Song of Solomon 2:16

We’ll direct your attention this morning to the book of Song of Solomon and chapter two. It’s been a while since we were able to look at some of these things. And so I’m glad that all the things that have kept us from the Lord’s Supper here finally have cleared up. We can get back to this study of the things of God. me read verses 13 through 16 our focus is going to be on verse 16 this morning but song of Psalm in chapter 2 beginning with verse 13 the fig tree put it forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell arise my love my fair one and come away O my dove, thou art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice. For sweet as thy voice and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, and our vines have tender grapes. For our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine and I am his. He feedeth among the lilies. Jesus has called his church to arise and to come away with him in verse 13. He wants to see her countenance, her face. He wants to hear her voice, verse 14. In other words, draw near to me. Sing my praises. Lift up your prayers. me. And now you find the bride’s response to what Jesus has said in verse 16. This call is going forth, and despite the fact that she’s at a distance, she’s in the cleft of the rock here, and has endured a time of darkness and barreness, the winter and the rain of verse 11 that we’ve been talking about in the past. What we see is you have an assurance as a believer of a relationship with Christ. Now, you have a covenant relationship with Christ, according to verse 16. My beloved is mine, and I am his. This speaks of the marriage union that we have. Now, when I pass by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love, and I spread my skirt my skirt over thee, and covered thy naked, and ye, I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, said the Lord, God, and thou becameest mine. Ezekiel 14A. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ in the church, Ephesians 2.30 through 32. Christ in his church are clearly pledged to one another. There is a marriage bond between them that we see in this passage. Christ has not just taken up our cause. He has espoused us to himself and betrothed us to himself, and loving kindness. It’s a marriage union. It’s a sweet union. My beloved is mine. Christ here has given himself to you. His heart is set upon you. He’s always careful concerning you. And he’s always watching out for your interest. And I am his. It says here. You give yourself to Christ. You’re at his disposal. You’re willing to do as he has commanded. You take great pleasure in your relationship with Christ. It is the most sweet relationship. It’s like being a newlywed. Sweet communion. And it’s an indissolvable union. Who or what? separate you from the love of Christ. What does the scripture say? For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord, nothing’s going to separate you. He which hath begun a good work in you, will complete it. Christ does not espouse you you and then cast you off. So you have a covenant relationship with Christ. And secondly, you have a continuous relationship with Christ. But the second part of this verse says, he feedeth among the lilies. You remember in verse 9 of this chapter, he was compared to a row or a young heart, a deer. and he is in a green meadow in which he’s seen feeding and reposing among the lilies here which grow and they are in abundance. Now, what about these lilies? They are an emblem of Christ’s church because we are made white by the righteousness of the Lord. Look at the verse 2. of this chapter. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. The instinct of the deer leads him back to feeding his feeding ground. It’s the place of his strongest desire. And so the place of Christ’s strongest desire is to be with his people. In the book of Revelation, we’ve read how he walks among the seven candlesticks, the seven churches, that he is with his people there at Asia Minor in these churches. There’s no place he loves to be better than among his people. His usual mode of expressing his relationship to his people is making his abode among them and dwelling in their hearts. Now, with this in mind, let me say this. The relationship, the relationship you have with Jesus Christ is the great ground of your happiness and consolation. Remember the Lord’s Supper is a feast. It’s a celebration and we’re going to celebrate the fact that we are Christ and he is ours. You as a believer may be assured that Jesus Christ is really yours and you are really his. And the Lord’s Supper is really a celebration of that relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. It’s like a wedding feast. Thirdly, there’s a gracious presence of Christ in his church and among his people. He walks among the seven candlesticks. And the Lord’s Supper reminds us of Christ’s presence among us. And lastly, the Lord’s Supper is always an invitation of the fellowship with Christ. Take advantage of it. do not forsake thee participating in the Lord’s supper because it speaks of our relationship with Christ. It is a way to draw near to the Lord in fellowship. So let us keep these things in mind when we come to the supper of the Lord this morning.