Song of Songs 2019

Okay. Starting in song of songs. So page 6 8 3 in church Bibles. I've come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I've gathered my mirror with my spice.

I've eaten my honeycomb and my honey. I've drunk my wine and my milk, eat friends and drink. Drink your fill of love. I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen.

My beloved is knocking. Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless 1. My head is drenched with g, my hair with the dampness of the night. I've taken off my robe, must I put it on again, I've washed my feet, must I soil them again. My beloved thrusters hand through the latch opening, my heart began to pound for him, I arose to open for my beloved and my hand stripped with my fingers with flowing my on the handles of the bolt I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left.

He was gone. My heart sank at his departure I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but did not an he did not answer. The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me, they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the wars.

Daughter of Jerusalem, I charge you If you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I'm faint with love. How is your beloved better than other most beautiful of women. How is your beloved better than others that you so charge us? My beloved is radiant and ready, outstanding among 10000.

His head is purest gold, his hair is wavy, and black is a raven. His eyes are like doves by the water streams washed in milk, mounted like jewels, His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with His arms are rods of gold, set with topaz. His body is like polished ivory decorated with lapis lazuli. His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as its cedars. His mouth is sweetness itself. He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved. This is my friend, of Jerusalem.

Where is your beloved gone? Most beautiful of women. Which way did your beloved turn that we might look for him with you. My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved and my beloved is mine.

He browses among the lilies. You're as beautiful as tourism, my darling, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners. Turn your eyes from me. They overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Gilead.

Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not 1 of them is missing. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. 60 queens, there may be, and 80 concubines, and virgins beyond number. But my dove, my perfect 1, is unique.

The only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the 1 who bore her, the young woman saw her and called her blessed. The queen's and concubines praised her. Who is this that appears like the dawn? As the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession. I went down to the grove of Nutries to look at the new growth in the valley.

To see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom. Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariot of my people. And then to Revelation chapter 3, verse 14. To the angel of the church in Leodicea, write, these are the words of the amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of god's creation. I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were either 1 or the other.

So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I'm about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, I'm rich, I have acquired wealth, and do you not need a thing, but you do not realize that you're a wretched pitiful, poor blind and naked, I counsel you to buy from the gold refined in the fire so that you can become rich. And white clothes to wear so that you can cover your shameful nakedness and self to put on your eyes so that you can see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

Here I am. I stand at the door and knock If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and bear with me. To the 1 who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne. Just as I was victorious and sat down with my father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the spirit says to the churches.

Father god help us now as we look at this, great passage. It's been a blessing to so many thousands of people, throughout history. Blesser, by your spirit through its spirit word to our hearts we pray in Jesus' name. Well, stories often begin, don't they? Are you sitting comfortably?

So let me ask you, are you sitting comfortably? Are you sitting comfortably and then I'll begin? But are you sitting comfortably? And actually is that a good sitting position? Are you sitting comfortably in your life?

In your relationships perhaps? They've become very comfortable. Is that a good place to be sitting or in your marriage? You're sitting comfortably? There was a time, wasn't there when you pursued with passion?

And now it's just comfortable. Where's that gone? Or your church life and friendship. Are you just sitting comfortably in church? Are you just a comfortable church sitter?

Do you remember when you were young as a Christian and there was passion and you were everything, and are you sitting comfortably? Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. We've been looking at this story, this love affair between Solomon and this woman, this Schulamite woman. And it's been like a like a Cinderella story.

You would start off with are you sitting comfortably? Let's go into this cinderella story because it is a love between a king and a common woman. Who was brought up in a family where she was being mistreated really. And we followed this story we followed them from the first meeting through to the courtship and the engagement. And then to the wedding day that we saw a couple of weeks ago, And we've seen this couple become closer and closer both emotionally and physically.

And then on the wedding night, they make love. There is close as you can get. Song of songs, chapter 5 verse 1. We just read it. I have come into my garden, my system, my bride.

I have gathered my my with my spices. I have eaten my honeycomb. And my my honey, and I have drank my wine and my milk. They've made love. And that verse is at the heart of this song, this poem.

