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Today we are continuing our journey in the book of song of Solomon. We began that some two weeks ago. This is our third sermon in this series.

This is a picture of Brighton pier, it's a very special place in my memory, in my heart because it was 17, 18 years ago at Brighton, this little town in England where I proposed to my wife. It's a, it's a quaint little town and it was in a small cafe, we were having lunch and I proposed to her. Now I can't remember exactly what I said that day, I checked with my wife, I thought she might remember, she said no, I don't remember a single word you said, but she was very clear, she made it very clear that I was the one who proposed and not the other way round. I can't remember the exact words used, but I think in summary, in essence, I said something like this, Winnie maybe we should get married. That's not very cool, that's not  very romantic aah, but that's the kind of guy I am, practical guy, I think we should get married.

Well, I think Solomon is a far more romantic guy, guy than I am. In chapter 2 of the song of Solomon, I believe Solomon is asking for the hand of marriage from the Shulamite. He said to her, Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, he says this in verse 10, he says this in verse 13 of chapter 2.  And so we come to this marriage proposal, seen in the song of Solomon. Last week, we saw that the Shulamite was absolutely mesmerised by Solomon. She's head over heels, she is crazy in love with him and today we see a special meeting, not just an ordinary one, but a special one in which King Solomon proposes to the Shulamite. So we're going to look at this proposal scene, this scene whereby they are going to come together in marriage, soon and going to discover what this means for your life and my life.

So we are just going to run through the story, imagine a couple of lovebirds at Brighton Pier cafe talking to each other, alright in a romantic way. So let's begin. She says, the voice of my beloved, behold he comes. Now you must remember this is in the context of how Solomon is writing, she's dreaming about him, right she was thinking, longing, desiring, fantasising about Solomon. So she, she says oh, I love him and he tells me he loves me and and so on and so forth, suddenly as it were, she's interrupted from her thoughts and dreams with the voice of her beloved. Solomon is here,  the voice of my beloved, behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.  He will be coming round the mountain when he comes, and that's what he's doing, he is coming with a spring in his steps. There's enthusiasm, there's excitement, there's anticipation in what he's doing and she says he's like a gazelle or a young stag.

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Recently I saw a video of some, a pack of deer jump and leap and it's amazing how graceful and how powerful they look and I think she draws the imagery from that describing the majesty and beauty and poise of a coming King. Behold there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. So it is so fast, she heard his voice and the next thing you, you see, is that he's peering through the windows, looking at her, calling out to her, and and that's what he said, my beloved speaks and says to me, arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. This is where I, I hear a Michael Buble come fly with me, come fly and so he's saying, come with me, come with me and this adventure of love and then he adds on, he's very eloquent, he doesn't say this, and stop there, he goes on to say, look at look at everything around you, behold look, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, the voice of the turtledove is seen in our land, the fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom, they give forth fragrance.

So he says everything is right and ready. It's springtime, it's time for us to get to the next stage and so, he says, once more arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. Well, will she come? Maybe he senses a little bit of hesitation in her, maybe she is shy, maybe she's not so sure at this point, so Solomon pushes on, presses on and he goes on to say, oh my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.

So he is picturing her like a dove, like a bird hiding in the cleft, shy not willing to come out as yet. You know how it is right, when you see birds, they don't fly out and you see them, they hide. They are shy and he says, don't be shy, your voice is lovely, your face is lovely, so come with me. I think that worked, she, she was more than willing to say yes to her beloved King and so she said, catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.

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So she agrees, yeah our vineyards are in blossom, it's, it's time to take it to the next stage. But she also recognises that from now till then, their marriage, there might be threats that may endanger their love and their relationship. She pictures them these threats as little foxes. Now foxes are known to dig holes and to eat up the vines and to eat up the grapes.  In fact I read that in somewhere in Australia they found foxes, once they die and when they cut open the foxes, the tummy full of grapes, yah they eat meat, but they also eat grapes. So she says there are foxes that may come, small but they are very dangerous. So Solomon, we are going to the next stage and there maybe threats, there may be dangers, so be sure to watch out for these threats and dangers, catch the little foxes and then she says, but then my beloved is mine, and I am his.

