Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth (Quality: Good)

[0:00] I'm so much to need the Lord's gracious help. I must venture again this evening in directing your thoughts to Solomon's song, the first chapter, reading verse 7.

[0:16] Solomon's song, the first chapter, reading verse 7. Solomon, tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon?

[0:42] For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

[0:56] The closing part of this verse, I feel we could say, is the exercise that is known in the hearts of those who so feelingly can enter into the first part of the verse.

[1:28] What I mean is this. Can you come in with the closing words in this seventh verse? For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

[1:48] In other words, have you this exercise? You long to know that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You long to know that you're among the Lord's people.

[2:03] And I believe if this is your exercise, you'll certainly know that the first part of the verse is. And in our first hymn this evening, among other truths, we sang this.

[2:20] And I wonder how many of us can sincerely say that this is just how we feel this evening. Oh, could I say, the Lord is mine, it is all my sole desire.

[2:39] Does that describe your feeling this evening? You dear children that are here, you're not too young to have this exercise. You dear young people are not too young to have this exercise.

[2:53] If God has given it to you, you'll feel that this is the case. And I just notice that there is a reference to the letter part of this verse in the margin of this Bible.

[3:11] It may well be in yours. But in the margin, where it says, well, why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

[3:23] And it says in the margin, or is vile. And I've had this thought about it. And I can only hope the Holy Spirit is in it.

[3:37] But if you think of the Eastern women who wear their vials, and if you think of a person in love with a young man, and I would speak of it concerning the Bride of Christ, desiring to come into closer contact with their Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

[4:03] And how you want the Lord to bring you to himself, and for him to tell you that he loves you, and for him to take you in his arms, and to kiss you with the kisses of his mouth.

[4:20] Now, do you find response to that in your heart? You want to be brought into that sacred marriage union. We have a hymn that says this, if only it will come in the way that it's written, Lord, make the union closer, yet let the marriage be complete.

[4:41] Does that find response in your heart? Oh, do you long to be united to the living mind, to Jesus, and to know that closer communion with him, so that you embrace him, and so that you can say, my beloved is mine, and I am his, he feedeth among the lilies.

[5:06] In our closing hymn this evening, there is this verse. And it's so descriptive of the second, indeed, the whole verse, but it's very descriptive of the latter part of the verse.

[5:21] For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? Now, do you find this to be your exercise? Concerning Zion, it might be concerning this house of God, it might be concerning some other house of God.

[5:38] There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come, no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home.

[5:51] And that is what I desire for you. Wherever it might be, you dear young people that are here tonight, the Lord give you a spiritual home. And he will give you one if he brings you into union with himself.

[6:06] He will make a place for you at his table. He will bring you to follow him in the sacred ordinance of believers' baptism. He will bring you into that sweet exercise, again as found in Solomon's song, the bride of Christ.

[6:24] Longing to find her saviour. Do you tonight? Longing to embrace him. And then she does find him. Oh, that you might find him in the house of God tonight.

[6:35] And then we read these beautiful words. I held him. And would not let him go. Indeed, you won't be able to let him go until you have brought him, Jesus, into your mother's house.

[6:50] Into the chamber of her that conceived you. Into the chamber of those that have travailed for your soul. You may not know it tonight. But you will know it one day. Some of us here have proved this.

[7:03] We little realise the travail that was known for our souls in the church of God, among the dear people of God, and some of our dear loved ones, the travail they had for our soul.

[7:16] We didn't know it then. But when the Lord brought us out into the open, and we had to put on Christ by an open profession, and then we found that the church of Christ had travailed for us.

[7:29] They had pleaded with the Lord for us. Just to illustrate the point, I remember walking with two of the dear brethren at Jireh Tentadim, after the Lord had compelled me to venture to tell what he had done for my soul.

[7:46] We were walking across a field, or perhaps it was an orchard. And they said this to me, these two dear men. Both of them, one is now in glory, the other is now a deacon at Jireh.

[7:59] But they said this, oh, the concern we've had for you. The exercise we've had for you. You see, and this is how the Lord brings these dear souls into the church of Christ.

[8:12] They're travelled for, they're wrestled for, and then the day comes when they're brought forth, and they cannot be held back any longer. Oh, they have to come.

[8:24] And that is the wonder of it. And the devil, their own heart, it doesn't matter what it is, the opposition that stands in the way, they'll be brought to the point.

[8:36] Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he has done. Well, this morning then, we sought to speak regarding the opening part of this verse.

[8:53] Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth. And this really is my exercise today. I long to be able to speak to you dear people, so that this very evening you may go home embracing your Jesus in your arms of faith.

