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[0:00] The text this morning is found in the Song of Solomon, second chapter and the third verse.

[0:16] As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.

[0:33] I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

[0:46] And we turned to a very sacred but somewhat unusual part of the scriptures this morning, to base our remarks upon this word before us, which when we come to weigh up and consider, is really the word that sets before us, first things.

[1:22] Now, first things are of great importance. There's a first time for everything, as we all well know.

[1:39] And in life, very, very often, first things are very special.

[1:49] When a thing is first experienced for the first time, they leave their mark upon our memory.

[2:06] And that mark is very, very seldom erased. When a child, an infant, a new parent, know what I am going to say this morning, out of experience, there comes a time when you look very closely and watch very eagerly for first signs of comparison in the little child.

[2:53] And you can say, he or she, whichever the case may be, she or he, knows the difference between mother and father.

[3:10] Or between a bottle of milk and a cellulose toy, celluloid toy. And that's a wonderful moment because it's the first time that there is evidence in that infant of an intellectual life.

[3:38] And you feel there's a hope that that child will develop and become intelligent and perhaps play a very remarkable and wonderful part in life.

[3:55] Now, that first thing, how important it is and what joy it brings to the parent when it is seen.

[4:08] the first time that there's clear evidence of being able to distinguish one object from another or one person from another person.

[4:33] Now, I think you will agree with me this morning that that is a very great fact in our lives. How much more, therefore, is the first spiritual recognition or, let me put it in this way, the first time when a person begins to compare they may be very lacking in distinction, the comparisons, but there's a first time and that is one of the most important times in a person's life.

[5:28] I want to deal with that this morning. The first things that are all important to those who are seekers after God and after Christ.

[5:49] Now, this person that is represented in our text, whom we believe is the bride, this is a glorious part of God's word, really, and we have the beautiful language of the bridegroom as he addresses himself to his bride.

[6:15] We have also the wonderful responses to him that the bride makes. And this verse that I have taken for a text this morning is one of those responses.

[6:33] You see, if you look into the first verse or the second verse, you'll see this. The bridegroom is describing his bride.

[6:46] And this is how he describes her. He says, she's like a lily among thorns. Well, that's a very remarkable and striking description.

[7:05] There's nothing indistinct about that. He says, she, his own bride, his beloved one, is like a lily.

[7:20] And this lily is growing among thorns. Most unsuitable place and a most unlikely place indeed.

[7:32] But there it is. He says, and it's truth, of course, she's like a lily among thorns. I don't know whether you've ever really studied a lily.

[7:46] It's one of the most purest of blooms. And really, you know, you only see the best of a lily by looking down from above.

[8:03] Study a lily from side elevation creation. And you can see the beauty of it, perhaps to a degree, but you see the real beauty when you look down into the internal part of it.

[8:21] world. Now, you know, this is a very beautiful figure, and the word of God is full of beautiful and wonderful figures.

[8:33] And what a choice this is for the Lord to describe his own beloved child, or his beloved soul that belongs to him and believes in him.

[8:48] He said, she is like a lily, he's looking down into the very depth of her being, and he sees the perfection of his own work and his own grace.

[9:07] But he says this, she's situated in a very terrible place, she's in her among thorns. Well, you know, every child of God, every believer that seeks to follow Christ and to abide by his word, is exactly in this position.

[9:35] They're in a world that does not understand, that is hostile to the things of God.

[9:46] They're in the midst of enemies, enemies, really, that have no fear of God in their hearts and therefore no controlling influence in their daily lives and their daily walk.

[10:03] They're like a lily in the midst of thorns. Sometimes a believer feels this very keenly.

[10:13] sometimes it's almost an overwhelming experience. Sometimes they feel almost ready to give up and they think that everything is against them.

[10:32] Wherever they may go, they cannot find any real reception among the people of the world. but they find pricking attacks, insinuations, criticisms, oppositions, that all have the effect of pricking, as it were, their very heart and conscience, and making life for them, anything but easy, pleasant.