In short, she is, he is saying, will you marry me and the Shulamite is saying, I will. Now, Solomon wrote it in the 6, 10 over verses, but in summary, that's what it is all about,he's so beautiful, he's so graceful, he grazes among the lilies like a deer, like the gazelles. Then the next thing might look a little strange to you. If she said yes, then why did she say, turn my beloved, why did she say, go, my beloved, so this is what she said in verse 17, until the day breathes and the shadows flee, probably referring to evening time, until that time, whilst it is still bright and still visible, turn go, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains, go quickly and so so why did she say go if she was willing to say yes. Aah you see she is describing and Solomon is describing, what is very commonly known in those days- their ancient weddings.

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Now today our weddings are similar and also not so similar to what happened in the past, but the weddings in the Bible, if you really look through from Genesis onwards, they are pretty consistent. Their weddings consists of three essential elements alright. The first thing is a contract. This is a covenant, this is the process of betrothal. So a, a couple and their families are two families will come into a kind of a contract or covenant to agree in this marriage. So the groom will ask for her hand, the father of the bride might say yes, might say no, but if he should say yes, then there will be an exchange or there will be an agreement of a dowry or a bride price. So that is a contract, that is the betrothal.

Now this bride price idea is very commonly known today in Jacob and Laban, remember that? Jacob loved Rachel and asked Laban for the hand of marriage of Rachel. Laban says wait a minute, you want to marry her, this is the bride price, you work for me for seven years. Of course he cheated him, Laban cheated Jacob and after seven years of service, didn't give Rachel to him, but gave Leah. Now Jacob buay kum guan (Hokkien: reluctant) would you cheat me like that, but I still want your Rachel, so what to do. Well another bride price, another dowry, work for another seven years, so that is the dowry, that's the bride price, that's the betrothal process. It's only after seven years actually that Jacob could be with Rachel in the real sense.

So this betrothal process, however, in the Bible in those ancient days are very binding, in other words, they are legal. Today we have engagement right, some of you have gone through engagements before. So engage, what is it in modern day context, engagement means you say to one another, I'm definitely marrying you.

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Wo jia ding ni, Wo qu ding ni, I'm definitely marrying you, but before that, before that day, when we can have our ceremony and our dinner, let's just commit to each other, that's engagement. But the problem with engagement today is that it is not binding right? You can break that engagement and probably have no consequence, at least before the eyes of the law. But in those days, a betrothal, a contract, a covenant is binding because if someone, one of them or the lady in particular is found to be impure or found to be adulterous during that period of betrothal, what happens to her? Deuteronomy tells us she will be stoned to death. Now you see, they have not consummated their marriage but that doesn't matter, the contract is already binding.

So the first stage of marriage is this contract, covenant, betrothal. It is binding, but they can't consummate the marriage because what happens now is after the agreement is made, the bridegroom comes, would you marry me, would you give your daughter to me in marriage? Sure, this is the bride price. Alright this is all agreed.

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The next thing this bridegroom would have to do is go back home. He goes back to his father's house, generally in those days not like condo today, you can go back home and build another room. You can build an annex, an extension and this will be the place where you and your future wife will stay. Now, Singapore, you can't do that you, you have to buy HDB flat somewhere else. But you can build an extension there and this will take typically six months to a year to prepare. So the bridegroom will go back to his father's house, prepare the place. And when it is all done and ready, he comes back for his bride. Now this time he comes back with his entourage, comes back to the part with his Xiong Di, you know, the brothers, all dressed in black, cool guys, go take photo and it and he comes in his Mercedes-Benz, he goes to the bride's house and the bride gets herself ready.

Today is the same thing right, the bride dresses herself in a wedding gown, put on her makeup, beautifully adorned and her Jie Mei also waiting there, her sisters are waiting there, the maidens are waiting there. So when the, when the bridegroom comes, the sisters go and receive. That's why you have the parable of the 10 virgins, who are ready for the bridegroom. So anyway, this is the custom, the bridegroom comes, meets with her. From there they will proceed to the second element of their wedding or their marriage and that is the consummation. So in those days, this consummation is really sometime after the betrothal.