[9:14] You might know today that you do love him. You see? And I'm sure there are those here tonight, and this is the longing of your heart.

[9:26] You want to know him for yourself. And you long to be able to say, I love the Lord with mind and heart, his people and his ways.

[9:37] Now, the Lord help us look into this then a little more. We felt, first of all, that we had to speak of this in a completely opposite way.

[9:47] And that is, with those who do love the Lord, they have been brought to feelingly know that they no longer love the world and the things of it.

[10:06] Now, do not misunderstand me here. All the while you're in the body, you will have two natures within you. The old man of sin and the new man of grace.

[10:19] And your nature will go on clinging to the things of the world. And yet, the Lord will spoil them for you. And you will be brought to know and feel that you no longer love them as you once did.

[10:36] Now, the Lord help me to make this clear. And first of all, do you remember when you did love the world and the things of it? You loved the pleasures of the world.

[10:49] You were happy in them. You didn't want anything else. You may well have come to chapel on the Lord's Day, but it meant nothing to you. And you were glad to get out of the chapel.

[11:00] And you said in your heart, when I'm old enough, I'm going to be rid of all this. Yes. I remember coming home. I suppose I was a boy, about 14.

[11:13] And I started work when I was 14. And I can remember coming home one evening and found that my loved ones had gone to chapel. And someone was there and they reminded me of this years after.

[11:28] Now, I came home from work and I was weary with the labor of the day. And I found my dear ones had gone to chapel. You know what I said?

[11:40] Perhaps some of you have said this. I said, they're chapel mad. They're chapel mad. But you see, if you have been brought by the Holy Spirit's teaching through the gateway of regeneration into the fold of Christ, you will have come out of all that.

[12:02] And now you'll feel completely different. You will remember how you love the world and the things of it. Let me just go through a few things that you may have loved.

[12:15] You may have loved football. You may have loved cricket. You may have loved tennis. You may have loved hockey. You may have loved going to the cinema.

[12:27] And of course, in the present day, it's the television set in the home. But you will remember, and some of you may not have to go that very far in this, that you see the things you loved.

[12:41] The things you went after, and it meant everything to you. And you may have loved your motorbike. The preacher loved his motorbike. And I had a number of them.

[12:51] And in my earlier days, it was a wonder. I wasn't killed. I certainly, as it were, deserved to die, even in that respect.

[13:05] And there may be those of you here tonight, you remember your love to your car. But you look upon your car very differently today from what you once did. At one time, it meant everything to you.

[13:17] And all you could think about, perhaps, was your car. You kept polishing it. You kept looking after it. And every time you rode in it, your affection was bound up in it.

[13:28] And I am well aware of this, I can tell you that. Because I have had a great enjoyment in driving a car for many years.

[13:39] And I know how you young people feel. You see, if the Lord has touched your heart, the Lord will have brought you out of all this. He will have separated you from it.

[13:53] And so, we tried to speak this morning. You see, the Apostle John, in his first epistle and the second chapter, he tells either the things that are in the world.

[14:06] And I need just to turn back to it and read what he says. And may we see how we feel about this. Love not the world.

[14:18] You might say, well, I do. Neither the things that are in the world. And you might well say, well, I do. It's everything to me. I want nothing more than this.

[14:32] But then what does the Bible say? If any man or woman, boy or girl, young person, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

[14:45] Now, that's very searching. It came to me as I went out for a walk last evening. Oh, and it searched my heart. This question of the love of Christ within the heart.

[14:58] And if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. You see, the two, they do not go together. They just do not go together.

[15:10] Now, let me try and make this clear. You see, you will still have your old nature. If the Lord has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light, you'll never get rid of your old nature.

[15:24] That will cling to you. That will follow you to the grave. And you'll still find that you have the things that you still remember. The sport field, perhaps, or the cinema, the television, or whatever we might think of.

[15:40] You might have loved going into a public house. Whatever we could mention tonight. And your remembrance of your love to those things.

[15:52] Now, do you feel different today? Do you feel different today? Has the Lord separated you from all this?

[16:02] And I go a step further. Has he sickened you of all this? The Lord will know and does know how to sicken us of the pleasures of this world.

[16:15] And he will bring you out of them. And as I mentioned this morning, you see, if the love of Christ is in our heart, if you do love the Lord, you'll not be at home in the crowd.

[16:27] You'll not be at home even in your daily calling. And there's much you'll need to tolerate. But you see, your companions in your daily life and path, you just find you're no longer one with them.

