HIS HEART SONG…Part 6
HIS HEART SONG…Part 6
“What Is This I See?”
(chapter 3:6-11)
• Last time we met, we left the fair maiden sleeping once again….she had gone through the “horribleness” (probably not a real word, but I like it!) of losing the one she said “her soul loves”…she had lost Him because she would not walk in OBEDIENCE to Him…then she sought Him and found Him…now she has entered into a deep rest in Him…
• A LITTLE REVIEW: At the very beginning of her journey…she realized how “dark” she was…how “sinful”…but yet lovely at the same time through the eyes of her Beloved. She asked Him “Where will You feed Me?”…He told her to stay connected to other “lilies” to other believers and to take care to guard the little ones that He sent to her path…He poured out loving words over her and even brought her to His banqueting table…He poured out all kind of revelation to her…as she spent time with Him, her fragrance, her worship, filled the room and ascended to God…He reminded her to have “dove eyes”…singleness of vision…as she is overwhelmed by this incredibleness of her Beloved…she rests in Him and His security
• In this part of her journey…us included…it’s not so much about what we give to Him…because we haven’t’ quite got the obedience part down yet….but its more what we RECEIVE from Him
• After her rest…she is confronted with FEAR….Her Beloved has asked her to come out of her comfort zone and to go with Him…He has already conquered everything that could possibly come at her…but does she trust Him?....She asks Him to “turn” and He does…and He withdraws His presence from her for a time…she realizes that she is utterly miserable without Him…she looks everywhere for Him, when she finally finds Him, she vows to never let Him go again…He reveals Himself more to her and she enters into another deep rest…
• During this deep rest…she is MEDITATING on His Words..it is a time of REFRESHMENT and ENCOURAGEMENT for her…..It’s the same for us…when we spend time meditating on His Word (the Bible)…the Holy Spirit begins to REVEAL to us the RHEMA Word of God….it becomes ALIVE in our lives…and there is GROWTH!!!!!!
• Check out what SMALL STRAWS just happened to say on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving…
THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns -- 11/22/2010:
You must enter into the rest of God and that, My children, would mean that you have presented to Me those things which trouble you to such an extent of love and faith that you are able, indeed, to enter in. For, it is in this rest that you shall be perfected, encouraged and renewed before My throne and in My presence. You will find that your hope now becomes faith which brings forth the manifestation of My kingdom in your life -- faith that receives the promise and compels you to walk in the glory of My kingdom. So enter this rest today for it has been given to you for such a time as this that you might be renewed, healed and perfected in My ways and by the power of My spirit. Remember this, I am for you and not against you. This is the time of the release of My glory upon the earth. And, this release will come forth from you first. For you have been in a place of transformation and changed from glory to glory by the presence of My Spirit. Rise up with new hope. Rise up with courage to believe that I have not only called you but that I will use you to bring forth the manifestation of My kingdom, says the Lord your God.
•
• THIS is exactly what happens to the bride…….our little bride is moving FORWARD! WOO! WOO! It’s about time!
• The spiritual eyes of the bride are being opened…she is realizing that she has nothing to fear…He is the CONQUEROR! He is her VICTORY!!!!
Song of Solomon 3:6 ”Who is this coming up from the wilderness (desert) like a cloud of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?”
• THE WILDERNESS: it’s a symbol for “the world”…we come up out of the wilderness when we are delivered from the love of its sinful pleasures….when we refuse to comply with its customs and its ways….
• The Bible warns us about staying in this wilderness….according to Exodus 14:3 the wilderness is a place of WANDERING and CONFUSION….Deuteronomy 1:19 calls it a VAST AND DREADFUL DESERT…Deuteronomy 32:10 calls it a BARREN and HOWLING WASTE…Isaiah 50:2 says it’s a place where you can ROT and LACK FOR THIRST…Ezekiel 6:14 says that it is place of DESOLATION
• Why in the world would we even TRY to get comfortable here in the WILDERNESS…in the WORLD…we are just travelling through here…we are “…strangers, we are aliens, we are not of this world.”…that is a verse from a super old song of Stryper (A Christian band form the early 80’s! HA!)
