Sermon #14 Series: Song of Solomon

Title: “I SLEEP, BUT MY HEART WAKETH”

Text: Song of Solomon 5:2-8

Readings: Office: Buddy Daugherty Auditorium: James Jordan

Subject: The Cause And Result Of Spiritual Indifference

Date: Sunday Evening - August 16, 1998

Tape # U-81b

Introduction:

Song of Songs 5:2-8 "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. (3) I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? (4) My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. (5) I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. (6) I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. (7) The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. (8) I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love."

I have a sad but common story to tell tonight. Our text sets before us a picture of the church of Christ, his beloved, chosen, and redeemed bride in her most lamentable condition. She is slothful, negligent, and indifferent. In other places the Bride speaks to Christ, but here she speaks of him, because now he had withdrawn himself.

Tonight, I am going to just briefly talk to you about the cause and result of spiritual indifference. I can tell you something about the cause. And I can tell you something about the result. But I am afraid that I cannot prescribe any certain remedy.

When our fellowship and communion with Christ is broken, because of our base ingratitude, neglect, and indifference, the only remedy is that the Lord himself graciously return to us and revive our hearts according to his own sovereign pleasure.

You have the title of my message in the opening words of our text: “I Sleep, but my heart waketh!”

· Sometimes this cold, deathly indifference steals over only one or two hearts in a congregation.

· Sometimes it seems to engulf entire assemblies.

· Sometimes this black plague seems to engulf the whole church of Christ.

This is a subject about which I am afraid we are all too familiar. We all know by bitter experience the deep base notes of Newton’s hymn -

How tedious and tasteless the hours

When Jesus no longer I see!

Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers,

Have all lost their sweetness to me.

The mid-summer sun shines but dim;

The fields strive in vain to look gay;

But when I am happy in Him,

December’s as pleasant as May.

His name yields the richest perfume,

And sweeter than music His voice;

His presence disperses my gloom,

And makes all within me rejoice:

I should, were He always thus nigh,

Have nothing to wish or to fear;

No mortal so happy as I;

My summer would last all the year.

Content with beholding His face,

My all to His pleasure resigned,

No changes of season or place

Would make any change in my mind;

While blest with a sense of His love,

A palace a toy would appear;

And prisons would palaces prove,

If Jesus would dwell with me there.

Dear Lord, if indeed I am Thine,

If Thou art my sun and my song,

Say, why do I languish and pine,

And why are my winters so long?

Oh, drive these dark clouds from my sky,

Thy soul cheering presence restore;

Or take me unto Thee on high,

Where winter and clouds are no more.

I will have nothing new to say to you tonight, nothing deep, profound, or mysterious. I am simply going to remind you of those things which most afflict the hearts of God’s children. It is my prayer that you will be encouraged to avoid the terrible tendency of your heart and mine toward indifference regarding our Lord. If our text speaks of the condition of your own heart, I pray that the Holy Spirit will make my words this evening as a light to show you the way back into fellowship and communion with Christ.

Proposition: There is within each of us a terrible tendency to become neglectful, indifferent, and lukewarm towards the Lord Jesus Christ. This common, sinful tendency of our nature must be marked and avoided.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love:

Here’s my heart, Oh, take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

I want to call your attention to seven things in our text which tell us the sad but common story of spiritual indifference.

I. Here is A VERY COMMON SIN - “I sleep.”

The wise virgins often sleep with the foolish. Far too often this is the bad effect which great privileges have upon our sinful hearts.

When we indulge ourselves in carnal ease and security, our hearts become cold, neglectful, drowsy, and indifferent.

· Religion becomes routine.

· Devotion is lifeless.

· Service is drudgery.

· Worship is formal.

· Zeal is gone.

II. Here is A HOPEFUL SIGN - “My heart waketh.”

It is a hopeful sign that there is grace in the heart when the heart struggles against our sinful sleep. Ours is not the sleep of death. There is life within, struggling, struggling hard against sin (Rom. 7:14-22).

Romans 7:14-22 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. (17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. (22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:"

III. Here is A VERY LOVING AND TENDER CALL - “It is the voice of my Beloved.”

All is not gone. Though my heart sleeps so foolishly, yet Christ is my Beloved. Though my love is so fickle, so shameful, and so unworthy of him, I do love him. And what is more, I still hear his voice and know his voice.

A. Christ tenderly knocks to awaken us to come and open to Him (Rev. 3:20).

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

· By His Spirit.

· By His Word.

· By His providence.

B. He not only knocks for entrance. Our Beloved Redeemer graciously calls us, wooing us to himself by his grace.

1. Whose voice is it? “It is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh.”

2. Who is He calling? “My Sister” “My Love” My Dove” “My Undefiled!”

3. What does He call for? “Open to Me.”

4. Why is He calling? “My head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” - In the night of his agony, in Gethsemane, in the judgment hall, when he was crowned with thorns, piercing his brow.

IV. Here is A MOST UNGRATEFUL EXCUSE (v. 3).

Song of Songs 5:3 "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?"

Because of her carnal case, she refused the Lord’s gracious invitation to communion. She did not wish to trouble herself, and she did not wish to be troubled. Her heart was so cold that she preferred her ease to the fellowship of Christ.

· Carnal Ease

· Worldly Care

V. But our Lord is gracious still. Our Redeemer’s love cannot be quenched. He is longsuffering, patient, and gracious to his people, even in our most sinful rejection and denial of him. Here is a picture of OUR SAVIOR’S PERSEVERING, EFFECTUAL GRACE (v. 4; Psa. 110:3).

Song of Songs 5:4 "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him."

Psalms 110:3 "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth."

Illustrations: David

Peter

I rejoice to know that Christ will not leave his people to themselves.

He will never, never leave us,

Nor will let us quite leave Him!

· His grace is effectual.

· His grace is persevering.

· His grace is irresistible.

· His grace is preserving.

VI. Here is a sad picture of THE LOVING CHASTISEMENT our neglect and indifference brings upon us (vv. 5-7; Isa. 54:9-10).

Song of Songs 5:5-7 "I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. (6) I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. (7) The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me."

Isaiah 54:9-10 "For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. (10) For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee."

VII. Here is ONE LAST HOPE (v. 8).

Song of Songs 5:8 "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love."

She could not find Christ for herself, so she employed the help and assistance of the Lord’s people.

Application:

1. A word to you who believe - When Christ calls you, come to him. “Today, if ye will hear his voice harden not your heart.”

2. A word to you who enjoy the fellowship of Christ - Cherish the precious fellowship of Christ. Let nothing rob you of your rich privilege. Do nothing to 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."

3. A word to you who are the Lord’s children, but have by your own neglect lost the blessedness of fellowship with Christ.

· Go back to the cross.

· Confess your sinful negligence.

· Go on seeking him.

· Trust Him still (2 Sam. 23:5; Lam. 3:18-33).

2 Samuel 23:5 "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."

Lamentations 3:18-33 "And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: (19) Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. (20) My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. (21) 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. (27) It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. (28) He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. (29) He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. (30) He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. (31) For the Lord will not cast off for ever: (32) But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. (33) For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."

Return, O Son of God return!

Come knock again upon my door.

Dear Savior, my Beloved, return.

Possess me and depart no more!

AMEN.