All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to the Song of Solomon again, Chapter 1. Song of Solomon,
Chapter 1. Now, before I read any text,
remember the literary backdrop. It is of Solomon and Eshulamite. Now to show you why that is not
the main thrust of the Song of Solomon, if you read some commentaries,
they say there's actually three players involved here, and that
is the Shulamite, her lover, and then Solomon, and Solomon's
trying to horn in. Now read Song of Solomon in that
light, you'll be confused, you won't know whether you're coming
or going. The Song of Solomon is set to
the literary backdrop of Solomon and a Shulamite, but this book
is about Christ and his church. And if you will concentrate on
this book, that way you'll get something out of it. But if you
try to see Solomon and some Shulamite, you'll get very little. And if
nothing else, you'll be confounded about your own relationship with
your spouse. Because you'll find out my relationship with my spouse
ain't like this. A lot of the myrrh's gone. The
spices have lost their strong smell. It happens. Now I'm not
saying that about a certain individual here in his relationship, but
be that as it may. You understand what I'm saying?
This book is about Christ and his church and approach it that
way and God will give you some stuff from this. But briefly
review three things here, what we've seen. The church loves
Christ's perfections. If you don't love his perfections,
you're not a part of the church. At least as a converted individual. The church loves Christ's perfections
because Christ is worthy of love. Christ deserves love. Christ
is due love. And if you don't see those things,
you don't know Christ. You just don't know Christ yet. Number
two, Christ sovereignly draws his foreordained church. We looked
at that in The Little Sister. And I will point this out. Always
remember, all of us, each one of us, at one time, individually,
we were The Little Sister. Unable to embrace Christ. Oh, but there's a day that we
were spoken for. Number three, here's the third thing we looked
at. Christ, we looked at this. We see the way the church sees
Christ. They see him as he is. A lot of religions see Jesus,
but they do not see Jesus Christ as he is. The church sees Christ
as he is. And slash but, I'll join them
both together, Joe. Christ sees us as he has made
us to be by his grace. Christ sees us a whole lot differently
than how we see ourselves. He remembers our frame. He knows
that we're dust. It's not that he's ignorant of
that, but you know what? He hath not dealt with us according
to our iniquities. God the Father dealt with Christ
according to our iniquities. If God dealt with me according
to my iniquities, I'd be in hell right now today. Now, let's look at our present
text. Look at it. Psalm of Solomon, chapter one. Now before I read it, let me
just give you this. Psalm of Solomon, chapter one,
my text is chapter one, verse seven and verse eight. But before
I read it, let me give this backdrop to it. In our present text for
this morning, Christ instructs the called concerning the sweet
vitality of the gospel message. And I chose those words particularly. The sweet vitality, and it's
sweet because he uses the expression of these great spices and smells,
Joe. Frankincense, pomegranates, all
of this stuff. The sweet vitality of the gospel
message. Vitality means what? Being, ability. What we're gonna see here is
the sweet vitality of the gospel ministry. And Christ is instructing
the church concerning that. Look at what he says here. Verse
eight, this is literarily speaking, this is Solomon talking to the
Shulamite. But we know what it is, it's really Christ talking
to us, the church. If thou, or I'm sorry, verse
seven. Tell me, O thou whom my soul
loveth, where thou feedest. This is the Shulamite speaking
to Solomon. Literarily speaking. Now, what it's talking about
is the church calling upon Christ. Tell me, O thou whom my soul
loveth, where thou feedest. Where do you feed? Where do you
feed? 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? And then now
Christ speaks. If thou know not, O thou fairest
among women. That's actually what I preached
last week. That's how Christ sees me. That's amazing to me.
That's amazing to me. If thou know not, O thou fairest
among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock. I'm not gonna say this a whole
lot later, but let me tell you, if you're one of the sheep, what
do sheep do? They flock. together. Now granted there are lost sheep,
but once the shepherd finds them, he brings them all the way home.
