Well, as I think I mentioned
in my prayer and Peter in his, we live in. very uncertain days. We've just had a general election
for people not in the UK listening to this. We've just had a general
election and a general election that was intended to bring stability
and stable government and strong government has ended up doing
exactly the opposite. It's ended up with great uncertainty
and turmoil and everything seems unclear and if your hopes and
everything that you think on resides only in this world, then
you must be in a worse condition today than you were three or
four days ago before that election, because it's now so much more
uncertain. And various people of all sorts
of political persuasions, including ourselves, can speculate about
what went wrong. You might even regard it as what
went right. But we're all concerned. Every one of us are concerned.
about national and personal safety. These are things, this is not
academic, you know this, you know there was just over a week
ago there was a terrible terrorist attack in London and eight people
were killed as a result of it, terrible things. We're all concerned
about national and personal safety, we're all concerned about prosperity
and the cost of just living in this world, of how we provide
material comforts, houses, clothes, food, all of these things. We're
concerned about the safety of our friends and family. you know even though as believers
as believing citizens we have a biblical duty to vote and take
part in this world and the things like the election that's just
been we have a duty to vote I wouldn't say for the best I would say
for the least bad but we mustn't ever as believers lose sight
of this that here and now is not the believers eternal home
this isn't a stable government and a lovely prosperous worldly
society yes it's all well and good but that is not our objective
as believers look at Hebrews chapter 11 you don't need to
turn to it I'll read it out to you Hebrews chapter 11 talking
about the people of faith the people who had the faith that
God gives them to look to the Son of God who would come and
be faithful and obedient unto death even the death of a cross
And this chapter 11 of Hebrews is about faith. And talking about
Abraham, verse 10, it says, he looked for a city. he looked
for a city you know we all talk about is London the best city
in the world, oh no New York's the best city in the world and
everybody likes to say their city is the best city in the
world but he Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations
whose builder and maker is God that's where he looked in verse
thirteen all these people of faith they all died in faith
not having received the promises that Christ hadn't come then
But having seen them far off and were persuaded of them, they
embraced them and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on
the earth. Do you see yourself as that,
as a believer? That's what we are, as believers
in this world. Yes, we participate in the things
we have to participate in, and we enjoy lots of things, but
by nature, because of that spiritual nature, born of the Spirit of
God, we're strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They that say such
things declare plainly that they seek a country. What, a country
with a stable government? No, they seek a country. And
truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they
came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now, they desire a better country. That is, and heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God. For he has prepared for them
a city. That, in these days of turmoil,
is the believer's true hope and objective. Christ's kingdom is
not of this world, he said. John the Apostle said to believers,
love not the world nor the things of the world. Yes, participate. You live in the world, but don't
be of the world. Love not the world. The prayer
that Jesus taught his disciples to pray was, thy kingdom come. And at the end of Revelation,
the cry goes up, even so, come, Lord Jesus. So let's get our
priorities right when we think about this world of turmoil.
And if this is our objective, if this is the overwhelming aspiration
of believers. This is where we're going, this
is what we hope for. Others look on and see, and two
questions are asked. Two questions are prompted. Two
questions from those who might be inquiring. The first one is
in verse 9 of chapter 5. What is thy beloved? More than
another beloved. What? What? And the second question
is in chapter 6 verse 1. Whither is thy beloved gone?
Or to use modern language, where is he? Where can I find him?
What is he? And where is he? Where can I
find him? Those are the two questions. The daughters of Jerusalem are
the ones in verse 8 of chapter 5 who ask the question, who are
these daughters of Jerusalem? Well, I don't know definitively,
you can speculate. Interested inquirers? Objects
of divine grace who have not yet embraced Christ, perhaps?
