Sermon
#25 The Song Of Solomon
Title: “I WOULD BRING THEE INTO
MY MOTHER’S HOUSE!”
Text: Song of Solomon 8:1-4
Readings: Office: Bob Poncer Auditorium: Merle Hart
Subject: Our Need Of And Desire For
Christ’s Presence
Date: Sunday Evening - December 13, 1998
Tape # U-100a
Introduction:
Did
you bring the Lord with you tonight? While
you were preparing to come to church, did you give any thought to preparing
your heart? While you were getting ready to meet with God’s people, did you
think about getting ready to meet with God? While you were preparing to hear
the Lord’s servant, did you do anything to prepare your heart to hear from the
Lord? When you made your plans to come to the house of worship, did you make
any plans to worship God? Did you bring the Lord with you into this place
tonight?
This
is the burden of my heart and the burden of our text.
Song of
Songs
8:1-4 "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the
breasts of my mother! when I should
find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised. 2 I
would lead thee, and bring thee into
my mother's house, who would
instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my
pomegranate. 3 His left hand should be under my head, and his right
hand should embrace me. 4 I charge
you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please."
This is the one thing that I
desire for us. I pray that, as we have gathered in this place, the Lord himself
will be present with us. Our Lord Jesus said, “Where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Oh, that the Lord
himself might meet with us tonight!
There are hundreds of
thousands of people gathered in houses of worship tonight. But I wonder, is
there some place where the Lord God is meeting with men. I want to be in that
place. Perhaps he will meet with us! Is that possible? Could the living God
meet with us here? This much I know…
·
The place of our meeting has nothing
to do with whether God meets with us. Our Lord said, “where”. He does not promise his presence at nay specific place. No
one has a corner on God’s blessings - No country - No city - No temple - No
building - No denomination - No surrounding will guarantee the presence of the
Lord.
·
The number of people gathered has
nothing to do with God’s presence. Our Lord said, “Two or three.” It is not necessary for all of those assembled
together in the house of worship to be sincere. If only two or three in the
crowd have gathered in the name of Christ, he has promised to meet with those
two or three. On one occasion, 5,000 walked away and missed the Lord’s
blessing; but those twelve who stayed found it. Are there just two or three
here who have come together in the name of Christ?
·
Physical force cannot secure the Lord’s
presence. Those who tried to build a tower to heaven by their own labor were
confounded. Yet, men say, “If we would just do more.”
·
Mental exertion cannot secure the presence
of the Lord. “Canst thou by searching
find out God?” (Job 11:7).
·
Fine words and long prayers will not guarantee the
Lord’s presence (Matt. 6:7).
·
Our religious heritage will not secure God’s
presence. The Jews said, “We have Abraham
as our father.” The Pharisees said, “We
be Moses’ disciples.”
·
An orthodox creed will not guarantee the
Lord’s presence. The church at Ephesus had that (Rev. 2:1-4).
·
Proper church order and a proper observance of
the ordinances will never secure the Lord’s presence.
How
then, can we lay hold of this promise? “Where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them.” The simple promise of that text is that wherever two or three people
come together in the name of Christ, he will be present with them.
Proposition: The greatest need, and I
hope the greatest desire, we have as individuals and as a congregation is the
manifest presence of our Lord.
Tonight
I want to stir your hearts to seek the Lord’s presence in our midst, and give
you some instruction about what we can do to secure his presence in our
assembly.
Divisions: Our
text has four verses. We will look at the verses one at a time. The verses
themselves will be the four points of my sermon.
1.
The
Request of Love (v. 1).
2.
The
Resolution of Love (v. 2).
3.
The
Rest of Love (v. 3).
4.
The
Responsibility of Love (v. 4).
I.
In verse 1 we see THE REQUEST
OF LOVE.
This last chapter of this inspired Song of
Loves begins with an ardent desire expressed by the church, the Bride of
Christ. It is the desire of every believing soul. It is the request of every
heart in which the love of Christ is revealed. The request is just this, “O
Lord, give me constant, intimate communion and freedom with thee. Let me always
know thy presence” (Deut. 5:29; Job 23:2; Psa. 14:7).
Song of
Songs
8:1 "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the
breasts of my mother! when I should
find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised."
Psalms 14:7 "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD
bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad."