[11:12] But this is the place, the Lord, the bridegroom, and it's Christ, you know, that is speaking here in this part of his work. You see, this is my own beloved.

[11:24] This is the one that I have my eye upon. This is the one I look down and see, a perfection of beauty. and this one is among these thorns, but the thorns will never be able to destroy the beauty of my lily.

[11:48] Now, that's what the Lord said. Now, having seen that, we turn then to the comparison. The first time this is, really, that this beloved bride, bridegroom is, what he is like.

[12:14] She beholds him for the first time, and of course, her comparison or her description of him is very, very different from his description of hers.

[12:28] the language is not by any means so clear and distinct, but it is language of great importance.

[12:40] She says, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the times.

[12:54] she's just come to this point. For the first time, she's been able to see clearly that there's a distinction in this one whom she is seeking after.

[13:14] She has seen him then for the first time and is able to compare him with everything else. Now, I want to emphasize this because it's such an important thing.

[13:32] In our life, if we really are possessors of spiritual life, in other words, if we're real Christians, there's come a time in our lives which comes in the life and experience of every believer when they first begin to be able to compare Christ with everything else.

[14:05] And they see that he is totally and absolutely different from everyone else.

[14:15] things. And there is really nothing that can be compared with him.

[14:26] Now, I say, that's an important moment. It's going to make such a great, vast difference in our lives if we come to this moment.

[14:37] moment. Because it's a thing that doesn't pass away. It's not forgotten, it's not submerged completely. When we first begin to be able to distinguish the difference between Christ and, you might say, between truth and error, between a real spiritual life and a life that is without or destitute entirely of God and of Christ, we see that there's a great difference between the two.

[15:23] There may have been a time when we never saw any difference. We could never see there was any difference really between the people that were totally ignorant of God and careless about their own condition, never, ever attempted to worship them, just went their own way, did what they liked to do whenever they wanted to do it.

[15:54] We could never see that there was any very great difference between them and the people who worshipped God and followed him and sought him and clave to his truth, but now we begin to see there is a difference, a very profound difference, and we see it for the first time, and it has a tremendous impact upon our hearts and minds.

[16:31] As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.

[16:42] Now, I want you to notice this in our text, there are two sides to the experience of this bride or this beloved person.

[16:56] There's a passive side, which is described by this declaration she makes about the beloved one, and the original Hebrew word suggests that that really is rendered in this way.

[17:24] As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my well-beloved, my well-beloved among the sons.

[17:35] Now, that is a passive experience, but then in the latter part of the text, you'll see there's an active experience, she says, I sat down under his shadow.

[17:53] Now, you find that in experience of those who are really being led to the Lord, being taught by the Lord, there are these two aspects, passive and active.

[18:17] There will always be this. You may feel sometimes that you want all activity in your experience, and unless you have that activity, something that is very tangible and positive, you're not getting anywhere.

[18:38] but you know, there is a side in real religion, in the experiences of real religion, that is passive, waiting, watching, calling upon God, looking eagerly and earnestly for some sign from him that will awaken interest and confidence in your soul.

[19:15] But that will never be left alone at that point. It will be followed by an active movement and experience in which you will go forth like this bride did.

[19:35] As she says here, she sat down. Well, that's a pretty easy posture to take up, but it's a very positive one.

[19:47] It had a place, it had a definite objective in it, and it was a determination on her part that she came and sat down under his shadow.

[20:05] Now, let us look at this comparison a little longer this morning, and what a wonderful thing it is to be able to come to this first thing.

[20:21] I'm still going to linger on this point because you who have known the Lord for perhaps a good number of years. You'll be glad enough this morning to look back to that first time when you first began to recognize and to be able to compare Christ with everything else.

[20:51] and you saw the difference. Now, you know, this is one of the great evidences of life, to be able to see the difference.

[21:07] People hardly can see it today. You hear many sentiments expressed by all kinds of people, religious and otherwise, but there seems such a muddled thinking in all of it.

[21:24] Nothing very concise or clear or definite. And you ask the question, why? It may well be because they've never had this first thing of being able to distinguish between Christ and everything else.