whatever whatever they are whatever they are these two questions
are questions that you might ask that you ought to ask that
you ought to be asking this morning what is thy beloved more than
another beloved and where is he gone where can i find him
The church is the Lord's garden. In chapter 4 verse 12, a garden
enclosed is my sister, my spouse. The Lord's garden. And it's the
place that he comes to. Look at chapter 5 verse 1, the
beloved speaking. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. I am come into my garden. What is his garden? It's his
sister, his spouse, an enclosed garden. It's his bride. It's
the one he's loved from before the beginning of time. I am coming
to my garden, my sister, my spouse. That's where he comes. That's
where he comes and interacts with his church. The church,
the assembly of his people, the gathering of his people, all
of his elect from before the beginning of time, in whatever
situation they are, individuals, assemblies, the church universal,
He comes amongst his people. But the church in its earthly
state is in the flesh. We live in the flesh. We're constantly
conscious of it. In chapter 5 verses 2 to 8 we
saw last week a willing spirit but oh so weak flesh. Here he
is coming for communion with his beloved and oh I've put off
my coat, I can't put it on. I've washed my feet, how shall
I defile them? I can't be bothered to get up
and then The love is stirred, and she gets up and goes, but
he's gone, he's withdrawn, because the point is to rebuke, to chastise,
to withdraw his presence so that she feels that presence and that
need for it more keenly. Remember I quoted that song,
you don't know what you've got till it's gone. and the believer
having experienced the bliss, the blessing of the presence,
the felt presence of Christ, knowing what it is to have sins
forgiven and be at peace with God, when that felt presence
is withdrawn and you become conscious of it, it's something that you
must find. Whatever the cost, you must find
it because it's the pearl of greatest price. It's more valuable
than anything else that you can ever have. You must have that,
even if everything else is taken off you. You cannot lose that
because when it comes to the day when nothing matters, the
day of your death, that's the day when nothing of this world
matters. Oh, to possess that knowledge of Christ and the blessings
of salvation in him. Oh, what a comfort. What a comfort
that is. Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints, and death to his saints is not
grievous. I am in a straight, says Paul,
between two things, whether to depart and be with Christ or
to stay and minister to you. But to depart and be with Christ
is far better. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. That's what it is. If you've
ever known the grace of God in Christ and the blessings of salvation,
then Christ is, as Peter says, 1 Peter 2 verse 7, to you who
believe, he, Christ, is precious above all else, the pearl of
greatest price. And when you lose his felt presence,
it grieves your heart. You lament his absence. You long
for his comfort. You long for his divine companionship. You yearn to be reunited. That's
why she says, go and tell him, verse eight of chapter five,
I am sick of love. That doesn't mean I'm tired of
love, that means I'm lovesick. I'm churned up inside because
the one I love, my soul loves, the one I love, I'm not feeling
his presence. So, If asked the question, as
a true believer, what is it about Christ that so obsesses you? If you're a true believer, the
things of Christ, they're an obsession to you. People, unbelievers
observing, would say these people are obsessed with Christ, and
they regard it as an unhealthy thing, but we know who believe.
You cannot but be obsessed with him. You don't need to look up. You don't need to read a book
on what's the right answer. It's there in your heart. Oh,
my beloved is white and ruddy. Verses 10 to 16 of chapter 5. My beloved is white and ruddy. The question, Jesus asked the
question of the Pharisees in Matthew 22 verse 42. What think ye of Christ? Whose
son is he? That's the most important question. What do you think of the current
political parties in parliament and in government? Quite honestly,
it pales into insignificance compared with this. What think
ye of Christ? That's the important thing. That's
the key to everything. If you ask people in general,
people will talk about him being, oh, he's a character that was
religious. Some might even say, oh, well,
he's the son of God, not really knowing what that means. Oh,
he's a historical person that did good, who lived and walked
this earth 2,000 years ago. Influential in his day, but ultimately
he failed, of course, because it didn't carry on. That's the
answer you'll get from many, many people. but ask a true believer,
one to whom Christ is precious, and they will say, As Thomas
said, as doubting Thomas said, when he saw the risen Christ,
doubting Thomas said, he fell at his feet and said, my Lord
and my God. That's who he is. What is your
beloved more than another? He's my Lord and my God. He's white and ruddy. He's God. He's the infinite perfection
of the Godhead. For the scripture tells us, in
him, that is in Christ, dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily
in a human body dwelt the fullness of the Godhead that created everything
we see that upholds the universe that we see that did all of these
things the infinite perfection of Godhead clothed in human flesh
that's what it means to be white and ready to redeem human flesh
