Sermon
#5 Series: Song of Solomon
Title: Sitting With The
King At His Table
Text: Song of Solomon 1:12-17
Reading: Psalm
47:1-9 and Colossians 3:1-17
Subject: Communion
With Christ
Date: Sunday Morning - , 1998
Tape # U-70b
Introduction:
The
object of public worship is that we may meet with and worship the Lord Jesus
Christ, that we may sit with him at his table, communion with him, and be fed
by him. I hope you have come here today seeking him. I pray that he will be
pleased to make himself known. That is what I want to talk about today. The
title of my message is - Sitting With The King At His Table. Our
text will be the Song of Solomon 1:12-17…
(Song of Songs 1:12-17)
"While the king sitteth at
his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. (13) A bundle of myrrh is my
wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. (14) My beloved is unto me as a cluster
of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
(15) Behold, thou art fair, my
love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes. (16) Behold, thou art fair,
my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is
green. (17) The beams of our
house are cedar, and our rafters of fir."
Do
you know this King? Is Jesus Christ your Lord, your Savior, your King? Do you
know the sweet taste of his saving grace? Have you experienced the blessedness
of sins forgiven? Do you trust Christ? Are you washed in his blood, robed in
his righteousness, and born of his Spirit? If you are, if you are a sinner
saved by the grace of God, saved through the blood of Christ, saved by the
power of his Spirit, I am certain that your very soul longs, thirsts, pants,
and hungers for him, like a love sick young bride longs, thirsts, pants, and
hungers for her husband. You want nothing like you want the embrace of his arms
and the kisses of his mouth.
Proposition: That
which we need and, I hope, desire above all things is communion with our all
glorious Christ.
Oh, that the Lord Jesus
might be pleased to visit us this morning and make himself know in our midst!
It is the presence of Christ which gives life and meaning to our worship. Our
gathering here for worship without the fellowship of Christ is dreary business.
It is like a brook without water, a cloud without rain, a sky without a sun, a
night without a star. We need Christ! Without him all is vain!
·
The
doctrine of Christ without the presence of Christ is a lifeless corpse.
·
The
ordinances of Christ without the presence of Christ are meaningless rituals.
·
Our
songs of praise without the presence of Christ are but sorrowful groans.
·
The
Word of God without the presence of Christ is a sealed Book.
·
The
preaching of the gospel without the presence of Christ is only an exercise in
futility.
We
must have Christ, or we have nothing! We cannot live without him. Without him,
we have no light. Without him we have no comfort. Without him we have no
strength. Without him we are nothing. Without him we can do nothing. I hope
that you can enter into the Spirit of our text.
We
have before us a picture of King Jesus sitting at his table, a table spread
with the rich morsels of the gospel, manifesting himself to his people. We have
here a picture of communion and fellowship with Christ himself. Could it be
that Christ will come and sit with us here in his own house this hour? Could it
be that he will appear in our midst, reveal himself, and speak to our hearts?
My very soul is thrilled by such a prospect! May God the Holy Spirit now open
this blessed picture to our hearts. If he is pleased to do so, it will be sure
to create in our hearts such a thirst for the blessed fellowship of Christ that
we will not cease to seek it until we have it. Give me your attention, as I
endeavor to expound this blessed text to you.
Divisions: In
these verses of Inspiration the Spirit of God informs us of three blessed
facts…
1.
There
is nothing so precious to the true believer as Christ himself (vv. 12-14).
2.
Nothing
in this world is so precious to Christ as His church (v. 15).
3.
When
Christ makes himself known to us and reveals his love to our hearts, all is
pleasant (vv. 16-17).
I.
To begin, I want you to see that THERE
IS NOTHING SO PRECIOUS TO THE TRUE BELIEVER AS CHRIST HIMSELF (vv.
12-14). Here, the bride speaks about her
Beloved.
(Song of Songs 1:12-14)
"While the king sitteth at
his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. (13) A bundle of myrrh is my
wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. (14) My beloved is unto me as a cluster
of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi."
What
a picture this is! King is sitting at his table in his palace with his beloved
Bride. She is so overcome by his beauty and goodness that her heart must speak.
In tender affection she tells him how precious he is to her.
The
picture, of course, is of our Lord Jesus Christ, sitting in the midst of his
church in precious fellowship. Truly, our meetings are blessed when he meets
with us. The gospel is truly a feast for
our souls when he spreads the table.
Christ
is precious to believing hearts; and he is never more precious than at those
times when he reveals and manifests himself in sweet, intimate, and real
fellowship with his people (1 Pet. 2:7).
(1 Peter 2:7)
"Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which
the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,"
A. We see Christ, the king, revealing himself in the
blessedness of fellowship with his people (v. 12).
(Song of Songs 1:12)
"While the king sitteth at
his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof."
This
is the thing we most greatly desire at all times, when we come together for
worship as a congregation of believers. If Christ will meet with us, all is
well. It matters not where we meet, or even how many of us there are. If Christ
is present, we have all that our hearts can desire.
