Let me ask you a question. What
is the gospel to you? What does it mean to you? What
is the Lord Jesus Christ to you? What is he to you? Is it, as
it is to some, I fear, just like a legal document? You know, we
all, I suppose, for things in our lives, have legal documents,
and you hope you never have to look at it, but you know it's
there, it's got cold legal clauses in it, and if it ever happens
that the day comes when you have to appear in court, you know,
like the deeds of our house, I hope I never have to look at
them. I don't get any literary pleasure from sitting down reading
them. I just know in the background that if anybody ever says, this
house isn't yours, it's ours, I can take those deeds to a court
of law and I know that they're solid legal reasons which say
no, no, it's ours, it's ours, it's not theirs, it doesn't belong
to them. Is that the attitude that you have to the gospel and
to Christ? Because I know some do. They think, I want my sins
to be forgiven when I die and go to heaven. Well, it's okay,
because there's this thing called the gospel, and it says that
Christ died for sinners, and I'm a sinner, so therefore Christ
died for me. And that's it. It's just cold, legal phrases. Well, let me tell you, if that's
your experience, that is not the experience of true believers. Because true believers are in
love with the Lord Jesus Christ. They're in love with him. Their
hearts are enraptured. Although the flesh that we live
in, the sinful flesh, constantly mars the relationship, Sin in
the flesh constantly blurs the image of gloriousness that we
have in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though it constantly
diverts us and distracts us, the truth is this, that for true
believers, they have a heart love. They have a heart faith,
a heart faith, an intimacy with Christ. And it's pictured in
this allegory, which is the Song of Solomon, this love story,
which is the Song of Solomon. Last time we looked at the first
few verses of chapter three, we saw believers, the Shulamite,
the church, the true people of God, searching for, finding,
and grasping, holding onto The phrase that keeps occurring,
him whom my soul loveth. He whom my soul loves. This is not cold legal clauses. The gospel is not cold, legal
matters of fact. It's heart faith. It's heartwarming. Real faith, saving faith, is
not head knowledge, though there is no true faith without the
true knowledge of the facts of the gospel. There's no true saving
faith without head knowledge, but it isn't head knowledge.
It is my life being lived as his life. as the life of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that what Paul wrote to
the Galatians? Galatians 2.20. I, as a believer, am crucified
with Christ. What does he mean? He means all
in the reckoning of God, and that's the only true reckoning
there is, in the reckoning of God, the old me was put to death
on that cross. When Christ was put to death
there, I was put to death there. Nevertheless, says Paul, I live,
don't we? I'm living and breathing and
thinking and you're looking at me and you're living and thinking
and breathing. Nevertheless, I live. Though I was put to death
with Christ on the cross, I live now. Yet not I. Not I, but Christ
lives in me. So how, Paul, do you live your
life? The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith
of the Son of God. Do you know, that's why I like
this version of the scriptures, because that's the true translation.
The faith of the Son of God. It's not my faith in the Son
of God which is the key thing, it's the faithfulness of the
Son of God when He came and did everything for me and I am counted
in Him. The life I now live is that life
of Him who loved me. Why did he do it? He loved me.
He loved me with an everlasting love before the beginning of
time. And because he loved me, and because I'm a sinner, and
because justice demands my condemnation, he gave himself for me, that
I might not face that condemnation. And so, What is this life of
being a true believer now, truly? Not just head knowledge of legal
clauses, it's living the intimacy of marriage with the eternal
God, if I can put it that way. What do I mean by the intimacy
of marriage? I mean total mutual commitment. Our God is committed to his people.
