Amen. Open your Bibles, if you
would, the Song of Solomon, Chapter five. The name of the message is Where
is my beloved? Where is my beloved Song of Solomon,
Chapter five, we'll read verses two to eight. I sleep, but my heart waketh.
It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open to
me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is
filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night.
I have put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I have
washed my feet. How shall I defile them? My beloved
put in his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved
for him. I rose up to open to my beloved
and my hands dropped with myrrh and my fingers with sweet-smelling
myrrh upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved, but my
beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul fainted
when he spake. I sought him, but I could not
find him. I called him, but he gave me
no answer. The watchman that went about
the city found me, they smoked me, they wounded me, for the
keepers of the wall took away my veil from me. I charge you,
O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that ye
tell him that I am sick of love. Last week, we looked at verse
one, where we see here, I am coming to my garden, my sister,
my spouse. I have gathered my myrrh with
my spice. I've eaten my honeycomb with
my honey. I have drunk my wine with my
milk. Oh friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, oh beloved.
And we looked at how the Lord calls his bride, his beloved,
his sister, his spouse, very, very enduring terms, very, very
enduring terms. And we also considered how he
he made an ointment from spices of of his garden and anointed
the church. His bride with an ointment, which
are his graces for the feast, which he has prepared. And note,
he has eaten and then bids her to come feast and have fellowship
and commune with him. We also saw how the bridegroom
is ever present, ever present with his bride. He never leaves
her nor forsakes her. But tonight, we're gonna see
something interesting in our text. We see the bride searching
for her beloved. And it appears that he's withdrawn
himself. Remember here, never leave us,
but sometimes he withdraws his presence from believers. And it's always for our good,
beloved. He'll never leave us, but sometimes
we don't feel his presence like we do at other times. And that's
what our text is all about tonight. That's what it's all about tonight.
And then at the end of it, we'll see that the bride's heart just
burns within her, just burns within her. She's sick of love. Look at verse two. I sleep, but
my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved
that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled. My head is filled with dew, and
my locks with the drops of the night. So she's feasted, and
now she's fallen asleep. Beloved, she's no longer watchful
for him. She's fallen asleep. One commentator said, what a
sad state we have here before us. This is the church, the elect
of God, the bride, his bride. He's redeemed in a lamentable
condition. This is a picture of the elect,
the bride under a state of coldness and indifference to her Lord. And this is described here under
the image and figure of sleep. And this is not the sleep of
one who's dead and trespasses and sins. as the scripture proclaims,
that her heart waketh, and she knows the voice of her beloved,
who's calling upon her and desiring communion. And this is intended
to represent those situations, and pretty well everyone I know
who I've talked to, the Lord's people, have went through these
times. These times. And sometimes we experience a
coldness to divine things. An indifference. We can become backslidden. An indifference to the cause
of Christ, and sometimes even while sitting under the Word,
they hear as though they heard not. And this is a sad state to be
in. This is a sad state to be in. Sometimes it carries on for
a lengthy time. And where does it arise from?
This body of sin that we carry around, beloved? We're constantly
battling it, aren't we? Spirit's willing, but the flesh
is weak. Pray that God would keep you
from this situation. And if you're going through it,
pray that God would take you out of it. Take you out. Let us always come to hear the
word preached, seeking and desiring to have God speak to us through
his word. No matter who's preaching the
gospel. Let us come desiring for him to speak to our hearts,
desiring for the Holy Spirit to illuminate the scriptures,
to teach us. When I sit down in my study or at home to listen
to a to a gospel preacher, I want to hear about Christ. I'm desiring. To hear about him, I'm desiring
to learn to grow in Christ. For God to illuminate the scriptures
and and give me comfort. And it always happens through
the preaching of the word, I always come away. Feeling blessed that
I'm one of the redeemed, is it so with you? It's wonderful,
even when I'm when I'm down and cold and indifference, because
it happens to all of us. Let's be honest, beloved. We're
not always on the mountaintop, are we? Because if people tell
you are, they're lying to you. We go through some tough times,
don't we? But oh, when we hear the gospel
preached and proclaimed, it warms our hearts and souls. It warms
our hearts and souls. Look at verse two, I sleep, but
my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved
that knock saying open to me, my sister, my love, my dove and
my undefiled for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the
drops of the night. How blessed it is to observe
the unchangeable love of Christ. She's asleep in slumber, but
look at look what look at his love manifested by the titles
that he calls her my beloved. My sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled. His love has never changed. His
love has never changed. And how blessed it is to observe
the unchangeable love of Christ set forth in this sweet verse.
