The Lord's Last Word to His Church

Q: What does the Bible say about the church as the Lord's garden?

The Bible describes the church as the Lord's garden, emphasizing its role as a place of communion and growth for believers. In the Song of Solomon 8:13, the church is portrayed as the 'garden' where the bride dwells, signifying a special place of relationship with Christ. This metaphor emphasizes that while Christ physically departs, his church remains planted on earth, holding a vital role in carrying out His work until His return. The imagery of a garden illustrates the nurturing environment of community and fellowship among believers, where they come together to support one another and grow spiritually.

Q: How do we know Christ’s departure is a sign of His love?

Christ's departure is deemed an act of love as it allows the Holy Spirit to come and fulfill His promise of comfort and guidance. In John 16:7, Jesus states, 'It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you.' This passage acknowledges that His physical departure facilitates the arrival of the Holy Spirit, who provides comfort and sanctification for His people. Furthermore, through His sacrificial death and ascension, Christ secured redemption, granting believers access to divine blessings and the experience of reconciliation with God.

Q: Why is fellowship in the local church important for Christians?

Fellowship in the local church is vital as it fosters spiritual growth and community among believers. The local church serves as a community where believers are encouraged to gather and support each other in their faith journeys. Hebrews 10:24-25 underscores the necessity of assembling together for mutual encouragement and growth. A thriving church environment enables Christians to engage in shared worship, prayer, and discipleship, which are essential for spiritual health. When believers neglect this communal aspect, they risk isolation and vulnerability to spiritual decline.

Q: What is the significance of Christ interceding for us?

Christ's intercession assures believers of His ongoing advocacy before God on their behalf. Christ's role as our intercessor highlights His continual advocacy for believers in heaven. As stated in Hebrews 7:25, 'He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.' This intercession is central to the assurance of salvation and reconciliation with God, as it reflects His active participation in our ongoing spiritual struggles and His commitment to ensuring our ultimate salvation.

Well, we've come now to the last two stanzas of this blessed Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. Our text this evening will be chapter 8 of the Song of Solomon and verse 13. The chosen bride and the glorious bridegroom must now part company for a while. The Lord, our Savior, our great bridegroom must leave this world for a season His bodily presence must be taken from his church, his bride, and he must enter into glory again. His bride, the church, the one whom he has chosen and redeemed and wed, the one whom he's purchased with his precious blood must remain here upon the earth for a while until he comes forth. And therefore the bridegroom bids us farewell with these words.

These are the last words of our Lord to his church. Look at verse 13. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken unto thy voice. In other words, our Lord says this. While I'm away from you, fill this garden with my name. Let your heart commune with me.

And then as she sees him rising up into the heavens, Received out of sight into glory the bride quickly responds with these words in verse 14 make haste my beloved and Be thou like to a row or to a young heart upon the mountains of spices It is as though she says I know my beloved that you must go away for a while Oh hurry back As soon as it pleases you as soon as my work on this earth is done come to me again And take me home to the ivory palaces of glory land You see even our lord's leaving us for a season Even his going away from us is set before us in the scriptures as a work of his grace Turn to john chapter 16 hold your hands here in our text turn to john chapter 16 Our Lord's leaving us was in fact his act of greatest love toward us.

When our Lord Jesus came into this world, he came here on purpose, taking a human body and a human soul into union with his divine being, that he might suffer and die as our substitute and leave us here for a while. It was never his intention. To come here and establish a Jewish kingdom over in Palestine. That was never his intention It was his intention when he came to leave and it's expedient for us that he does look here in John chapter 16 in verse 7 Our Lord says to his disciples.

I tell you the truth It is expedient for you It's best for you. It's needful for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter will not come But if I depart I will send him unto you It was truly expedient for our Lord to go away, expedient for us that He go away, that He die, that He rise again, that He ascend up into glory, because by His going away, the Lord Jesus Christ has saved us from many, many evils that otherwise would have destroyed us.