There are a hundred and 11 lines in the Hebrew that this was originally written in, a hundred and 11 lines before that verse and there are a hundred and 11 lines after the verse. It's a way of centering the book. This is the center, the union that comes in this making of love. And they've been looking forward to that union for a long time. We'd seen them looking forward to it and they'd kept themselves for that night but now now the honeymoon's over, now we're on a different track of the song.

We've got another poem that's describing the situation Now we're in another part, and it's very different to Cinderella. When the, marriage started thought it would be, happily ever after as in the fairy tales, but this isn't a fairy tale marriage going on here. This is real. We leave Cinderella. We carry on with the story if you like.

So you're sitting comfortably to see what goes on. This isn't a fairy tale, and it hasn't finished. And now we see something disastrous. We see familiarity and comfort have come in. And when you're sitting comfortably, in anything.

It goes wrong. It goes wrong. In difference comes in. So here's the woman we've taken to her in, verse 2 of chapter 5. It's a new track of this, this album, if you like.

She's in bed when Solomon comes home late at night. Look at verse 2. I slept, but my heart was awake. Listen. My beloved is knocking.

Open to me, my system, my darling, my dove, my flawless 1. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night, So he's been away perhaps on royal business. Who knows? But nevertheless, he's been away and he's come through the night to be with the 1 that he loves. He's damp, he's wet because he loves her and she's his darling and she's he's put effort of working through the night to come to her and he comes home late, but she's gone to bed.

And not only has she gone to bed, She's bolted the bedroom door. Did you notice that? She's washed. She's put her hand cream on. You know that from verse 5 because when does try to get up and open the door.

She's got myrrh on her hands and can't seem to open the latch and her her her hands are all slippery, but she's warm and she's comfortable and she's in bed and she's lying comfortably, not sitting comfortably, but lying comfortably. The only thing she has done is to put on the door do not disturb, but that's what she really means. Now remember that everything she has and the position that she's in has only come from this relationship. You gotta get that. She's in a bed that he had given her.

She's in a bedroom that he had made for her. She's in the sheets that come from from Egypt, the finest linen that he had bought for her, the hand cream she never had that before her before she met him. And now she's got hand cream. Remember she had to sleep out at night and and had to be out in the in the midday sun without any cream. She's a Cinderella with amnesia.

She's forgotten where she's come from. She's forgotten that actually there was a time where she was delighted for the king to come to her place and put on the silver slipper. It was all that she dreamed of to go to the ball But now it's all so familiar. Who's he thinking of? Who does he think he is?

Coming through the night when I'm asleep. That seems to be her attitude. I'm comfortable. I'm warm. I'm dry.

I'm safe. I'm in my sheets. Up until this point, you've got to get it. She was always encouraging him and inviting him sexually. But now, of course, The honeymoon is over.

She's she's had all that. Now she wants sleep. Look at verse 3. Look at her. I have taken off my robe.

Must I put it on again? I've washed my feet. Must I soil them again? What are you doing coming at this time of the night? You think I'm that committed to you and that committed to the relationship is all on her terms It's all about her comfort.

She wants the stuff, but doesn't want the uncomfortable mittfulness of keeping up the relationship, which is always self denial in any relationship. And Solomon, look look at the story, doesn't actually accept her terrible excuses of not get getting up. He he he pursues her like a king does. He pursues her. He not only sort I mean, you've gotta remember that he could have knocked the door down in his kingly manner.

He could have smashed in and said, what are you talking about? He doesn't do that, but he does knock, and he does show his power by rattling the lock. Look at verse 4, my beloved thrust his hand through the latch opening. My heart began to pound for him. Perhaps she's a little frightened of his kingly hand coming through.

He knocks. She's asleep and comfortable. Am I to put my robe on? Will I give her feet dirty again? Do I have to have another shower?

Yeah. You dripping in the night? Then the hand comes through. And my goodness, It's forceful, isn't it? I mean, because he could have smashed it down, but he is restrained.

He is restrained. And there's something in that kingly hand, that meekness and that majesty that happens the the the majesty of the hand, the kingly hand, but the the meekness in in suppressing what he could do and what he could demand. Something in that hand arouses her. Look at verse 5. I I arose to open for my beloved, and my my hands dripped with my my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolts.