And Joe, if he's got me laid on his shoulders, bringing me
all the way home, and he does that for every sheep, then where
are all the sheep? They're on his shoulders. And
what's that mean? They're together. He don't have
15, 20 shoulders. You're not a sheep. If you're
out there by yourself, you're still at best a lost sheep. Now do you hear what I'm saying?
Because what I'm telling you is what this book teaches. Joe,
you're right. I have no authority. But this
book has all authority. And I'm responsible to preach
this book even if I know some people might get upset with me. And even if I know I might have
to point the finger at myself. Let's call things what they are
and not play games with God and our eternal souls. Because how
you and I feel emotionally when it comes to certain things doesn't
matter. What matters is the honor of
God in Christ. And if Christ is dishonored,
you'll perish and I'll perish. If he's dishonored. Joe, if my
life dishonors Christ, I'll perish. because he works in us both to
will and to do of his good pleasure. Now is he right or are we right?
He works in his people both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Where does he say to feed at? By the footsteps of the flock.
You wanna find out where the shepherd feeds at? Go by the footsteps
of the flock. Get with the people of God. That's
what he's talking about. Go where the gospel's being preached.
That's what Christ is talking about. Because the gospel is
what? The gospel is sheep food. The
gospel is sheep food. And if you don't like the gospel,
you can't claim to be one of the sheep. At best, again, you
may be a lost sheep, but you may not even be that. You don't
know you're a sheep till God gives you a taste for sheep food. And the gospel is sheep food.
And the sheep food is where the sheep's at. That's where it's
at. If thou know not, O thou fairest
among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
and feed thy kids beside thee. Watch shepherds, plural, the
shepherds' tents. God's ordained a certain way
in this world. We have no right to seek any
other way. If we find ourselves in another
way, doesn't necessarily mean we're lost, but I'll tell you
one thing it means, we're in sin. We're walking in sin. We are doing wrong. We are not
honoring God. And let us just call it what
it is and quit playing games. I don't want to hurt that person's
feelings. I don't want to run them off. They're not here to
start with. You got somebody that won't even
gather together and we're afraid to tell them the truth about
themselves because we're afraid we might run them off. You don't
think of that mentality? They're already gone. They don't
want to be here to start with. I told one individual, I finally
said to this person, and it was a female, I said, you're lost.
That person ain't never talked to me since. Mason, I wasn't
trying to be mean. God's never saved one person
till they're first lost. God's never clothed one person
with righteousness till they find themselves naked and without
righteousness before God. God's never fed one person until
he first makes them hungry. Until a person can come, no,
is even brought. Draw me, we'll run after you
till a person is drawn, drawn what? First drawn down to the
ground before God Almighty. I might not even get to my notes
this morning. Unless God Almighty bows you down first, and you
see your nakedness before Him, He will never clothe you in the
righteousness of Christ. Oh, God help us to be honest
with men and women's souls, because we're converted by the truth,
not by love. We're converted by the truth,
and the truth hurts. You know, the truth shall set
you free. That's what our Lord said. But you know what, if a
person's in bondage, whatever is setting free, and we know
he says it's the truth, there usually has to be a battle ensue
to set somebody free. Now don't it? A battle ensues. Right here, in these two little
verses, God Almighty manifests in the flesh. The Good Shepherd
himself, Joe, tells us where and with whom to find the sweet
vitality of the gospel message. Tells us where to go and with
whom to be. Now does it not? Look at it. Here's what it says. Where? What
did Paul say to Timothy? And I want to read it. First
Timothy chapter three. It's very familiar. This is,
I'm preaching nothing new, but it's just sometimes these things
just hit home again. Listen, first Timothy chapter
three. Verse 14, these things write
I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. Paul says, I'm
going to write something to you right ahead of me. I want you
to be ready when I get there. You know what he's saying? Now
look what he says. But if I tarry long, because
he didn't know for sure when he might get there. But if I
tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God. What's he talking about? You
could wax on with all these theological terms, phrases, try to define
all the words. What's he talking about? When
God's people gather together. Isn't that what he's talking
about? It doesn't matter whether it's a remodeled house, whether it's
a fine brick building, or whether it's a cave, but it's wherever
God's people are met together. That's God's house that Paul's
talking about here. But then look at this staggering,
amazing statement, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest
to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church. So now there's no doubt about
that. Right? Which is the church, look, of
the living God. The pillar and ground of the
truth. So I'm gonna get my truth out
of the Bible. Now think about it. Hold on just a minute. Think
about it. Truth must come from this book. But this book is in
almost probably almost every motel and hotel in the United
States of America, but you're not finding revivals happening
at the hotels and the motels of America. Where are men and women told
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ amongst God's
people when they gather together to glorify God in the person
of his son? Now, I'm not discounting the
fact that God cannot use an individual believer, Mason, who's not even
a pastor. I'm not discounting the fact
that God can't use that as you testify to someone or you preach
to someone. Not as a pastor, but just preach
to someone your experience of grace by Christ Jesus. But that's
still preaching. That's still a part of the church
declaring the glory of God. And if you really believe that,
if that's really happened to you, and you're telling somebody
else about that, then you're gonna wanna be with other people
that are like that also. Or what are you telling that
person for? You see, the pillar and ground of the truth is the
church. That's where it's vouchsafed. People have been doing what we've
been doing now, in the new covenant manner. I've been in the new
covenant manner for 2,000 years. And they've tried to stop us.
with threat, and they have killed many of us with the sword. But
Mason, here we still stand. Here we still gather together,
little groups here and there all over this world, and they
will not stop us. They may stop me, they may stop
you, they may stop this little group, but somewhere God's gonna
have his witness, and it ain't gonna be you sittin' on your
couch at home watchin' the TV. It ain't gonna happen that way.
A big revival's not gonna happen while you're sitting down watching
Jeopardy. It just ain't the way it happens. Oh, this is where the sweet vitality
of the gospel ministry is found, where the gospel ministry is
centralized, where God's people gather together. And I've been
hammering on this and hammering on this and hammering on this
for the past four or five years. You know why? Because God Almighty,
by his sweet grace, Ellen, revived that in me a few years ago. Revived
that in me when it was so dead and cold and lifeless. Oh, I'd have stayed at chapel
and preach. I thought that ain't the way it works, folks. Oh,
as long as our group survives. It ain't about our group, it's
about God's church. Amen. That's right. There's not
a local assembly that exists today that existed probably 500
years ago, probably less than that. Oh, yeah. You know what
I'm saying? But there's always still been local assemblies.
Yes, sir. And Mason, that's where the truth
is vouchsafed. That's the pillar and ground
of the truth. And then what did Paul say? Here's the with whom.
How shall they preach? You know this. There ain't no
need for me to go into great statements about it. Well, God
would just let us open our hearts and our minds, our eyes and our
ears to his word that's already been written down. How shall
they preach except what? They be sent. Amen. So God sent some people to preach
the gospel. Has he not? Yes, sir. Get where they are. Get where
they are. Well, I just don't have a place
around me. Find you a job somewhere else.
Find out where there's a gospel church at and move yourself to
it. Well, that's your opinion. Go
ahead and follow the other way. You'll be the loser. You'll be
the loser. I mean, you can sit and you can
eat out of the garbage can all you want. God may sustain you,
but it ain't nothing like Mason sitting down at the banquet table
with the people of God. It just ain't the same, Joe. It ain't the same. Let me tell
you something. We live in a world, and I know, I'm stuck about it.
I'm not gonna reach in my pocket because I don't want to turn
something on or off. I got a little gadget in my pocket, and I do
more of this now than I do more of this. You found yourself doing
that? Texting somebody that you really
care about and love rather than just picking a blessed thing
up and calling them. God help us, right? God help us. Let me tell you
something, all the CDs, ain't they marvelous? Can you imagine
how those folks, what they really thought when it began to spread,
when they first came up with the first printing press? and
they can start printing this book out in bulk. At least bulk
for their day. It's everywhere now, Mason. And
then they can print up messages. Men were preaching for 2,000
years now, under the new covenant sense. But all you could go is
by hearsay of what somebody else said he said, right? Or somebody
manually wrote down a few words. Now you got printed messages,
taped CDs floating around everywhere. But let me tell you something,
and I had Penny write this down for me on the way up here. CDs,
gospel messages on CD and paper and all that is a good supplement,
but it is not a substitute for gathering with God's people to
worship God and hear the gospel preached. You cannot live on
vitamins, can you? Now they're good for you, probably
good, probably ought to take them, but they are called what?