[16:42] What about your friends that you used to associate with? I had friends, and they were in the world as much as I was in the world. And I was happy with them.

[16:52] I wanted to be with them. Oh, friends, when the Lord touched my poor heart, I had to come out from among them and be separate. You see, that is a mark of grace.

[17:04] We must be clear in these things. If the love of Christ has been shed abroad in our hearts, it will bring about separation from the world and the things of the world.

[17:17] You will no longer be at home in them. You'll just feel so out of place. Do you know what it is to feel out of place now? It is because the love of Christ has been given to you.

[17:31] You see? You feel so different now. And then we went on to speak of those who do love the Lord, that they know what it is to loathe themselves.

[17:47] They're brought to know themselves as sinners. They're companions with Job when he said, Behold, I am vile. They're a companion to the apostle Paul when he said, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death.

[18:06] And we just mention again this verse, the last verse of hymn 1099. Now, I ask you all this question again this evening.

[18:17] How do you feel about this verse that I'm going to read to you? I hate my sins. I loathe myself.

[18:30] O Lord, the sinner cries. O quell my lust. And you'll want the Lord to do this if you love the Lord. O quell my lust, nor let me fall.

[18:44] And you'll need to be kept more and more as you go on in your life. I feel to need the keeping power of God now more than ever I've known in my life.

[18:57] You see, the danger increases as we grow older. You think of Solomon. How favoured, how blessed he was as a young man. Where do we find him as an old man?

[19:10] His heart was turned aside by divers and strange women. And the Lord reproved him, but he wouldn't listen. He did listen.

[19:21] Because I believe it's through all this that we have the Proverbs, we have the book of Ecclesiastes. But nevertheless, these things are left as a word of warning to us.

[19:35] And then I must tell you this. If you really love the Lord, you will not be able to mix the world and the things of God together.

[19:51] You cannot serve God and mammon. And the Lord will bring you away from these things. And then we went on to speak regarding having love for our homes.

[20:05] You know, it's very possible to idolise our home. It's very possible to idolise our possessions. What really is idolatry?

[20:21] Well, to me it's this. When our heart's affection are centred on an object, you can make an idol of your business. You can make an idol of your work.

[20:35] There are plenty of people today and never have been. They make an idol of their work. And all these things can so take our affection, but how different it will be with you and is with you if you've been brought to love the Lord.

[20:52] And then in closing this morning, we mention the psalmist in Psalm 116. And this is another evidence of love.

[21:05] Love to Jesus Christ. I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he's inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

[21:23] Well, do you love the Lord because he's heard your voice in prayer? He's given you answers to prayer. And you love him because of this.

[21:37] He's heard your cries regarding the things of providence. He's heard your cries regarding the needs of your soul. And oh, you feel so different now.

[21:51] I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. And then I noticed just before I came to chapel truth that's found in Psalm 18, I believe it is.

[22:08] And the first verse, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. Not only will you love the Lord because he's heard your cries, but you will love the Lord because he is your strength.

[22:31] You see, you will understand something of what is recorded in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11. Out of weakness were made strong. Now, those who love the Lord are made to be aware of their weakness, their utter helplessness, and their great need of Christ.

[22:54] But then you see the psalmist in this 18th psalm, he could go on and he could say, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower.

[23:18] Now, do you love the Lord because he has been made these precious truths to you? As I came into the pulpit this evening, and it's been so many times, oh, I so felt my need of the Lord and I so felt my need of strength to be given me.

[23:43] And I would say to the glory of my God before you tonight, I love the Lord because he is my strength. He's my helper.

[23:56] He's my saviour. He's my redeemer. He is my advocate, my great high priest before the Father's throne. He's my intercessor.

[24:08] Indeed, he's everything to me. And I can adjoin with the Apostle Paul when he said, as having nothing, and I have to say, do you have to say that that's a description of your case?

[24:21] As having nothing, and yet possessing all things. And have you been able to say, I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me?

[24:36] Now, you'll love him for this. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.

[24:51] Well, we come a little closer then in this. Do you love your Bible? Now, that's a searching question.

[25:02] But friends, do we love our Bible? You know, there are many people in foreign countries who love their Bibles much more than we do in England.

[25:16] Why do they love their Bibles? Because they haven't had a Bible. Because they've had to worship in woods and caves and dens of the earth, as it were.

[25:29] And because the Lord has given them that thirst after his word, and now many of them are receiving a Bible for the first time in their life, and oh, how they love their Bible.