• Hebrews 11:13 the people of faith that are talked about in the Great Chapter of Faith all “…admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.”
• A lot of times Christians seem to settle down here in the wilderness….they become desensitized to the little schemes of the enemy to keep us there…..but this whole entire Song is written to us so that we realize that we are NOT supposed to stay in the wilderness,….we are supposed to COME UP!!!
• We are not meant to live ‘status quo’ lives….no stagnation here….remember our bride in the previous chapter just wanted to hang out behind the lattice…to STAGNATE…
• Our aim is to get to Song of Solomon 8:5 where we are coming “UP from the wilderness, leaning on our beloved”
• The DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM are the ones asking this question…remember how freaked out they were because she was “black” in the first part of this book???....now they are in freak out mode because of how intensely incredible she is looking….They totally did not expect to see something like this coming up out of the wilderness! SHE IS FANTABULOUS LOOKING!!!
• They are ASTONISHED!!!!
• This mirrors the children of Israel when they came out of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness….they came out of it…to take the land of PROMISE!
• Every time the WILDERNESS is mentioned in the Bible it is always in the south and close to Egypt…and Canaan…the land of Promise, is in the North…so when it says she is coming UP…she is leaving EGYPT…
• HANG WITH ME ON THIS: What the daughters of Jerusalem are seeing ….Is this also what Balaam said of the children of Israel when they came out of the wilderness????…remember Balak had sent Balaam to curse the Israelites…but this is what Balaam said and saw…
• Numbers 23:8-10 “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I view them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who LIVE APART and do not consider themselves one of the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!”…..
• Then he says….
• Numbers 23:21-24 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. There is no sorcery against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!” The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victim.”
• Then again…the third time…
• Numbers 24:3-9 “…the oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eyes sees clearly, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”
• COULD THIS BE WHAT THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM AND BALAAM ARE BOTH SEEING…..the CHURCH, the BRIDE…coming forth in the power of Christ!!!!????
• The cool thing is…she “COMES UP”…where she was dry and hopeless before…now she is coming up…coming out of her hopelessness
• SHE COMES UP LIKE PILLARS OF SMOKE….that communion between her and her Bridegroom is going straight up to heaven…..
• Smoke is normally easily dispersed…but this is a PILLAR of smoke….thick and unshakable….a pillar is a SURE THING…mentioned in Revelation 3:20 “Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a PILLAR in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it”
• FYI….when there is SMOKE…it is because a SOLID object is being burned up…the bride is no longer solid and self-contained…her selfishness and stubbornness is breaking down….and breaking down BIG TIME!
• This pillar of smoke are FRAGRANT…sweet worship going up to Him!
• Just like the cloud of incense going up from the Altar or the smoke of the BURNT OFFERINGS that we studied about in the Tabernacle…remember that burnt offerings are like a SWEET SAVOR to God because they are not REQUIRED…they are something we offer because we WANT TO!!!
• She is making progress!!!! YAY BRIDE!!!
• PERFUMED WITH MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE and all the spices of the merchant…she is being replenished with all the graces of the Spirit …remember what happens to her as she hangs out with Him????....her perfume goes forth…she has a sweet smell about her as she fellowships with Him…(back in 1:12…
• Remember when we talked about 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 that we are the AROMA of Christ.
• But we can’t give out a fragrance or a perfume until we first ABSORB it…THEN we can spread it!
• MYRRH again symbolizes suffering love….notice that this is the first thing mentioned….she is now remembering the suffering He went through for her…had she removed that sachet from between her breasts?....is that why she didn’t want to deal with the “little foxes”???....Had she forgotten the suffering of her Beloved?.....maybe if she had remembered this earlier, she wouldn’t have gotten so side-tracked?????