because of human blood the soul that sins it shall die what is
the price of satisfying the law, what's the price that must be
paid to turn away the anger, the wrath, the demands of the
law? It's blood, the life, the life
is in the blood, the blood must be shed and Christ came in the
place of his people, to stand for his people, as surety, as
substitute, as the messenger of the covenant, as the promised
one, as the Messiah, as the Christ, he came. to stand in the place
of his people, that he might pay their debt to the law of
God, that he might satisfy the demands of divine justice. To
answer the ultimate question is why he came, I haven't quoted
it for a few weeks have I? Job 9 verse 2, what should a
man do to be right with God? How should a man be right with
God? That's the question, how? only in the Lord Jesus Christ
because there is nothing, nothing, nothing in the flesh that any
of us can do to be just with God, to be justified in the sight
of God. We need our God to become a man,
to be a just God as Isaiah says. still a just God, must punish
sin, but yet a saviour of sinners. So Romans 3.26, that he might
be just. God is always just. God would
be unjust if he didn't punish our sins, but he punished the
sins of his people in his beloved son, who is white and ruddy,
became a man that he might have his people's sins punished and
answer the demands of the law of God. And then there's all
these other things that we brushed over and I'm going to brush over
them again because I think the thing to do is just meditate
on these things because they're a metaphor for the divine glories. They're putting in inadequate
human language descriptions of grandeur and of beauty that Don't
even scratch the surface to describe what he's like. He's kingly because
there's gold in there. He's strong and there's divine
perception in his eyes. He's beautiful in holiness and
saving grace. He's strong and able to save
to the uttermost. Why is she flowing with these
words? Why does the believer flow with
these words? Because you know what it is to have your sins
forgiven because of what he has done. You know what it is that
you can look forward to that day when we must all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. It says that two or maybe three
times in the scriptures, certainly two in Romans and in second Corinthians
chapter five. We must all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body.
Oh, does that send a chill of terror through your soul? If
you're in the Lord Jesus Christ, You know that he has already
received the things done in the body, in your place. And therefore,
what are the words that you will wait to hear? On that great and
glorious day, Jesus himself told us that he will say, come ye
blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. That's what you have to look
forward to. What is your beloved more than another beloved? It's
that. This is why these words are flowing and gushing with
praise and adoration. To you who believe, he is precious. What think ye of Christ? He's
the one who is alone able to save to the uttermost. He alone. He alone is the one, not without
any help from any of us. We don't even do him a favour
by believing in him. He alone is the one who saves
his people from the consequences of sin, and he will certainly
bring every one of his people to eternal glory in the bliss
of heaven. In him alone the grave holds
no fear. Does it? Outside of him as the
writer to the Hebrews who I think is Paul says in chapter two talking
about mankind in general who through fear of death all their
lives were subject to bondage who through fear of death all
their lives subject to bondage but in Christ the grave holds
no fear in him alone is there hope not in the systems and the
politics of this world the believer says he has enraptured my heart
and I must have him above everything else." Are you among the daughters
of Jerusalem who are intrigued enough to inquire? Is anybody
listening amongst those daughters of Jerusalem intrigued enough
to inquire? And having heard the response
of the truly believing heart, because you see the daughters
of Jerusalem can see that there's something in this believer. Look
in verse nine, O thou fairest among women. Oh, you've got something
that is so desirable. Oh, thou fairest among women.
Do you not consider Christ worthy of your attention? Do you not? Do you not long to have Him,
too? If He's so precious, if He's so glorious in beauty, if
His mouth is most sweet and He's altogether lovely, oh, don't
you long to be there, too? Well, don't you then ask what
they ask in chapter, in verse one of chapter six? Where is
he? Where can I find him? Where should
the seeking heart look for Christ? Where should you look to find
Christ if you're seeking him? Look at the first three verses
of chapter six. Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned
aside, that we may seek him with thee? The answer comes, my beloved
is gone down into his garden. to the beds of spices, to feed
in the gardens and to gather the lilies. First of all When
thinking about where you must go, when thinking about that,
beware of false directions. We must beware of false directions. Jesus warned people to beware
of false directions. In Matthew 24, verses 23 and
24, he said, he warned his disciples, as he warns us today, if any
man shall say to you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe
it not. Believe it not. Because there
are plenty of people around who are saying, look, we've got Christ.