His people are committed to him. And that is life. The Lord Jesus
Christ said, that is abundant life. I come to give them life,
and that more abundantly. That is abundant life. When there's
nothing other than darkness and death and ignorance around, that
is eternal life. Abundant life. Spiritual life. It's satisfying. It's solid. You can be confident in it. It's
an unafraid life. I'm not saying that there are
things that don't trouble you, the flesh is weak, but it's one
where you are constantly aware. I am in the hands of the living
God. What can man do to me? What can
they do to me? Like the martyrs went to the
burning pyres for their faith, because they wouldn't renounce
their faith. And what was their situation? Terror? No. This is
the way that God's taking me to be with him, which is far
better. Far better. Horrendous to look
upon, but far better. No, it's an unafraid life. Does
your soul yearn for that? Let's see what these verses,
6 to 11 of Song of Solomon, chapter 3, speak to us about what it
is, in this world, in this flesh, to live the life of a true believer. I want you to picture the scene.
We read the verses earlier. Who is this that cometh out of
the wilderness? Down to verse 11. I want you to picture the
scene, and this is what it is. It may not be obvious at first
sight, but when you read it and you compare with other literature
and you dig into it, this is what it's picturing. Imagine
an ancient eastern royal wedding. You know, there's been the ceremony
at which the vows have been exchanged, and then they're heading off
to the marriage supper, to the banquet, to the feast of the
marriage, before the consummation of the union. And in one of these
royal eastern weddings, there would be a cart which was called
a palanquin. which is like a chariot in one
sense, but like a bed in another sense. It's like a bed on wheels,
if you like, which doesn't sound very flattering, but can you
imagine grand and glorious and bedecked with jewels, and it's
got silver pillars, and it's got a purple canopy, and it's
got a gold floor, and it's covered with luxurious cushions and delicate
needlework, and all of it, this is the scene. And in this palanquin,
is the king and his bride, his new bride. The ceremony's happened,
the vows have been exchanged and here's the groom and bride
together heading for the marriage supper and the consummation of
their union. It's Solomon in the allegory,
it's Solomon. King Solomon. Glorious King Solomon. David's son. Glorious King Solomon. The one who had the settled,
peaceful kingdom. The one whose riches and wisdom
were famed in the world. I have heard of it, said the
Queen of the South. And she said, I heard, but I
never, I wouldn't have believed it until I came and actually
saw it for myself. The glories of the kingdom of
Solomon. Well, here he is, Solomon, with his Shulamite wife. His
new wife. Pharaoh's daughter? Could be.
In 1 Kings chapter 3 verse 1 it says that Solomon took Pharaoh's
daughter for a wife. That's what it says there. What
does it picture? Solomon pictures Christ. As David
pictured Christ, David the battling warrior, his father, Solomon's
father. Solomon pictures Christ in his
glory. You know how in Psalm 24 When
the gates are told to lift up your heads, O ye gates, be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come
in. Who is the King of Glory? The question's asked twice. And
the first time, he's the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty
in battle. That's the David picture. The
one who went out as a conquering hero to rescue his people. As
Abraham went out to rescue his brother when Lot and his family
were captured by the kings of the plain, he went out and came
back with them successfully. But then the question is asked
again, who is the king of glory? Ah, the lord of hosts. He is
the king of glory. He saved his people. They're
in the settled glorious situation, following the king of kings and
lord of lords into eternal glory. Solomon pictures Christ in that
sense. And the Shulamite? Is it Pharaoh's
daughter? One taken out of Egypt? You know
the Church of God is taken out of Egypt. You know in the Scriptures,
Egypt pictures this fallen world. And the Exodus, in the book of
Exodus, the coming out of Egypt, pictures that coming out of the
fallen world. And every time Israel tried to
make an alliance with Egypt, every time they did, it was seen
as being like a believer's compromise with the world. that the church
was taken out of Egypt and the Shulamite if she was the Pharaoh's
daughter as I think she probably was she was taken out of Egypt
to be the bride of Solomon the bride of Christ that's what it's
picturing now look at it who is this that cometh out of the
wilderness like pillars of smoke perfumed with myrrh and frankincense
with all the powders of the merchant the wilderness Here it comes,
this thing comes, this palanquin, this vehicle, this conveyance
with these two on it, coming out of the wilderness. The wilderness?