• Maybe if we remembered His suffering…we would also have different PRIORITIES….we would definitely make decisions better …IF we constantly remembered the suffering He went through for us!
• FRANKINCENSE is a very expensive white resin that is burned as fragrant incense and is also sued in the making of the holy incense used in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem… to get this resin, the bark of the Boswellia tree has to be cut into….
• It is very significant that she mentions this type of incense…..When she had refused to go with Him earlier…she caused her heart to be IMPURE…when you REFUSE to OBEY God…you are no longer pure in your love toward Him…notice that the word FRANKINCENSE means “TO BE WHITE”….her time with Him in rest and COMMUNION has caused her soul to be PURIFIED once again…to be CLEANSED
• She had spent time with HIS WORD…How do I know this?????...Because He IS THE WORD!
• Psalm 119:140 “Your WORD is very PURE, therefore your servant loves it.”
• John 15:3-4a “You are already CLEAN because of the WORD I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you.”
• THIS IS SUPER COOL: The ORDER that these incenses are mentioned are important too….first comes the MYRRH…first, we have to receive His DEATH….then we can receive the PURITY of HIS resurrected Life…………..but if you look in Matthew 2 when the magi came to visit Jesus…the Bible lists the gifts as gold, frankincense, and then myrrh…….GOLD (Kingdom glory) then FRANKINCENSE (life and purity), then MYRRH (His suffering and death)
• WE have to DIE so that we can LIVE…..HE had to LIVE so that He could DIE for us!
• ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW: INCENSE in the Bible is a type of prayer found in Revelation 8:3-5 "...another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake."
• The church…the Bride…WE are powerful when we have been fellowshipping and having communion with Him
• Remember how this verse starts out….WHO IS THIS??????......they are dumb-founded…totally wowed….because NOTHING is more incredible and nothing smells as fantastic as when a BELIEVER really walks in obedience to God…it is VERY EVIDENT to others when we are walking with God…
• It is also very evident to others when we speak one thing…and yet do another, totally opposite…
• The verse says that she is perfumed with the spices of the MERCHANT…that means they are from afar, not from our land…they are dear…they are bought with a price….it took effort and work to grind up the different substances to make fine powders of them….the MERCHANT….our Savior…bought those for us with His own BLOOD…He travelled afar…from His heavenly throne to earth…
• Even from onlookers….the Bride is noticed and admired…that’s what spending time with Him does…it utterly and completely changes us….it has to be a DAILY thing…because when it is…it is a CONSTANT REFRESHING THING for us…and that just pours out onto others!
Song of Solomon 3:7-8 “Behold his bed, which is Solomon’s; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.””
• This verse is started off with the word BEHOLD…..
• BEHOLD means “to gaze upon, to observe, to look at, to see”
• STOP…..and LOOK on your Savior!...gaze upon the beauty of the Lord!
• pal.an·quin also pal·an·keen …the BED… A covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers, formerly used in eastern Asia.
• Isn’t it super cool….how the QUESTION in verse 6 had to do with the bride/maiden…..but the ANSWER has to do with Solomon…the KING!!!
• The BED….with Solomon lying on it symbolizes PERFECT REST…He has everything under His control
• THE 60 MIGHTY MEN….are soldiers…they are all armed and all ready…these mighty men are EXPERIENCED….
• THINK OF IT THIS WAY: Jesus, the Captain of the Armies of the Lord…surrounded by men and women of FAITH in every generation, serving at His side….some of these valiant ones are angels…sent to do warfare on our behalf WHEN we USE the WORD OF GOD!....they are all EXPERIENCED veterans of SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
• These verses are simply telling us that we can REST in HIM because He has conquered the darkness…
• 60….6…the number of man….and 10, the number of responsibility……her king has those in His service who are led by the Holy Spirit…these men can SKILLFULLY use the SWORD….and what is the SWORD….the WORD OF GOD!
