Awake Not My Beloved (Song 3:1-5)

“I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the deer of the field, that you stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please” (vs5).

Christ teaches us to maintain communion with Him by His absences and the difficulty in finding Him - “I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but I found him not“ (vs1).

If we could command His presence and peace at our will, then we would not obey the Lord. We’d sin, and say, “Come back, Lord. I command you to give me peace”, and He would play the part of the genie, doing what He must, but not as Lord.

However, He HIDES Himself so that He is not only sought but also treasured after He is found - “It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loves: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother‘s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me“ (vs4).  It isn’t of my will to enjoy peace as I please, so I will seek Him whom I love… Him who is my peace… and when I have Him, rather than squandering fellowship, I’ll hold Him dear. I’ll believe and obey until He comes, and then I’ll believe and obey when He is here with me, so that He remains.

You and I love the Son of God supremely, so much that He is “whom my soul loves”, my Joy, my Peace, my Satisfaction, and Fulfillment. He is everything to believers, so we seek Him when He is gone, because without Him, life is miserable, but with Him, even the bitter is made sweet, we have peace, and we can do His will - “I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loves“ (vs2).  The presence of Christ is heaven on earth so desperately needed that we forsake everything else to have Him.  We come to Him by night, when others are asleep, because we need the Son’s favor - “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves“ (vs1). We come to Him though we don’t find Him, because He’s promised that we’d find Him, and we have nothing until we do - “I sought him, but I found him not… I sought him, but I found him not“ (vs1-2).

He hides Himself, but the watchmen, the preachers of Christ, find us, and shortly after leaving them, we find Him - “The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw you him whom my soul loves?  It was but a little that I passed FROM them, but I found him whom my soul loves” (vs3-4).

The watchmen are NOT the Christ, even though they help us see, being sent by God to show the way of salvation, which we as watchmen take first . We declare the whole counsel of God, and in doing such, show you and others where you have erred, so you may have Him again, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God“ (Acts 20:27).  We show REPENTANCE and the forgiveness of sins, the whole counsel of GRACE unto good works, and we meet every sinner’s and saint’s need right here (Luke 24:47).  You and I need GRACE, and we need faith in grace to do God’s will, to love, as He gave us commandment, submitting to His way of life, so that we may have peace - “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls“ (Matt 11:29).

The Lord comes to us after we leave the preachers because He won’t have us trusting in the men who preach - “It was but a little that I passed FROM them, but I found him whom my soul loves”(vs4). They are helpers and oracles of God, but it is GOD Himself that we deal with in Christ.  And, having Him near… finding Him and treasuring His presence… we’re resolved to bring Him to God’s house, the church of God, to the chamber where we were conceived - “I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother‘s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me“ (vs4).   The individual saint finds Christ, so that we can share Him to others, and He comes for this reason, not merely to make us happy and yet still mean, but to make us holy and happy, desiring that others see the Beloved.

Lastly, the daughters of Jerusalem, those who are in the Lamb’s book of life, are told exactly what we’ve learned - “I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the deer of the field, that you stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please“ (vs5). The watchmen tells what he’s heard, and the believer experiences it. Then, the believer tells what she knows, so that God’s elect who’re yet unsaved can hear it too.

Five Things to Pray About for Me and For Yourself, As You Minister

I ask you, my brethren, to pray for my writing, that God may be glorified and sinners moved to obey Him.

I write to 20 times more people per day than I preach to on a Sun morning service.  Therefore, the biggest door that I currently have is writing the gospel of grace, television, and the radio. These are my most potent chances to reach the elect.

