Sermon #20 Series: Song Of Solomon

Title: Five Pictures Of The Church

Text: Song Of Solomon 6:4-10

Readings: Office: Mark Henson Auditorium: Ron Wood

Subject: The Church As Christ Sees It.

Date: Sunday Evening - October 25, 1998

Tape # U-90a

Introduction:

Song of Songs 6:4-10 "Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. (5) Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. (6) Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. (7) As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. (8) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. (9) My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. (10) Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?"

My subject tonight is - Five Picture Of The Church. In these verses our Lord describes his church as he sees it, and as it truly is. When I use this term, “the church,” I am talking about the people of God.

· I am not talking about a physical building.

· I am not talking about a religious denomination.

· I am not even talking about a local assembly.

When I use this term, “The church,” I am using it in the way Paul did, when he said, “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). I am talking about those people of whom Paul speaks, when he says that, Christ has been made “the Head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22). The church about which I am speaking is “the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). I use this term, “the church,” in exactly the same way that our Lord Jesus Christ used it, when he said, “Upon this Rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

I use this word, “church,” to refer to the whole family of God in heaven and upon the earth. I am referring to all of God’s true people, considered as one, the universal body of Christ. All of God’s elect, all true believers of every age and every place make up the church of Christ.

“Elect from every nation,

Yet one o’er all the earth:

Her charter of salvation,

One Lord, one faith, one birth.”

The church did not begin with Paul, it did not begin with Peter, and it did not begin with John the Baptist. The church did not begin at Pentecost, or at Calvary. The church of our Lord Jesus Christ began with Adam. The earliest worshippers in the church of our Lord were Adam and Eve, and their Son, Abel. And the church of Christ will be complete when the last of God’ s elect has been regenerated and united to Christ by faith. When the last sheep has been brought into the fold, the fold will be complete, and the Shepherd will be satisfied.

See that you understand what I am saying. The church is the body and bride of Christ; and all who are in Christ are in the church.

· All who were chosen in Christ are in the church.

· All who were redeemed in Christ are in the church.

· All who were justified in Christ are in the church.

· All who are regenerated in Christ are in the church.

· All who are preserved in Christ are in the church.

· All who shall be raised with Christ are in the church.

If you and I are in Christ we are in that church which is his body. If we are saved by the grace of God we are members of the Lord’s church; and we are members in good standing.

Now in our text this evening, the heavenly Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us Five Pictures Of The Church. He describes the church as he sees it. He tells us what his church truly is. And what our Lord here says of the church collectively is true of all believers individually.

1. Because of her sinful neglect, the Lord had temporarily withdrawn from his church the sense of his manifest presence (5:2-6).

2. Though she did not have the comforting sense of his presence, she cherished him in her heart and held him by faith (5:9-6:3).

· She was in great sorrow, because of the Lord’s absence.

· But she never ceased to love him.

· And she never ceased to believe him. She rested her soul upon Christ alone, not upon her own feelings and experiences (6:3). Being confident of his love, mercy, grace, and faithfulness, she sings, even in her low condition…

Song of Songs 6:3 "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies."

3. In this passage, our Lord graciously reveals himself again to his church to comfort and assure her again of his mercy love, and grace.

Proposition: In these verses our Lord assures us of his love for us and our acceptance with him.

Divisions: Here are Five Pictures Of The Church as Christ himself sees it:

1. The church of Christ is an army in this world (v. 4).

2. The church is the object of Christ’s love (v. 5).

3. The church is perfect in the eyes of Christ (vv. 6-7).

4. The church is one body in Christ (vv. 8-9).

5. The church is the light of this world (v. 10).

I. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS AN ARMY IN THIS WORLD (v. 4).

Song of Songs 6:4 "Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners."

“Tirzah” was a city in the tribe of Manasseh. It means “pleasant and acceptable.”

“Jerusalem” is the city of God. It is symbolically a type of the church (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22).

Believers in this world are soldiers enlisted in an army (Eph. 6:10-20). We are soldiers in the territory of an hostile enemy.

A. Our banner is the glorious gospel of Christ (Isa. 11:12).

Isaiah 11:12 "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

B. Christ, our Mighty Captain, has given us our marching orders (Matt. 28:18-20).

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

1. It is our responsibility to march against the very gates of hell, conquering the world for our King by the gospel.

2. It is our responsibility to stand firm in defense of the gospel.

C. Our triumph and ultimate victory is sure (Matt. 16:18).

Matthew 16:13-18 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

II. THE CHURCH IS THE OBJECT OF CHRIST’S LOVE (v. 5).

Song of Songs 6:5 "Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead."

