SOS 5:6-8 The Seeking Bride
Preached by James R. Reynolds, Sr. on December 12, 1979.
Song of Solomon 5:6-8 — I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. 7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
She desires to find Him now after she has been awful neglectful.
There are some things that we must be careful not to involve ourselves with.
In seeking the Lord there are some dangers we must be aware of that we might avoid them.
- Dangers the Bride must avoid
Don’t neglect the fact that God wants to do more (for you, in you and through you) and you end up sleeping again.
The Bride has been awakened and aroused she wants to do something about her condition.
“I opened to my beloved” --- We open the door by obeying the truth
“I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone”
There is a time when God speaks to us and we don’t respond it will be very costly to gain back that position that we had with Him.
Pr 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; Pr 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
By her own neglect she has brought herself to this condition. She now realizes that she has been neglectful too long, you can put Him off too long.
While she slept He knocked, while she rested He called, He spoke to her and she did not listen, While He called She refused to respond, She didn’t do anything to respond to His calling and knocking.
When she finally awoke He had withdrawn Himself, He had waited a long time but she was too late. We must sense and realize that He will not always be there, calling and beckoning us to come.
There comes a time when He withdraws Himself. If we wait too long He will not be there.
Song 5:2 ¶ I sleep, but my heart waketh: 6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
People are waiting for Jesus to make the move, He has and He is outside your door, you must open the door and let Him in. He will not just walk right in or force Himself on you.
- “I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone”
- Indifference and love of ease
- Indifference to spiritual things
- We take for granted that He will always be there.
- He has only promised to be there if we obey Him.
- Indifference to spiritual things
- Indifference and love of ease
Take the way of ease—take it easy—Loving to be at ease.
We must not be so concerned about the physical and material world but so indifferent when it comes to the spiritual things.
- Prone to take the easy way
Take the way of least resistance, that’s the way to go, go with the flow, don’t try hard, no fight, form bad habits that are hard to break.
Ge 15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
- Resting on experiences and privileges attained and you stop leaning on the Lord for more.
A lady running a rooming house had taken in a well-dressed man for a week and he kept meeting her in the hallway and told her that he had a message for her when she had time and she would always say I can’t right now I am too busy. Again and again through the week he said I have a message for you and she would again say I just can’t right now I am too busy.
Two ladies on the way to church stopped and picked up a well -dressed and he said to them as they were riding, Do you know that Jesus is coming soon? They said that they were Christians and they believed that Jesus was coming soon. In a minute He said ladies do you know that Jesus is coming real soon? They responded and said yes we really believe that Jesus is coming soon. And again He said do you know Jesus is Coming soon? They went to look in the back seat to respond to him and He was gone.
As they testified what had happened to them the lady running the rooming house said that a well-dressed man had checked in for a week and never even used the towels, the bed had not been messed up and many times through the week he tried to stop her and say I have a message for you when you have time but she said that she told him, I was just too busy.
She put Him off one too many times. She has gone back and rested on past experiences and decided that she will rest this dark night.
- There must be progression in the Promises
“NO PARKING” Don’t park yourself here, don’t live in the past, or in the Dark.
Where are you today? Never mind what God did for you last week, see what He will do for you today.
Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
- The Promises need to be possessed
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
- The Promises need to be proclaimed
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Ac 14:3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Ac 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Ro 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
- Procrastination and indolence.
- Tomorrow I will start
- Today I will rest
Tomorrow will never come; Today is tomorrows yesterday
Avoid these dangers!!!
2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
- Repentance an Absolute to the Bride.
We must walk with God daily. REPENT from not walking with Him.
- The Meaning of Repentance
- Repentance is more than tears
- Repentance is an about face.
- Repentance is turning away from sin.
- The Need of Repentance.
She went to sleep because something came between her and the Lord.
Re 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Re 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
- Repentance removes the hindrance
- Repentance restores the blessing
- Repentance reinstates our position.
REPENTANCE IS NEEDED
You never stay stopped very long; through Repentance we come to Jesus, you’re either going on in God or going backward.
- The Scope of Repentance
- Sins of Commission
- Sins of Omission
Song 5:2 ¶ I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. Re 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Song 5:3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
She has not been responding to His call; she has been rebelling, so she was sinning.
She failed Him with the sin of omission, most don’t know how much they sin let alone, how to repent.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Neglect is like (rebellion) neglecting the word is rebellion (made preparation to go to sleep not work)
Refusal – (stubbornness) rejecting the word is disobedience (she kept Him waiting outside a long time)
- Reasons why she did not find Him.
- She sought Him too late, not when He was calling
- He had knocked
- He had called
- He had stretched out His hand
- She sought Him too late, not when He was calling
Only after a long time did she respond, but too late to find Him there, she must now search for Him.
The Bride is to seek Him until she finds Him.
- She sought Him in the wrong places.
- In the streets (in the world)
- You won’t find the Lord amongst the world.
- Amongst the watchmen. (church)
- In the streets (in the world)
You won’t always find God in the church today (worldly Church) compromisers
Mt 28:10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
You will find Jesus right where He said you would find Him. Mat. 11:29
Lu 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Song 5:8 O… if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
- She sought Him in ignorance
- She sought Him her own way.
- She sought Him her way diligently
- She did not know where He was.
- She did not know where to find Him.
- She could not find Him seeking Him her way
- The ones she asked did not know where to find Him.
- They couldn’t find Him their way.
- She sought Him her own way.
Mt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. John 10: 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 15:26 ¶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written…10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Ac 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
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