In this case, the wilderness is the world of spiritual darkness. The world of spiritual sterility,
unfruitfulness, hopelessness, death. But look, coming out of
that wilderness, suddenly appearing, is this majestic carriage, this
palanquin, surrounded by lightbearers, the smoke, pillars of smoke is
coming off the flames of it, and evident by its heady perfume. Here's this perfumed thing, coming
out of this wilderness world is this thing perfumed, with
heavenly perfumes. This is the Church of Christ,
in the arms of the Christ of the Church, coming out of this
dark wilderness world. Is that not what we see? How
many times in history, I can't go into details, but how many
times in history has the church made such an impact on a fallen,
darkened world? The true church I'm talking about.
I'm not talking about all the, the unbelievers will say, but
look at the wars and all that's been caused by religion. Yes,
I fully agree with you. Absolutely, religion is terrible.
But the true grace of God and the true faith of Jesus Christ
and the belief of his people and them following him It's a
visible thing that has had an impact on this fallen world. Would you know the blessedness
of union with Christ? Is that something that you would
love to know, you hear of it? Well you must come out of the
spiritual wilderness that is this world. you must do. The church comes out of the world.
James 4 verse 4 says, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God. So what do we do? Cut ourselves
off and go and live in a monastery and in a secluded place? No,
not at all. But you know the thing, you can
be in the world without being of the world. Know ye not that
friendship with the world is enmity with God? We have to be
in the world. If the gospel is to be communicated
in the way that God has ordained, We have to be in the world, but
not of the world. 1 John 2.15 Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. the church comes
out of the world. But it's not something that you
do in your own strength. He does it. Remember chapter
1 and verse 4, the Shulamite says, let him kiss me with the
kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. Then
in verse 4 she says, draw me, we will run after thee. He must
draw his people. He does draw his people. He draws
us. Blessed is the man whom you choose
and cause to approach you. Oh, what a blessing. to be caused
to approach the living God. He does it. He does it. He draws
his people. But let me just say, before we
pass on, don't delude yourself by thinking that you can be amongst
the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ and remain, like Lot's wife did,
with her heart in the world that for her was Sodom. You know,
when she was taken out of Sodom with Lot, the angels took her
out. Where was her heart? Where was her heart? It was in
Sodom. With everything she'd left behind, and she looked back,
and she was turned to a pillar of salt. But now this vehicle,
this conveyance, this palanquin comes closer. What do we see?
We see his bed. Look at verse seven. Behold his
bed, which is Solomon's. Threescore valiant men are about
it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert
in war. Every man hath his sword upon
his thigh because of fear in the night. The attention of the
vehicle originally coming out of the wilderness, you know like
at a wedding, the attention is not really on the bridegroom,
it's on the bride, isn't it? The attention is on the bride
in the beautiful white dress and all the jewels and the flowers
and all the rest of it. The attention has been on the
church, on the bride. Who is this that comes out of
the wilderness? But the church says this, in verse seven, the
church says, behold his bed, look there. Don't look at me,
look there. Look to Christ. Is this not what
believers say? Don't look at me, look to Christ. Where is the answer? Is the answer
in your church? No, the answer is not in our
church, the answer is in Christ. Yes, in the Christ of our church,
but not in the church as such. The answer is in Christ. But
how can we look at him? How can we do it? We're meeting
here in his name, but I don't see him physically in our midst.
How can we look at him? 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 8,
talking of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, ye love. You haven't physically seen him,
but if you're a true believer, you love him. In whom, though
now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable
and full of glory. How do you see him? You see him
by faith. What do I mean by faith? I mean
soul sight, the sight of the soul. And where did you get it? Not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God. It's the means by which you apprehend
the truth of God. He gives it to his people by
his Holy Spirit. You must be born again. Accept
a man, be born again. He cannot see the kingdom of
God. You must be born again to have the sight of the soul, to
see these things, to see the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold him,
look at him, pray for the faith that God will give you to see
him. And on this bed, look at this bed, on this bed, there's
the groom and the bride together. And the scene is one of comfort.
and of safety. As I said, the commitment has
happened. They're on their way to the marriage
supper. They're on their way to the consummation of the union.
It's a place of safety. It's a place of rest. for souls
under Christ's easy yoke. This is what it's picturing.