She's slipping off the bolt. And by the time I opened, I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left and got it gone. At the time she got up and put her robes on and soiled her feet again and tried to open the bolt to this magnificent, ma, majestic and yet meek hand. She she finds he's gone. All the blessings that he has brought her, and now he's gone.

And then look at verse 6, the second half of verse 6, my heart sank at his departure. I looked for him, but did not find him. I called for him. He did not answer. My heart sank.

I looked. I called. What is the point of all this stuff? Without him. Perhaps she's beginning to come to her senses.

And then She does go looking for him, but it causes a scandal because she looks in the wrong place. Look at verse 7. The watchman found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me. They bruised me.

They took away my cloak, those watchmen of the wall. They obviously think she's a woman of the night. They think she's a prostitute I mean, what what queen would be wandering around in the middle of the night looking for the king? This is absurd. And so she's obviously a prostitute, and so they beat the hell out of her.

Now just imagine the scandal because this has now gone public. The scandal, you know, I mean, the queen taken for a prostitute. Imagine all of the, you know, the, the newspaper writers and the police chief is severely embarrassed and the exposure on the royal family and what's going on. They've only just got married and now what's going on. It's a public scandal.

So I want you to get this situation. It's very clear in this chapter and the story is so helpful. She shut him out, and now he's gone, and she has left broken, bruised, and battered. What she thought would bring comfort and was making her comfortable by denying him brought her to be broken, beaten, and battered. And all she has is the shell of possessions A house, but not a home.

GIFs without the giver. It's like religion without god. It's horrible. It's empty. Now we're looking at this story from the specific eye of looking at Jesus and the church.

We're taking Ephesians chapter 5 which, shows us that marriage is really a picture of a greater marriage. God, in Jesus, and the church, and that's how we're doing it. And I want to assist, and this is the thing I want you to get here. And will you hear me on this? The blessings and the comforts that Jesus brings to Christians are is immense The blessings and the comforts that Christ brings sometimes are the very things that take our heart away from Christ.

See, we often think of the bad things, the sinful things. That will draw us away from criteria. Absolutely. But sometimes, the very things Jesus gives us The very blessings he gives us takes our heart away. Now we've seen this before in the song of songs.

In chapter 2 verse 10, it seems to be mourning. And, her lover says arise and she says it's too early, basically. This is just before they're married. Now it's late at night, and she says it's too late. Do you see the excuses?

It's too early, too late. And both cases, she's enjoying the benefits from Solomon, from King Solomon, 1, she's engaged, the first 1 in the morning, and the other, she's now married, and she's enjoying the benefits of being the wife of a king and she rejects the king. I've noticed this. I've noticed this in church life, the zeal of the young convert, you know, it's an amazing thing. I love the zeal of the young convert.

They've turned to Christ. They've come to Christ. They're they're alive with Christ, But as time goes on, they get comfortable. You older ones here. This is a challenge to you.

I often speak to the young ones, but you who are older, are you as zealous now as you were when you started, or are you old and crusty and grumpy? People are so blessed by church. Friends like you've never had before and you'll never get deep friends who love you. You've got a friendship group. Security in that friendship group and security in this world.

People help you out and love you and bring you meals and care for you. When you're ill. There's terrific security in church. What a blessing? Church is.

Jobs, some of you get jobs because you're in church. Some of you who are in fight club and have learned how to speak publicly get actually promotion because you've learned how to judge yourself and speak and others don't know how to do that, but you do. You've been blessed. You have got a wife perhaps. You've got children in church with hundreds of uncles and answered.

It's a wonderful thing. You've got a house. But often those blessings are the things that make us Well, it's like I've got what I wanted. Now I can cool down my commitment to the giver and my zeal to Christ, my first love seems to go. It's a tragedy, isn't it?

Isn't that a tragedy? It's a tragedy that a relationship, a love relationship, take us from Christ, because I can guarantee you that if you move from Christ, your relationship will actually fall apart. You always have to have Christ in the middle of any relationship. He in the middle doesn't separate you. He brings you together in ways that you hundreds of ways.

