very
God who slew little infants if they were a firstborn and blood
was not placed upon the doorpost and the lintel. This was the
one who slew the firstborn in Egypt in Moses' day, and yet
at that very time, while they were doing this torture unto
him, and it was torture, While they were doing this to him,
he opened not his mouth in complaint against God. And more than that, nor did he
open his mouth in retribution against man. Did he? He could have wiped the whole
world out because of such murderous, treacherous deed. And yet, He
opened not his mouth in complaint. In complaint. Do you see him
as the lily among thorns? The lily among thorns indeed.
Now turn with me to 1 Peter before I even say anything else to you
about what I'm going to say. Turn to 1 Peter. and get to chapter two, that
is 1 Peter chapter two. We're gonna look at probably
the last few verses of that chapter. But before I read those verses,
let me say to every believer here this morning and to every
believer that may hear this message in any other venue, believer,
see his example. You hear what I'm saying? See
his example and never, Never, oh God help us, never belittle
it. See, I said see his example.
Look at it, 1 Peter 2, verse 21, we'll begin there. For even
here unto where ye called, Now this is as much holy rite, Mason,
as Ephesians chapter 1 with all those deep and glorious profound
doctrines stressed. Look at it. For even here unto
were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example. Is that not what the book says?
Yes, it does. Leaving us an example that ye
should follow in his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, what
did he do? He had the right to destroy,
corrupt humanity. who when he was reviled, what,
reviled not again. When he suffered, oh, then look
at it, look at it, when he suffered, he threatened not. Oh, David Wright, God help me. I do not stand before you this
morning saying, I am your example. I am not your example. I am to
be an example to you, but I am not your example. He is our example. Correct? He is our example. Look, who when he was reviled,
reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. Oh, what such a natural thing it is for us when someone
threatens us. Or when we suffer, rather, to
do what? Threatened. No retribution, Joe,
on his lips. But look at this, even more than
that, or I should say, crowned on top of that is this. But committed
himself to him that judgeth righteously. This is not a statement that
he knew God would get them fellas later on. He, this is a statement
that he understood, that he reckoned it to be so, and committed himself
to God even when he was tortured, that God was doing right. That God was doing right. That everything he suffered from
the first, when he first came out of that womb, Joe, and had
to be laid in a feeding trough, when his life was sought after
and his stepdad, if you want to put it that way, had to flee
with he and his mother down into Egypt. Even when he returned
back to Nazareth, where he worked in absolute holiness for 20 some
years, labored with his hands, probably as one preacher said,
had dirt under his fingernails. Well, had the stink of human
sweat. and he did this for 20 some years
in absolute holiness and absolute righteousness even before God's
own holy law and nobody caught it. The angels had to stand in
awe, Emily. They had to stand in awe at their
creator going through this and then finally he is murdered on
a tree. And through all of this, he commits
himself to him that judgeth righteously. What God has, what God is, and
what God will do to me is right. Can you hear me? I don't care
what it is, but what about that? What about that injustice? What
God has, is, and will do to me is right. Hmm, he's the judge of all the
earth. He shall do right When he creates
good now, I know that didn't say he will do good He didn't
say he committed himself to him that does good He said he committed
himself to him that what judge of what? righteously Not everything
God does is good because God said I create good. I create
evil You know what he said? No matter what hardships are
brought upon me, even through acts of injustice by man, God
Almighty is in control of them. Our God whom we serve, they cannot
lift a tail, wag a tail I should say, or a dog cannot bark against
us unless our God has sovereignly ordained it be so. Notice Peter says, he does not
say rather I should say. He did not use the word he submitted,
although that's certainly true. And the example for us is not
merely to submit, because how many times, Paul Pendleton, have
I submitted but I do it stoically? I do it stoically. or I do it
as though God's purpose were some unwise, unpredictable fate. Huh? No, it says he committed
himself. Do you see that? This shows a
union with the Father that we only know in Him. We only know
in him, and by his grace, and his mercy, and his compassion,
and the enablement of his spirit, and the lead of his word, only
then can we commit ourselves to him that judgeth righteously. But let us never forget that
Jesus Christ was not just our example. Had this lily among
thorns, merely being nothing but an example to me of how I
should conduct myself in this world, then I am found out to
be a miserable failure. Amen. And so are you. Yes, sir. And so are you. Amen. Well, look at the next phrase.
