Sermon
#26 The
Song Of Solomon
Title: LEANING ON CHRIST
Text: Song of Solomon 8:5-7
Readings: Ron
Wood - Bobbie Estes
Subject: The Believer’s Dependence
Upon Christ
Date: Sunday Evening - December 20, 1998
Tape # V-1a
Introduction:
Song of
Songs
8:5-7 "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her
beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee
forth: there she brought thee forth that bare
thee. 6 Set me as a seal upon thine
heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is
strong as death; jealousy is cruel
as the grave: the coals thereof are coals
of fire, which hath a most vehement
flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench
love, neither can the floods drown it: if a
man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be
contemned."
Faith
in Christ is described by many symbolic actions. Faith toward Christ has
nothing whatsoever to do with physical
acts, physical posture, or physical movement. But, in the Word of God,
faith is described symbolically by many actions of the body.
1.
Faith is looking to Christ
and seeing him.
He says, “Behold
me, behold me...Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I
am God and there is none else” (Isa. 45:1, 22). Our Lord says, “This is the will of him that sent me, that
everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him may have everlasting life” (John
6:40). Saving faith is looking to Christ, like the perishing Israelites looked
to the brazen serpent and were healed.
2. Faith is coming to Christ.
“He that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst” (John
6:35). “Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). “All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me; and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
Saving faith is coming to Christ, acknowledging him as Lord and trusting him as
Savior. We come to thee, our Savior, for pardon, for redemption, for
righteousness, for life. We have come to him. We are coming to him. And we
shall yet come to him.
3.
Faith is fleeing to Christ.
We “fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us” (Heb.
6:18). Christ, “the Lord is a strong
tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Prov. 18:10). Realizing
that were are under the wrath of God, and knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is
God’s only appointed place of refuge for guilty sinners, we flee to him! We
venture our souls on him, on the merits of his blood and righteousness. We cast
ourselves into his arms of power and grace, trusting him alone to save us.
Saving faith is fleeing to Christ in hope of mercy.
4.
Faith is laying hold of
Christ.
Like a drowning man lays
hold of the line thrown to him, we lay hold of Christ and cling to him.
5.
Faith is receiving Christ.
“As many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name” (John 1:12). It is not receiving Christ into the head that brings
salvation, but receiving him into the heart. It is not receiving the doctrine
of Christ that saves us, but receiving Christ himself. True faith receives the
whole Christ as he is revealed in Holy Scripture.
·
In
All His Offices.
·
For
My Whole Acceptance Before God.
·
In
Preference To All Others.
But
in our text, we see faith described in richer, fuller, more intimate connection
than we have seen before - “Who is this
that cometh up out of the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?” Here is
faith, but it is something more than “looking for life”, or “coming in hope”,
or “fleeing for mercy”, or “laying hold of help”, or even “receiving a Savior”.
This is intimate, confident, loving, admiring, adoring faith - Leaning
on Christ. Here is a description of the church of God and of
every true believer.
Proposition: The people of God are as a
bride coming up out of a dark, dangerous, and desolate wilderness, leaning upon
her Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ;.
Divisions: In the three verses of our
text, we have set before us four pictures of faith.
1.
Faith
Leaning (v. 5).
2.
Faith
Remembering (v. 5).
3.
Faith
Praying (v. 6).
4.
Faith
Persevering (vv. 6-7).
I. First, we see FAITH LEANING - “Who is this that cometh up out of the
wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?”
There is no better description of true faith
than the picture of a sinner leaning on Christ. Like a cripple man leans on his
crutches, the children of God lean on Christ. Like a timid, frightened women,
passing through some strange and dangerous forest at night, might lean upon the
strong arm of her husband, we lean upon our Beloved.
·
We
lean upon him, because he has proven his love for us and his faithfulness to
us.
·
We
lean upon him, because he is mighty and able to protect us.
NOTE: There
is a clear connection between fellowship with Christ and faith in Christ. The
more we trust him, the more heavily we lean upon him, the more constant and
real our fellowship will be.
Some
suggest that this question was raised by Christ. But it seems most likely to me
that it is a question raised by the daughters of Jerusalem, when the Shulamite
had solemnly charged them not to disturb her Beloved.
A. The people of God in this world are passing through
a wilderness.