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So that's why you read Joseph and Mary, in the Bible, they were betrothed as spouse to each other but they had not had any intimate relationship as yet, because of this process. So after the consummation of marriage comes the celebration, the celebration here refers to the feast. They will have a wedding feast where the wedding guests are furnished with special robes. So you get the parable of the wedding feast where each of the guest has to have a special robe. So in that feast they would celebrate this marriage, and typically it last for seven days, wah thankfully not in Singapore, seven days hotel dinner you cham (hokkien: in a difficult situation) , I think you have a big loan that you owe to the hotel, but in those days it's 7 days.

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So when you read of this Shulamite saying to him turn, go back, she's not rejecting him, saying, alright, go quickly and come back quickly, we are getting married. So, while he goes back, of course she will be here waiting for him and she begins to long for him and Solomon depicts her longing in a poetic dream. This is where she dreams of Solomon in chapter 3 on my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. I will rise now and go about the city in the streets and in the squares, I  will seek him whom my soul loves. So the dream as it were, poetic dream, brings her to a city, not in the garden, but the city and as she walks through the streets and in the squares, she looks for him, but she couldn't find him and then she met with some watchmen, you would hear about the watchmen later on in the song. But here they are people who are patrolling the streets at night to ensure the safety of the town or city.

So she asked, have you seen him whom my soul loves, and they couldn't tell her where and scarcely had I passed them, when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I brought him into my mother's house and into the chamber of her who conceived me. She's she's looking forward to that time where she could truly be one with him, but she also says I adjure you O, daughters of Jerusalem by the gazelles or the does of the field that you do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. I have the desire, but I would satisfy that desire until that day comes. So this is the marriage proposal and what happens after that.

So you say what is this all about. How does this apply to my life. Let me just give you very simple points first practical things not deep theology about some of you young men here who are of marriageable age. Some of you young men you might have dated someone, she's sitting right beside you right there and the girl might be looking at you and you say we've been together for so long, isn't it time to be married, the lady asked, but the guy must be wondering, must be thinking, yah but maybe I wait for you to make the move first lah.

Now, let me tell you, for a girl that is that is, that is no, no. My, my wife, she, she, she might remember anything I said that day but she's very clear right up to today, she did not propose to me, I proposed to her and I think it's proper for the guys to do so. After all, your called to be the leader of the household, the head of the family, so take the initiative.

Several years ago in this church, I spoke to some of the young adults, the girls, the ladies, I mean we are talking about finding girlfriend, boyfriend, marriage and so on and one of the comments the young adult ladies say to me, is that the Gospel Light guys are so nuah, nuah means so passive, so soft, they, they don't move, they, they don't approach anyone of us, so we are all standing there, waiting. Well, let it not be said of you alright, in, in, in courtship, or in proposal.

But then again, we also learned that it is proper, after that man has decided or the couple has decided for marriage I think we learned that it is proper to prepare for married life together, whether financially, logistically or spiritually to prepare in marriage preparation in, in getting a job. I think it's proper to provide and to prepare.

But lastly, I also want to say, that it's also vitally important according to the Scripture, that there will be purity before marriage. Engagement is not an excuse for you to engage in premarital relationships. So these are the various things I think are very obvious, but that's not where I want to go because I think this song of Solomon is not just talking about the love between a man and a woman. It celebrates that, but it's deeper than that.

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I think the song of Solomon, reminds us of a greater marriage, the marriage between Christ and his bride and this is not what I came up with, this betrothal process that depicts the relationship between Christ and the church. Apostle Paul tells us about it, Apostle Paul tells us that we are like a bride, the church is like a bride that we are betrothed to our groom and he is coming back for us one day.

2Corinthians 11 tells us, for I feel a divine jealousy for you since, I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. So Paul is speaking of like a spiritual father, he's the pastor of this church, he's a spiritual father of this church and he says as a spiritual father, I am jealous to present you, my dear one, this church, as a beautiful bride, pure and chaste for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is our betrothed groom, the church's betrothed groom. Now in that betrothal process that must be a price right, there must be a dowry, a bride price, so what did Jesus have to pay, does the Bible tell you that, yah, it does. Ephesians chapter 5, that passage that is about the husband-wife paralleling the Jesus-bride or Jesus-church relationship, it says husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

So what is the dowry, what's the bride price, nothing less than his own life, his blood, this is what he had to give in order to secure the bride, the church. Now, after the betrothal, the covenant, the contract is settled, what does the groom do. O.K. shall we restart? now what does the groom do, after that settled betrothal price and so on. What's the next thing he does, he goes back, he goes back to his father's house and builds an annex, so that he can receive his bride right and that's why in John 14 you have that alluded to, when Jesus says in my father's house, there are many rooms. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

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So our bridegroom after he paid that bride price on the cross, leaves us, not for good, but like that Shulamite who says go, because come back quickly to receive us. Go prepare the place, but we know you will be back for us one day and when he comes back for his church, then there is a beautiful consummation, that joy and delight with Christ in that spiritual oneness and then there will be that celebration henceforth forevermore when it says let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.