Look at it. Verse 24. Who? Peter, being moved
by the Spirit of God, could not stop with Christ as being our
example. Exactly. You see what I'm saying? could
not stop. An example, he was. Our example,
he is. But how often do we not follow
that example? We murmur, we complain, and we
complain about injustice. Well, isn't that the right thing
to do? Not if you're committing yourself
to him that judges righteously. Think about it. What did Job
do? At least at first, what did Job do when all of that cumulative
calamity had fallen upon him? What did he say? The Lord gave,
the Lord taketh away, and oh, what will be, will be. That's
not the way he responded. That may be submission, but it's
not committing. He said, the Lord gave, the Lord
taketh away. And we're talking about the death
of his children even. Yes, sir. We're talking about
acts of terrorism being committed against him. Yes, sir. Or at
least his servants, his animals. And what did he say? What did
he say? The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, and then here
is committal. Yeah. Blessed. Yeah. Blessed. Oh, God, help me by your Spirit. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Well, I didn't get what I want.
Blessed be the name of the Lord. I was treated unjustly. Blessed
be the name of the Lord. I lost my job. I lost my house. I lost my spouse. Blessed be
the name of the Lord. My family has forsaken me. Blessed
be the name of the Lord. I had somebody shoot me the finger
the other day. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Somebody said, that's silly.
You remember old Shimei, chunking rocks down on David? And one
of David's men said, I'll go take that dead dog's head off.
Did he not? What did David say? Let him alone.
The Lord bid him curse. Do you hear the word? Not, do
you hear me? Do you hear the word? The Lord bid him curse,
let him curse. Right? That's committal to him
that judgeth righteously. I dare say that there's not a
one of us who sees Jesus Christ as the lily among thorns and
looking at his example does not have to bow our heads in shame.
Is that not true? To bow our heads in shame. But Christ is more than my example.
Look, who? Here he is, moved by the Spirit
of God. Let's think about it. Most people know that Jesus Christ
is not an example to everybody. I would not suggest you go to
someone who's been locked up as a serial killer and go to
them and try to teach them that Jesus is their example. But yet, everybody seems to think
that Jesus died for everybody. That Jesus suffered for the sins
of everybody. Who's He talking to? Who's Peter
talking to here? Believers. Those people who have
been born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not
of the will of man, but have been born of God. And He says
to them, who? His own self. Bear our sins in
His own body on the tree. that we, being dead to sins,
so now you see who he's talking about. Whose sins did he bear
in his own body on the tree? Those that will finally be this,
that we, being dead to sins, should live under righteousness
by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray,
but now are returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. Christ is more than our example.
If all, I say this to anybody, am I here? Anybody hears this
message anywhere else? If all Christ is to you as an
example, you will perish in hell because you don't meet his example. Do you hear what I'm saying?
You don't, his example was absolute committal. Perfect committal. Absolute perfection. The God
who drowned the world of the ungodly kept his mouth shut while
they were lying about him. The God who burned the cities
of the plains kept his mouth shut when they were hitting him
with their fists. That's right. I dare say I could
not do that. But oh God help me to. Yes sir. when push comes to shove, if
that day were to come, whatever it might be, O God, please help
me to follow His example." Based upon what? The fact that I will
fulfill that example? No, the fact that he bore my
sins in his own body on the tree. So that Mason, even when I do,
I didn't say if, even when I do fail to follow in his steps,
he has taken care of everything for me. Mason, he's answered
all the problems, even the problems of my failures in sin. because
it's that very thing, the main problem, my sin. He bore it in
his own body on the tree. Do you see the lily among thorns?