Though the church has fallen asleep and seemingly indifferent
of her Lord, yet Jesus was not indifferent of her. He loves
her beloved with an everlasting love. And though we fail at times,
yet Jesus never fails. Although sometimes we're not
faithful, He's always faithful. Always, always beloved. And we
see that in the calls of love to His bride here in this verse.
He stands at the door and knocks and tenderly reproves her with
terms of endearments, one commentator said. He's reproving her with
these wonderful names. These wonderful names. How tender
our Lord's correction for his bride as he calls her my sister,
my love, my dove, my undefiled. Wonderful names for the redeemed.
For sinners clothed in Christ's pure spotless righteousness.
Sleepy and unworthy as his church is, still she is his sister. His love, his dove, his undefiled. This is wondrous grace, beloved.
This is wondrous grace right here before us. It's absolutely
wondrous. How gracious is our wonderful
savior. Let us consider in the text to
it proclaims that for my head is filled with dew and my locks
with with the drops of the night. One commentator brings forth
this may be understood that he came with a fullness of grace,
a fullness of grace. It would be himself as the dew
unto Israel. The drops of the night is intended
to manifest to the church the Redeemer's own personal sufferings,
which He endured in order to bring blessings to her and in
order to save her. Think upon Him in the Garden
of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives and Calvary's Cross, and think
of the sufferings that He went through. Turn, if you would,
to Psalm 22. Psalm 22. Psalm 22. Let's read
the whole psalm. It's called the Psalm of the
Cross. And look at how it opens. My
God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me? And from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the
daytime, but thou hearest not. And in the night season, and
I'm not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee.
They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto
thee and were delivered. They trusted in thee and were
not confounded. But I am a worm and no man, a
reproach of men, despised of the people. All they that see
me laugh at me to scorn. They shoot out the lip. They
shake the head saying he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver
him. Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou
art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope
when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the
womb. Thou art my God from my mother's
belly. Be not far from me, for trouble
is near, for there is none to help. Many bulls have come past
me. Strong bulls of Bashan have beset
me round. They gaped upon me with their
mouths as a raving and roaring lion. I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joints. My heart is like wax. It is melted
in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like
a pot shed, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast bought
me into the dust of death. For dogs have come past me. The
assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and
my feet. I may tell all my bones, they
look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them
and cast lots upon my vesture. Be thou not far from me, O Lord,
O my strength. Haste thee to help me deliver
my soul from the sword, my darling, from the power of the dog. Save
me from the lion's mouth. For thou has heard me from the
horns of the unicorn unicorns. I will declare thy name unto
my brethren in the midst of the congregation. Will I praise the
ye that fear the Lord? Praise him all ye the seed of
Jacob. Glorify him. and fear him, all
ye the seed of Israel, for he hath not despised nor abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his face
from him, but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall
be of thee in the great congregation. I will pay my vows before them
that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that
seek him. Your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the
world shall remember and turn unto the Lord. All the kindreds
of the nations shall worship before thee, for the kingdom
is the Lord's, and he is the governor among the nations. All
they that be found upon the earth shall eat and worship. All they
that go down into the dust shall bow before him, and none can
keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him. It shall
be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come
and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born,
for he hath done this. Oh, the sufferings of our great
substitute upon Calvary's cross for us. Now, we have seen in our study
in several places the bride speaking to her Lord. But here before
us, we have the bride speaking of her Lord. Of her bridegroom,
because he's withdrawn himself from her. And sometimes we go
through times again where we feel like the Lord has forsaken
us. Well, we feel like the bride here in our text, but beloved,
he's not forsaken us. He's not forsaken us. He'll never
forsake his people, but sometimes he does withdraw from us. He
does withdraw. Look at verses three to eight
again. I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have
washed my feet, how shall I defile them? My beloved put in his hand
by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him. I
rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with myrrh
in my fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh upon the handles of the
lock. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn
himself and was gone. My soul fell when he spake. I
sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave
me no answer. The watchmen that went about
the city found me. They smoked me. They wounded
me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I
charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that
you tell him that I am sick of love. Let us consider verses three and four here. John
Gill brings forth that the bride is being slothful and ungrateful,
not getting up from her sleep and in her mind, getting up from
her sleep being labor. Look at verses three and four.
