Sermon
#11 Series: The Song Of Solomon
Title: Christ’s
Own Estimate Of His Church
Text: Song of Solomon 4:1-15
Reading: Office: Buddy Daugherty Auditorium: Ron
Wood
Subject: The Perfection Of Beauty
Christ Sees In His Church
Date: Sunday Evening - July 19, 1998
Tape # U-77b
Introduction:
Song of
Songs 4:1-15 "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. (2) Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep
that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear
twins, and none is barren among them. (3) Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like
a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
(4) Thy neck is like the tower of
David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all
shields of mighty men. (5) Thy two
breasts are like two young roes that
are twins, which feed among the lilies.
(6) Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the
mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (7) Thou art all fair,
my love; there is no spot in thee. (8) Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look
from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens,
from the mountains of the leopards. (9) Thou
hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse;
thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. (10) How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love
than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! (11) Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the
honeycomb: honey and milk are under
thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is
like the smell of Lebanon. (12) A
garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain
sealed. (13) Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with
pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
(14) Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of
frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: (15) A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams
from Lebanon."
I
must remind you again that the Song of Solomon is to be interpreted in a
strictly spiritual sense. Any attempt to interpret the book literally is a
gross mistake, and must lead to very great evil. This is a love song, not
between a man and a woman, but between Christ and his bride, the church. It
speaks of the intimate relationship and loving communion which exists between
the Lord Jesus Christ and his believing people. This Song expresses the
affection of a believing heart for Christ and the affection of Christ’s heart
for his believing people.
One
proof of this spiritual interpretation is found in verse 9 of our text.
Song of Songs
4:9 "Thou hast ravished my heart, my
sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished
my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck."
Here the church is spoken of as both his sister and
his spouse. It would be atrocious to think that Solomon had taken his sister to
be his bride! But Christ’s church is to him both a sister, and a spouse, and a
mother (Matt. 12:50).
Here the church is called
his sister, because he took upon himself our nature in the incarnation, and he
makes us partakers of his nature in regeneration. He clothed himself with a
body (Heb. 2:14), and he clothes the believer with his Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).
Christ owns his church and loves us as his sister, because we are the children
of God his Father. Both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all
of one (Heb. 2:11).
There
is also a marriage-covenant between the Lord Jesus Christ and every believing
soul. All true believers are members of the Church which is his Bride. We are
the Bride; he is the Bridegroom. We are espoused to Christ; and he is espoused
to us. We are wed to him; and he is wed to us. We are no more two, but one. We
are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. We are members of Christ himself.
Nothing more beautifully
describes our relationship to Christ and our love for him than the love of
bride for her husband. And nothing more beautifully describes our Savior’s love
for us than the love of a true husband to his bride.
In chapter 3, the Church, the Bride, spoke lovingly and admirably of
Christ, expressing the love and esteem of every believing heart for the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, in chapter 4:1-15, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks lovingly and
admirably of his church, expressing his love and esteem for every true
believer.
I do
not pretend to understand every detail of the poetic imagery that is used in
this chapter. Therefore, I will not try to thoroughly expound each verse.
Perhaps when my own heart is more thoroughly acquainted with the experience of
such intimate communion with Christ, I will be able to do so. There are heights
and depths in these verses far beyond the scope of my experience and
understanding. I am seeking them, but I have not yet attained them. I am
pressing toward the mark, but I have not yet attained the prize of such blessed
knowledge.
However, I do believe that
the Lord has given me some understanding as to what the basic principle lessons
of our text are. So tonight we will simply walk along the shore of this vast
ocean, delighting ourselves in that which we know, but not venturing into the
unknown depths.
My
subject tonight is - Christ’s Own Estimate Of His Church.
A loving wife does not find her joy and comfort in what her friends and
neighbors may think of her. And she does not find joy and comfort in what she
thinks of herself. If she truly loves and reverences her husband, she will
always think herself to be an unworthy wife. But she finds all of her joy and
all of her comfort, as a wife in her husband’s high opinion of her. If her
husband loves her and honors her above all women, in his thoughts, in his
speech, and in his conduct, she will be happy. She desires no more than this.
Even so, the true believer
finds no joy and comfort in the opinions of others about him, or in his own
opinions about himself. But if he can be persuaded that the Lord Jesus Christ
holds him in the high esteem of love and honor, there he finds all the comfort
and joy his heart can crave.
Proposition: In our text, the Lord Jesus
declares to every believer that he holds us in the highest possible esteem of
perfect love.