It was by His going away, by His dying in our place, that He saved us from the heavy strokes of divine justice which He endured. It's by His going away that He saved us from the curse and condemnation of God's holy law, the wrath and vengeance of the Lord God, eternal death, eternal ruin, eternal destruction. Our Lord's going away was expedient for us also because when he went away He went away to obtain all the blessings of grace and eternal good for our souls these things that were bestowed upon us in eternity in covenant grace as he was held up as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world he has gone away and to purchase for us that He might bestow them upon us in experience, in the experience of His grace by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. He has redeemed us and has gone a way that we might experience that redemption. He's reconciled us to God. He's gone a way that He might give us the spirit of reconciliation.

He has attained for us forgiveness Righteousness eternal life and peace and he's gone away into heaven that he might send his spirit to each of his own each Redeemed center and give them life and peace and the blessed joy of forgiveness the Scriptures are written in such a way that sometimes we become confused thinking about things. Back in the office a little bit ago, Brother Paul Windrill, as he finished praying, made this request. He said, Lord God, please forgive us of our sins.

Now, many times I've gotten letters from fellows who have received such horribly poor instruction. I'm sure some of you have heard such things which say we ought not pray for forgiveness of sins. It's already done. That's utter nonsense. It's utter nonsense. Our forgiveness was accomplished, Gary, before the world began. It was accomplished then.

But our Lord Jesus actually suffered to obtain it.

And now we come to enjoy the experience of it as He bestows it upon us. And even now, though we recognize He has put away our sin, the burden of sin is upon our souls whenever we transgress against Him. And we always do, that we constantly look to Him Constantly confessing our sin and constantly again enjoying the experience of forgiveness Just as you prayed that we might and indeed That's what we seek when we call upon him to forgive us our sin that we might enjoy the blessed experience Our Lord has gone away to obtain for us when we realize what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us we know that it's best for us that he went away for a while and He has opened for us an entrance into the holiest so that we find acceptance with God by the blood of his cross Our Lord Jesus has taken possession of heaven's glory Whatever it is. He's taken possession of it in our name as our forerunner already our lord jesus has gone into glory to prepare a place for us and he said if i go and prepare a place for you i will come again and receive you unto myself that where i am there you may be also he's gone away blessed be his name now to appear in the presence of god for us constantly to make intercession for us again going back to this idea folks like to you know, set things in little theological boxes and get everything organized and fit. So they take out any experience, any, any blessedness, any joy in this thing called Christianity and salvation.

Our Lord made intercession for us before the world began. He made intercession for us in John 17, when he said, I pray not for the world, but for them, which thou hast given me and called for God to do everything that he purposed to do for us from eternity. And right now, he continues to make intercession for us. He now appears unceasingly in the presence of God for us with his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us, and thus pleads as our advocate in the court of heaven, and an advocate the Father will heal. He is Jesus Christ the righteous, and he's the propitiation for our sins.

And he's gone away so that he might send his promised spirit into the world. So that he might send his spirit, pour out his spirit upon all flesh as the prophets said he would. And gather his elect from the north and the south, from the east and the west, the four corners of the earth. That he might gather them to gather the children of Abraham out of all the nations of the world.

That we might receive the promise of the spirit according to his purchase of grace. By his shed blood Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us For it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree and he did so the Apostle says that we might receive the promise of Abraham the blessing of Abraham that is the spirit of his grace and Now truly, it is best then for us that our beloved Savior has gone away.

Surely then his last words ought to be of special interest to us just before he leaves. Here in the Song of Solomon, in this blessed, beautiful, allegorical song of love and intimate companionship, this is our Savior's last word to his church. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice. calls me to hear it. Now with those parting words, our Lord tells us plainly what he desires of us while we are yet upon this earth. There are three or four things to which I call your attention. First, our text speaks of a blessed residence.

The Lord Jesus describes his bride as one who dwells in the garden. As a matter of fact, the construction of this phrase in the Hebrew is actually in the feminine. So that literally the Lord is calling his bride, his church by this name, thou inhabitress of the gardens. We who are born of God, we who are purchased of his blood, we who are his chosen bride, are those men and women who are the inhabitresses of his gardens. the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, his body upon this earth.