Here our Lord assures his troubled and afflicted people that they are the objects of his love. His love toward us has not changed. Though he does, at times, withdraw from us his manifest presence, he never ceases to love us (Isa. 54:7-10).

Isaiah 54:7-10 "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. (8) In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. (9) 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."

“Every human tie may perish;

Friend to friend unfaithful prove;

Mothers cease their own to cherish;

Heaven and earth at last remove;

But no changes attend Jehovah’s love.

Zion’s Friend in nothing alters,

Though all others may and do;

His is love that never falters,

Always to its object true.

Happy Zion! Crowned with mercies ever new.”

The love of God for his people is:

· Without Cause

· Without Beginning.

· Without Change.

· Without End.

Here is a strange expression of love - “Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me.” Our Savior uses the expressions of a passionate lover to express the tenderness of a compassionate Redeemer. With these words, our Savior seems to say, I cannot resist those eyes that look to me. I will forgive and forget all that is past.

This is a strange expression indeed. The Lord of Glory is overcome by his people when they look unto him!

· We look to him with sorrowful eyes in repentance.

· We look to him with hopeful eyes in faith.

· We look to him with sincere eyes in love.

Child of God, even when the Lord hides his face, keep on looking to him. The eyes of repentance, love, and faith will soon prevail. He so loves us that he is willing to be overcome by us!

III. THE CHURCH IS PERFECT IN THE EYES OF CHRIST (vv. 6-7).

Song of Songs 6:6-7 "Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. (7) As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks."

Here our Lord repeats almost word for word the description he had given of her beauty and perfection (4:1-3) before the sad decline described in chapter five. He is saying, “Nothing has changed between us.”

Song of Songs 4:1-3 "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."

We are accepted in the Beloved. Our shameful sin, ingratitude, coldness of heart, unfaithfulness, and unbelief will never cause us to be any the less accepted. All our beauty, all our perfection, all our holiness is in him. Nothing can change that.

A. In Christ we are redeemed.

B. In Christ we are righteous.

C. In Christ we are accepted - Always accepted.

D. In Christ we are forgiven.

The forgiveness of sin in Christ is

· Free

· Full

· Final

The Lord will never impute sin to his people. We are forgiven!

Psalms 32:1-2 " Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Romans 4:8 "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."

IV. THE CHURCH IS ONE BODY IN CHRIST (vv. 8-9)

Song of Songs 6:8-9 "There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. (9) My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her."

Other kings have queens, their wives and concubines, and mistresses, and virgins, and maidens. But Christ our King makes all of his people one. In the kingdom of grace there is no such thing as rank, and class, and position. The people of God are one (Col. 3:11; 1 Cor. 12:12-27).

Colossians 3:10-11 "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (13) For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (14) For the body is not one member, but many. (15) If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (16) And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? (17) If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? (18) But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. (19) And if they were all one member, where were the body? (20) But now are they many members, yet but one body. (21) And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. (22) Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: (23) And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. (24) For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: (25) That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (26) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

· We all have the same Father.

· We all have the same Elder Brother.

· We all have the same indwelling Spirit.

· We all have the same eternal inheritance.

Let us, therefore, live as one body in Christ (Eph. 4:1-6). Let us strive together as one body to glorify the Lord our God.

Ephesians 4:1-6 "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (2) With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; (3) Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (4) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

V. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (v. 10).

Song of Songs 6:10 "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?"

The church of Christ shines as the light of the sun in this world, giving forth light to them that sit in darkness (Matt. 5:14).

Matthew 5:14 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."

· In its beginning, the church was like the rising of the morning sun - The dawning of light.

· At its best in this world, the church is like the moon at night, reflecting the light of the Sun of Righteousness.

· When we are complete in the kingdom of glory, we shall shine forth as the sun (Matt. 13:43).

Matthew 13:43 "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

In that day, we shall be clothed with the Sun, with Christ the Sun of Righteousness, and like him we shall display the eternal glory of God (Rev. 12:1; Isa. 30:26).

Revelation 12:1 "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:"

Isaiah 30:26 "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound."

Application: All of these pictures were given that we might rest in his love.

Zephaniah 3:15-17 "The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. (16) In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. (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."

AMEN.