1.
All true believers reverence
Christ as their sovereign King.
2.
The king has his royal table
spread in the gospel.
The
gospel of the grace of God is a feast of fat things prepared for all nations.
It is a table furnished, by which the souls of men are fed.
Our
Lord has promised to be present with two or three who gather in his name. He
comes, by his Spirit through the ministry of his Word, to sup with us, and he
allows us to sup with him.
3.
When Christ himself meets
with us, our meetings are truly blessed. His presence draws out the grace he has created in
our hearts. That is what is meant by the words “My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof” (John 12:3).
(John 12:1-3)
"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. (2) There they made him a supper; and
Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. (3) Then took Mary a pound of ointment
of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet
with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."
When
he withdraws and hides himself from us our spirits languish like tender plants
in the sun. But when our Lord reveals himself our souls are renewed and made
fruitful.
NOTE: Nothing gives our souls so
much joy and satisfaction as fellowship with Christ. The children of God are
not morbid people. We know how to enjoy the good things of life. But the
greatest joys known to men in this world are mixed with a measure of bitterness
and sorrow. The blessed fellowship of
Christ is pure joy. There are no dregs in this wine.
B. The Lord Jesus Christ is unutterably precious to
every believing soul (vv. 13-14).
(Song of Songs 1:13-14)
"A bundle of myrrh is my
wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. (14) My beloved is unto me as a cluster
of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi."
Here
we have a picture of our Lord’s beauty, his value, and his love to a believing
soul. The language is the language of intimate love. It is altogether
spiritual.
1.
Christ is well-beloved, the
choice object of our hearts’ affections.
He
is not merely beloved, but “well-beloved.” He is chosen and preferred above all
others. In our innermost souls his is uppermost. None can rival him. None can
be compared with him.
2.
Christ is like a bundle of
myrrh to us.
Myrrh
was a very costly and rare plant, greatly valued in ancient times for many
reasons. It serves very well as a picture of Christ in this passage. Here are
five ways in which myrrh fitly represents our Savior…
a.
Christ may be compared to
myrrh, because of its preciousness.
It
was a very expensive thing. It is always represented in Scripture as being rare
and costly. Jacob, you will remember sent some myrrh down into Egypt as a
choice gift. But no myrrh could ever compare with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is
the precious gift of God to us. When God gave us his Son, he gave us his all.
What a precious gift Christ is to us!
·
In
His Incarnation.
·
In
His Atonement.
·
In
His Resurrection.
·
In
His Ascension.
·
In
His Intercession.
·
In
His Grace.
b.
Christ may be compared to
myrrh, because it was a very pleasant perfume.
It
was sweet to the smell. In the Old Testament, myrrh was mingled with the
sacrifices, so that when the fat of the kidneys of rams and beasts were burned
the smoke that ascended up to heaven had the sweet fragrance of myrrh. You see
the picture. That which makes us acceptable to God is the sweet perfume of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Our
Prayers
·
Our
Songs
·
Our
Ministries
·
Our
Sacrifices
·
Our
Labors
·
Our
Persons
We are “accepted in the Beloved.” (2 Cor. 2:15-16; 1 Pet. 2:5; Phil. 4:18;
Mal. 1:11).
(2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
"For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are
saved, and in them that perish: (16) To
the one we are the savour of death
unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?"
(1 Peter 2:5)
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ."
(Philippians 4:18)
"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of
Epaphroditus the things which were sent from
you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to
God."
(Malachi 1:11)
"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the
same my name shall be great among the
Gentiles; and in every place incense shall
be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith
the LORD of hosts."
c.
Christ may be compared to
myrrh, because it was a preservative.
The
Egyptians used myrrh to embalm the dead. Nicodemus and those holy women brought
myrrh and aloes to wrap the body of our Savior. Myrrh was used to prevent decay
and corruption. Even so, Christ, like a bundle of myrrh, preserves us.
d.
Christ may be compared to
myrrh, because it was used for purification.
The
ancient people thought that myrrh had certain medicinal qualities. In times of
pestilence and plague, they would carry a little bag of myrrh around their
necks, hanging between their breasts, to serve as a disinfectant. I do not
imagine that they were correct in their ideas. But I know that the Lord Jesus
Christ has infinitely great medicinal value for our souls. His name is
“Jehovah-Rophi.” “I am the Lord that
healeth thee.”
·
He
has cured our hearts of the deadly plague of sin.
·
He
makes us pure and perfect before God.
e.
Christ may be compared to
myrrh, because the women in ancient times used it as a beautifier.
You
will remember that before Esther was presented to Ahasuerus she prepared
herself with myrrh. The ancient, oriental women thought that myrrh would remove
wrinkles and soften the skin. I don’t know about that. But I do know that
nothing makes a believer beautiful except Christ. He removes every spot and
blemish and wrinkle from all his people.