The comfort and safety and rest for souls under the easy yoke
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a picture of intimate love.
A picture of intimate fondness and love. And it pictures gospel
comfort. That's what it's speaking of.
The allegory is talking about gospel comfort. To the child
of God, spiritually by faith, seeing that you're in the arms
of the God who made you, who chose you, who put you in Christ,
who loves you from all eternity, who's married to you, who's taking
you to be with him. There's gospel comfort. There's peace. Such a sense. Do you have it in your soul?
Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood, and how His
shed blood answers the law's demand for justice. You have
peace with God. The peace of satisfied justice. The justice of God. I know the
justice of God is not angry against me because I know all of its
anger was poured out on my bridegroom, on my Lord Jesus Christ, when
he bore my sin on the cross. And I've got assurance. I'm confident. I'm not just kind of hoping that
things will happen. I know they will. Because I've
got the assurance of blood redemption. His blood has paid the price. There's nothing else. We read
in one of the Psalms, is it 49, that no man can redeem his brother. No, none. I can't do anything
to save you from the justice of God. I can't. It's far too
costly for me. There's only one currency that
pays that, and that's the precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. We have the blessings of the
atonement. All of that is pictured in this
palanquin with the bed and the groom and the bride together
going to the marriage supper. This is the church. This is the
church. God's believing people journeying
through this life. Is that what you're doing? Is
that what we are? A little bit of that church and people who
join with us and our brethren around the world, many we don't
know of, journeying through this life, in this flesh, still with
their sins, but heading for the marriage supper of the Lamb,
in the arms of our beloved Saviour, passing through a wilderness
world. You know, as the Psalm 23 speaks, Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Why? Because He's with me. He's with
me. I'm safe in his arms. Nothing
can touch me. There's evil on all sides, but
nothing ultimately, eternally can touch me. I'm held in the
intimate embrace of accomplished salvation and of everlasting
love. That's the picture. Verses seven
and eight. Behold his bed. And then the
three score valiant men about it, the valiant of Israel, they
all hold swords. Who are these? This bed, this
carriage is guarded by sixty valiant and suitably armed men.
This is surely speaking in picture of the ministry gifts that God
has given to his church. The sixty means that there's
always enough. Read Ephesians 4, he's given
some to be apostles and pastors and teachers for the building
up of the church till we all come to the fullness of maturity.
He gives, he delights, isn't it amazing, he delights to put
the treasure of the gospel in earthen vessels. You know, I
could take you down the garden, I've got old earthen pots, they're
just old clay pots, they're not glazed, they're just rough old
pots. You hit them with a hammer and they shatter in little pieces.
That's preachers, like me and others. But in that fragile vessel,
in that fragile pot, God has put incorruptible treasure, the
treasure of the gospel, and he's given it to his church. there's always enough. Sixty,
big number. There's always enough for the
job, whatever the situation. You say there are so few in these
days. Oh, we lament the fact that there
are so few. What has God given us, amazingly, for these times? Isn't it amazing how the internet
has come to the state it is now? So that scattered believers on
their own, all around the world, can hear Words of eternal life,
the grace of God preached, can have easy access to it. Even
when faithful churches are so few and far between, by that
means there are many that we know of that join with us, who've
got nowhere else to worship, but through this means God has
given enough to keep his church, to guard it. And they are about
it, about it. In other words, facing all ways.
Because the attacks of Satan will come from all directions.
And they're armed. What are they armed with? Swords.
What does the sword speak of in scripture? It speaks of the
scripture itself. The sword of the spirit, which
is the word of God. And they're ready for the task
to counter every satanic attack. Support ministry gifts. Strengthen ministry gifts. Encourage. I can't do much. Oh, you can
encourage, I tell you. I can't give much money. Just
be there. Just be there encouraging. Make
it your objective. There's a little article in the
bulletin. Read it. Not an optional extra. Support
the ministry gifts God has given. Encourage the ministry gifts
God has given. Revelation 12, if you remember
when we studied that quite some time ago, God takes his people
out of the wilderness that is this sinful world and puts his
church in his own wilderness of separation from the world,
where he keeps, that's the 60 roundabout, defending and feeds
her. What does he feed her with? The
bread of life, which comes down from heaven, the manna which
comes down from heaven, which is Christ and the gospel of Christ.