A supplement. You ain't gonna live on the vitamins.
You need to eat you some green beans. Good old steak. I'll cut the fat off if you want,
but I'm gonna leave it on mine for now. And some potatoes. And take your vitamins, but they're
a supplement. They're not the real thing. God
ordained us to eat that food to keep our bodies going. Not
take the vitamins. You get your vitamins from the
food. If you're not getting enough vitamins from the food, then
take you a supplement. But don't try to live on CDs.
you'll be the loser. That's best. I'm not saying to
condemn somebody. I'm saying you're gonna be a loser. God's
ordained this, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers.
And they're set up to guide and lead the church. And as Henry
Mahan said years ago, no man is his own pastor. No man is
his own teacher. No man is his own leader. It's
the first step. Mason, every 1,000 mile journey
always begins with one step. And the first step to apostasy
is this, to abandon the local assembly. That's the first step. Now you
may abandon it and not apostate, apostatize. But you ain't gonna
know that unless God Almighty sustains you in your ignorance
and your rebellion. But let me tell you, I'm trying
to warn all of us now, don't take the first step. Mason, if
you don't take the first step, you ain't gonna have to worry
about the other 999 miles. Don't take the first step, you'll
be okay. Leave the assembly and you head
yourself in a dangerous path. Somebody says prove that to me. No. God will prove that to you. God will prove that to you. I
don't have to prove this. My job's not a prover. My calling,
my being set wasn't to prove, it was to preach. Just to proclaim. He says, forsake not the assembling
yourselves together. Why? Because God's just mean
and wants me to have to take a couple days or a couple hours
out of my day on Sunday. to come up here, is that what
it's all about? God just wants, you're gonna have to give up
a couple hours for me. No, because God knows this is
for our benefit. This is where we gather around,
not just a little bitty coffee table, this is a banquet table. Because it's not about how many
of us we have here, it's about what's being declared from this
podium. Most places, folks don't get
this. They get lies. They get emotional
sermons meant to build men up. We're standing here, Joe and
I are, trying to tear you down. In hopes that just maybe. And
I know that's not even worded the best way, but in hopes that
just maybe, God then will build you up. You understand what I'm
saying? God's gotta be the one that truly
tears you down. I'm not here, get that message by Paul Mahan,
I'm telling you. Oh, it just brings you into the dust. but
he exalted Christ. I wish I could have just had
that read out. I would just read that to you
all this morning. You see, the gospel ministry is the message
of Christ's glory. Look at chapter three. Look at
this. Look at chapter three, verse
six. Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness? Think
of that amazing statement. Here's this glorious person you're
going to describe. Where's he coming from? Out of
the wilderness. Is that significant to us? Yeah,
because we were conceived and born in the wilderness. He was
up there, if I could say it that way at one time, Mason, and he
came down here to this wilderness. Do you see it? See that? He was
this that cometh out of, and you remember, go on over, who
is this coming up out of the wilderness leaning on her beloved?
That means he went down there to get her, wasn't it? And she's
just leaning on him all the way out of the wilderness. Still
in the wilderness right now, but she's leaning on him. But
look, who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness like
pillars of smoke? Now, we could go through all
kinds of things, but there are a few things in scripture. I'm
not gonna be able to express all of these phrases to you.
I don't have the capacity. Mason, I haven't understood all
of it yet. But I know, what was smoke? Think of, you remember
Isaiah? When he's in the temple? And God Almighty was there, Mason?
Guess what? Smoke. Smoke filled. We're talking about the glory
of God. But he's so glorious, he has to be hidden from us.