THE PICTURE
She
was already wed to him. He had taken her to be his bride; and she had taken him
to be her Lord and husband. Their hearts were already knit together. But the
marriage had not yet been publicly solemnized. The marriage feast had not yet
been spread. She was obliged, for the sake of decency and respectability, to
keep her distance. The Bride and her Beloved, when they met in public, could
not be so intimate and affectionate as they might desire. Therefore, she wishes
that she might be looked upon as his sister, and that she might have the same
chaste and innocent familiarity with him that a sister has with her own
brother. A brother and a sister who had nursed at the same breasts might be
most affectionate, intimate and free with one another, without any fear of
reproach or shame.
A. This is a prophetic prayer of the Old Testament
church for the incarnation of Christ.
Our Lord, by means of his incarnation, has
really and truly become our Brother. He is not ashamed to call us brethren; and
he is made to be the Elder Brother, the Firstborn, of the family of God (Heb.
2:11, 14, 17).
1.
We
have been adopted as the sons of God (1 John 3:1).
2.
His
Father is our Father (John 20:17).
3.
We
and our Lord are of the same nature and disposition.
·
In
the incarnation, he assumed our nature.
·
In
regeneration, he gave us his nature.
4.
His
love toward us is compared to the love of a brother (Prov. 18:24).
a.
Like a brother, he
sympathizes with us in all our afflictions.
b.
Like a brother, he is
touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
c.
Like a brother, he helps us
in all of our trials.
d.
Like a brother, he is
tender, compassionate, caring.
The
Lord Jesus Christ is a Brother indeed. He is a Brother who is near at hand,
ready and willing to help.
B. This is truly the desire and prayer of every
believing heart.
Those who know Christ love him. And all who
love him desire uninterrupted, intimate communion with him.
In essence, this is what she
is saying - “O Lord, when I find thee present with me, I will embrace thee,
kiss thee, and show my love to thee, as a sister would show her love to her
brother. Without shame, I will own thee, acknowledge thee, and love thee, even
in the presence of thine enemies. I will publicly avow my love to thee.”
“I would kiss thee and continue to kiss
thee.” (Compare Song 1:2 and Luke 15:20).
1.
He
gave me a kiss of forgiveness; I will give him a kiss of faith.
2.
He
gave me a kiss of peace; I will give him a kiss of praise.
3.
He
gave me a kiss of grace; I will give him a kiss of gratitude.
4.
He
gave me a kiss of acceptance; I will give him a kiss of adoration.
5.
He
gave me a kiss of redeeming love; I will give him a kiss of returning love (1
John 4:19).
C. This text will find its ultimate fulfillment in that
day when God’s elect shall meet Christ in the clouds.
The Bride, the Lamb’s wife will not be
completely ready until the time of his glorious appearance. But then all his
redeemed ones shall be admitted to the nearest possible embraces of Immanuel.
With unspeakable pleasure, we will embrace our Redeemer and enjoy him
eternally!
“Yea, I should not be despised.” That is
to say, “He will not turn his face away from me, when I reach out to embrace
him and kiss him. And those who now despise me will despise me no more. They
will envy me.”
NOTE: “The
whole (verse) expresses her boldness in professing Christ, without fear or
shame, in the most public manner” (John Gill).
This
is The
Request of Love - “Let me
embrace thee and kiss thee, as a sister would embrace and kiss her beloved
Brother, without shame or fear.”
II.
In verse 2, I want you to see and enter into THE RESOLUTION OF LOVE.
Song of
Songs
8:2 "I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause
thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."
Here, the church, the believing soul, makes a
resolution to improve the opportunity she would have for cultivating a more
intimate and full knowledge of Christ, if she could always enjoy his communion.
NOTICE THE RESOLUTION: “I would lead
thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house.” The believing heart,
enjoying personal fellowship and communion with Christ, says, “I will bring you
into the house of God with me. My mother, the church of God, and her children
need to be acquainted with and enjoy your presence too.” (Compare Gal. 4:26).
Illustration: A young woman wants all her
family
to
know and love her chosen husband.
·
There
are some children among the election of grace in my mother’s house who do not
yet know my Beloved. I want you to know him.
·
The
whole family, my mother and all her children need the presence and influences
of Christ.
A. My friends, we who know Christ should bring him with
us into the house of God - (The assembly of his saints).
1.
Why
should we so greatly desire his presence with us?
a.
His presence awakens dead sinners - :”Lazarus, come forth!”
b.