You may not quite see, but you get rid of Christ and you'll find that that relationship implodes. We start to settle down. Older people looking for comfort, What a miserable existence? I I was I I mean, I'm, you know, it's hard, isn't it when you get older not to become grumpy, isn't it? Older people?

It's so I I had to find it. I could I could spend a whole day just grumping about things. I mean, last night, I was at the film club and I realized what a grumpy old man I was because behind me, it was James, unfortunately, for him, but, you know, wasn't his well, he was just eating. And it irritated me. Half the film.

And I turned around. It was so can well, do you never stop eating? I'm trying to watch the film and all I hear is as I'm focusing on your mouth and popcorn and sweets and how many can you get in that mouth? And then I realized when I was driving home, what grumpy old guess I am. There was a time that I would have forgiven him and just delighted that he was there.

Now I know him enough to feel grumpy. Isn't that ridiculous? Sorry. Sorry, sorry, James, but, you know, If the rebukes there take that as well, brother. But I'm largely having a go at myself, but I did it well because I had to go with you as well.

No, it's isn't that ridiculous? Now the little thing rather than the delight in a friendship. You get this exact same thing happening. In Revelation chapter 3, when Jesus comes to the church at Leah DeSir. Just quickly turn over to Have a look at it.

We read it. I won't read it all out, but here is Jesus. He comes to the church, layered a sea. Imagine this is now cornerstone stone. In laodicea, Jesus comes to the church.

These are the words of the amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ruler of god's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either 1 or the other. So because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold, I'm gonna spit you out of my mouth. You say I'm rich and I've acquired wealth and do not need a thing.

Well, who gave you that stuff? But you do not realize that you are wretched and pitiful and poor and blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in fire so that you can become rich and the white clothes to wear so that you can cover your shameful nakedness and self to put on your eyes so that you can see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline, So be earnest and repent here I am. I stand at the door and I knock, and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and I'll eat with them with that person, and they with me.

See, he comes just just like Solomon came to her. And what does he find? He finds a church, lukewarm. In other words, comfortable. That's what that means.

There's no extremist there at all. It's neither hot nor cold. If the bath was boiling, you wouldn't get in it. The bath was ice cold, you wouldn't get in it. It needs to be warm.

Just warm to lounge. Like her in the bed sheets. Nice and warm. Luke warm. She's not hot anymore in her relationship.

She's not extreme cold. It means extremes. This the extreme has gone. There was a time when she would have gone for him where she won did him where she was desperate for him, but now she's had that, and now she's lukewarm. And here's the church.

Luke warmed to Christ. Thinking it's got riches revelling in the riches that Christ has bought it, but they're blind and they're naked they're wretched, and they're like the beaten up woman in the night, like a prostitute. So to her, she thinks she's a queen, but to others, she looks wreck and she's naked and bruised, but he loves and he comes knocking knocking at the door. Are you asleep to your lover? Wrapped up in the blessings that he's given you Her love had grown cold, and that so easily happens, isn't it?

If your relationship has grown cold with Christ. Would you not do something about it now? You see, the older you get, the more zealous you should be, the more sacrificial, the more committed, Not less. Something gone wrong? And if your relationships to Christ is wrong, I wanna tell you everything goes wrong.

You'll find that all your relationships will begin to go wrong. They will, you know, It's the cause of so many problems in church, in relationships, In marriage, we turn from love. And instead of being addicted to love, we become addicted to self comfort because love is always demanding. Love equals self denial. It always does.

Always does. It always takes effort to love. You can't say, I've loved, so therefore I'm done. I've been a lover, so it's finished. It's 1 of the troubles with weddings weddings are seen in sort of Hollywood as that's the end.

No. That's the beginning. Marriage the wedding day. That's the beginning. That's where you make commitments where you're going to say, woah, I'm making a massive commitment here.

And now I've got the rest of my life to work my guts out in loving to really sacrifice in order to do what I've just promised. Love is always dying. Deny yourself, take up the cross and follow him, says Jesus. That is a daily activity. He says, do it daily.