We cannot view that straight on and live. That's why that
smoke was there. It's not to obscure, we're already
obscured. I'm obscured by nature. These
eyes, this heart, these ears, they're deaf. These eyes are
obscured, this heart is darkened by nature. God doesn't have to
obscure himself from me. The problem is though, he is
so glorious, I cannot view him. Without there being something
Mason to hide, some part of that glory, in some way, I can't handle
it. What does the book say? No man's ever looked on God and
what? Lived. And yet we're preaching the message,
look to God and live. Now you think about that contrast. So that lets me know how do I
have to look then, by faith. Because I can't see him with
ease. Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness like
pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with
all the powders of the merchant? That's the gospel, folks. If
it don't smell good to you, you ain't never really smelled it.
You ain't never really smelled it. Behold his bed. What's a bed? It's a place of
rest, right? A place of rest. Christ said,
come to me, I'll give you what? Your labor, your heavy laden,
come to me. I'll give you what? Rest. But what else takes place in
a bed? And I don't mean to be too forward here. But you know
what else takes place in a bed, don't you? Union. There you go. Yes, sir. Man and woman come
together in marriage. And the Bible so much so, this Bible
says, marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled. That's what it said. Amen. It's
union. Yes. Union with Christ. Behold his
bed, which is Solomon's. Three score valiant men are about
it. I tried to look up 60, Mason.
Nobody knows much about any kind of symbolism concerning 60. But
the whole point is this. Get the literary backdrop. Here's
Solomon, just one man, and he's got this glorious bed. But what?
He's got 60 men around him protecting him. 60 men around him that everything
that they're working for is for what? His glory. You see, that's
the picture you're getting here. But look at it, look at these
men. Three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant
of Israel. How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace. That's a metaphor. That's
a metaphor. It ain't talking about these
things on the bottom of my legs. But they're sent. So what happens
when they're sent? They go. They go. And how beautiful is
that going? But look, they all hold what? Swords. Being expert in war. How can I be an expert in war,
Joe? All I have to do is get up and declare this book. And
Mac, you declare this book, you're an expert in war. Yeah. I don't have to define
it. A lot of us preachers are so busy trying to define it rather
than just declaring it. Proclaiming it. Preaching it.
We actually think you all are a little dumber than we are.
Since I'm sent, I must be pretty smart. No, God sent a deacon
one time to preach the gospel, did he not? He sent that one
woman out of the temple when she held that little baby in
her arms, right? He sent that woman out. She went
out praising and glorifying God publicly. Did she not? He had
a husband and a wife straight in Opalis out. Did he not? Yeah, Priscilla and Aquila. Let
him in the way of the Lord more perfectly. Expert and more. Every man hath his sword upon
his thigh because of the fear, because of fear in the night.
What's the one thing that'll protect your mind, your heart,
your soul? The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you ain't
gonna know Christ apart from his gospel. Don't think you can
stay at home and you're gonna learn about Christ. It ain't
gonna happen. God don't let that happen. God
don't let that happen. I know, automatically somebody
wants to come up with some exception. They're not exceptions. They're
a part of the rule. Exactly, yeah. But when you got
a place that you can attend, you know somebody that's got
a place they can attend, you better start encouraging them.
You better get there. Yes, sir. You better start being
there. You better start being a part
of it. Because if you play games with God in that, you're taking
your soul in your own hand. It's one thing to be in a place
that you got nothing and all you got's a CD. But you know,
we got more than CDs. You can pick up, most of us have
a phone, some of us, a lot of us, probably most of us, have
a phone that we can sit there face to face and talk to somebody.
My wife can sit and talk to her daughter face to face. Isn't
that right? We're so lazy. Just give me a CD and I'll play
it on my way to work. That's called laziness. That's
what that is. Get up off your backside. and
make an effort to go be with God's people if you really love
them like you say you do. And I've used this illustration
and some people still don't get it. If I conducted myself toward
my wife like some people who claim to be believers conduct
themselves toward the public assembly of God's saints, my
wife and I would not last a month. Because I tell her I love her
and I don't want to be around her, she's going to call me a
liar eventually, Joe. You know why? Because I would
be a liar. And don't tell me you love God's people, but you
don't want to be around them. You're a liar. And let's call
it what it is. Rather than easing them on to
possibly on to their way to hell. Paul said, I shall not declare
unto you the whole counsel of God. That means rebuking when
necessary. That means warning when necessary.