His presence forgives the guilty - The harlot
at his feet. Her sins, which were many, were all forgiven her.
c.
His presence comforts troubled hearts (John
14:1-4) - “Peace, be still.”
d.
His presence brings peace - “My peace I give unto thee.” Wherever
the Prince of Peace comes, he will bring peace.
e.
His presence gives assurance - “Fear not: for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God.” “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
2.
What can we do to secure the
Lord’s presence in our midst? How can we bring Christ with us into the house of
God?
He must be led, like a royal
king would be led by one of his subjects into his own home. Would you lead the
Lord Jesus Christ into this house?
a.
We must love him.
b.
We must reverence him.
c.
We must heartily welcome
him.
d.
We must call upon him in
prayer and invite him to come.
e.
We must come together in his
name (Matt. 18:20).
·
Trusting
Him.
·
Seeking
His Will.
·
Seeking
His Glory.
·
Seeking
His Mercy.
·
Seeking
His Sheep.
B. When Christ meets with his people, then the ministry
of h is church is profitable and effectual - “Who would instruct me.”
The allusion here is to a wise mother, who
takes her newly wed daughter aside and teaches her how to behave toward her
husband, so that she may have his affection and live happily with him.
The
church, the house of God, is a school of instruction, where souls are taught
the ways of Christ, the gospel of Christ, and the will of Christ. Believers
should always crave such instruction. And that instruction is sure to be
profitable and effectual, only when Christ himself is present to teach us by
his Spirit (Psa. 45:10-11).
Psalms 45:10-11 "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and
incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy
beauty: for he is thy Lord; and
worship thou him."
NOTE: All
true spiritual instruction will have these three characteristics…
1.
It
will be according to the Scriptures.
2.
It
will come through the ministry of God’s servants - Pastors and teachers (Jer.
3:15).
3.
It
will be brought to your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.
C. When the Lord meets with his people, those who know
him will offer the sacrifices of their hearts to him (Heb.
13:15).
“I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine
of the juice of my pomegranate.”
Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his
name."
The spiced pomegranate wine was a very rich,
flavorful wine, which was delightful to the taste, but less inebriating than
other wines.
This
refers to the graces of the Spirit and the exercise of grace in the believing
heart. These are the things that give our Lord pleasure; and they are preferred
by him to the best of wines (Song of Sol. 4:10).
Song of
Songs
4:10 "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!"
“Those
that are pleased with Christ must study to be pleasing to him; and they will
not find him hard to be pleased.” (Matthew Henry).
This
is The
Resolution of Love - “I
would lead thee and bring thee into my
mother’s house, both to be instructed by thee and to make my sacrifices of love
to thee.”
III. Now, I hope we can enter
into THE REST OF LOVE, described
in verse 3.
Song of
Songs
8:3 "His left hand should be under my head, and his right
hand should embrace me."
Christ
is our Sabbath. When we come to him and he comes to us, we enter into the blessed rest of love (Heb.
4:9-11).
This picture implies five things…
1.
The
Love Of Christ For His People.
2.
Our
Love For Our Savior.
3.
Our
Support From Christ - “underneath are the
everlasting arms.”
4.
Our
Safety And Security In The Arms Of Christ.
5.
The
Believer’s Confident Faith In Christ - We Rest In Him (Isa. 11:10).
Isaiah 11:10 "And in that day there shall be a root
of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the
Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
When
our Lord reveals himself and makes his presence known, our hearts are at peace.
We rest in him!
IV. Now, in verse four we see THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LOVE.
Our
Lord has come to us. He has granted to us his presence in this place. “His left hand is under my head; and his
right hand doth embrace me.” It is our great joy and privilege in this
place to rest in his love. Now, “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you stir not up, nor awake my love till he please.”
So long as our Lord is pleased to dwell in
our midst, let us be careful not to disturb him, grieve him, and drive him away
(Eph. 4:30).
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
·
Remember
what it is like to be without him (5:6).
·
Remember
the evil which grieved him before (5:1-6 - Neglect).
·
Remember
to do that which pleases him.
Application:
Now as we come to the Lord’s Table, to eat
the bread and drink the wine, let us embrace him in the arms of faith and kiss
him with the lips of prayer.
To
you who know him not, I bid you once more, Come now to Christ. Bow to him,
trust him, receive him. Kiss the Son now, with the lips of repentance. Embrace
the Savior now in the arms of faith. May God enable you to do so.
Amen.