Sermon
#31 Series:
Song Of Solomon
Title: The Lord’s Last
Word To His Church
Text: Song of Solomon 8:13
Readings: Paul
Windrel & Ron Wood
Subject: The desire of our Savior for his Church
Date: Sunday Evening - February 14, 1999
Tape # V-12a
Introduction:
Song of
Songs
8:13 "Thou that dwellest in the
gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it."
Nothing
is more precious in the memory of a woman whose beloved husband has gone to be
with the Lord than her dear husband’s last words to her. How often I have sat
across the room from a widow, whose husband had departed many years before, and
heard her say, “I can remember the last thing he said to me, as though it were
just yesterday.” The last words spoken by a loving companion are precious
words.
Even
so, the last words of our Lord Jesus Christ to his believing people are words
we particularly, tenderly cherish in our hearts (John 14-17 - The Seven Sayings
From The Cross).
The Song of Songs is almost
ended. The chosen Bride and the Glorious Bridegroom have come to their last
stanzas. They are about to part company for a while. The Lord, our Savior, our
Great Bridegroom must depart this world for a season. His bodily presence must
be taken from us. He must enter again into his glory. And his Bride, the Church
which he has chosen and redeemed with his own precious blood, must remain upon
the earth until he comes for her. Therefore, the Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus
Christ, bids us farewell. These are the last words of our Savior to his
believing people…
“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy
voice: cause me to hear it.”
In other words, our Lord is
says to each of us - While I am away from you, fill this garden with my name,
and let your heart commune with me. As she sees him rising up into the clouds
of glory, the Bride quickly responds - “Make
haste, my Beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the
mountains of spices.”
It is as though she said - I
know, my Love, that you must go away for a while; but hurry back. As soon as it
pleases you, when my work upon the earth is done, come to me again; and take me
home to the ivory palaces of glory land.
Even
his leaving us was an act of great love and grace. In fact, it was his greatest
act of love. If he had not left us and gone to the tree of his death and up to
the throne of glory, we could never have been redeemed and saved, we could
never have entered into glory. You remember what he said - “I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send
him unto you” (John 16:7).
1.
It was truly expedient for
our Lord to go away, to suffer, die, rise again, and ascend into glory. By his
going away to die for us and to live again for us in heaven, many evils were prevented from falling
upon us which otherwise would have destroyed us.
·
The
Heavy Strokes Of Divine Justice.
·
The
Curses And Condemnation Of God’s Law.
·
The
Wrath And Vengeance Of God.
·
Eternal
Death, Ruin, And Destruction.
2.
Our Lord’s going away was
expedient for us, because he went
away to obtain for us all the blessings of grace and eternal good for our souls.
·
Redemption
·
Reconciliation
·
Forgiveness
·
Righteousness
·
Eternal
life
·
Peace
3.
When we realize what the Lord Jesus Christ has done
for us, we know that it is best for us that he went away for a while.
·
He
has opened for us an entrance into the holiest by the blood of his cross (Heb.
10:19-22).
·
He
has taken possession of heaven and eternal glory as our Representative (Heb.
6:20).
·
He
has gone to prepare a place for us in glory, in the Father’s house (John
14:1-3).
·
He
has gone away to appear in the presence of God for us (1 John 2:1-2).
·
He
has gone away so that he might send his promised Spirit into the world to
gather his elect from the four corners of the earth, to regenerate, sanctify,
and preserve them unto his eternal glory (Gal. 3:13-14).
Truly,
it is best for us that our beloved Savior has gone away. Surely, then the last
words of our heavenly Bridegroom must be of special interest to us. Here is The Lord’s Last Word To His Church - “Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the
companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.”
Proposition: With
those parting words, our blessed Savior tells us most plainly what he desires
of us while we are yet upon this earth.
Divisions:
I see four things here expressed by our Lord
as the desires of his heart toward us.
1.
A
Blessed Residence
2.
A
Beneficial Relationship
3.
A
Benevolent Request
4.
A
Believing Representation
I.
First, our Lord describes his Bride as one who enjoys the benefits of A BLESSED RESIDENCE. -- “Thou that dwellest in the gardens.”