If
the Holy Spirit will graciously apply his Word to our hearts, I am sure that
you who believe will find in these verses much to give your heart joy and
comfort in the love of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, holds you
in such great esteem and honor that his very heart is ravished by you! He says,
“Thou
hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with
one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck!” What an amazing
statement!
Divisions: I want you to see three things in this
chapter. I believe that these are the three principle lessons to be learned
from these verses. Oh, may God the Holy Spirit graciously and effectually apply
them to each of our hearts, as only he can! If he will be pleased to speak his
Word through these lips of clay to your heart, you will leave here tonight
worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoicing in him.
1.
The
Lord Jesus Christ declares that His church is perfect in beauty (vv. 1-7).
2.
Our
Lord Jesus Christ calls for us to walk with him in constant fellowship and
communion (v. 8).
3.
The
very heart of Christ is ravished with love for His people (vv. 9-15).
I. Here is the first thing to
be learned from our text. It is a lessons which we are all very reluctant to
learn; but once learned, it is most comforting to our hearts - The
Lord Jesus Christ Declares That His Church Is Perfect In Beauty (vv.
1-7).
Song of
Songs 4:1-7 "Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. (2) Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep
that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear
twins, and none is barren among them. (3) Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like
a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
(4) Thy neck is like the tower of
David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all
shields of mighty men. (5) Thy two
breasts are like two young roes that
are twins, which feed among the lilies.
(6) Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the
mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (7) Thou art all fair,
my love; there is no spot in
thee."
·
By nature there is no beauty
in us.
There is nothing about us to commend us to the love of God.
We are all black, unclean, and corrupt by nature. Both at heart and in outward
appearance, we are evil.
·
In our own esteem, there is
nothing beautiful in us.
The
more we know Christ, the more we know ourselves. And the more we know
ourselves, the more hideous we appear in our own eyes. Who are we that we
should look upon us with favor?
A. But in the eyes of Christ we are perfect in beauty.
Three times he declares - “Behold,
thou art fair, my love, behold, thou art fair...Thou art all fair, my love:
there is no spot in thee!” In
him and in his eyes, we are complete, we are beautiful, and we are perfect.
Christ has made us perfect and beautiful in every detail! (Eph. 5:25-27).
Ephesians
5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word, (27) That he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
1.
He
has thoroughly removed every spot of sin from us.
2.
He
has implanted a new nature within us (1 John 3:5-9).
1 John
3:5-9 "And ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
(6) Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. (7) Little
children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous,
even as he is righteous. (8) He that
committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil. (9) Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God."
3.
He
will present us in perfection to himself (Col. 1:21-22).
Colossians
1:21-22 "And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled (22) In
the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in his sight:"
NOTE: The
Lord describes his church as having a sevenfold beauty. In his eyes, everything
about her is perfect!
"Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold,
thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from
mount Gilead. (2) Thy
teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came
up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. (3) Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy
speech is comely: thy
temples are like a piece
of a pomegranate within thy locks. (4) Thy
neck is like the tower of
David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields
of mighty men. (5) Thy
two breasts are like two
young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. (6) Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me
to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (7) Thou art all fair,
my love; there is no spot in
thee."
B. Christ is so pleased with the beauty of his Church
that he has chosen her to be his Rest forever (v.
6).
Song of
Songs 4:6 "Until the day break,
and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the
hill of frankincense."
Zephaniah
3:17 "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will
joy over thee with singing."
II. Secondly, OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST CALLS FOR US TO WALK
WITH HIM IN FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNION (v. 8).
Song of
Songs 4:8 "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look
from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens,
from the mountains of the leopards."
Here
he gives us a gracious call to come along with him as a faithful Bride, to come
away from our own people and our father’s house, and to cleave only to him.
A. This is a precept we must obey - “Come with Me.”
All who have come to Christ by faith must
come with Christ in holy communion. Being joined to him, we must walk with him.
1. We must come with Christ away from all the pleasant
mountains of this world.
Matthew
Henry said,
“This is Christ’s call to his spouse to come off from the world, all its products,
all its pleasures, to sit loose all the delights of sense. All those must do so
that would come to Christ. They must take this affections off from present
things.”
My friends, we who belong to Christ must look
beyond this world. We must live above the perishing things of time. We must set
our hearts upon Christ (2 Cor. 4:18; Col. 3:1-3).
2
Corinthians 4:18 "While we look not at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the
things which are not seen are eternal."
Colossians
3:1-3 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth. (3) For
ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
2.