Women
in ancient times would very carefully take precious, costly, rare sprigs of
myrrh, tie them together, and hang them in a bag between their breasts for all
of these reasons. And for all of these reasons, we will cling to Christ. His
presence, his fellowship is like a bundle of myrrh between our breasts. When we
have him all is well.
Children of God, cling to
Christ. Keep him near you. Bind him to your heart. “He shall lie all night between my breasts.” Throughout the long
night of my pilgrimage through this world, I want his fellowship. If Christ
will be with me, I want no more! “He
shall lie all night between my breasts.”
·
This
is an expression of intense desire.
·
These
are the words of confident faith. He said he
would!
·
This
is a firm resolve.
3.
Christ is our only
acceptance before God (v. 14).
(Song of Songs 1:14)
"My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the
vineyards of Engedi."
The
word translated camphire is the same
word that is usually translated atonement, covering, or propitiation. Christ is a cluster of merit and
righteousness to all believers. He is precious to us, because he is our
propitiation before God.
I
do not suggest that Christ is so fully precious to all people. He is not. Some
of you may see nothing in him. But, no matter what he is or is not to you,
every heaven born soul speaks like this about Christ- My Beloved is unto me all
that is needful, all that is lovely, all that is precious. He loved me and gave
himself for me. He is my Lord and my God. “Unto
you therefore which believe, he is precious!”
II.
But in the second place, I want you to see that NOTHING IN ALL THE WORLD IS SO PRECIOUS TO CHRIST AS HIS CHURCH (v.
15). Here the Lord Jesus speaks to us
about us.
(Song of Songs
1:15) "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes."
(Isaiah 43:4)
"Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable,
and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy
life."
It
is one thing for me to speak of Christ with great delight and satisfaction. But
here is something that is almost unbelievable to us - Christ speaks of you and
me, all who are united to him by faith, with delight and satisfaction! Yes, the
Lord Jesus Christ has great delight in his church. Every true believer is
beautiful in his eyes! “Behold, thou art
fair, my love; behold, thou art fair: thou hast dove’s eyes.”
A. In the eyes of Christ we are perfectly beautiful.
There is no cause for pride, or for arrogance
on our part. We have no beauty of our own. But his beauty is upon us, and he
delights in that which he has made us to be in himself.
1.
The
beauty which Christ beholds in us is the real beauty of true believers.
2.
The
only beauty which Christ looks upon with delight is the beauty which he has
created.
3.
We
must never cease to be humbled by our own blackness, and never cease to rejoice
in the beauty which Christ has given us.
a.
Christ looks upon us as we
really are in him (1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11).
b.
Christ looks upon us as we
shall one day be (Eph. 5:27).
B. Here our Lord assures us of his special, peculiar
love for us - “My love.”
The Lord Jesus Christ holds his own elect
near to his heart as the objects of his special love and favor. He speaks not
to the world, but to his own chosen and beloved companion, his bride, his
church, when he says, “My love.” The
love of Christ for our souls truly is special.
1.
It
is a sovereign love.
2.
It
is a selective love.
3.
It
is a sacrificial love.
4.
It
is a saving love.
5.
It
is a satisfying love.
C. One instance of beauty which our Lord mentions is
that his people have the eyes of a dove.
1.
They
have eyes that are enlightened and guided by the Dove of heaven, God the Holy
Spirit.
2.
They
have eyes that are loyal and faithful - Eyes for Christ alone.
3.
They
have weeping eyes, that mourn as a dove (Ezek. 7:16).
(Ezekiel 7:16)
"But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the
mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his
iniquity."
III. My friends, WHEN CHRIST MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO US
AND REVEALS HIS LOVE TO OUR HEARTS, ALL IS PLEASANT (vv. 16-17).
(Song of Songs 1:16-17)
"Behold, thou art fair,
my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is
green. (17) The beams of our
house are cedar, and our rafters of fir."
Recognizing
his beauty, and recognizing that whatever beauty we may have he has given us,
we would turn all attention and praise to our beloved Lord. He is fair in
himself. We are fair only in him.
It
is really impossible for me to say who is speaking here, Christ or the bride;
but it really makes no difference. The message is the same whether coming from
the bride or the Bridegroom.
A. Our marriage to Christ is a blessed, happy, fruitful
union (Rom. 7:4). “Our bed is green.”
(Romans 7:4)
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the
body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth
fruit unto God."
B. Our union with Christ is a firm and lasting union. “The beams of our house are
cedar.” It
is both an ancient and durable union, a union which shall never be broken.
C. Our fellowship with Christ is most delightful - “Our rafters of fir.”
The word “rafters” literally
means “galleries” or “balconies,” the porches which extend out from the
bedroom, where the bride and groom sit and walk together in intimate
fellowship. These galleries were made of fir, a fragrant and durable wood.
·
The
Word
·
The
Ordinances
·
The
Assembly Of God’s Saints
·
Private
Prayer And Meditation
·
The
Covenant Of God’s Grace
·
The
Doctrines Of The Gospel
Application:
1. Is Christ truly precious to
you?
2. Cherish Christ and his
fellowship above all things.