[21:49] This is the very heart and foundation of all spiritual experience. Now, let us look in those passages that we read this morning.

[22:07] She says, the bride says, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sun. She saw him to be outstanding.

[22:22] Now, in the 89th Psalm, if you remember, we read these words, who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord?

[22:37] Who in heaven? That's a very great sphere sphere, indeed, to try to compare.

[22:50] But the psalmist says, who in heaven can be compared to the Lord? And then in the same verse, she says, who among the sons of the mighty can be compared with the Lord?

[23:11] Now, have you ever asked that question or ever, has that question ever been asked in your own conscience? Is there anyone that can compare with the Lord?

[23:25] All the sons of the mighty, all the great of the earth, all the outstanding characters that ever have been and ever are and ever will be, can they compare with the Lord, the Lord Christ, with his glorious power, with his magnificence, with his wonderful work and his wonderful words?

[23:54] When he was here on earth and preached as he did in the synagogues of Capernaum at the end of the sermon, this is what they said of him, never man spake like this man.

[24:13] They'd never heard a sermon like that one that they heard that day and they couldn't believe that there was ever a man on the earth ever, ever lived before that could preach such a sermon.

[24:31] No, Christ must be and will be outstanding above all others as he is indeed.

[24:43] Then in the 51st of Isaiah, we didn't read it this morning, but in that chapter it speaks about the same kind of people that our text is speaking about and it says this, there's none to guide her among all the sons whom she has brought up.

[25:14] It's an inverted experience really, but it shows this from the other angle of things, that while she finds in her beloved one, none that can compare with him, she can find also as she looks and surveys all other kinds of helps and governments and anyone that might be outstanding in nature and wisdom, she says there's none, not a single one, that can really guide her where she wants to be guided.

[26:00] Now, these things are very important. I want us therefore this morning to come, to try and come to terms with our own experience, see how much we can place ourselves in the position of this bride in our text.

[26:28] The apple tree, she uses this term, it's rather striking because the apple tree in the land of Palestine was one of the rarest.

[26:41] Not like in our land, we can see them in almost every garden, almost. look and as we pass by the roads, we see orchards full of the trees, apple trees, it's a common sight, but not in the land of Palestine.

[27:02] To see an apple tree, a real apple tree there would be a rare sight indeed. People would go for miles to have a look at this rare spectacle of an apple tree.

[27:17] I wonder whether that is the reason she uses this term as the apple tree. He's rare.

[27:31] There's none like him. He's worthy of our consideration. He's worthy that we should go to the very end to find him and to know him.

[27:49] It may be that is why she uses this term the apple tree. Then again people have the commentators have suggested that she was not speaking about such an apple tree as I have been describing at all but she was speaking about a tree that was common in the land of Palestine.

[28:17] Very common. And that was the orange tree. Well you can see this. If you saw an orange tree, we do not see it of course in this land of ours, but if you saw an orange tree with those golden fruits hanging lusciously upon the tree, you would say there's something of a sight that is outstanding.

[28:45] She says therefore we can take it in both ways. He's so rare that he's so wonderful and none can compare with him.

[29:04] And again he's so beautiful that he is outstanding among the trees of the wood. None can compare with him.

[29:19] Now you see that is where she is. The first time she has come really to compare her beloved bridegroom with all else.

[29:35] Now what is there to compare Christ? First of all, his beauty. We were singing this morning in that beautiful hymn about the beauty of Christ.

[29:54] We know some people never see anything in him. they see no beauty in him that they should desire him. That was the great word of condemnation really that God spake in the 53rd of Isaiah and it embraces all men without exception.

[30:19] He says using the language, he says we saw no beauty in him in him that we should desire him.

[30:31] Now that's where we begin, you know. That's where our lives begin. And that's where so many of our fellow creatures continue to go in life.

[30:47] They go without ever discovering or seeing any beauty in Christ. But one of the first things that is discovered and this shows that that person is a real believer is when they see beauty in him.