The
Hebrew construction of this phrase is in the feminine. Literally, the Lord is
calling his Bride, his Church by this name, “Thou
inhabitress of the gardens.” We who are born of God, we who make up the
church of Christ, the body of God’s elect are addressed under this term - “Thou
inhabitress of the gardens.” It describes our residence upon the earth, the
assembly of God’s saints, the congregation of the Lord.
A. This term distinguishes us from our Lord.
He whom we love dwells in the ivory palaces.
He has gone up to his Father’s throne. But he has left us in these gardens here
below.
1.
He dwelt here with us for a while. But now he has finished
the work which his Father gave him to do and he has returned to his throne. He
is no longer physically present with us.
NOTE: The
Lord’s presence with his Church is real, true, and constant; but it is a
spiritual, rather than physical presence, that we now enjoy (Matt. 18:20; John
14:23).
Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him."
2.
Like our Lord, we must remain upon the earth,
dwelling in his gardens, until our work upon the earth is done (John 14:12).
John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I
go unto my Father."
Our
Lord has gone to heaven, because he best accomplishes the purposes of God from
there. He has left us upon the earth to serve him, because we best accomplish
the purpose of God here.
B. Our place is in the King’s gardens.
1.
This is the place of our great employment.
Those
who serve the Lord serve him by serving his garden, the local church, the
assembly of his people. Each of God’s people is placed in the garden for the
good of his own soul and for the service of the Lord’s church.
Spurgeon said, “You and I are
set in the garden of the church, because there is a work for us to do which
will be beneficial to others and to ourselves also.”
It is best for us, for the
glory of God and for the church of Christ that we abide here a while longer.
·
“Ye are the lights of the
world.”
·
“Ye are the salt of the
earth.”
·
You
are dew from the Lord in this dry and thirsty land.
Have
you found out what it is the Lord has for you to do in his gardens? Have you
found the tender plants for which you are to care?
2.
This is the place of our great enjoyment.
This
is the place where the Lord meets with us, instructs us, teaches us, refreshes
us, and makes himself known to us (Song of Sol. 6:2).
Song of
Songs
6:2 "My beloved is gone down into
his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather
lilies."
I
cannot stress too much the importance of the local assembly of God’s saints in
the life of a believer (Heb. 10:26).
Hebrews 10:25-26 "Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"
·
The
Lord himself walks in the garden.
·
The
River of the Water of Life flows through the garden.
·
The
Tree of Life is planted in the Lord’s garden.
3.
This is the place of our great eminence.
The
greatest blessing God can ever give to you or me upon this earth is the
privilege of dwelling in one of the Lord’s gardens. The greatest blessing God
ever gave to a community of men is the establishment of a local church where
the gospel is preached. And the greatest curse God ever sent to any town was
withdrawing from them the witness of a gospel church.
4.
This is the place of our great establishment.
“Thou that dwellest” - Those words imply
a permanent residence, a permanent establishment. As for me and my house we are
established in the house of God, the garden of the Lord. All things are
secondary to this.
I am ready to give up anything before I will give up…
·
The
Worship Of God.
·
The
Fellowship Of His Saints.
·
The
Ministry Of The Word.
How charming is the
place
Where my Redeemer God
Unveils the beauties of his
face,
And sheds his love abroad.
Not all the fair palaces,
To which the great resort,
Are once to be compared with
this,
Where Jesus holds his court.
There
is nothing more important to a believer than the blessed residence God has
appointed for his people, the Garden of the Lord, the Church of God, the House
of Prayer. I leave it to you to judge whether or not you have found the Church
of God a garden for your soul and this garden a blessed residence in which to
dwell.
I love Thy Church,
O God!
Her walls before Thee stand,
Dear as the apple of Thine
eye
And graven on Thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend -
To her my cares and toils be
given
Till cares and toils shall
end.
II.
Secondly, our Lord speaks of A
BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP which the people of God should enjoy with one
another - “Thou that dwellest in the
gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice.”