I have put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I have
washed my feet. How shall I defile them? My beloved
put in his hand by the hold of the door and the bowels were
in my bowels were moved for him. Hawker brings this forth. If
this verse affords us, affords us, it doth indeed afford an
awful example to what degree of baseness and ingratitude our
nature is capable of falling. It will serve at the same time
to manifest the wonderful patience and love and forbearance of our
Lord. What a beautiful representation
of both is given by the prophet. When I was in religion, they
would use texts like this to just assure you. Grace preachers don't do that. God corrects his people through
the preaching of the word, doesn't he? But we also look, I like
what Hawker brings forth here. The wonderful patience and love
and forbearance of our Lord is right here before us in the text
too. Turn if you would to Hosea chapter
11. Hosea chapter 11. Look at this in verses seven
to nine, Hosea chapter 11, verses seven to nine. Look at this. And my people are
bent to backsliding from me. Hosea 11, seven to nine. And my people are bent to backsliding
from me. Though they called them to the
most high, none at all would exalt him. How shall I give thee
up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel?
How shall I make thee as Adamah? How shall I set thee as Zeboam? My heart is turned within me.
My repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness
of my anger. I will not return to destroy
Ephraim, for I am God and not man, the Holy One in the midst
of thee, and I will not enter into the city. All my people are bent to backsliding
from me. Though they called them to the
Most High, none at all would exalt Him. Now let's go back
to verse 4 in Song of Solomon 5. Now remember, as several of
the commentators have brought forth, this is a time of indifference.
Some would say backsliding for the church. And look at, though,
look at verse four of Song of Solomon five. Look at this. This
is wonderful. My beloved put in his hand by
the hole of the door in my bowels were moved for him. Remember,
she sleeps, but again, it's not the sleep of death. And she's
heard his voice in a very loving. and tend to call in verse two.
Look, it is the voice of my beloved. The only ones who hear the voice
of Christ are his sheep. His bride. All is not gone, beloved. Though
my heart sleeps so foolishly, yet Christ is my beloved, though
my love is fickle at times, so shameful and unworthy of him,
yet. I love him. And praise God, I still hear
his voice. My beloved put in his hand by
the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him. Beloved,
our Lord is ever gracious to his people. His love for us will
never end. It cannot be put out. He loves
his people with an everlasting love, even in our most sinful
rejection and denial of him. And here before us, we see our
Savior's everlasting love, his preserving effectual grace towards
his people. As the whole here, Gil and Hocker
both bring forth, is our heart. And we see he touches her heart. Gil brings this forth. My beloved
put in his hand by the hole of the door. He does this to remove
the bolt or bar which kept him from entering in. By the door
is meant the door of the heart, which was in a great measure
shut against Christ through the corruption of her flesh. And
the hole in it shows that it was not entirely shut. There
was a little love broke forth out from her to him. A little
light broke in from him upon her. But her heart was much narrowed
and straightened, her grace low in exercise, yet There were some
faith, some love. Wherefore, Christ takes advantage
of the little hole or the crevice that was there and put in his
hand, which is to be understood of powerful and effectuous grace
or efficacious grace and the exhortation of it on her, which
is necessary to awake a drowsy saint and reclaim a backsliding
professor and to quicken to the exercise of grace. This is wonderful
what's here before us. The Lord, even when his people
are wandering off. He's drawn. He's drawn. And she awakes out of a slumber
and think of this in light of the scripture that we always
we always hear a lot of thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power. in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the
morning. Thou hast the dew of thy youth. When we are bought
from our back from our backsliding, what happens? What happens? And we who are redeemed here
have all went through times of coldness. I'm pretty sure we
all have. I'm pretty sure we have. What
happens? when the Lord draws us back with
loving cords? Because we're always His, aren't
we? And we're always in His hands. But what happens, beloved? Our
hearts burn within us, don't they? Oh, they burn within us
for the love Christ has for us. For us. His grace is effectual
and His grace is preserving. We saw that this morning with
Jonah. Jonah was heading the other way. Heading the other
way, His grace is irresistible. His grace is preserving and His
grace is indestructible. Indestructible. He knocks, but
the bride is cold and different. And we know that in our natural
state, we would never come to Him. But what happens? And my vows were moved for Him.