He describes our residence upon the earth as being his gardens. And he's talking, as we've seen many times, about his assemblies, gospel churches, just exactly like this. He describes the garden of the Lord as a plural garden. Because he has many assemblies just like this throughout all the earth, some larger, some smaller, some meeting in buildings like this, some meeting in open field, some meeting in secrecy, but still his gardens, the congregation of the Lord.

This term distinguishes the bride from the bridegroom in this regard. We are those who dwell in his gardens He is described tonight in Psalm 45 in verse 8 as that one who dwells in the ivory palaces He's going up to the father's throne and there he dwells as king in the ivory palaces of glory He dwelt here for a while Now he's been taken from us, physically taken from us.

His presence is ever with us. He's always with us. He walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks. He's constantly holding the angels of his churches in his right hand. He is that one who says, Lo, I'm with you all the way, even to the end of the world.

He says, If you believe me, my father and I will come and we will dwell with you. He says, I'll go away, but I'm not going to leave you like orphans in the earth. No, I'm going away, but I'll send another comforter I'll pray my father and he'll send another comforter just like me He will come and take the things of mine and show them to you and the Spirit of God is thus described as our comforter because he takes the things of Christ and shows us the accomplishment of redemption and tells us they're ours and That's how he comforts us. He who comes to convict of sin takes the things of Christ and comforts the convicted, showing us that Christ has redeemed us with his blood.

Like our Lord, we must remain upon this earth, dwelling here in his gardens until our work upon the earth is done. There's an interesting, blessed passage, somewhat mysterious in John chapter 14. Turn there for a moment, if you will. John 14, verse 12.

Our Lord came here to do a work and he stayed on this earth Rex until his work was done He came to do his father's will and he didn't leave this world until his father's will Appointed to him had been accomplished and you and I his people his church his bride his chosen We live upon this earth and we will dwell upon this earth in his gardens Until our work here is done And it's the same work he came to do. It's the very same work, the very same work. Oh, no, we don't redeem folks. We don't save them, but we're committed to the same work, the will of God, the saving of his people, the glory of his name.

Look here in John 14, verse 12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do. because I go to my father. Our Lord is telling us, I'm confident. When he says greater works, we shall do.

He's telling us that we shall carry the gospel literally into the four corners of the earth. And that's what his church is set here to do. Our Lord has gone to heaven because he best Accomplishes the purpose of God now from his throne in heaven and he's left us here upon this earth Because Merle heart you and I for the time being can best accomplish the purpose of God right where we are Why does he leave us here to do the father's will? For the saving of his people for the calling out of his elect for the glory of his name. I Our place then is in the king's gardens.

This is the place of our employment Spurgeon said you and I are set in the garden of the church Because there's work for us to do which will be beneficial to others and to ourselves also Our lord jesus tells us you're the light of the world Without god's church.

The world has no life You're the light of the world. He says you are the salt of the earth. And by saying you're the salt of the earth, I know we we use phrases like this as just sayings. You know, when we talk about somebody saying he's a good man, he's a salt of the earth.

Well, there's a sense in which certainly that's so. But this is principally what he's saying. The only thing that keeps this world from utter ruin is the fact that God's chosen are still in it. That's the only thing. You're the salt of the earth. You, you are the ones who now are the preserving hand of God upon this earth, the light of the world. As soon as he takes his church out of this world, he'll destroy it. You are due from the Lord in this dry and thirsty land. Now, I hope you found out what it is the Lord has for you to do in his garden. I hope you found the tender plants for which you're to care in his garden.

This is not only a place of our great employment, it's the place of our great enjoyment as well. Turn back to chapter 6 of the Song of Solomon, verse 2. Again, brother Paul prayed the Lord might again feed us with Himself tonight. This is the place where the Lord comes and makes Himself known and feeds His people. This is the place. This is the place where he comes to refresh, to teach, to revive, and to reveal himself. Chapter 6 and verse 2, my beloved is going down into his garden to the beds of spices to feed in the garden. Here he comes to feed his sheep, and this is where he gathers his lilies. Do you see that?