The church is within a stone's throw of where we are. Oh, we've
got Christ, we've got Christ. Believe it not. Believe it not. Test the spirits, whether they
be of God. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets,
and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. But they won't,
because they can't, because that's impossible. We're talking about
religious conmen seeking to delude people that this is where Christ
can be found. Not into finding Christ, that's
what they're doing. They're not persuading people
into truly finding the Christ of Scripture, but rather into
boosting their numbers and supporting their ecclesiastical empire building,
and employing gimmicks to trick and to delude, and enticements
to entrap, and applying psychological pressure In the next couple of
weeks you will see it going on just up the road if you happen
to walk. up this road just outside here. You will see every gimmick
of the fairground being employed to try and persuade people to
come and join the numbers. It's just enticements to accept
an offer that is dependent on your acceptance. The gospel is
not an offer dependent on your acceptance. The gospel is a declaration
of salvation accomplished by the living God who purposed it
and accomplished it in Christ. This is the biblical way, not
the way of gimmicks. This is the biblical way. Romans
10, 13-17 tells us. that whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's a verse quoted
from the Old Testament several times. Whosoever shall call on
the name of the Lord. How should a man be just with
God? How shall I escape the condemnation of my sins? Call on the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. What must I do to be saved? Said
the Philippian jailer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Call on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. But how
can you call if you've not believed? How can you call on that? You
see, when you call, it's implicit that you've already trusted. You've already seen the efficacy
of the thing. How can you call if you've not
believed? And how can you believe if you
haven't heard? You can't believe in something
that you haven't heard. And how can you hear? What's
God's way of the gospel being heard? What is God's will? Oh,
all sorts of means. I'm sorry, no, no. How can you
hear without a preacher? God has chosen to use the foolishness
of preaching. By the foolishness of preaching
it pleased God to save those who believe. By the foolishness
of preaching. Not by the wisdom of them working
it out for themselves, by the foolishness of preaching. And
how can they preach? This is still Romans 10, 13 to
17. How can they preach unless they're divinely sent? There
are a lot of people preaching, but how many of them have been
divinely sent with a message of grace and of mercy in Christ? So you must hear the gospel preached.
But some hear and believe, while others hear and don't believe.
So you must be regenerated. That's what Ephesians 2 verses
1 to 9 tells us, when it says, you were dead in trespasses and
sins, but he's quickened you. By God the Holy Spirit, he's
come and he's quickened you. by the spirits working you've
been born again you must be born again said Jesus to Nicodemus
in John 1 verses 12 and 13 he talks of those who are born not
of blood nor of the will of the flesh or of the will of man why?
but of God. It's God. And being regenerated,
awakened, being given spiritual sight and spiritual hearing,
you must have the gospel revealed in your heart. So, we read in
2 Corinthians 4 verse 6 that God, who calls light to shine
out of darkness, when he said, let there be light at creation,
has, what does it say, shined in our hearts to give us the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God, where? in the face
of Jesus Christ. Would you see the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God? Don't go to a cathedral, don't
go to a priest, don't go to some earthly pilgrimage, don't do
any of that. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ, by God's Spirit shining that
truth in your heart. Okay then. You might say this,
you've told me what must happen if I'm to find Christ and the
blessings of salvation in, but the question was, where should
I look for him? Where should I look for him?