• Notice also that the verse says the “men are about it”…..that means they are close to it…close enough to hear His instructions on HOW and WHEN to use their SWORDs
• How close are YOU to Him?....close enough to hear Him?...close enough to listen to His instructions?
• These valiant men are also HOLDING their swords….their swords aren’t laying around in a drawer…or in the bottom of their car (if they had a car! LOL)…..they don’t pick up their swords only once a week when they are heading out to church…..we are supposed to be ready at a moment’s notice!
• Psalm 119:11 “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”
• These men are EXPERTS IN WAR…..when are we ever going to be EXPERTS in the Word of God???????.....do we really spend time in His Word, studying it, applying it to our lives?
• 2 Timothy 2:15 “STUDY to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
• Hebrews 5:14 “But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
• WE HAVE TO USE the Word of God and APPLY IT!
• EVERY MAN HAS HIS SWORD UPON HIS THIGH…the “thigh” stands for STRENGTH and the ABILITY TO STAND…..remember a long time ago when we talked about covenants…and the people would put their hand on the other’s thigh
• These valiant men did all this to be ready FOR FEAR IN THE NIGHT…remember how terrified she had become when she realized earlier that the presence of her Beloved had left her and she was alone in the night?.......she is NOW realizing that HIS WORD is the SWORD that protects her in the night hours…she also knows that her Beloved has mighty valiant men ready to fight for her!
• Psalm 119:105 “Your WORD is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
• Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
• Hebrews 1:14 “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
• Psalm 103:20 “Praise the LORD, all his angels, you mighty beings who carry out his orders and are ready to obey his spoken orders”
• DO YOU SEE THIS!!!!!????....The mightiest friends fighting FOR us are INVISIBLE! Elisha prayed that the eyes of his servant might be opened…and they were…and surrounding him all over the hills were filled with chariots of fire and horses of fire!....If our spiritual eyes were opened…we’d see the same thing!
• THERE IS NO FEAR HERE! Our Beloved’s Kingdom is one of PEACE! WOO! WOO!
• These valiant men who surround us are here to STRENGTHEN us against our FEARS and our DOUBTS….we can REST ASSURED!
• These VALIANT MEN are those able to use the WORD OF GOD (sword) against the evils of this age…..even though the Word says we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places…we are still subject to ATTACK from the outside and so, because of that, we need to be protected……maybe this is even speaking of the IMPORTANCE of being a part of a church or small group Bible Study where other believers know us and pray for us.?????
• Ephesians 6:12,18 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms… And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
• Isaiah 62:6 “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest…”
• In this procession we have Solomon and the Shulamite woman TOGETHER…in PERFECT REST!!!
• Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly I heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
• Psalm 121:5-8 “The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore”
Song of Solomon 3:9-10 “King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of SILVER, the bottom thereof of GOLD, the covering of it of PURPLE, the midst thereof being paved with LOVE, for the daughters of Jerusalem.”
• We need to remember that SOLOMON means “peaceable”…..Jesus is our PRINCE OF PEACE….when He really is our King…all fear and worry have to go!.....Our Bride needs to see Him as this PRINCE OF PEACE so that she will GO and FOLLOW Him where He leads her to go…
• We have to remember that this is an ORIENTAL LOVE SONG…the Eastern Monarch plans and constructs a CHARIOT for his bridal procession. This chariot reflects all the skill and wealth and treasures of his vast empire! It is a very DAZZLING thing to see!
• The word “CHARIOT” here is not the normal Hebrew word…it is only used here in the Song of Solomon
• This is different from the BED or PALAQUIN in verse 7…that was used for rest and relaxation…this chariot…as used for Kings in the past in the Orient…was used to ride in when they went ABROAD…and their QUEENS rode with them…..
• So….isn’t it just like our God to have a chariot made by HIM for US to ride in with Him!!!??....It is a SAFE place…a SAFE transportation device to take us through our journey ABROAD…..DO YOU SEE THIS INCREDIBLE SYMBOLISM!!!!!