I pray that I may have the gospel to preach on Sun’s when we gather, and I ask you to pray, not only for when we meet, but also VERY diligently for when the word of God goes out to the lost and others who may be changed by it.
1. Pray that I would preach for God’s glory (1 Thess 2:4).
2. Pray that I would not seek man’s face or praise - nothing human, and nothing self-serving or self-promotional (Acts 20:35).
3. Pray that I preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of grace, faith, and good works by the Spirit showing us Christ: good works by the forgiveness of sins (Eph 2:8-10).
4.  Pray that I would be GRACIOUS: I don’t want to preach love unlovingly (Matt 10:8).
5. Pray that others might be changed by the message, that I would preach for this change in their lives, and pray for the change yourself, that our gospel not be word only (Acts 26:18).

To achieve success, we must be FILLED with the Spirit, minding Jesus Christ, and we must be loving to men.  We must be mystics to God, delving into the mysteries by experience, and we must be missionary to men, loving them risk-takingly, risking ourselves and existing so they may believe.  Believe and love passionately: this is our life.

“Open My Mouth Boldly” (Eph 6:18-20)

“[Praying] for me, that word may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth BOLDLY, to make known the mystery of the gospel… that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (vs19-20).

We must tell everything that we see, hiding nothing. We cannot preach to please sinners and earn favor; we must be “Thus says the Lord”, or let us quit the ministry and work a 9-5. 

There is no place for not setting forth the word of truth:  (1) it causes others to err (2) it angers God (3) it is below the inheritance of saints for us to cower before men, changing our faces to please those who have no real power (1 Sam 21:10-15).  Let the Christian stand up and speak what he has learned, leaving the consequences with the Master. We are mere servants, and we get our wages from Him, and not from what we can acquire for ourselves through deceit.

Gehazi had to get rich, so he got leprosy (2 Kings 5:20-27).  Judas had to be advanced by this world, so he hung himself in worldly sorrow (2 Cor 7:10). And, we may continue.  Whitefield wouldn’t trade places with those who preached for a living, a title, a name. He wanted to preach and teach what he believed and enjoyed, and anything else is slavery to the worst.

We are not saying, “Be mean and rude for the sake of being bold”. We make no excuse for belligerence or cruelty in witnessing. The Christian minister, so honored to be used of God, should be the humblest and meekest of persons, trusting God to use the words of one who has obtained mercy - one who has made no contribution to the word or my own salvation - “in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim 2:25). But, let us preach it as it is in Christ; let us preach SOVEREIGNTY, commanding all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).  Let us preach REPENTANCE and the forgiveness of sins, demanding that Christ be Lord and Savior (Luke 24:47).  Let us preach hell hot and heaven so glorious as beyond words. Let us PREACH grace, faith, and GOOD works; let us SPEAK the whole counsel of Christ, fearing no man’s face, and seeking no approval by holding back some truth or expression - “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which tries our hearts” (1 Thess 2:4).

Let us be honest by trusting Christ, for Paul says, Pray for me, meaning that he needed help, and so do we, “that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak” (Col 4:4).  Augustus Toplady warned that a timid partial declaration of the gospel is unworthy of a minister, and yet Gideon obeyed by “night” and succeeded (Judges 6:25-32). Therefore, whether trembling needlessly, or shouting in confidence of faith, let us SAY all that God has revealed to us for His honor and man’s good.

“He Believed Them Not” (Gen 45:26)

“And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not” (vs25-26).

Because of unbelief, our heart and lives are weak. We don’t believe the RICHES that we have in Christ, that Joseph, our Brother in the faith, has ascended God’s RIGHT HAND to help us. Therefore, we stew in the misery of unbelief.

If we will be saved, then God must revive us. Just as Jacob couldn’t believe the gospel and the riches of Christ, even so, because of WEAKNESS and carnal unbelief, we can’t either. So, God does for us what He did for Jacob: “And they told [Jacob] all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them” (Gen 45:27). They clearly and cheerfully preached God’s GRACE in Jesus, as He is. They didn’t change or cower to stir up Jacob; they were FAITHFUL to their charge. It continues, “and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived”, so that as we preach Christ in faith, the Holy Spirit causes ELECT sinners to see the salvation of God (vs27). It is not human wisdom but faithfully preaching Christ, attended by the Spirit, that produces comfort and healing - “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory“ (1 Cor 2:7).  Genesis 45:28 continues saying, “And Israel”, the name of prevailing with God by faith and prayer, “said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die”.  Here, we see the order of service:

1. The believer is shown Christ for himself, even as Joseph revealed Himself to the church - “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.  Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here: for God did send me before you to preserve life“ (Gen 45:4-5).