You see, when Jesus was carrying out his ministry, in John chapter
12, verses 20 and 21, we read of certain Greeks among them,
the crowd, that came up to worship at the feast. They had respect
for the religion of the Jews. And the same Greeks came to Philip
one of the disciples, which was of Bethsaida, of Galilee, and
desired him, asked him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Where can we find Jesus? We want
to see Jesus. Is that what your soul is asking? I want to see him. Verse two
of chapter six. This is the answer, that the
person of faith gives to the one who inquires, my beloved
is gone down into his garden. into his garden. Where else would
he go? Where else would he be? Where
else on this earth in these days is the Lord Jesus Christ to be
found, the beloved to be found? He's in his garden. What is his
garden? Chapter 4 and verse 12, a garden
enclosed is my sister, my spouse, his church, his people, his elect,
The people of his choice, the bride, the one, the new Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven adorned as a bride for her husband. This
is who it is. It's his church, it's his believing
people, his enclosed garden. It's where his believing people
meet and feed on him. and feed with him. And the beds
of spices and the gardens, they could be local assemblies. The
church universal of all that he saved, but there are local
assemblies of churches. And we know in these days, in
these days of small things, in these days when the prophets
are effectively, I believe, lying dead in the streets, certainly
in this country, Might seem different elsewhere, but certainly in this
country, the prophets of Revelation 11 are lying dead in the streets. In terms of there being viable
churches to which people, believers, can go, it's lamentable in this
country. You can count on the fingers
of a couple of hands the places where you could expect to go
and hear the gospel preached. but is to be found in his local
churches and in these days by the internet those who are on
their own can join with little groups, we're only a little group
but people and we love to have them join with us on the internet
and thereby feel as though they're members with us it's gatherings
of true believers with a pastor to preach and teach the true
gospel that's what it is with ministry gifts that God has given
And what is the gospel that is to be preached? There's only
one, one true one. It's the one in which salvation
is entirely the result of God's work. That's the one. What is
the difference between the gospel we preach and all the others
that in many ways sound very much like it? The true gospel
is the only one in which God does absolutely everything, everything,
everything, and relies not one bit on anything that we do in
terms of making ourselves better, or in terms of preparing ourselves
to do this, that, or the other, or any other legalistic imposition. No, it's entirely the work of
God. And if there isn't a church that
you can get to, and I'm speaking to people listening on the internet,
if there isn't one that you can get to regularly, Well, can you
move to be near one? No, that might be completely
impractical. I can understand. Well, find other people of like
mind and see if you can meet with them and use Free Grace
Radio to download messages and listen together. And if not that,
then do what some of you I know do all the time, which is that
you join with us when we have our service and worship God and
have the word preached to us. No, it's not in big, established
churches. It's not in lively, active so-called
churches. It's not in apparently growing
churches. but it's where the glories of
Christ and the salvation he has accomplished are the perpetual
theme. That's where he feeds and gathers
the products of his grace. He's gone down to the beds of
spices to feed in the gardens, to gather lilies. They're the
products of his grace. He comes amongst his people.
Remember we saw in Revelation him walking among the candlesticks. That's where Christ is now. The
risen glorified Christ is with his people. especially as we
meet together. This is why it's so important,
it's so important that we meet together, that we maintain a
witness that we maintain an opportunity to come together and if and when
we can, because circumstances arise, we all have different
things that we have to do at certain times, then we make use
of that which God has provided for us on the internet. There
are sermons out there that we can join with, there are complete
services that we can join with that are out there, that are
good, and so we make use of that. You see, where is he gone? Where is thy beloved gone? Seeking. That's seeking, isn't it? That's,
I want to seek, I want to find. Well, here's some promises. Lamentations
3.25. If you're one of the daughters
of Jerusalem seeking to know more about the Beloved, and then
where he can be found, listen what he says. The Lord is good
unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Oh, be comforted. You may be conscious that you
don't have assurance that you know him, but you're seeking
him. Well, he tells us, the Lord is good unto them that wait for
him, to the soul that seeketh him. Jeremiah 29, I love these
words, verses 11 to 14. God says, God says to his people,
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord. thoughts
of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Now
listen. Then shall ye call upon me, and
ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you,
and ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for
me with all your heart." There's another verse. He does not say
to Jacob, seek me in vain. No. Seek me, you will find. I
will be found of you, says the Lord. Jesus himself said, Matthew
7, verse 7, Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall
find. Knock, and it shall be opened
unto you. And when you've found, you too
will know. Look, look at the comfort of
this, verse 3. This is the testimony of the
believing heart. I am my beloved's, and my beloved
is mine. he feedeth among the lilies. Oh, the blessing of knowing that
Christ is yours, you possess him, and that you're his dearly
beloved possession.