To the heavenly pilgrim, this world is a
barren and desolate wilderness. Sometimes our pathway leads us through rivers
of woe, deep waters of affliction, and seas of temptation. There are many
dangers to be overcome, many snares to avoid, and many enemies to face. The
world, the flesh, and the devil oppose us. The lust of the eye, the lust of the
flesh, and the pride of life make our journey a troublesome one. But onward we
must go.
1.
Don’t ever forget, my brethren, we are only pilgrims here.
Be
sure that your heart is fixed upon Immanuel’s land, and not upon the things of
this world (Heb. 11:8-10, 14-16; 1 John 2:15-17; Col. 3:1-3).
2.
But our pilgrimage is not a lonely one.
The
Bride is not alone. Her Beloved is with her. Every soul that journeys toward
heaven has Christ for its companion. Our Lord allows no pilgrim to the New
Jerusalem to travel alone.
a.
Christ is with us in sympathy.
Whatever
our temptations may be, he has been tempted in every point, just as we are.
Whatever our afflictions may be, he has been so afflicted. He is touched with
the feeling of our infirmities.
b.
But Christ is also with us in reality (Isa. 43:2-5; 41:10).
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea,
I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness."
Isaiah 43:1-5 "But now thus saith the LORD that
created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have
redeemed thee, I have called thee by
thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave
Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba for thee. 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. 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee
from the west;"
This
is not a fiction, a novel, or a fairy tale. This is fact, a blessed, glorious
fact. “The Lord is at hand!”
3.
And though our pilgrimage sometimes seems long, we are passing through
this bleak land. “Who is this that cometh up
from the wilderness?”
a.
This
is a picture of our conversion.
b.
This
is a picture of our conversation.
c.
This
is a picture of our conquest.
“Through many
dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come:
‘Tis grace that brought me
safe thus far,
And grace will lead me
home.”
B. Throughout our pilgrimage here, it is our privilege
and joy to be leaning on Christ - “Leaning on her Beloved.”
I like that chorus -
“Learning to lean,
learning to lean
I’m learning to lean on
Jesus;
Finding more power than I’d
ever dreamed,
I’m learning to lean on
Jesus.”
Do you know anything about
this posture of faith? Do you know anything about leaning on Christ? That’s
what faith is, it is leaning on Christ. Faith leans on Christ for all things
and at all times (Prov. 3:5-6).
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths."
·
For
All Things Related To Salvation
·
For
All Things In Daily Providence
“Every hour of everyday,
Every moment, and in every
way,
I’m leaning on Jesus, He’s
the Rock of my soul,
I’m singing His praises
wherever I go!”
1.
The bride is leaning upon her Beloved.
Christ
is the Beloved. He is Beloved of the Father. He is Beloved of the angels. He is
Beloved of the saints in heaven. He is the Beloved of every saved, believing
soul. Is the Lord Jesus Christ your Beloved? (1 Pet. 2:7; 1 Cor. 16:22).
2.
There is no better description of faith than leaning on Christ.
·
We
lean on the person of Christ for acceptance with God.
·
We
lean on the righteousness of Christ for justification.
·
We
lean on the blood of Christ for pardon and cleansing.
·
We
lean on the fulness of Christ to supply all our needs - Both physical and
spiritual (Lam. 3:23-26 ).
Lamentations 3:21-26
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we
are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The
LORD is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him. 25 The
LORD is good unto them that wait for
him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
LORD."
In prayer, we lean on Christ. In worship, we lean on
Christ. In giving, we lean on Christ. In praise, we lean on Christ. All our
hope of acceptance with God is Christ, so we lean on him. Oh, may we evermore
learn to lean heavily upon the Son of God. Go ahead and lean on him! He can
bear all the weight of your soul.
NOTE: This word “leaning” has many
shades of meaning. It suggests a picture of the bride…
·
“Casting
herself upon her Beloved.”
·
“Joining
herself to her Beloved.”
·
“Associating
with her Beloved.”
·
“Cleaving
to her Beloved.”
·
“Rejoicing
in her Beloved.”
·
“Strengthening
herself in her Beloved.”
·
“Clinging
to her Beloved.”
This
is the posture of faith - “Leaning upon
her Beloved.”
II. Secondly, we see FAITH REMEMBERING - “I raised thee up under the apple tree:
there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought the forth that bare
thee” (v. 5).