Do you see the lily among thorns? And what about right now? What
about Jesus Christ right now? The lily among thorns? The lily
among thorns? Well, at least in one way, let
me give you this, at least in one way. Think about this. His
gospel is preached. His gospel has been preached
all over this world. It began there at Jerusalem and
Mason. Over the past 2,000 years or so, it has spread over this
whole globe. I dare say that there's not a place, at least
in some general way, there's not a place today where the gospel's
not been preached. There may be places now that
the gospel's forgotten. The gospel is no longer preached,
but the gospel's been preached everywhere. Think about it. His
gospel is preached, and it reveals who he is. This gospel that is
being preached, Paula, is revealing this lily among thorns, is it
not? A glorious gospel. And see what
men do. They mock it. They ridicule it. They hate it. They despise it. They try to twist it. They reject
it. And you go on and on and on and
on. And yet, he feeds them. Yes,
sir. Clothes them. Gives them a house
to live in. Lets them enjoy many of the bounties
of his world. Does he not? And every one of
us at one time were one of those people. Yes, sir. Do you hear
me? Every one of us at one time was one of those people. That's
exactly right. See what men do? See what I did? See what you did? Oh, without
question he is the lily among thorns. But let me sum it up,
though. But do not confuse his great tenderness as weakness.
Remember, this is the God that drowned the world in Noah's day.
Yes, sir. He is, that Jesus, that Lilium
on thorns is the God who drowned the world in Noah's day. He is
the God who rained fire down from heaven upon the cities of
the plain and destroyed them with a great overthrow. He is
the God that passed through Egypt on that great night and where
there was no blood on the doorpost and the lentils, he killed every
firstborn from infancy, Mason on up. from infancy on up. Do not confuse his great tenderness
as weakness. Do not confuse his patience as
frustration. Do not confuse his patience,
his long suffering. Do not confuse it as frustration. The lily among the thorns is
your potter. The lily among the thorns is
your potter. The lily among the thorns is
my potter. And according to the Apostle
Paul in Romans chapter nine, this lily among thorns is the
same one that he said these words about in Romans nine verse 18. Therefore hath he, who's he?
This lily among thorns. That's right, this lily among
thorns. Don't confuse anything now. Therefore hath he mercy
on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardneth. That's what it says. And men
say, that's not right. It is right. It is right. Do not give your human arguments
against the creator, against the potter. Look, Paul realizes
men have not become totally depraved after John Calvin began to preach
one of the five points of his doctrine. And I'm being facetious
now. Look at what it says, Paul perceived
men were this way even in his day, and we've been this way
even ever since the fall of our father Adam. Doubt will say them
unto me, why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his
will? And what does Paul philosophize?
Does he try to then answer this and find the equilibrium so it's
understandable to us all? That's not, he says no! No, but,
O man, who art thou that replies against God? Amen. Shall the thing formed
say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath
not the potter, here he is, here he is, here's the lily among
thorns, he is also the potter, hath not the potter Power, that
means both right, it means both. Somebody says, which does it
mean, right or might? It means both. Hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto
honor and another vessel unto dishonor? And the religionist
who tries to profess Christianity says, oh, see there, what does
that really mean? Paul tells us. What if God willing
to show his wrath? That's this lily among thorns.
What if God willing to show his wrath? He's willing to show it.
Wrath is not love. God's wrath is just hatred. You
hear me? God's wrath is just hatred, not
malicious hatred, just hatred. What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? And, oh, if he just
stopped there, it would be so depressing. and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy. Aren't you glad when he said,
yeah, he said, whom I will, I'll harden. But aren't you glad that
he said, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
That's my only hope is that he has willed to have compassion
on me. And if he has, Mason, he will. he will, and that he
might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy,
which he hath afore prepared unto glory. Even us, whom he
hath called, not just amongst the Jews, but also amongst we
Gentiles. You and I, folks, are in the
sovereign hand of the potter, who is at the same time the lily
among thorns. Oh, God, help us, Lord. Help us to follow after His steps,
Lord. Oh, God, make us to commit to
You But oh God, thank you for that hope that we have, that
true, gracious hope that we have, that our Lord Jesus Christ has
bore our sins in his own body on the tree and fully satisfied
all divine justice. Thank you for Jesus Christ. Amen.