This marriage motif through the Scriptures, Revelation 19:9, the same thing, we have the marriage supper of the Lamb, in the very last few chapters, last two chapters in the book of Revelation, we have John saying and I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and then finally, in verse 9, come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

So let me ask you, have you ever thought about God's relationship with us in such intimacy? See, this is the richness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the depth and the beauty and the multifaceted wonders of salvation. You say, what do you mean multifaceted, you see God's salvation of mankind can be described as justification. Justification is set in the context of a court where a judge pronounces you guiltless, innocent, righteous, and that's what Jesus, that's what the gospel brings to us, we stand before God, guiltless, righteous, because Jesus took on our sin. That's beautiful, but that's just one of the many dimensions.

The Bible also speaks about salvation like redemption. You know what's redemption? Today, you will redeem your prize, you give a coupon you get something but redemption in those days refer to someone who is rich, who pays a heavy price to set a slave free. That's what Jesus did for us, He paid a heavy price to set slaves to sin free to worship God, that's salvation, redemption.

Another idea about salvation is adoption, you say what's adoption, very simple. Previously we are not part of God's family, but because of what Jesus did, we are now adopted into God's family, we are now the children of God. Amazing! Sinners, now the children of God, the heirs and coheirs with Christ.

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Oh, but then today, we learn another dimension, his salvation, brings us into the intimate communion with Him as husband and wife. Wow, this is the story of the Bible, that the son has come to win his bride. So, John Piper probably puts it much better, more succinct than I have done, when he says

Jesus is not just a king. He is a betrothed King and engaged King and soon he will be a married King this betrothed bride is the people of God, people who trust Him, elect from every race and nation, the church He came, the first time, 2000 years ago to die for his bride, to pay a dowry as it were, with his own blood and he will come a second time, the second coming of Christ, you say, what is all about, terror and judgment, yah but as well a great time of joy, when he marries her and takes us, his church into the gardens and the chambers of his love and joy, forever. This is what thrills my heart as I look at song of Solomon, Christ, my bridegroom our bridegroom.

So what does this mean to you and me, so alright song of Solomon celebrates love between a man and a woman, a picture of Christ and our betrothal and ultimate marriage, but what's its implication for you and me today? I say to you, number one, the Bible tells us that we should remain pure for Jesus, I mean that's what Paul says, he says this is my ministry, this is what I'm here to do, I'm jealous over you, I'm carefully guarding over you, so that you will remain pure to Christ.

So what do you mean by being impure? Well in those days, adultery will be stoning to death, will be punished by stoning to death, it's severe. So Paul, what do you mean when you say you want to present the church as a pure virgin. He applies this in this regard, he says,

I'm afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, this is verse 3 and later on we look at verse 4- it's a continuous flow of thoughts, he says, I want to present you as a virgin pure and the threat to that purity, is that you will be deceived by the serpent,  by Satan and your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

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Thoughts, Satan loves to work here. So often we watch Hollywood and the TVB drama serials and we think devils, demons like to scare you. No, they like to deceive you, not scare you, they deceive you from the sincere and pure devotion to Christ. How? For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit, from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

I'm concerned about you guys, Corinthians because you are so loose in accepting preachers and teachers, you are so loose in believing teachings as long as someone says, I believe Jesus, as long as someone says, I believe the gospel, you don't really check what they mean by Jesus and gospel, as long as they have the labels you take them. And so Paul says I'm scared because you will readily believe another man or another saviour who is given the same name Jesus, actually totally different but you don't seem to care.

So what does it mean for you to remain pure? It means you be careful, discerning about the kind of teachings you receive, isn't it. I mean that's what pastoral ministry should be all about, faithfully preaching the true Jesus of the Bible, faithfully teaching the true gospel of the Bible. Doesn't matter if people like it or not, that's the true Jesus and that's what we preach.