Does it not? That means admonishing when necessary. And like Earl said, he used to
say, I wish I could pull the top of your head back and pour
the truth in, but I just can't do it. All I can keep doing is
just saying it, saying it, saying it, saying it. And one day, baby,
God will just show it to you. One day, maybe. You see, the
gospel is not a mere tool to disseminate information about
Christ. Look at it, read the rest of that chapter three. This
is the glory of Solomon. Silver, gold, ye daughters of
Zion, see him. Look at his bed, there's rest,
there's union there. Look at it, see it, hear about
it. But the gospel is not a mere
tool to disseminate information about Christ. Most people think,
well, this poor old man is just academically ignorant of Christ
and all you have to really do is kind of inform him about Christ
and then encourage him with little tools and Emotional tricks and
then he'll make the right decision and believe on Jesus. They that
what is mostly being taught all around this country No, because
man has a problem he's blinded by the devil to the very gospel
that he needs That's right. He's blinded by
the devil to the very gospel he needs to hear. That's what
it says. The gospel ministry, preaching
Christ, is a glorious, life-giving thing. Yes, sir. But men are
dead. And that gospel itself don't
give you life. That's right. But now, I want to say something
here. There are those who believe regeneration
happens through a work of the Spirit and the Gospel together.
There are those who believe it happens through a work of the
Spirit only and then the Gospel converts. I stand on the second
camp. The Spirit regenerates and the
Gospel converts. But let me tell you something,
I have seen people who hold to Spirit regeneration and then
become very lax when it comes to Gospel conversion. And regeneration
is not an end in itself. You're not regenerated just so
you can be regenerated. Paul said, he showed us mercy. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration. What's that word you used, talked
about, Joe? and, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. God does that
through the gospel. And if he regenerates you, he's
regenerating you so that you can really see the gospel. That
passage in 2 Corinthians chapter four, where it said, if our gospel
be hid, and it is, it is hid to them that are lost, not to
them that are reprobate, to them that are lost, and even the elect
were born, how? In what state? Lost. And Satan
had blinded even our eyes to the gospel. But what happens?
God comes and shines in the heart. God does this work. But for what
reason? That he might give light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And the only place you will see that's in the gospel. So God
shines in the heart for a reason, Joe, to open up this book to
men and women's hearts, minds, and souls. that they'll be so.
In other words, what does he say? God opened Lydia's heart. Woo hoo! Lydia's on her way to
glory. Just go on back to selling purple,
everything's fine. It's not what it says, is it?
God opened Lydia's heart for what reason? So that she attended
unto the things which were spoken by Paul. By Paul. He didn't say, now, whoever of
you's got your heart open now, here's your Bible, go read that.
No, he said, I got a message for you. I'm talking about a
man here, and here he is. Whoever's hearts God opens, they're
gonna say, I believe that. I hold to that. I love that.
They'll even invite you into their home. That's what she did,
didn't she? She didn't say, well, that's just great, Paul. I'm
going on back to my way, you go on back to your way. She said,
no, you come on to my house. That's what you call loving it. That's
what you call it being real in your heart, mind, and soul. You
see, the fact that God Almighty does the regenerating lets me
know this, I don't need to worry about regenerating. You think you can prove somebody
the truth about regeneration and regenerate them into the
kingdom of God? No, we shouldn't argue about that with men and
women though, and even argue about that amongst our brothers.
Listen to a message they preach and look to see if we can find
them saying something wrong between regeneration and conversion.