Oh, He makes us willing in the day in the day of his power,
she's awakened from her slumbering state by him. And now her heart
burns, beloved. Her heart burns now. She's moved
to be in his presence. She's come to herself. She's
come to herself. Turn, if you would, the Luke
15. Remember the prodigal? What happened to the prodigal?
He's off living a riotous life, right? He's off doing this thing,
isn't he? And look at Luke 15, 17, this
is wonderful. And we can even apply this to
times of coldness in our walk with the Lord. We're bought. to where we're made to come to
come to ourself, to realize, my goodness, the Lord is so gracious
to me. Look at verses 17 to 24. And when he came to himself,
he said, how many hired servants of my father's have enough and
despair and I perish with hunger. Now, remember, he's living on
husks, pig food. Will rise and go to my father
and will say unto him father. I have sinned against heaven
and before thee And I'm no more worthy to be called thy son make
me as one of thy hired servants And he arose and came to his
father, but when he was a great way off His father saw him and
had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him And
the son said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven
and in thy sight, and I'm no more worthy to be called thy
son. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best
robe. That's the righteousness of Christ,
beloved. The best robe is the righteousness of Christ. That's
the best robe. It's wonderful. And that's what
the believers called. It's absolutely wonderful. Bring
forth the best robe and put it on him who puts it on us. Oh, it's put on us by God, by
God. My goodness. And put a ring on
his hand and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf
and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was
dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found and
they began to be merry. So now we're going to see a change
in the bride. She's seeking him out again.
Look at verse five. I rose up to open to my beloved,
and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet-smelling
myrrh upon the handles of the lock. Here we see the church
has recovered from her sleep, her time of coldness, and we
see the sweet effects of grace, faith and love moving in her
heart towards Christ. They are set forth in the figures
of her hands dropped and fingers smelling with the fragrancy of
myrrh. She has had manifest to her the
goodness of God and his mercy and her absolute unworthiness. And Hawker brings forth that
myrrh is in scripture is frequently bought forth to picture grace.
Thus we see the grace of Jesus to his people set forth here
before us. Look at verse six. I opened to
my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul failed when he spake.
I saw him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave
me no answer here before us. We see. that the bridegroom has
withdrawn himself from the bride. And this is not a total departure,
beloved. We don't believe that you can
lose your salvation. We don't believe that God will
ever leave us. But he has withdrawn himself in this in this picture
right here. But he's still with her, beloved.
But he's withdrawn himself from her presence. It's not a total
departure or a loss of covenant interest, as Hawker says, it's
not that at all, because the Lord has said himself, I'll never
leave you nor forsake you. But sometimes he does withdraw
his presence from us. And we see here a hiding of his
countenance. The suspension, one hawker says, the suspension
of the influences of the Holy Ghost. If Jesus withdraws in
this way, the soul of the believer will feel what the church has
felt and expresses in this verse. And you who know the Lord, ponder
this verse and consider this topic here before us. As if you
know the Lord, you will know how much of a blessing it is
to live under his visits of love. Our souls can find no joy and
comfort without his presence. Turn, if you would, the Psalm
51. How the bride cries out this with the psalmist. Look at this
in Psalm 51. How the bride cries this out with the psalmist. Create in me a clean heart. Psalm 51, verses 10 to 12. Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. and uphold
me with thy free spirit. We cry this out when we're in
a state of coldness or indifference. We cry out, restore unto me,
O Lord, the joy of my salvation. Restore it unto me, Lord, please. Let's go back to verses seven
and eight in Song of Solomon, chapter five. It says this. The watchmen that went about
the city found me. They smoked me. They wounded
me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I
charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that
you tell him that I am sick of love. And look at here, she says,
if you find my beloved, the bride cries out in hope. I charge you,
O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, tell him
that I am sick of love. I see a search for her, beloved.
She cries out for help to the Lord's people. Oh, I charge you, oh, daughters
of Jerusalem. How many times have we, when we're in trouble
or in a great tempest like we looked at this morning, talked
to our brethren and found comfort in the things of Christ together?
How many times? It happens all the time, doesn't
it? Oh, my turn, if you would, to Galatians chapter six. We find comfort when we talk
with our brethren. When we're in a state of coldness
or indifference and we talk to our brethren about the things
of Christ, our hearts burn within us, beloved.
Our hearts burn within us. Well, usually when we're in a
state of coldness or indifference, we don't want to talk. But oh,
when When we get with the brethren and we talk with the brethren
about the things of Christ and the great things of Christ, does
not your heart burn within you? It does me. And are we not to
bear one another's burdens too, beloved, when we're going through
things? Are we not to bear one another's burdens? Look at Galatians chapter 6. Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such in one. Don't beat
them down. Religion will beat someone down. I've seen it. I've seen it when
I was in religion. I've seen the difference in grace,
beloved. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which
are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of meekness,
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. We're just as
susceptible. Look at this, beloved. Bear ye
one another's burdens. Pray for one another. Bear burdens
together, beloved. Oh, my. And so fulfill the law
of Christ. For if a man think himself to
be something when he's nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let
every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing
in himself alone and not in another. For every man shall bear his
own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto
him that teaches in all good things. Be not deceived. God
is not mocked. For whatsoever man soweth, that
shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh,
shall the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth to the spirit,
shall the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing.