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But the problem is that man sometimes can have, itchy ears as we have many times said, talked about in this church and we go after another Jesus. We are comforted with the fact that oh, that's called a church, that, that should be fine. We are deluded to think oh, he's an ordained pastor, that should be fine. But don't you realise that if he preaches another gospel and another Jesus, it's Satan at work? I mean Satan is not going to say, I am against Christianity and say you still come and believe. No the  Christians would know better than that, he deceives you with false labels.

One of our brothers here likes to crack jokes and he often say to people who say Punggol is very far, you know the comments here right, we are going to Punggol, it's in the Northeast, many of you stay in the West, in the South, in Jurong.  Wah, Punggol very far, the brother would say, it's better than to be far from the Word of God right. His point is that, physically it may be far, for us to travel, but it's certainly better for us, than to be far from the true teachings of the Bible.

Now, I'm not saying Gospel Light is the only true church, God forbid, no, no, no, please don't get me wrong. But please, don't follow teachers and go to churches, where it is simply convenient. When you say it should be okay lah, they are also called church, he is also called pastor, they also say Jesus. No there's a big difference, according to apostle Paul and Satan is at work.

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So what does it mean to remain pure, I think it requires that the Berean spirit to check the Scriptures, and be sure that we follow and hear the true Jesus and gospel.

But what else does it mean to be chaste and pure? Well, Ephesians 5 tells us that God's desire is that his people, the church will be in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. I think it is God's will that the church would be a holy people. I think this is what it means when we say we believe our bridegroom is coming. You know if a if a lady who is betrothed, lives loosely, she sleeps around, you know what I think she doesn't care about the bridegroom's coming, right, if she cared, she wouldn't do that. And if the church, and if you are serious and you really believe our Saviour is coming, you will have this desire to live a pure and holy live.  Pastor, how can I live a pure and holy life? The Bible says, Christ cleanses us by the washing of water with the Word. I will live a Word filled life. I will be diligent to search the Scriptures, I'll be diligent to study the Word of God, I will be diligent not just to know, but to apply it to my life. I will want to obey the Bible in the power of the Holy Spirit because I want to keep myself pure.

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As John would say and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself. Why, because my bridegroom is pure. So you will not take holiness lightly, you will pursue sanctification in your life, you want to be less and less like the world and more and more like Jesus. Why, because you believe he's coming back again.

Do you believe he's coming back for you? This is what is spoken of by the Shulamite when she says, the little foxes. Now before you come back, catch the little foxes first because they may be little, little things that compromise our love.

Hudson Taylor seizes upon that and he says

The enemies may be small, the enemies to our love relationship with God maybe small but the mischief done is great. These little foxes they are extremely destructive and how numerous the little foxes are, little compromises with the world, disobedience to the still small voice in little things, little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty and the beauty and the fruitfulness of the vine, that love, that fruit of love will be sacrificed.

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So it might be a little pornography for you, it might be a little unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart, it might be a little covetousness, just wanting to hit that next level in your career, in that, at the expense of everything else, a little slipping here, a little slipping there, a little hardening of heart and it might just spoil the vine. So the Christian is serious about his sanctification, and he deals with the little foxes in his life.

Let me say this, if you believe Jesus is coming again you will have excitement, you will have joy. I mean, I just think that this one verse communicates that, that excitement and anticipation, last few verses in the entire Bible alright. When he says, he who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming soon. I know you say 2000 years already leh, but in the light of eternity he's coming soon and then the cry of the church, the cry of the people of God is, please don't come, I still want to enjoy my, my pornography here. Please don't come, I love this world too much.

No, the message, the posture, the longing of the people of God is yes, Lord come, we desire you, it's like the bride, I mean it makes no sense for the bride to say you want to come, please wait, wait, wait, wait, I still want to, I want to do other things, don't come so soon, please, I don't like you. Well the bride longs for the return of the bridegroom, this is a joy, this is an excitement, she can't wait to be with Solomon face-to-face.