Let me tell you something, if they're preaching Christ, that's the
whole goal. Preaching Christ. Because let
me tell you, if God regenerates a hundred, it's of no value if
there ain't no Christ being preached, Joe. Yeah. You think God regenerates them
and just goes to glory? Then you might as well go join the
primitives wherever they are down here. That's right, go on! Leave
here now! Because that ain't what we're
about here. We're about preaching Christ here. God's going to regenerate. Then he's going to send people
to those regenerated people with the gospel. And he may send somebody
to them with the gospel before he regenerates them. That's his
business. Our business is to do what? Preach
the gospel. Preach. Our concern is with the
means. Because we can't do nothing about
that first part. So let's quit sitting around
arguing about it and this being picky. Every time, I know, I've
been there. Listen to a man's message, boy, and just sit there
to pick it apart. And say, oh God, feed me. Do you see how
callous we can become? I don't like saying this and
it going on tape, maybe even going on TV. I sit there with this
callous mind, just picking apart every word a man says. And as
I've told you before, you come up here and try this sometime
and let us judge all your words. And they said, it ain't easy
to do. I've tried writing it all out and it still don't work. Still don't work. You see, the
problem is with man, not the gospel. Just remember that. The problem is with man, not
the gospel. Believing the gospel is no natural action. Remember
1 Timothy 3? The church, the church is the
pillar and ground of the truth. Then he says, but without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness. And the first thing he says is
God manifest in the flesh. Explain that one. There you go.
I tried. You know what I mean? Yeah. Joe,
I don't even have earthly illustration I can use to try to explain that.
God manifest in the flesh. But you know what the last one
is? believed on in the world. That's a marvel that anyone ever
believes this. It's a work of grace. It's a
work of God's power. That men stand and just preach
Christ and you're intoxicated with it. Do I have the right
to say that? Oh yeah. Look at it. Look at
chapter 7 verse 10. I am my beloved's And His desire
is toward me. Isn't that a glorious thought?
That Jesus Christ is actually thinking about me? Mac, He's
up there in glory making intercession for us. That's amazing, Mason. But look, come my beloved, let
us go forth into the field, let us lodge in the villages, let
us get up early to the vineyards. Now he's using another illustration
of the gospel ministry, right? The vineyard, and even our Lord
said, I'm the branch, you're the vines. Isn't that what he
said? Now look at it. Let us get up early to the vineyards.
Let us see if the vine flourish. Whether the tender grape appear
and the pomegranates bud forth, there will I give thee my love.
There will I give thee my loves. You see it? Where? In the vineyard.
In the vineyard. Now look, the mandrakes give
a smell. I know most people don't, preachers
don't even mention it. You know what a mandrake is? It's a narcotic
love plant. It's an aphrodisiac. Would make
you do things that you may not normally do otherwise until you
start drinking some of that stuff. Made out of a plant, Mason. And
here those mandrakes are, what's he talking about? It ain't talking
about Solomon trying to take advantage of the Shulamite. Read
some of these people, these commentaries go stupid here. What's this talking
about? God's people become intoxicated
with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't get away from it. I had
me a drink of it. And tomorrow, when I get up,
I've got to have another snort. I know people don't like using
that language. That's what it's talking about. I've become a
drunk to the gospel. I'm drunk on it, I can't get
away from it. I'm an alcoholic when it comes
to God's Son. I can't get enough of Him. I'll
drink Him in the morning, I'll drink Him in the evening, I'll
get up in the middle of the night and if I think about Him, I want
to drink Him, Joe. I want to know about Him. Have you ever
been there? You see, once you take that first
drink, ain't that the way they say it happens with all alcoholism?