Let us not be weary in well-doing, beloved. Let us be gracious with
one another. As God has been so gracious with
us. for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially
unto them who are of the household of faith. But I love this in
verse 2. Bear ye one another's burdens.
That's why we pray for one another. Bear one another's burdens. brother
comes to you or sister comes to you and they're telling you
about what they're going through, bear it with them. We're all just flesh. Cherish your fellowship with
the Lord too. Cherish your fellowship with
the Lord. Because look at what we've seen
tonight. And now we see the bride searching
for the beloved, seeking Him. Sometimes the Lord puts us through
situations to make us pine for Him. Sometimes He does, to wean us
from ourselves. Are you sick of love? Do you
seek fresh manifestations of the Savior's love? Do you long
for sweet communion with our great King? This is what we long
for. When you feel cold and indifferent,
child of God, when does your soul long for fresh tokens of
Christ's love to you? When does it? When He's drawn
us back to Himself. When we hear the voice of the
Beloved through the preaching of the Word. When sin robs you
of Christ's manifest presence and sweet communion, as soon
as you hear His voice through the preaching of the Word or
the study of the Word, flee to Him. Flee to Him. Today, if you will hear His voice,
harden not your heart. Look back at the cross. Look
at what He's done. That's why Paul in our study
in Colossians, right? Remember, set your mind on things
above. Because if we start looking at
each other and looking at the things down here, we're going
to find all kinds of fault, aren't we? We are. I'm going to disappoint you,
and you're going to disappoint me. There's no way about that,
right? It happens. We're humans, aren't we? But
do we forgive one another because we're brethren? Of course we
do. Of course we do. It's wonderful. It's grace. It's
matchless, matchless grace. And it's wonderful. So when sin
robs us of our of Christ's manifest presence and sweet communion,
flee to him. Look to him. Bring to remembrance
in your mind the message you heard. About the sweet things
of Christ and what he's done for you. And remember this, His
love never changes for you, even though sometimes our love changes
for Him. Right? Because we can get cold, can't
we? And we can get indifferent. But His love never changes. Isn't that wonderful? And that's
what continuously brings us back to Him, isn't it? Knowing that,
what a Savior. Look back to the cross if you're
in a state like this. Look back to the cross. Confess
your sinful negligence and seek His face. We've all done this,
haven't we? We have. Preachers are no different
than anyone else. We all go through these times. Bear ye one another's burdens.
Oh my, seek his face. The reason I tell you all to
seek his face is because I continuously do it too. It's wonderful. We're just a bunch of sinners
on life's journey till we get to glory, aren't we? My, let
us encourage one another. Let us build each other up. Let
us edify each other. Trust Christ in Him alone. Cast
yourself wholly upon Him. Cling to He who is the lover
of your soul. Let us close with this text over
in Lamentations. Turn, if you would, to Lamentations
chapter 3 and let us close with this. We'll read verses 18 to 33. Lamentations
chapter 3. And I pray that this will strengthen
you, beloved. It strengthened me reading it.
It's wonderful. It speaks to my heart. Look at Lamentations 3, verses
18-33. And I said my strength and my
hope is perished from the Lord. Remembering mine affliction and
my misery, the wormwood and the gall, My soul hath them still
in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind,
therefore have I hope. Look at this. This I recall to
my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail
not. They never fail. They are what? New every morning. Let that sink
in. This is wonderful. Every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. I remember hearing the grace
preacher say, even when we're not faithful, he's faithful. Great
is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul. Therefore, while I hope in Him,
in Him alone. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for them, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne
it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust,
so be there if so there may be hope he giveth his cheek to him
that smited him he is filled full with reproach for the Lord
will not cast will not cast off forever but through his great
but though he caused grief yet yet he will have compassion according
to the multitude of his mercies God always has compassion upon
his people in Christ For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve
the children of men. But let us leave tonight with
these two verses. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They
are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Heavenly Father, we thank thee
for this portion of scripture tonight. And though it through
times of indifference and coldness, which we can all go through,
Lord, yet you, you may sometimes withdraw your withdraw from us,
but you're ever with us. You never leave us. But sometimes
we feel your presence more than others. Oh, Lord, we pray. Oh, we pray that you would put
in us a desire as we see here in the bride to seek. Oh, that
our hearts would burn within us about the things of the Lord
Jesus. and that we would glorify thee
and that we would leave here praising your name and that through
the week this week, that as we're down and as we have trouble,
that we will look back to what you have done for us and that
we would rejoice and draw great strength from what you have done
for us. We love you and we praise you
in Jesus name. Amen.