Not just once. It's not just oh, I've done it now. I can sit comfortably. You can never do that in any relationship. And if you say that to Christ, if you leave Christ style, you'll find all your relationships will start going wrong.

It's like doing your buttons up in the morning. Anyone did that? Well, you put the wrong button in because you're in a hurry. So always happens when you're in a hurry. You put 1 button in in the wrong buttonhole and suddenly you go down and all the buttons are in the wrong buttonhole.

That's how it works, isn't it? That's That's what it is with Christ. You layered a scene Here I am knocking. Will you listen? Will you come back?

Jesus says to the church at sardis, another 1 of the churches in Revelation, 3. Wake up. Wake up. Strengthen what remains and is about to die. For I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

Wake up. Back to the story. See what other lessons we can learn. She returns after being beaten up after looking in the wrong place, and, she returns in a state And, she turns to her friends, her friends, the daughters of Jerusalem, and she realizes her mistake, she's prepared to admit her mistake and she's prepared to admit her admit her need for help. So look at verse 8.

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you. If you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him I'm faint with love. And then what follows is advice from the daughters of Jerusalem is made her mates. And it's It's 2 questions that if you wanna know anything about pastoral counseling, you could read books on it and not get as much helpful advice from these 2 questions.

These is really all you need to know. They asked 2 questions. 2 questions that is what we need in pastoral counseling. Here we are. Chapter 5 verse 9, How is your beloved better than others?

Most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others? That you charge us to go. That's question number 1, which is a question about who is he? Tell me who he is, describe him.

Yep. Then the second question is where is he? Chapter 6 verse 1. Where has your lover gone? Most beautiful of women.

Which way did your lover turn that you may look for that we may look for him with you? Those 2 questions are so helpful. Now let's have a look at them about returning to Christ, to coming back to Christ. It's basically 2 questions. Who is he and where is he?

Who is he and where is he? They're the basic fundamental questions, and they're brilliant. So just have a quick look at them. Question number 1, who is he? Verse 9 of chapter 5.

How is your beloved better than others? Most beautiful women? How is your beloved better than others that you charge us so? You are charging us, you are putting us under a legal oath to go and look for him. Well, aren't all men the same?

They're all the same, aren't they men? They're all just the same. What are you getting so hit up and bothered about him for? What are you getting so sweaty about him for? It's always the same, isn't it?

Is that all marriages end like this? It's not happily ever after what you're thinking about. There's plenty of fish in the sea, and there's plenty of pebbles on the beach. You'll find another bloke They'll fill up a few years of your life. What's your beloved?

Makes him so good that you would charge us to go and find him. Now you've got to think about this. Look at the mess she's in. She's been beaten up, remember, and she's battered and bruised, and this is a perfect opportunity for her to say, yeah, he is he is a so and so, isn't he? Who does he think he is coming home late at night?

It was his fault. It was a perfect opportunity. For for her to rehearse all of the problems that she has with him, but she doesn't do that. Versus 10 to 16. Look at it.

It's full of metaphors where she rehearses. How wonderful he is. She could have gone on about how awful he was, but now she changes. That very question pushes her to start saying Oh, no. He's good for this reason.

This is this is who he is. And she goes into beautiful, brilliant language, in answering that question, how beautiful he is. So much so in verse chapter 6 verse 1, they say, okay, yeah, let's go and find him. But do you see what the questions done. Who is he?

Describe who he is. Look at her. Look at look at her descriptions. First 10, my beloved is radiant and ruddy outstanding among 10000 men. That's who he is.

It's not all men are like this. No. He's totally different. He's 1 in a million, 1 in 10000. Look at verse 11.

His head is purest gold. His hair is wavy and black as a raven. He's tall dark and handsome. That's who he is. He hasn't let his body go to seed.

There's no middle age spread on him. In fact, if you look at verse 14 and 15, you could punch him in the stomach and you'd have a broken hand. Look at verse 14 that his arms are like rod of golds, set with topaz. His body is like polished ivory decorated with lapis loo, lose a little or whatever it is. His legs look, A pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as it's cedars. You know, this is that this is the epitome of good health. He's strong. He's handsome. He's lovely, but he's gentle.