[25:42] You see, they love it far more than we do, because they haven't had one. And all of you here tonight, I believe, without exception, you had a Bible from your very earliest days.

[25:55] You were soon given one in the Sunday school. You were soon given one by parents or loved ones. But dear friends, do we love our Bibles? Oh, do we love our Bibles?

[26:09] To put it another way, do we love the truth contained in them? How can we love the truth? And in loving the truth, we are brought to love Jesus.

[26:20] We will love the truth as the truth is born home into our hearts by the Holy Ghost. And when you can say, that's mine, I wonder how many of you here tonight can say regarding even one word in God's word, that is mine, because the Holy Spirit has given it to you, and you love the word of God.

[26:42] And in loving the word of God, you love Jesus. I hope this might be a revelation to some here tonight. You may have thought until today that you didn't really love Jesus.

[26:56] You want to love him, you want to know that he loves you, and oh, you long to love him in return. Well, do you love your Bible? I'm going to ask you all a searching question here.

[27:09] Friends, how many times have you read your Bible during this past week? You dear mothers and wives that are here tonight, I know your life is very busy, but do you make time to read the Bible?

[27:27] Or do you leave it to your husband to read it around the family altar? Oh, beware of resting on your husband's prayers. Beware of resting on your husband reading the Bible.

[27:41] You know, friends, if we have really gracious exercise, we shall have to read our Bible. You'll read it in secret. And you will want your husband to read it around the family altar, and what is more, you'll encourage him.

[27:59] What about husbands and fathers that are here tonight? Do you read the Bible with your families? You see, there's that within our fallen nature that would say, well, and I'm very aware of, at least in measure, of what family life is.

[28:21] And you will say, well, of course, we haven't got time. But, friends, the day is going to come, the moment is going to come, when we shall need time to die.

[28:33] And how solemn if we come to the end of our life, and our poor hearts are full of regret. Now, a word to you, dear children and young people here, the Lord help you to read your Bibles.

[28:51] I believe some of you do. But go on reading it, pray over it. And the Lord knows how many of us have received comfort, instruction, blessing, many warnings from the word of God.

[29:09] Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth. And then again, do we know what it is to love the throne of grace? Friends, where should we be without the throne of grace?

[29:25] And the throne of grace has been set up by our God, and it's there, prayer, and he bids us welcome to it.

[29:36] He said to his people of old, there will I meet with thee, and will commune with thee from above the mercy seat. Do you know what it is then to love prayer?

[29:48] I mean this, when the Lord favours you at the throne of grace, and your poor heart is set free, and you find nearness to the Lord, you pour out your heart before him, you tell him all your trouble, and oh, you're so thankful for the throne of grace.

[30:07] So you love the throne of grace, because you love the Lord. God. And then there's another thought here, do we love the house of God?

[30:19] What I so desire is that you may not just hear what I'm saying tonight, but that we may, all of us, have to really think about this, do we love the house of God?

[30:34] I told you the story on a number of occasions of dear Mr. Dawson. I believe he was nineteen years old, and for some reason he was out on the Wiltshire Downs, and he heard the chimes of a church playing the tune that goes to this hymn, We love the place, O God, wherein thine honour dwells, the joy of thine abode, all earthly joy excels.

[31:05] And in his own way, he used to say, I took off my hat and worshipped God. You see, his heart was kindled with love. Do you know what it is to love the house of God?

[31:21] Does it mean more to you than your own home? Does it mean more to you than anything else in the world? I mean that we have the privilege and the favour of gathering together in the house of God.

[31:35] God. Well, may we prize this privilege. You are favoured also to hear the gospel preached. And you will love the word of God as it reaches your heart.

[31:51] You will love a searching sermon if it reaches your heart. You will love the comfort of the gospel if it reaches your heart.

[32:02] Now, you will love the house of God. Oh, you will love the house of God. Why do you love the house of God?

[32:14] Because it's there that your Saviour has met with you. It is there that your Saviour has spoken to you. It is there that you've sat down under his shadow with sacred delight and his fruits have been sweet to your taste.

[32:33] it is there that he has brought you into the banqueting house and his banner over you has been love. Have you known once or twice in your life when you've just felt you didn't want to leave the house of God?

[32:50] You wanted to stay there. Why did you want to stay there? Because Jesus was there. His presence was there. You had felt it in your heart.

[33:01] you'd known something of the power of truth. So if you love the Lord you will love his house. And another thing that we shall love is this.

[33:14] We shall love his servants. You will love God's servants. Why do you love God's servants?

[33:25] The Lord knows how many of you here tonight you have God's servants that you love. And you would name them probably. Why could you say you loved any of God's servants?