• This incredible chariot is what the bride uses for transportation…but it also represented what she had become…it represents what the King has made her THROUGH HIS GRACE!
• This is the most amazing thing….it lays out for us our REDEMPTION and shows us the covenant of GRACE!!!!
• This incredible Chariot that He built it HIMSELF…He built it for US….it is the WORK OF CHRIST!!! WOO! WOO!!!!!
• HE designed it…and HE will inhabit it!
• Aren’t we designed to be inhabited by Him?...1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” and Ephesians 2:21-22 “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
• This is CHRIST showing HIS INTENSE LOVE for us poor sinners….it is a BEAUTIFUL thing to look at!...just as it would have been in the NATURAL to look at in the Orient!
• Now…we don’t ride around in a chariot…..but HE should ride around with us in the chariot of our HEARTS…..your HEART is your CHARIOT!
• It’s all about HIS GRACE!!!!....His grace is what CARRIES us through!!!! WOO! WOO! YAY for a chariot ride!!!!
• This chariot was constructed for to show off the GLORY of His GRACE…and for the GOOD of His people
• The WOOD OF LEBANON….Lebanon means “white or Pure”…the wood of Lebanon is considered to be EXCELLENT and DURABLE….this wood was also used in the building of the Temple…..this symbolizes that this is an EVERLASTING COVENANT…..EXCELLENT and DURABLE and PURE!
• WOOD also symbolizes HUMANITY…..Christ had to come in HUMAN form in order to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins….Jesus had to become a man…He had to become the “Wood of Lebanon”…pure and perfect….He had to take on HUMAN FORM
• The PILLARS of the chariot are of SILVER…pillars signify several things: decoration, order, stateliness….just like Proverbs 9:1-2 says that “when wisdom builds her house, she hews out seven PILLARS.”………2 Chronicles 3:17 “He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jachin and the one to the north Boaz.”….SUPER COOL INFO…the name Jachin means “ESTABLISHED or STABILITY” and the name Boaz means “STRENGTH”……
• SILVER symbolizes REDEMPTION or ATONEMENT
• So……..this covenant that we are riding in has great promises that ENDURE FOREVER…promises that our REDEMPTION has STABILITY and STRENGTH!!!...just like it says in 2 Samuel 23:5
• 2 Samuel 23:5 “Is not my house right with God? Has He not made with me an EVERLASTING COVENANT, ARRANGED and SECURED in every part? Will He not bring to fruition my SALVATION and grant me my every desire?”
• The BOTTOM IS THAT OF GOLD…a bottom is something that shows STABILITY and FIRMNESS to keep those who ride in it…….this bottom is made of GOLD…GOLD symbolizes the DIVINE NATURE/CHARACTER/GLORY of God as well as His INFINTIE PURITY, TRUTH, and HONOR…..there is no falling through this bottom!
• THE COVERING IS OF PURPLE…which symbolizes ROYALTY. A covering is used to PRESERVE or to SAVE from anything that falls from above…..just as the BLOOD of JESUS COVERS US and saves us from the WRATH of GOD that would fall down from above….but when God looks down on us who are in covenant with Him…He only sees us through the blood of His Son which COVERS us and hides our SINS…
• DID YOU KNOW that purple was the most costly of all colors….it takes over 200,000 mollusk shellfish to make an ounce of purple dye! That’s why it was the color used by royalty and by those who were rich!
• JESUS possesses all we would ever need! He is RICH beyond measure! He is rich in GLORY, GRACE, and MERCY!
• The ORDER that these things are mentioned are very important…first SILVER…we first must be REDEEMED…, then GOLD…then we must worship Him in all His power…then PURPLE…He must reign as KING in our life
• Romans 14:9 tells us that Jesus didn’t just die to be our SAVIOR, but to be our LORD…” For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living”
• CHECK OUT what was used as PAVEMENT…..there was no suitable substance to use…no type of material would do…..it had to be paved with LOVE!!!!!
