“The Value of Christ in Our Lives”
Song of Solomon 3:1-4
By
Dr. Steven G. Cook
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – Song of Solomon 3:1-4
B. The Shulamite in our text “sought for him whom her soul loveth”, and this love manifested itself in her seeking.
C. Let us examine four important words in this text – “She sought him; she found him; she held him; and she brought him”.
II. The Sincerity of Her Seeking
A. The Shulamite “sought him whom her soul loveth, but found him not.”
B. There are many who “Seek” the Lord, but not everyone who seeks Him shall find Him.
C. One must ask themselves “WHY do you seek the Lord?”
D. There is a story in Mark 10:17 of a rich young ruler who sought the Lord in order to find out how he might “inherit eternal life”; yet the story concludes that “he went away sorrowful” – his seeking yielded him no reward.
E. He sought the Lord for all of the wrong reasons!
F. Deut. 4:29-31; Jer. 29:13-14
G. Notice where and when she first sought him – “at night - in her bed”.
H. She did not find him there, so she expanded her search – She searched in the city streets (society); She searched in the broadways (world); She searched among the watchmen (religion).
I. Her beloved could not be found “among a society of unbelievers”- society is made up of those who are dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1)
J. When Mary came to the tomb of Christ they were met by two angels who said, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” (Lk. 24:5).
K. He could not be found in the “broadways of the world” – the world is darkness (John 3:19), and one will not find assistance from the world.
L. He could not be found “among the watchmen” - religious leaders – Sadly, some Christians are unable to help people find the Lord.
M. One will never find the Lord among the sinful streets of society; the darkened broadways of the world; nor among the watchmen of religion.
N. We must seek Him Sincerely with a broken spirit and contrite heart; James 4:8 states, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to thee.”
O. Even those of us who have been born-again must sometimes “seek the Lord” – Like the Shulamite, we too can lose the sweetness of His fellowship.
P. The psalmist David gives us 3 Reasons Believers May Need to Seek Him –
1. Reproach – (Ps. 119:40-49)
2. Oppression – (Ps. 119:131-139)
3. Waywardness – (Ps. 119:174-176)
Q. What is the Solution? Read – Psalm 120; 121
R. Continual looking unto the Lord in prayer and meditation of His Word is still the BEST REMEDY for the “sin-sick saint; the reproached and the oppressed saint”!
III. The Fondness of Her Finding
A. Finally, when the Shulamite had come to the end of herself and had exhausted all men and means of searching, she found him.
B. The Lord desires to be found, but only when we search with a broken spirit and contrite heart.
C. Notice – “It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth…” (3:4)
D. Let us see the “fondness of her finding him whom her soul loveth.”
E. There are times in our lives that we sincerely seek for some thing that we deem valuable – but after a while, we discard it as a mere trinket.
F. The most valuable possession in a person’s life is the Lord Jesus Christ!
G. The “Finding of Christ” ought to be cherished more than anything.
H. Let us examine how she manifested “The Fondness of Her Finding”.
IV. The Holiness of Her Holding
A. Notice the phrase – “I held him, and would not let him go!”
B. The Shulamite was so overjoyed with her finding of her beloved that she grabbed him tightly declared that she would not let him go.
C. Can you see the VALUE of her beloved?
D. How do you VALUE the Lord? There are many implications we can infer:
1. We “Hold Him” by giving Him the preeminence He deserves
2. We “Hold Him” by placing Him on the throne of our hearts
3. We “Hold Him” by renouncing all manners of evil
4. We “Hold Him” by having no other idols before Him
5. We “Hold Him” by prayer, reading His Word, assembling ourselves
6. We “Hold Him” by confessing our sins daily
7. We “Hold Him” by being doers of Word; not hearers only
E. The Lord is easy to hold because He desires to be constrained.
V. The Burden of Her Bringing
A. Lastly, the Shulamite declares, “I brought him into my mother’s house, and the chamber of her that conceived me.”
B. It is only natural for we who value the Lord to desire to share Him.
C. The Shulamite brought her beloved to her mother’s house – to FAMILY!
D. Every child of God ought to be “Burdened to Bring Christ” to others!
E. Wives, Husbands, Children – Have YOU brought Jesus home?
F. When is the last time YOU felt compelled to introduce Christ to someone?
G. If YOU value Christ – then how can YOU resist the opportunity?
H. There are many ways to bring Christ home – walk & talk
I. Sometimes our actions speak so loudly that people cannot hear what we are saying!
J. Read - 1 Peter 2:11-3:15
K. May God help us to Value Christ as did the Shulamite value her beloved –
She Sought Him; Found Him; Held Him; & Brought Him!