[31:14] And there is beauty in him. There's beauty in his very words. When those poor people that were in contact with him when he was here on earth heard those words like one woman did, go thy way, go in peace, thy sins are all forgiven thee, what do you think she could see in him or in his words?

[31:51] Oh, there was an outstanding beauty in his words which told her that not only her bodily health had been completely restored, but her soul had been cleansed of all her sins.

[32:09] I say there's beauty in the words of Christ. That's why people love the word. And on Friday we shall be hearing no doubt how the word of God through the translations of the Trinitarian Bible Society have been penetrating underground.

[32:38] It couldn't be otherwise because the authorities bar the word of God in that land of Russia. But we shall be hearing how the word of God has penetrated into those places and what effect it has had upon the souls of many people, how they have seen the word of God to be what it really is, a power, a truth, and a blessed, unfailing reality.

[33:15] And then there's beauty in his ways. Every way, every method, every kind kind of thing the Lord did, when he was here, there was beauty in it.

[33:34] He touched the leper with his hand. No one else could do it. If you and I were there at that time and we touched that leper, we should have been lepers ourselves.

[33:49] They are untouchable creatures with that terrible disease, but he touched and with that touch there was perfect healing.

[34:05] Leprosy was gone. And so the Lord now, he comes to his people, perhaps he's come to you, and in a great time of anxiety or distress or trouble.

[34:23] Perhaps it's trouble about your sin or your case. You do not feel as if you're breaking through, getting anywhere. You feel that you are still far off from what you would be, where you would be, and it may be that he comes, lays his hand upon you.

[34:46] And there's one thing that you are convinced, and that is this. There's a beauty in him that nothing can compare.

[34:58] As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. Then again, the apple tree was very prolific in its fruit yielding.

[35:21] You could say it was a bountiful tree in the land which this word was written. You could almost depend upon it yielding a real abundant crop year by year of luscious precious fruit.

[35:45] fruit. Now, she compares this to the Lord, her beloved, her bridegroom. And what a real, apt comparison it is, because Christ, his bounty is marvelous, it's wondrous, it's rich, it's never lacking, it's inexhaustible, the bounty of the Lord.

[36:20] There's one thing you will find if you come to deal or have dealings with the Lord, you'll find that he is most wonderfully bountiful and gracious, far more than you expect.

[36:40] You think, well, I do not expect, deserve anything really from him, only his condemnation. I shall recognize my just desert of that, but when he comes and comes over all that and comes directly to your heart and says something and shows his bountiful love to you, what a marvelous thing that is.

[37:17] You remember the parable that the Lord gave when he was here on earth, 15th of Luke, there was a father and a son had gone right away from him, taken all that he had possessed and he had gone out into the world and probably thought, I never returned, I've never been seen again, but he still loved him.

[37:48] And when that son comes back, to his great surprise he has to go over in his mind what he will do, what he will say, he thinks he's not worthy any longer to be a son or to be counted as a son, do you think, would he think he would argue this with himself, is it a possibility that I could be a servant, one of the least?

[38:18] If only I could be somewhere near my father's house, I should be glad enough, dare I hope for anything but a servant's place?

[38:29] when he comes, what does he find? The father doesn't take any notice of his confession when he says, I'm no longer worthy to be thy son, make me as one of thy sons, he says to the servants, bring the best robe and put it on him.

[38:57] bring the fatted calf and kill it and make a feast for him. He's hungry, he needs feeding. That was the father's bounty.

[39:11] And this is comparison with Christ's bountiful love for his people. Now I must close with the first things.

[39:22] do you feel you can say this, compared with Christ, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons, is he an outstanding reality?

[39:41] Do you feel you want him? Do you feel he's the one thing needful to your soul? Do you feel you can never really do without him?

[39:55] If you do, if you never have him, you feel you are utterly, completely lost. Now these are the first things, vital things, precious things, in a soul's experience of life.

[40:18] This is real life, this is spiritual life, and Christ is the object and the centre. May God bring us all to realise the first thing, and compare Christ, and find he is the outstanding glory, and wonder.

[40:48]  Amen. Amen.