• LOVE was put over the bottom which was GOLD…we couldn’t even touch that Gold (the divine nature of God) if it wasn’t for that pavement of LOVE on top of it!
• In LOVE….God gave His Son Jesus for our sins…in LOVE, Jesus went to the cross…in LOVE, He conquered every enemy of ours…in LOVE, he paid every debt we owed…in LOVE, He calls to us to be with Him….in LOVE, He changes us to be the pure and spotless Bride….in LOVE, He cleanses us and sanctifies us…in LOVE, He wins our hearts…..
• THIS LOVE is the very basis of this BRIDAL CHARIOT!!!!!
• After all…the Bible tells us that ”God is LOVE.”
• This whole covenant of REDEMPTION is lined with LOVE!!!! It’s stuffed with LOVE!!!!!
• LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It’s all about LOVE! In this chariot paved with LOVE…there is no falling down and getting hurt…we can stand, sit, or lie down on LOVE…..it’s all His GRACE to us!!!
• Just like that verse we read from 2 Samuel….even though our “house” may not be totally right with God…even though we still sin and screw up…we are SURROUNDED by this covenant of GRACE and LOVE!
• 1 Corinthians 2:9 “…eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”
• LOVE has to permeate EVERYTHING…the more you RIDE with Him…the more LOVE will pour out of you like perfume…
• Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through LOVE.”
• 1 Corinthians 13….the whole chapter says that without LOVE…you are NOTHING!
• Go back to our basis for all of this…Matthew 22:37-40 “You shall LOVE the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
• All these Bible studies you attend to help you learn more about God’s Word…means NOTHING AT ALL if you are not pouring out LOVE on the other lilies…the other believers…and on the people who are lost
• Isn’t that all just so WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW?????!!!!!
• DO YOU EVEN SEE THE ORDER of it all!!!!????.....it starts with wood…then silver…then gold…then purple…then LOVE……each step into this covenant of GRACE is made of more precious material!....the deeper we go into covenant with Him…the RICHER it GETS!!!!
• There is something beyond GOLD….but there is NOTHING beyond LOVE!
• ALLLLLLLLLL of this to cause those Daughters of Jerusalem to fall more and more in love with Him
• There is no other way of getting to heaven than in this chariot!
• Acts 4:12 “No other name by which men can be saved, but the name of Christ.”
• WHAT A PERFECT HUSBAND!...He gives us His STABILITY (pillars), His REDEMPTION (silver), His GLORY (gold), His AUTHORITY to rule (purple), and His HEART (love)…..
• He CARRIES us in TRIUMPH through this crazy wilderness-of-a-world that we live in!
• THIS IS THE CHURCH….as she appears in reality in the sight of the Lord…..where she is MOVING FORWARD and UPWARD through the wilderness of this world…a great multitude from all nations and tongues and peoples….surrounded by a cloud of prayers that express her steadfast confession of FAITH…her patience in suffering (myrrh), and her work of LOVE…..as all that goes up, it is a SWEET AROMA to God…..and God has provided a perfect mode of transportation for her…a CHARIOT…a BRIDAL WAGON…surrounded by His mighty angels….all of us together will be a DIADEM…a CROWN OF BEAUTY…when the marriage of the Lamb is celebrated and we BEHOLD HIS GLORY!
• Revelation 21 and Ezekiel 1 both give visions of this great and mighty thing to come…Ezekiel 1 gives the vision of the 4 Living Creatures and the Glory of the Lord…if you remember back when we studied the Tabernacle and the 4 banners of the tribes stationed on either side…the 4 Living Creatures could very well be the mass of believers…they turned wherever the Spirit led them…they looked like burning coals and they sparkled and a throne of sapphire came down, glowing and radiant from the glory of the Lord!.......Revelation 21 is all about the New Jerusalem…and about the bride, beautifully dressed coming down out of heaven in all her splendor…only those who had names written in the Lamb’s book of life could go into it
• It’s all just WOWWWWWWWWWWW to me! Overwhelming almost!