NOTE: Reading
only the English translation, we would assume that these words were spoken by
Christ to the church. But in the Hebrew, the pronoun “thee” is masculine. So
again, the Bride is speaking to her Beloved.
A. She remembers the past - “I raised thee up.”
That is to say - I have wrestled with thee in
prayer and prevailed upon thee to help me and to comfort me (Psa. 44:23;
34:1-6). Like the disciples raised Christ up to help them in the storm, crying,
“Master, carest thou not that we
perish?”, the children of God raise him up in prayer.
Psalms 34:1-6 "
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in
my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her
boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof,
and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD
with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were
lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."
Psalms 44:23 "Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?
arise, cast us not off for
ever."
NOTE: He
is ready and willing to yield to our importunate cries of faith.
NOTE: Out
of the bitter pains of conviction and repentance, Christ is found in the soul
and brought forth in travail, like a son born of his mother’s travail into the
world.
B. She looks prophetically to the future.
1.
Christ
came in the first advent, in his incarnation, being conceived in and born into
this world out of the womb of the Old Testament church (Rev. 12:1-17).
2.
Our
Lord himself uses this metaphor to describe the joy his people will have at his
second advent (John 16:21-22).
John 16:21-22 "A woman when she is in travail hath
sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child,
she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow:
but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man
taketh from you."
III. Thirdly, we see FAITH PRAYING (v. 6) - “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a
seal upon thine arm.”
As she makes her pilgrimage through this
world, she prays that her union with him might be confirmed, that her communion
with him might be constant, and that her fellowship with him might be intimate.
Each
of us, as believers, might very well take these same words to express the
prayer and desire of our hearts - “Set me
as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm.”
A. Let me have a place in thy heart and an
interest in thy love.
The allusion is to the High Priest (Ex.
28:11, 12, 21, 29, 30). It is enough for me, and all I desire, that Christ be
my sin-atoning High Priest, that he carry me upon his heart when he stands
before God.
B. Let me never lose the place that I have in thy heart.
Let thy love be secured to me, as a deed that
is sealed cannot be broken (Eph. 1:14; 4:30).
C. Let me always be near and dear to thee - “Set me as a seal upon thine
arm.”
The allusion here is to those bracelets that
young lovers wear with the name of their sweethearts engraved upon them (Isa.
49:13-16).
Isaiah 49:13-16 "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O
earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted
his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. 14 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath
forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget
her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?
yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
D. Let thy power be engaged for me as token of thy love
for me.
Oh my Beloved, defend me and protect me with
the right arm of thy power!
IV. Fourthly, we see FAITH PERSEVERING (vv. 6-7).
Song of Songs 8:6-7 "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as
a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong
as death; jealousy is cruel as the
grave: the coals thereof are coals of
fire, which hath a most vehement
flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench
love, neither can the floods drown it: if a
man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be
contemned."
All
true faith is persevering faith. It perseveres in love for Christ. If ever a
man comes to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, he will continue in both
faith and love toward him.
A. Love for Christ is the vigorous passion of the
believing heart.
1.
It
is strong as death.
·
His
love for us was stronger than death.
·
The
love of true believer for Christ is as
strong as death. Love for Christ makes the believer dead to everything else.
2.
Jealousy
is cruel as the grave.
·
We
are jealous of anything that might draw us away from him.
·
We
are jealous of ourselves, lest we should do anything to provoke him to leave
us.
3.
Love
for Christ is an all-consuming fire in the hearts of his children.
B. Love for Christ is the victorious passion of the
believing heart (v. 7).
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can
the floods drown it: if a man would
give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”
Neither
the substance of this world nor the swelling floods of death could quench our
Savior’s love for us (Rom. 8:38-39). And where there is true love for Christ,
it cannot be destroyed.
1.
Waters
of affliction cannot quench love. It only grows stronger.
2.
Floods
of trouble cannot destroy love. It only clings more firmly to its object.
3.
All
the riches of the world cannot buy love.
4.
Even
life itself would be despised, before love could be sacrificed.
Application:
May the Lord graciously grant to each of us
this holy faith.
·
Leaning
Faith - Upon Christ
·
Remembering
Faith - What Christ has done for us and been to us.
·
Praying
Faith - Seeking Christ
·
Persevering
Faith - Loving Christ
AMEN.