[33:38] Because the Lord has used them to preach Christ to your soul. Because the Lord has led them into your path. Have there been the occasions when the minister has found you?

[33:51] He's entered into your very soul, your life, your path. He's told you all about it. And oh it has drawn love out of your heart to him. Now you'll love God's servants for the truth's sake.

[34:07] You'll love his dear people. Have you known what it is to love the deacons at the desk? Why do you love any man, poor man, who stood at the desk and given out the hymns?

[34:20] You will love them because they have been directed in giving out hymns that have reached your case. Oh how you've loved them for this? You thank God for this?

[34:33] And can you say that you love the Lord's dear people? What does the apostle John say in I believe it's his first epistle?

[34:45] He says this, we know that we have passed from death unto life. Why? Because we love the brethren.

[34:57] as we have been favoured here, and of course we wouldn't speak of it in a personal or a wrong way, only to say this, but when precious souls have been brought to put on Christ by an open profession, I believe all of them without exception have expressed this.

[35:19] They've said, oh I've felt such love to the brethren. their hearts been drawn out in love to them, and in a special way, the church of Christ where you are to be, where the Lord is going to plant you, the Lord will bring you into union with these dear souls.

[35:39] You will love them, you'll feel your heart drawn out in love to them. You see, this is an evidence that we love Jesus. And then finally, tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where does the Lord feed?

[36:00] Well, this is a wonderful thought, and we've read of it in the second chapter, and in verse 16 we have these words in the second chapter of Solomon's song, my beloved is mine.

[36:14] And I am his, he feedeth among the lilies. You see, the Lord comes into his garden.

[36:28] He condescends to come into his garden. I believe he's here tonight. He comes into his garden. He feeds among the lilies. The Saviour gathers with his people.

[36:44] And oh, how he delights to be with them. The Lord says, I dwell with them, and they dwell in me.

[36:55] I will be their God, and they will be my people. We've already mentioned this, about the Saviour, this is fulfilled, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.

[37:14] I believe this has reference to the heat of the day. And the eastern shepherd, this was so much, it was needed so much more in an eastern country, where there is intense heat.

[37:30] Of course it's needed in England at certain times of the year. But the shepherd would lead his flock into, that they might be in the shade, in the heat of the day.

[37:46] And I had thought we might have perhaps closed the service tonight with hymn 965. But I hope the last hymn will be the right hymn, but in hymn 965 I just read this, Tell us, O our best beloved, where thou feedest thy tender flock, where they rest at noon, discover, where do they rest?

[38:14] Where do these precious souls rest? They rest in Christ. They rest in the ark of Christ. They rest, as it were, on the rock of ages.

[38:27] Shelter us beneath that rock. Can you join in with that? Can you say tonight, Lord, that's just how I feel? shelter us, shelter me, Lord, beneath that rock.

[38:45] Let no idol air divide us from the Lord in whom we live. By thy loving counsel guide us and our souls at last receive.

[38:57] Now, if you can come in with that, it's because you love the Lord. Tell me, O thou, whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.

[39:16] For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? One final word then. If you love the Lord, you'll find no rest in this world whatsoever.

[39:31] The Lord will stir up your nest continually. You'll find no rest in your business, your life, you'll find no rest in anything. Now, the only place you'll find rest is in Jesus Christ.

[39:47] Now, if you love him, you'll feel this continually. You'll want to find your rest in him. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[39:57] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[40:16] Let's conclude our service this evening with hymn 139. My shepherd will supply my need. Jehovah is his name.

[40:30] In pastures fresh he makes me feed beside beside the living stream in 139. Hus Limited Thank you.

[41:32] Thank you.

[42:02] Thank you. Thank you.

[43:02] Thank you. Thank you.

[43:34] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[43:46] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[43:58] Thank you. Thank you.

[44:30] Thank you.

[45:00] Thank you.

[45:30] We have great need to praise thy holy name for thy merciful help through another Lord's Day. Lord, thou knowest how we commenced it.

[45:45] We do thank thee for thy merciful help. And ask that thou wilt bless thy word. And pray that we may know more of the love of Christ in our hearts.

[46:01] O hear us in heaven thy dwelling place. And when thou hearest, forgive. For our preaching, our hearing, our listening, our singing, all needs to be washed in thy precious blood.

[46:23] Now, Lord, do take each dear soul home in safety and in peace. Bless every one that's here tonight.

[46:34] In whatever way thou sayest thy need. May the grace of the Lord... May the grace of the Lord...

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