• But…let’s move on to the last verse in chapter 3…
Song of Solomon 3:11 “Go forth, O you daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown that his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.”
• GO FORTH…..we gotta DO something!!!!!...we gotta step out in faith!
• ZION can represent TRUE BEILEVERS according to Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
• BEHOLD…is used again here…..It is super important for us to BEHOLD…for us to keep our eyes upon Him…
• Hebrews 12:2 tells us that we have to CONTINUOUSLY be “LOOKING unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hind of the throne of God.”
• Hebrews 2:9 “But we SEE Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
• WITH THE CROWN HIS MOTHER CROWNED HIM WITH…Who is His mother?....good news…He tells us in Matthew 12:50 “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and MOTHER.”
• Soooooooo…symbolically…..if we obey Him…we are His brother, sister, and mother…..we are INTIMATE FAMILY because we are willing to do His will!
• Will YOU crown Him?????.....Proverbs 12:4 says that WE are His crown…
• Proverbs 12:4 “A virtuous Woman is a CROWN to her husband.”….WE are HIS WIFE!!!!
• Virtuous in Hebrew means “excellent, strong, valiant, able, efficient”
• Revelation 19:7 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”
• Where does this righteousness come from???...
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For God has made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might me made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in him.”
• Any righteousness in our lives comes from HIM…it flows through us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• THIS is the CROWN of His gladness…when His righteous image is seen in us…that’s a real testimony to the world…when we are SUBMITTED to Him and when we ACKNOWLEDGE Him as Lord of our life…we are CROWNING Him
• Isaiah 62:2-3 “The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”
• This CROWN is put on him in “THE DAY OF HIS ESPOUSALS”…
• 2 Corinthians 11:2 “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”
• This “day of espousal” has not yet come in its entirety to us….Yes…we are wedded to Him in our spirit….but ONE DAY…when we leave from this earth…we will finally get our NEW BODY then the marriage ceremony will take place!
• Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
• Matthew 25:6 “ But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”
• What gives our Bridegroom GLADNESS?....nothing give Him more gladness then when a SINNER turns to Him
• Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
• When we MAKE USE OF His grace that He paid for with His Blood…the travail of his soul…He is SATISFIED…full of GLADNESS!....THIS is CROWNING Him!
• We have to GO FORTH and BEHOLD Him!!!
• OUR KING IS VICTORIOUS!!!
• Even before He died on the cross…He was totally SURE of His victory…check out what He said…
• John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have PEACE. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I HAVE overcome the world.”
• Even when He talked about the enemy….He didn’t use “future tense”….
• John 16:33 “Of judgment, because the prince of this world IS judged.”
• Don’t ever have any doubt that His promises won’t be fulfilled!
• Ephesians 5:26-27 tells us what He longs for…He longs for a Bride without spot or blemish….He longs for us to walk a HOLY life….He has given us EVERYTHING we need in order to do just that!
• 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
• 2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
• 1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
• 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”
• Zechariah 4:6 “So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty”
• Philippians 4:13 “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!”
• THINK ABOUT IT…..Our Savior, our Bridegroom didn’t have not one second thought when it came to US….He laid down His life for us…not even a thought about NOT doing it…even when the thorns pierced His head…even when the spear pierced His side…even when they spat on Him and beat Him…even when He became SIN and His Father turned His back on Him…He endured all these things for the JOY that was set before Him…..
• WE are that joy!
• But are we giving Him the honor and the CROWN that is due Him? Are we really surrendered to Him…mind, body, and spirit?
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related searches
- another word for his her
- famous actor before his plastic surgery
- take his time synonym
- words to melt his heart
- mintzberg developed his ten managerial roles by
- pete davidson and his girlfriend
- utmost for his highest
- guess his age test
- his or him grammar
- takes his time synonym
- lawyer not doing his job
- both yours and his grammar