Oh, I can't stress sufficiently the importance of the local church, the assembly of God's saints in the life of a believer. The Apostle Paul, writing in Hebrews 10, urges us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but rather exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. somehow somehow Perseverance in the faith and the worship of God with his saints go hand in hand Somehow they do to explain.

I don't know how it goes. I don't know how it works. I'm just telling you somehow it does I'm telling you according to that text of scripture and I'm telling you from what I've observed and experienced As soon as men and women began to neglect the assembly of God's saints and the worship of God, they began to neglect the things of God and soon they're no more found among the people of God.

The Lord comes and walks in the garden. This is the place where the river of the water of life flows out to the people of God. This is the place where he has planted the tree of life by which men and women feed upon the leaves of that tree for the healing of the nation. This is also the place of our great eminence. Oh, what a privilege. God has established in our midst his kingdom. God Almighty of all peoples, of all places in this world has condescended here to establish his gospel, his church, and his kingdom. What a blessing. What a blessing.

I'd sure hate to be like Brother Thomas. Never know when the Lord's gonna come and make himself known. I expect Thomas thought to himself, well if I, man if I'm not there at this time, it won't make any difference. I've been there, I've been going to church with those fellas nearly every day for three years, it ain't gonna make any difference. But on this day, when he chose to be somewhere else, The Lord Jesus came and made himself known and Thomas missed it. If God's pleased to visit and make himself known, I want to be present when he does, don't you? Oh, I want, if he's pleased to speak, I want to hear his voice. If he's pleased to come and visit his vine, I want to be there when he visits.

And this is the place of our great establishment as well. Thou that dwellest. Those words imply permanence, a permanent residence, a permanent establishment. I bring this out with emphasis because I want again to emphasize the importance of a local assembly.

We are blessed of God to have opportunity with video tapes and so forth to Send the gospel around the world and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people get these things every year and listen to them give them to other folks But let no one vainly imagine that watching a videotape Are listening to a tape going down the road in your car is going to substitute for the fellowship of god's saints It won't do it. It won't do it Let no one vainly imagine that this is all right.

It is not all right. It is not all right. Where many women cannot find a place to gather with God's people and worship under the ministry of man, then certainly gather as a group and listen to and watch the tapes and take second best. But that's not best. That's not best.

Oh, no. God Almighty has established his people in his church for a reason. It's best that we be here. As for me and my house, we're established in God's house. And I'm going to tell you something. God helping me, I'll give up anything before I'll give up that. Anything. Career? Yes, sir. Livelihood? Yes, sir. Health? Yes, sir. Anything before I'll give up that. Folks, I've seen them many times. Move away from the gospel for what they think is better opportunities. I have never, never, never one time seen anybody prosper from it. Spiritually. Not once. Not once. I expect if you went down and talked to old brother Elimelech, Elimelech would give you, he could give you a thousand reasons why he ought to have left Bethlehem Judah when he did. Don't you?

Man, folks up here are starving. If I stay here, I'm going to lose all my stocks. If I stay here, I'm going to lose everything. If we leave here and go down to that heathen land in Moab, then we'll take God with us. We'll continue worshiping God. In a few years, he'll tell you better. Stay in Bethlehem, Judah, no matter what it costs you. I expected you could ask Brother Lott. if you had it do all over again, would Sodom look near as pretty as it did before? Oh, but preacher, we don't, we're not faced with those things these days. We're faced with those things every day, every day.

There's nothing more important to the life of a believer than the blessed residence God has appointed for his people in the gardens of the Lord, the church of the Lord God in this house of prayer. And I leave it to you to judge whether or not you found the church of God to be a garden for your soul. And this garden to be a blessed residence for your soul. But this I know, God's church is his garden and there he visits his people. And then there is here clearly a beneficial relationship which God's people enjoy with one another.

Our Lord says, Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice. Believers are men and women united together as companions. Companions in a pilgrimage, companions in a warfare, companions in a dark, dark land, companions in a way of trouble. And our Lord speaks here and says, we are those who dwell in the gardens and the companions hearken to your voice.

This is what he's saying. You and I as believers, as companions in this world of trouble and woe, ought to make it our business to live in blessed companionship with one another. so that as we come together in the house of God, certainly we are to speak with one another. As we speak to one another in the house of God, particularly, let us be careful that our speech is seasoned with grace and with salt.