So now let's move on, verse nine, verse nine. King Solomon made
himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. Anything strike you
as odd in that? King Solomon, he's the king,
he made himself a chariot. I don't know if he had a workshop
and a plane and a lathe and a workbench, but he made himself a chariot
of the wood of Lebanon. There's significance in that.
He made the pillars thereof of silver and the bottom thereof
of gold, covering it with purple, and in the midst of it being
paved or carpeted with love for the daughters of Jerusalem. We've
seen the bed, now the chariot part of this palanquin, this
conveyance. The king himself made it. This conveyance that is taking
the church, the bride, to the eternal heavenly marriage supper
is the gospel of God's grace. Who made the gospel of God's
grace? God himself did. Nobody else
did. Nobody else invented it. That's
why Paul in Romans chapter one and verse one talks about the
gospel of God. It's God's gospel. God's gospel. Not the false gospels of these
cheats and twisters who corrupt the word of God and try and tell
us that it's down to individual decisions. No, this is God's
gospel. The God's gospel of his grace
entirely of his own making. It's made out of the wood of
Lebanon. What was the wood of Lebanon?
It was the cedar of Lebanon. What's unique about the cedar
of Lebanon? It's virtually incorruptible.
I've got a greenhouse down the garden and it's made of western
red cedar and do you know what's good about it? It's now what? 16 years old. and there's not
the slightest sign of rot or decay on it because it doesn't
corrupt. It's incorruptible. It's permanent. In the same way,
God's sovereign grace and his unchangeable purposes underpin
the Gospel. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 6,
God says this to his people, I am the Lord, I change not. So? So what? So? Therefore, ye
sons of Jacob, you bride of Christ, you believing people, you are
not consumed. The gospel is permanent, it will
save you, it cannot fail. God's gracious gospel is not
susceptible to any of our fleshly whims and fancies. you know the
ordinary common wood of the world is susceptible to corruption
by fungus and bacteria and all sorts of other things pests getting
at it but not the cedar of Lebanon and so it is with the gospel
the corners of the carriage, the corners of the palanquin
are of silver they speak of God's unchanging attributes what unchanging
attributes? His everlasting love having loved
us from before the beginning of time, is that love ever going
to stop? No, of course it isn't. Does
that give us license to do what we want? Not if we're truly his
people, no. What other attribute of God?
That he's just. That he's absolutely holy and
just and unchangeably just, yet at the same time he's the justifier
of sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ. That he might be just
and justifier. What a glorious thing. A just
God and a saviour, says Isaiah. How can a just God be a saviour? A just God must punish sin. He's
a just God and a saviour because of Christ, and what Christ did,
and what he has done. The attribute of his unfailing
promises, he doesn't change. The attribute of his accomplished
salvation. Not an offered salvation, an
accomplished salvation. The floor of this palanquin is
of gold. Of gold. It underpins the whole
thing. It overlays the wood with the
certainty of unchanging divinity and power. But because the gold
on wood itself wouldn't be comfortable, it's paved or carpeted for comfort. It's carpeted with cushions of
love. It's covered over the top of
it with the purple cover, with the purple canopy, the blood
red of redemption. This is speaking of the blood
red of the precious blood of Christ, which protects from the
wrath of judgment. That sun of fierce, you know,
you go to a really hot climate and the sun beats down and it's,
you know, we tend to love sunbathing in this country, rather bizarrely,
but In hot countries, in really hot countries, it's fierce, it's
absolutely fierce, and it beats down. And you want shade, and
this is shade. This is shade from the justice
and judgement of God. And what is it? It's the blood
red of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This, if you
can picture it, Here in this allegory, this is how the church
travels through this space-time earthly existence in the flesh
towards the heavenly consummation of the marriage supper of the
Lamb. It's in the palanquin, the chariot bed, of God's accomplished
salvation. If you're a true child of God,
you know you are in the intimate embrace with Jesus, as that hymn
says, Jesus, lover of my soul, the one whom my soul loves and
the one who loves my soul. Finally, verse 11. Go forth,
ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith
his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals and in the
day of the gladness of his heart. Before we leave it, have a closer
look at the king. David, as I said before, pictured
Christ in his successful, triumphant warrior
mode. And our Lord Jesus Christ, in
scripture, is called Great David's greatest son. What do you think
of Christ, he said. The Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees,
what do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? David's, they
said. Okay then, said Jesus. You're
right, yes, he's David's son. How then does David call him
Lord if he is his son? And they couldn't answer him.