The church of God is a family. A local
assembly, if it is what it should be, is a commune of pilgrims, companions
whose hearts and lives are wed to one another. I hope that I am not deceived
when I say that God has given us the mutually beneficial relationship of
brothers and sisters in this place. We are a family!
The
church of God is my family (Matt. 12:48-50).
Matthew 12:48-50 "But he answered and said unto him that
told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said,
Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my
brother, and sister, and mother."
Let us endeavor to maintain the unity,
peace, and joy of our family (Eph. 4:3-7).
Ephesians 4:3-7 "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. 7 But unto every one of us
is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."
One thing which is essential to every
family is communication. Families which get along well must talk to one
another. They must know one another, encourage one another, and support one
another. This blessed communication between believers is what our Lord is
talking about - “The companions hearken
to thy voice!”
I am
calling for and encouraging you to build your relationships to one another by
personal conversation and pleasant communion. Like marriages, good
relationships with other people do not just happen; they must be built. Our
Lord seems here to be commending the conversation of his people with one
another.
If
you desire to build better, stronger, more personal, more beneficial
relationships among yourselves, I recommend these things:
A. Be sure that you frequently talk to one another.
Heaven will, in great measure, be an
everlasting communion of saints. If we would enjoy heaven below we must commune
with one another.
Children
should never come in and out of their Father’s house without speaking to one
another.
B. Be sure that your conversations with one another are
edifying, Christ honoring, and spiritually beneficial.
I do not mean that you must always talk to
each other about spiritual things; but I do mean that you should strive to be
spiritually helpful to one another in your speech.
When
we come together in the house of God, we should be especially careful to assist
one another in our conversations before the service and after the service.
C. Be sure that you develop a genuine interest in one
another.
Truthful and thoughtful
commendation is not out of order.
We
enjoy a blessed residence. We should build a beneficial relationship.
III. And, thirdly, our Lord
presents to us A BENEVOLENT REQUEST.
-- “Thou that dwellest in the
gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.”
It is
as though our Lord were saying to us - “I
am going away for a while, and you will see me no more; but I will not forget
you. My heart will always be with you. Therefore, do not forget me. Cause me to
hear your voice. Though you cannot see me with your physical eye, nor audibly
hear my voice, I can see you and hear you. So cause me to hear your voice.”
·
This
is a very natural request. Love seeks the company of its object.
·
This
is a very loving and condescending request.
·
This
is a request which is most beneficial to us.
·
This
request seems to have many implications.
A. Cause me to hear your voice in prayer.
B. Cause me to hear your voice in praise.
C. Cause me to hear your voice in intimate communion.
D. Cause me to hear the voice of your heart.
Our Lord desires to hear the inmost groans
and sighs and feelings of our hearts, as well as the joy and laughter of our
hearts (Heb. 4:16; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Pet. 5:6-7).
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need."
Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God. 7 And the peace of
God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus."
1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves therefore under the
mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
Cause me to hear your voice…
·
Frequently
·
Reverently
·
Believingly
·
Honestly
IV. There is one more thing
hidden in our text. The text could be translated like this - “Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the
companions hearken to thy voice: Cause them to hear me.” In other words,
our Lord is placing upon us the responsibility of A BELIEVING REPRESENTATION.
He is saying, since you are among them, and
they hear your voice, be sure that you cause them to hear of me. Make those who dwell in the garden with
you hear your voice speaking of me.
My
friends, as believers, we should often speak to one another, and to those
strangers who happen to come into this house of worship, and to those we meet
in the streets, of Christ. The Lord has given us the gift of speech; we should
use it to tell of him. Cause Christ
to be heard!
A. Use your voice to speak of his glorious person.
B. Use your voice to speak of his wondrous works.
C. Use your voice to speak of the Lord’s abundant grace.
Application:
1.
The
Lord has given us A Blessed Residence
- The church, the garden of his grace.
2.
The
Lord would have us to build A Beneficial
Relationship with one another, as companions in this world.
3.
The
Lord has made A Benevolent Request
of each of us. He desires to hear our voices.
4.
The
Lord has placed upon us the responsibility of A Believing Representation.
As his believing people in this world, we are the representative of Christ to
the world. We must cause those around us to hear of him.