We who belong to the Son of
God live above the dangers of this world, let us also live above the cares of
this world.
But
this eighth verse is much more than a precept for us to obey…
B. This is also a promise we should enjoy.
1. Christ’s church shall be
brought home with him to heaven.
2. We shall be delivered in due
time from all the dangers and difficulties of this world.
Soon, the lions of hell and the leopards of
darkness will torment us no more!
Romans
16:20 "The God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly…..Amen."
III. Thirdly, I want you to see
that - THE VERY HEART OF CHRIST IS
RAVISHED WITH LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE (vv. 9-15).
Song of
Songs 4:9-15 "Thou hast ravished my
heart, my sister, my spouse; thou
hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. (10) How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love
than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! (11) Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the
honeycomb: honey and milk are under
thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is
like the smell of Lebanon. (12) A
garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain
sealed. (13) Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant
fruits; camphire, with spikenard, (14) Spikenard
and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and
aloes, with all the chief spices: (15) A
fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon."
The Lord Jesus Christ has made us so
perfectly beautiful in his sight that he is ravished with love for us!
The
love of Christ for us is the real affection of his heart. The God-man loves us!
The Son of God so loves us that he delights in us.
A. The Lord Jesus Christ is ravished with our love for
Him (1 John 4:19).
The love we have for him is a love he has
created and given us. Yet, it is truly ours. “We love him because he first
loved us!” But we do love him! We did not, would not, and could not
love him by nature. But now he has put such a love in our hearts for him that
he is ravished by it.
1. He caused us to love him.
2. Our love for him was
preceded by his love for us.
3. Our love for him, though it
is not yet perfect, is sincere.
B. The Lord Jesus, our all-glorious Christ is ravished by the grace which he has put upon us - “The smell of thine ointments” (Gal. 5:22-23; Ezek. 16:9-14).
Galatians
5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Ezekiel
16:9-14 "Then washed I thee with water; yea, I
thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. (10) I clothed thee also with broidered
work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine
linen, and I covered thee with silk. (11)
I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and
a chain on thy neck. (12) And I put a
jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon
thine head. (13) Thus wast thou
decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat
fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou
didst prosper into a kingdom. (14) And
thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which
I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD."
C. Our blessed Savior is ravished by our speech,
because it is all about him - “Thy lips”.
The most delightful and most constant theme
of a loving Bride is her Husband. And the believer’s most joyful speech is
about Christ. Those who know Christ love to speak of him.
·
Who
he is.
·
What
he has done.
·
Why
he has done it.
·
Where
he is now.
·
What
he is doing.
·
When
he shall return.
D. Looking into our hearts, the Lord Jesus Christ is
ravished by our thoughts of Him - “Honey and milk are under thy tongue.”
He hears our thoughts. He knows those
precious thoughts we have of him which words can never express.
E. Knowing the sincerity of our hearts, the Lord Jesus
Christ is ravished by our works performed for him - “The smell of thy garments.”
Without question, these garments are the
garments of salvation which he has wrought and bought for us, which he brought
to us, and put upon us.
·
Garments
of Imputed Righteousness.
·
Garments
of Imparted Righteousness.
·
Garments
of Grace and Holiness.
The church of Christ is a
garden flourishing with good works, works done for him, works for which he has
created in us (vv. 12-15). She is a garden planted by his grace and watered by
his Spirit, so thoroughly and effectually watered that she has become herself a
fragrant, fruitful fountain of gardens and living waters, with streams flowing
out of her into all the world to refresh the earth. See if you don’t get that
out of verses 12-15.
Song of
Songs 4:12-15 "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. (13) Thy plants are an
orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, (14) Spikenard and saffron; calamus and
cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief
spices: (15) A fountain of gardens, a
well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon."
Our
works, the works of God’s church, those works performed for Christ are never
counted by us as being worthy of anything. We know that if we did all things
perfectly, we would only have done what we should have done. But believers are
constantly made to repent even of our best, noblest, most righteous works, because
“all our righteousnesses are filthy rags”
before the holy Lord God. But he
whom we love and serve, looks upon our puny works as HIS pleasant fruits. They
are rich, sweet fragrances, the smell of which ravishes his heart!
1. They are works of faith.
2. They are works of love.
3. They are works produced by
him and honored by him.
That which is done by faith in Christ,
arising from a heart of love for Christ, will be honored and accepted by
Christ.
Application:
1. Let us rest in his love.
2. Let us walk in his company.
3. Let us work for our
Redeemer.
Illustration:
The Preacher and The Businessman