David's greatest son is the Lord Jesus Christ. He came from the
line of David. He was born in the city of David,
Bethlehem, in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea. And then Solomon, Solomon. David's son in the flesh pictures
Christ in his majesty and in his riches. Come and behold him. Look at King Solomon. But let's
look at our King Solomon. Let's look at our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ who is all and in all. He is everything. He is everything. He is our God. He is our Saviour. He is our all. Everything I need
Everything I need, everything I need to be before the justice
of the Holy Creator God is made unto me in Christ, in my union
with Him. Do you get that? Everything that
you are before God, and that's the only thing that matters,
for it's appointed to man to die once and then the judgment,
everything that you are if you're a believer is counted to you
in Christ. He is everything to you. In your
union with Him, every legal reckoning, every reckoning of affection
is in Him. As the Father loves the Son,
so He loves all those who are in the Son. And the question
is asked, who is His mother? See, the crown, wherewith His
mother crowned Him in the day of His espousals. Who is His
mother? Who is Solomon's mother? Well,
don't look back at the history, but The woman is the church in
Revelation 12. Remember in Revelation 12, we
see a woman who is the church, and she's about to give birth
to a child, and Satan wants to devour the child. That woman
is the church, the people of God, the line of the truth of
the gospel of grace. in this world and from it comes
the messiah the christ the christ of god to redeem those people
that is that child that comes the church is the mother of christ
in that sense in that sense don't get into any catholic uh... error and and and uh... falsehood
at all about the mary being the mother of god and all that sort
of nonsense that's just a complete delusion The mother of Christ
in his messiahship, in his fleshly human messiahship, is the church,
because it's the people from whom he came, the chosen people
of God, from whom the messiah came. And he is crowned the church's
king by right, by divine right. He's the church's king, but he's
also crowned king by his people, isn't he? He's crowned. Crown
him, crown him, we sang in the first hymn. Crown him Lord of
all. Crown him with many crowns. Those
hymns that go on like that. He's crowned king by faith in
their hearts by his people. And his espousal, his marriage
in the day of his espousals, his marriage to his blood-bought
church is, look what it says, the gladness of his heart. What
makes God glad? What makes our God glad? It says it here, the fact that
he is espoused, married, committed utterly to his bride, his church,
his people fallen in sin in the fall but rescued by the Redeemer. Does this all ring true to your
experience? You know, this going on this
carriage through this world in the arms of the one who loves
your soul, Jesus lover of my soul, to the marriage supper
of the lamb that we read of in Revelation 19, if that's your
experience, how blessed you are. You are rich beyond measure.
It doesn't matter what else you have or have not, you've got
treasure beyond counting. You cannot count it up. If someone
were to come to you and say, renounce your faith and I will
give you 10 billion pounds or whatever and you could spend
it on whatever you want. If you know this, if you know this,
you would refuse anything. You would refuse anything. You
would give it, you would definitely, you would not be able to give
that up because you know how blessed you are. But if not,
if you don't know this, do you not desire the peace that comes
from being in this marriage palanquin as it goes through this world
to eternity, if you do, be encouraged. For he says, seek and ye shall
find. He has not said to the seed of
Jacob, seek me in vain. No, he says, seek and ye shall
find. Oh, may God give you grace and
faith and sight to seek him and to find him.