TEXT
"I am the rose of Sharon".
INTRODUCTION
Roses are the most popular flower on Valentine’s Day. They are an expression of love. Not many people would give a dandelion or a daffodil to their beloved! Just as the rose is a token of earthly love, the rose of Sharon is a token of heavenly love. Jesus is the rose of Sharon. We know that from the first two words of our text - "I am". This is one of the names of God. Jesus is the proof of God’s love for a lost world. Where is Sharon? It is, of course, in Israel. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Carmel mountain range. There are some interesting facts about the rose of Sharon:
1. GERMINATION
There are thousands of roses growing in the Sharon region. How did they get there? Humans didn’t plant them. They have sprung up by themselves. Surely this reminds us of the virgin birth of Jesus. The Holy Ghost planted Him in the womb of Mary, a young virgin from Nazareth. By the way, it is probable that she was only about 15 years old at the time. What’s the lesson?
God uses young people. "Let no man despise thy youth" (1 Timothy 4:12).
2. CONTENTION
Many battles have been fought in the Sharon region down through history. What happened to the roses? They were trampled upon. God’s Son was trampled upon throughout His earthly life, never more so than at Calvary. People are still trampling upon Him today by refusing salvation. But the day will come when God the Father will not permit this to happen any longer. "Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee" (Revelation 3:9).
3. SELECTION
Note the word "the". Jesus is not a rose of Sharon, He is the rose of Sharon. God chose Him to be the Saviour. No one else fitted the bill. The lesson for us is that Jesus is not a Saviour, He is the Saviour. "There is...one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
4. RESURRECTION
The word rose refers to a flower. But it is also the past tense of the verb ’to rise’. Jesus has risen from the dead. The rose rose! He "was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25).
Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!