Look at verse 16. His mouth, his sweetness itself. He's altogether lovely. He is my beloved. This is my beloved.

This is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem. So she starts to recall what she entered into in that covenant relationship with him. She starts to rehearse all the good things about him that attracted to her her to him in the first place. She starts to do that. She doesn't go to the negatives, remember.

By the way, this is very good marriage advice. Elizabeth Elliott talks about enjoy the 80 per scent that is good about your husband and forget the 20 percent that is bad. Stop bringing up the negatives. Anne and myself, we're meeting up, for particular reasons with social workers for something that we were going to do. And we had to be asked a whole series of questions, and 1 of the times they separated us, and this social worker asked Ann, can you just list all the negatives about Pete?

And then she came into my room and said, can you list all the negatives about Ann? And although we didn't know that question was gonna be asked, and we were asked independently, we both said that's a silly thing to do. You want me to rehearse publicly the problems I have with Anne, and that will only cement them and make them more real in my mind. I'm not gonna do it, and Anne said the same thing. Rehears the good things.

Go over the good things. What was the reason that I committed myself to that person with massive promises. What's changed? Have I? So what's so special about the lord Jesus Christ?

Let me ask you now. What's so special about Jesus, sir? Do you wanna follow him you wanna give his your life to him? What's so special about him? That you would give up your life and your money.

What who does he think he is? What's so special about Jesus? If you were born in an Islamic country, wouldn't you just be following Mohammed and saying that he's what isn't Jesus and Mohammed just the same? What's the special about Jesus? What's so special about your beloved that you think that you could give your life to him It's a great question, isn't it?

Don't you remember the days that he took up your life? You'd have died for him on the spot. What happened? Has he changed or you? When you came to Christ and gave your life to him, And his promises came upon you as he changed his promises or you changed your promises.

Who's changed in this relationship? What's so special about him? Turn your eyes towards Jesus Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. That's a we used to sing. Look at him.

Isn't he magnificent? He's your savior. He's the king that's come through the night for you. He's the king who's sweating drops of blood for you. He's the king that spent those hours on the cross for you.

He's the king that died because he loved you. He's the king that took the punishment that you deserve. He loves you, dying there for you. Your sin was poured upon him. Who is he?

That who he is is my lover. I remember. That's 1 question. It's a good question, isn't it? Here's the second question.

It's the only other question you need to know in counseling. Where is he? Look at chapter 6 verse 1. Where has your beloved gone most beautiful of women? Which way did your beloved turn?

That we may look at him with you. Where is he likely to be? Where is he? Where is if he's missing, where is he likely to be. You've looked in the wrong place for him.

So where is he likely to be? But I love their council because it's not look She says go and look go and look for him. Yeah? And they say we'll help you but we're going with you. We're not just handing you over to you know, people are gonna make make this make these 2 up.

It's not just the friends who've ever said, well, he really does value. And she really does value. You will come You've been indifferent. You've been the 1 sitting in bed. You've been the 1 who's been indifferent in this relationship.

So now you've got to show him you're not indifferent. So we'll help you, we'll help you as much as we can, but you must come with us. We're not going on our own. That's what they're saying, isn't it? Where is he?

Where would he be? Where he's likely to be? Indiference in a relationship is 1 of the worst things It really is. You could almost handle arguing and anger You can almost handle hate because at least I'm a significant person if you hate me. Indiference is very difficult to cope with.

And so these these friends are saying, we you need to show, stop your indifference. And so come on. Let's go and find him. Where will he be? Now we find we where do we find Solomon?

Where do we find Solomon? We find that he hasn't moved. It's not him who'd moved. It's her. Where where is he?

He's in his garden. What's that? That's the place of covenant. He's always been there. He's not moved.

He doesn't move. And we find that he's not in a half. We find that he's not gonna, you know, do the indifference as if he doesn't care about her. He's not gonna do look, Whenever there's problems in relationships, you can do 3 1 of 3 h's. You can hide, you can hurl and you or you could heal.

Hyde is common. Blokes do this a lot. It's sort of they go down to their garage or their shed or their work or their pub or their sport. You know? My wife doesn't understand me.