Mason, have you ever taken that first drink? You can't become
an alcoholic. Well, as it takes that first
drink though, that's the way it is with the gospel. If God
ever gives you a real drink, you will never get over it. Can't
get over it. You might try to, oh, we'll put
it away. How many, how many alcoholics try to put it away? And then
you say, uh, what a fail off the wagon. I don't know why we
use that phrase, but they fell off the wagon. Let me tell you
something. If you fell off the wagon, when
it comes to Christ, get back on the wagon. That's what I'm
telling you. Have you left the assembly? Get
back to it. That's what I'm saying. Have you become slow and slothful
concerning the gospel? Oh God, make me hungry for it
again. I'm gonna have to wind this up. There's a lot more I was gonna
give you, but let's just stop with this. Think about this. I want you to hear the sweet
vitality of the gospel ministry. Turn to chapter eight now, and
it's all throughout. I'm just hitting some of the very obvious
spots, at least obvious to me, I should say. Look at chapter
eight, and I'm jumping way ahead, but look at verse 11. Time's
just getting away from me. Look, Solomon had a vineyard. Do you see it? Back to that old
vineyard again, right? That's right. At Baal Haimon,
he let out the vineyard and the keepers. Now, let me tell you,
what is it? He let out the vineyard under
keepers. Everyone for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand
pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, do
you see it? It's his vineyard. He lets it
out, but who still owns the vineyard? God does. My vineyard, which
is mine, is before me. Thou, O Solomon, must have a
thousand. He's gonna get back his return
from his vineyard. You see what it's saying? Oh,
Solomon must have a thousand, and those that kept the fruit
thereof, two hundred. What's he simply saying? It's not all
for us. I've mentioned this before. I
mentioned it to several there yesterday at Dingus. God says
in his word that my word shall not return unto me void. And
it will not. You and I may not see all the
results of it, but he's seen every result of it. He's getting
his four thousand. Yes, sir. If he's pleased to
give me 200, Joe, that's a great blessing. Yes, sir. To see anything. If God lets me see one soul be
converted, Joe, I don't deserve that. No. Even if I preached
his gospel, Mason, it ain't something I've earned. No, it's not. Now
look, thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken
to thy voice, calls me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and
be thou like to a roe or to a young heart upon the mountains of spices. In other words, O God Almighty,
sustain your vineyard. He has. But more than that, O
God Almighty, put me in your vineyard. Because if you're outside
the vineyard, you ain't gonna have none of this. You'll know
none of it. But more than that, oh God, make
me a part of that vineyard. And then it's summed up by Christ
this way, as his sweet beauty, the beauty of who he is, his
glories and his perfections go forth in the sound of the gospel
and his people say, make me to hearken. Because Paul Pendleton,
if he don't make me do it, I won't hearken. Even as lovely as it is, I am
so forgetful. I'd abandon this place in a heartbeat
if he didn't make me to hearken. Let us pray that he makes others
to hearken as well. Praying to God is not trying
to get God to do something, it's confessing to God that unless
he does it, it won't get done. That's what praying to God is.
I'm not trying to aggravate God till he finally gives up, so
I'm tired of hearing that, I gotta save somebody now. Religion talks
like that now, don't they? No, it's crying out. Oh God,
if you don't do it, it won't get done. Make me to hearken. Cause me to hear. Oh God, do
so with the sweet vitality of the gospel. Do you feel your
heart getting cold toward it? If you do and you don't fear,
then you don't know it. But Even if you think you haven't,
if it's all of a sudden like Joe, you all of a sudden you
wake up. He's like, whoa, I've become cold and indifferent to
that. It's still the same thing. Oh
God, make me hearken. There's nothing else you could
do. You know, what we want to do is we want to run back and
hold on to that profession way back yonder. Like somehow that's
going to make a difference. It ain't about what you believed
10 years ago, 15 years ago. It's about who you're believing
and feasting on today. And when you come down to die,
it'll be the same way. It won't be about your past.
These all did what? Died in faith. Mason, I'm going to say it this
way, and I know it could be qualified. You could live to be 100 years
old. you get down to that last day,
and you reject Christ, and you hate Christ, I don't care what
you've professed for a hundred years, you'll perish. You'll
perish. So you know what it's gonna take
to get me there, Mac? It's gonna take God's grace to get me to
the end. Isn't it not? It's gonna take God's grace.
David, right? God's gonna have to make me hear
it. Oh God, do that. Father, Forgive us of our sins, Holy,
Heavenly, Righteous Father. We dare only even ask that question
having some understanding, some enlightenment concerning the
personal work of your Son. Lord, our sins being forgiven
us is only because that you punished them in your Son. Oh God, thank
you for that in Christ. meld our hearts and minds to
it with that which only Your grace can do. In Christ's name
I ask it. Amen.