I can't wait to be with my Savior, I mean none of us could even imagine what that day will be like. None of us could fathom what the eternity will be like, but then deep in our hearts we know, it will be wonderful. And I want to say to some of you today who are going through pains and trials and difficulties. It's terrible, what you go through today is painful. No one wants to minimise that and should minimise the pain, but when you compare it to the incomparable glory and joy that is to come, then you will say with apostle Paul, this momentary and light affliction, works for me a greater weight of glory, this glory swallows up our misery. This glory swallows up all the pains, it's still there, but there's a greater joy that awaits us and I pray that would be true for you.

Some of you here are single, meaning, you're not married, you have no husband, you have no wife, you have no girlfriend, no boyfriend. Pastor, you preach song of Solomon very depressing, especially last week, you talked about romance and I look at the left and right no one to romance. I romance, no one romance me. The only romance I have is the book of Romans and he says its terrible. Now, by the way marriage is a beautiful thing, according to the Bible, to be celebrated and rejoiced in, but singleness is also beautiful in the Bible, there is nothing inferior in singleness. But if you say, I can't experience that joy in a marital relationship, I say to you hey, it's alright, because one day we will all be married to the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no marriage here on earth, that ever comes close to the joy and delight we will experience in time to come. So it's okay, wait a while and when the marriage takes place, you will rejoice with exceeding joy.

My friends, lastly I want to say to you, if you have not come to know Jesus,  Jesus is like King Solomon, who has come to woo your heart. Maybe through your friends, maybe when we were little they were they were teachers you had who were Christians who shared with you about the love of God, maybe on your own you have read the Bible, do you know that via preachers, friends,  relatives, reading of the Bible, it is Jesus calling out to you and he's saying come, it's springtime, winter is over, don't live in the darkness of sin anymore, come to the aroma and the beauty and the blossoming beauty of spring and spring is being with Christ.

So he calls you come, come away from your sin, come away from trying to earn your way to salvation, come to me. You see, I have shown you my love when I died on the cross, will you come? Christianity is coming to Jesus, it's as simple as that. Christianity is about your lover, the lover of your soul, saying arise my beautiful one, and come away with me.

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Let's bow for a word of prayer together. The greatest love story today is the love story of the entire Bible. The Bible speaks of God's salvation's plan. Yes, there is justification, yes, there is redemption, yes, there is adoption, but here is that beautiful consummation, that we look for, that glorious reality, when a church will be joined with Christ as one. I don't think there's a deeper and more profound way to describe and illustrate this oneness and this is given to us in the song of songs.

Sinners, all of us are sinners by the way, sinners, you are dark, you are black, you're like the Shulamite. You look at yourself and you say there's nothing desirable in me, but you know what God sees beauty in you. Amazingly, and he loves you and he came for you and he is saying to you repent of your sins, turn from your sins and believe in me. Look at my love for you, I died on the cross to save you from your sins, won't you turn and believe, won't you accept my love?

Friends, I just want to say come to Jesus, it's springtime, the birds are singing, flowers are in bloom, there is a beautiful aroma all around us. This is love, not just some syrupy sweet, sweet nothings, but it's a strong love where his life was laid. Maybe this morning, you have lost your first love, because you have allowed little foxes to spoil the vine, would you catch those foxes in your life, would you get into a community group to help you get out of the addiction from sin and pornography and bitterness and covetousness. Would you purify yourself, even as he's pure.

Maybe some of you today are facing extreme difficulties, you have been waiting and longing for God to turn your whole situation around. Maybe God will and to God be the  glory, if he does. But maybe God won't, still to God be the glory, if he doesn't. Why because he's working something far better for you, but this is what I know, this is what the Bible teaches, all these sufferings, sorrows and pains would disappear one day, he will wipe away all tears and there will be joy and exultation forever more.

With this hope steadying your heart, may this be the anchor for your soul. Whatever the Lord is saying to you today, would you convert that to prayer before him, take this time of quietness of your heart, pray, thank, repent, obey.

I just want to say it once more, friends you have known the Bible, you have known the gospel, you've heard it said to you, so many times, why won't you come? Shy like that dove in the cleft of the rock? Well, come, he knows you fully and he doesn't despise you, he loves you, come to Jesus. Father we thank you today, for Your Word. Bless each heart and may we respond in faith, in obedience towards you, we praise you again for the amazing story in the book of song. But beyond that the amazing story in the whole Bible. Thank you for your love, bless each heart, we pray in Jesus Name, Amen.

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