Now, I don't mean, and please understand this, I don't mean when you come in those doors, somehow you put on an air of piety and all of a sudden everything becomes pretentiously religious and we only pray and we talk about spiritual things and we're not going to talk about the moon or the stars or the ball games or the president. I don't mean that at all, but I do mean this. I do mean this. See to it that before the surface and after the surface, your speech to one another is edifying about the things of God.

Make it your business to reinforce the message heard, to reinforce the prayer prayed, to reinforce the hymn sung by speaking to one another about the things of God, lest Satan use our frivolity to steal away the seed that's been sown. And be sure to develop a genuine interest in one another as companions. Care for each other. Care for one another's troubles. and one another's blessings. Care for one another's families and lives and express the care. Truthful, thoughtful commendation is never out of order.

And certainly in a family, in a family, it'd just be, it'd just be unthinkable. Then she's got a pretty good-sized family. It'd be unthinkable for everybody in your family to go up to Dayton and all the kids and grandkids and all the sons and daughters and daughters-in-laws and sons-in-laws come together in Mr. Campbell's house and somebody not speak to each other.

What kind of foolishness is that? That's not how families behave. Oh, no. Well, my sister's that way. I'm not going to speak to her. Let her suffer the consequences. Man, go over and hug her and give her a kiss. Don't put up with that stuff. And I'm telling you, in the family of God, It's excuseless for us to meet in this house anytime and believers not speak to and speak carefully of one another. Let us live together as companions. And then our Lord speaks here with a very benevolent request. He says, the companions hearken to thy voice, calls me to hear it. What a word. What a word.

It's as though the Savior is saying, I'm going away for a while, and you'll see me no more. But I'll not forget you. My heart is always with you. Therefore, don't forget me. Cause me to hear your voice. Though you can't see me with your physical eye and you can't hear my voice audibly, I can see you, and I do. And I can hear you and my heart's always open to your cry, calls me to hear your voice.

Now that's a very natural request because love seeks the company of its object. It's a very loving and condescending request. The King of Glory says to Don Fortnight, I want to hear you. And it's the most beneficial request possible. Because it's to my advantage that he hears my voice. Calls me to hear your voice in prayer. Calls me to hear your voice in sacred praise. Calls me to hear your voice in intimate communion. Calls me to hear the voice of your heart. Our Lord desires to hear the inmost groans and sighs of our souls, as well as the joys. He longs to hear both.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The apostle says, be careful for nothing. Don't fret and pace the floor about anything. That's what he said. Don't stand around wringing your hands and wipe your brow and sweat and worry about anything.

But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds by Christ Jesus. How on earth do you find peace? By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. How can you face difficulties? Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. How can you endure difficulty? Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Casting all your care on him, because he cares for you. Now, just exactly to the degree that I'm convinced of that, and I cast my care on Him, the peace of God, which passes understanding, keeps my heart.

Now then, here is a believing representation as well. This word calls me to hear might be translated this way. Our Lord is saying thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hear thy voice Calls them to hear me and if take that translation that he is saying since you're Among them and they hear your voice. Be sure that you cause them to hear of me Make those that dwell in the garden with you Hear me as they hear you Would to God I could make every preacher hear that word, when you speak in the garden of God, speak of Christ.

But let us, who are believers walking together as companions, raise our voices to speak of his glorious person, to speak of his wondrous works, and to speak of his overflowing, abundant, amazing grace. And I promise you, that will bring blessedness to the house of God, blessedness to your soul, and glory to our Redeemer. Amen.

The Lord's Last Word to His Church

What does the Bible say about the church as the Lord's garden?

How do we know Christ’s departure is a sign of His love?

Why is fellowship in the local church important for Christians?

What is the significance of Christ interceding for us?

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The Lord's Last Word to His Church

What does the Bible say about the church as the Lord's garden?

How do we know Christ’s departure is a sign of His love?

Why is fellowship in the local church important for Christians?

What is the significance of Christ interceding for us?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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