Well, they go fishing for hours. That sort of stuff. They hide. They run away. Solomon doesn't do that.

He goes to his garden. What's that? It's the place of covenant. Look at chapter 6 verse 2, my beloved has gone to his garden, to the beds of his spices, to browse in the garden, and to gather his lilies. I am my lovers and my lovers is mine.

He browses amongst the lilies. He goes back to the covenant, to the relationship. To the promises they made on their wedding day or as a Christian, they why baptism is so helpful. You go back to the time you were baptized when you were zealous and you were saying, I'm dying with Christ and rise with Christ, you go back to a time. You don't hide.

Or Hurl is another way that people do. They hurl insults and dredge up the past and you said this and you said that and I kept an email and I kept a letter and, you you never do this and now Now Solomon was a master at words. We know that he could have sliced her to pieces with words, but he doesn't wanna do that so he does the third option which is heal. He's big enough in love to heal. Love means sacrifice and self denial.

It always does, and that's what he does. Look at verse 4 of chapter 6. You are beautiful. That's what he says to her. He doesn't say what the heck were you doing in bed?

Why didn't you let me in? He says you are beautiful. And then he describes her in beauty, which is very manly for him because it's, 2, cities that are beautiful and then troops because that's how he thinks. Like, flags and banners. You can't be indifference to people with banners and flags.

He's saying I'm not indifferent. I won't make you feeling that I'm indifferent because you did it to me, and then he looks at her in verse 5 and says, turn your eyes from me. They're over they overwhelm me. You are so beautiful. You are so beautiful.

But actually at this moment, there's a problem between us. You need to divert your eyes and we need to sort this problem out. We need to work at this problem. But listen, I love you and you're beautiful. And then he describes her in verse 8, 60 queens there may be, and 80 concubines.

I mean, it may not go very down very well to her, but to him, he's thinking, wow. 60 Queen's may there may be an 80 concubines and virgins beyond number, but my dove, my perfect 1 is unique. The only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the 1 who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed the Queen's and Kibans praise her. You are praised amongst all women.

I love you. I'm not gonna keep indifferent to you. I'm passionate. I'm at the door. I'm knocking.

I wanna eat with you. I wanna come in. I want relationship. I want covenant fellowship. I want marriage again.

I want life. He could have hidden. He could have hold insults, but he didn't. He healed, and he loved, and he's got, now where is Jesus? Where will Jesus be?

When we feel that we've denied him, where is Jesus? Well, I tell you, by his spirit, he's a breath away, a prayer away. Where is Jesus is in the church? He's amongst his people, his covenant people that he's committed to So are you sitting comfortably? Stop it.

Hopefully, I've gone on long enough so your bum aches. Hopefully, I've gone on long enough that your bum aches so much that you wanna stand up and praise him. And as you say who he is, you see that he's always loved you and never let you go and not moved from you. And even if you move from him, he loves to have you back. He loves to have you back.

He loves it. There may be some issues that need to be dealt with. He loves to work them through. He doesn't hide He doesn't hurl abuse. He heals.

He delights. He's not indifferent. He's knocking now perhaps at your heart. And some of you say, I don't even know what you're talking about. What were you talking about?

I'd I'd I'd actually do not that excited about Jesus. It's probably because you've never been a Christian. I can't remember a time that I ever was that excited about Jesus. Well, do you not know who he is? Do you not know who he is?

He's your savior and lover. So you need to come Repentance and faith every Sunday morning. If you're an old and crusty grumpy old person, stop it. Turn to Christ and say, sorry. Love God's people.

Don't be irritated by them. I'm sorry, lord. They're my family. If you're less committed now than you were when you were 16 or whatever age it was, repent. See him again, afresh.

Remember your baptism. Remember your vows. And if you're not here, my goodness. Who are you turning to? Who do you love?

Who's taking your heart up? You? My goodness. That's a smaller relationship, isn't it? Father god, you know everyone in this room, you know where we are.

You've graciously threw your word, knocked at our door, and you love to eat with us and to know us intimately. Please help us please help us to rehearse who you are and to remember where you are In Jesus' name, amen.