2. The believer is COMMISSIONED with the gospel, so that PERSONAL salvation never goes without corporate commission, or the mandatory call to serve others - “And you shall tell [Jacob] of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall haste and bring down [Jacob] here“ (Gen 45:13).

3. The brethren are equipped, given the Father’s blessing, and sent with all they need to succeed, so that the Spirit is given to us by God the Father through the Son who JOINS with Christ in the redemption (calling and salvation) of the redeemed (chosen and bought by blood) - “Now you are commanded, this do you; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father [Jacob], and come“ (Gen 45:19).

4. God’s GRACE and the word of the gospel CONQUERS the wickedness of unbelief, so that faith, which shows the wealth of the inheritance, is God’s tool to show the languishing sinner all that he needs (Gen 45:26-27).

Just as Jacob was saved by persuasion, even so, you and I have been PERSUADED by God to follow His Son. All that we meant for evil… all sin… was used of God to EXALT the Lord Jesus for SAVING us and to bring SALVATION to us - “And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me here, but God: and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt“ (Gen 45:7-8). He has removed our sins and blessed us fully, so we are not to fear. We have a clean slate with God, and by this “no condemnation” and inheritance, we GO OUT hastily to preach Christ to others.

My brethren, do not be tricked out of obedience to Christ. Don’t try to enjoy your salvation without striving to help others. This is our commission, and as Joseph charged His brethren, “See that you fall not out by the way”, even so, the Son CHARGES us to preach and honor Christ (Gen 45:24).

The elect shall be saved by the Spirit through the Christ that we have received. Preach and honor Him: showing what He has given to faith.

Christian-refreshing and truth-intensifying: Regarding the Influence of Andrew Fuller (John Piper)

I mention the terms Christian-refreshing and truth-intensifying because in Andrew Fuller’s life, there is a reciprocal relationship between spiritual life and biblical truth, on the one hand, and missions, on the other hand. In one direction, spiritual life and biblical truth give rise to missions. And in the other direction, engagement in the missionary enterprise awakens and sustains new levels of spiritual life and sharpens and deepens and intensifies our grasp of biblical truth. We will focus on the first in this message, but here are some glimpses into the effect missions had on Fuller’s life. On July 18, 1794, he wrote the following in his diary:

Within the last year or two, we have formed a missionary society; and have been enabled to send out two of our brethren to the East Indies. My heart has been greatly interested in this work. Surely I never felt more genuine love to God and to his cause in my life. I bless God that this work has been a means of reviving my soul. If nothing else comes of it, I and many others have obtained a spiritual advantage. (Peter Morden, Offering Christ to the World [Waynesboro, Georgia: Paternoster, 2003], p. 167)

Six months earlier he had written to John Ryland, “I have found the more I do for Christ, the better it is with me. I never enjoyed so much the pleasures of religion, as I have within the last two years, since we have engaged in the Mission business. Mr. Whitfield used to say, ‘the more men does for God, the more he may’.” (Ibid.)

In one direction, when your love for Christ is inflamed and your grasp of the gospel is clear, a passion for world missions follows. In the other direction, when you are involved in missions—when you are laying down your life to rescue people from perishing—it tends to authenticate your faith, and deepen your assurance, and sweeten your fellowship with Jesus, and heighten your love for people, and sharpen your doctrines of Christ and heaven and hell. In other words, spiritual life and right doctrine are good for missions, and missions is good for spiritual life and right doctrine.