Good morning, friends. Let us go ahead and bow our heads and pray. God of heaven, be with our dear friends that are currently just crossed the border and they're back here on US soil. And thank you for your grace. Thank you for your provision, your grace upon their lives. And this mission that we commissioned them to accomplish, Lord, we can now say mission accomplished. Now the manual labor is over, and we pray that the spiritual one commences, Lord, by the renovation of lives, by the growing of the gospel seed that has been planted. May it be nourished, may it flourish well, Lord, to bring you all honor and glory, not just the simple act that we built a house and we gave that away, Lord, but that it's also a metaphor that the house of the gospel, the reign of Christ, your presence in the lives of people, That would be more fruitful, more beneficial. That somehow we would... know the progress of that fruit germinating and growing into a life as followers of Jesus. Be with us today. Be with those who have heavy hearts, those who are away just celebrating Memorial Day, Lord, and a little recreation, vacationing, Lord. Be with them. Bless them. Bless their going out and their coming back, Lord, and Heal our infirmities. Encourage our hearts. Teach us today, Father, that we may listen. Allow your Holy Spirit to convict us of any wrongdoing and lead us, as the Psalter would say in Psalm 139, lead us into the way of everlasting life. All this we pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen and amen. Well, once again, friends, we are diving into the book of the Song of Solomon. And again, if you are uncomfortable by some of the literature that you're reading, you're not alone because I share and I sympathize with some of the discomfort. However, we believe that this is the word of god and the word of god has much to teach us much to speak to us regardless if we feel comfortable or not and so the book of song of solomon is a book that was written about human romance uh human relationship we cannot ignore the text it is what it is however there also is a very real and important lesson beyond the human relational romantic language that we read in the literature. There is a deep and profound and important spiritual truth for our lives that the Lord desires that we would learn and we would glean from and become more like Jesus and understand also God's relationship to us, His desire, His love for us, His intention to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with each one of us. And this is the important reminder of the book of Song of Solomon. We're going to be focusing on chapter 3, verses 6, all the way to chapter 5, verse 1. I have entitled this, How Beautiful You Are, My Love. How Beautiful You Are, My Love. And it's apparent that this type of language is foreign in our 21st century society. We are starving people for affirmation. We probably receive more negativity, more negative comments than we do receive positive affirmations. And this is the beauty of this section of the book, because now, as some scholars have said, you're culminating on the wedding. And I don't know if you've been to a wedding, but usually when you go to a wedding, you don't have a sad face, like if you're mourning, Maybe some people do, but the majority of us, we're excited. We're eager to see the bride walk down the aisle and the euphoria that fills the room with excitement and joy and all of the emotions that a newness of life is about to start. And those are the joys. And so this morning I wanna focus on two verses and then we'll dive into the rest of the chapter to help us unpack. This is, and I'm gonna address this a little bit later, but if you will, these are bookends. on one section of the whole poem. And so I wanna draw your attention to chapter four, verse one, and notice what the text says. Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. Verse seven, you are altogether beautiful, my love. And notice how this bookend closes. There is no flaw in you. If you've ever been in love, there is no flaw in the person you love. There's the expression that says love is blind. Right? And it helps us overcome the indifferences that we have towards other people. And if I can say this in a communal way, this is the importance of God's forgiveness in our lives. Because we're able to oversee our deficiencies as people, and we're able to appreciate the God image that has been given to us when we were created. And so I want to observe very quickly here. You'll have these in your notes and my apologies beforehand. I usually put textual analysis and then I put some applicational points. I didn't see the applicational points on your notes. So you'll have to be a little bit more quick. to write those down if you're a note taker. But let's look at these four analyses that I found within the text and then we'll unpack those and then we'll come back and close off this message with some application. So first of all, notice from verses 6 through 11, notice how Beauty's wedding procession. This is what this part of the text is talking to us about, or what it's describing. And you'll notice some language in here that probably you wouldn't associate with weddings in the 21st century. You would probably think some of this is goofy language, because again, let me remind you, this is 8th century love language. eight centuries before Christ. And so the language there and the associations, like if you called a female, your hair is like the goat of Gilead, you'll probably get slapped. That wouldn't work too well in our 21st century, right? And so it made sense in ancient language and ancient times doesn't quite to work in our 21st century day. But observe very quickly on chapter 3 verse 6, you know, notice how the text starts. What is coming from the wilderness? Okay. The wilderness, like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant. Verse 7, Behold, it is litter of Solomon. Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel, all of them wearing swords and expert in war, each with his sword at his thigh, against terror by night. Verse 9, King Solomon made himself a carriage from the wood of Lebanon. He made its post of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple. Sounds like a pimp mobile. That's what they would say in the ghetto. But but anyways he goes on and and and he goes on he says he made the pulse of silver its Back of gold its seat of purple its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of jerusalem Go out old daughters of zion and look upon king solomon with the crown which His mother crowned on him on the day of his wedding on that day of the gladness of his heart Now, you read this and there's so much to unpack, but let me take a jab at it, and hopefully it'll enrich your understanding of this text. First of all, notice how this masterpiece includes rich allusions that echo from the story that we read in Exodus, okay? Very first word, wilderness. The people lived in the wilderness for 40 years. Okay, so you'll hear this echo. You don't pick it up until you do an analysis of the whole biblical narrative to find out how the word wilderness is a constant theme, even in the New Testament, reminding God's people how he worked through the wilderness of the ancient people and, and mind you, We often use the metaphor for real day living, that we live in a wilderness on our way to the promised land. And the promised land for the believer is the second advent of our Lord, when we will finally make it to the new heavens and earth. So there's a lot going on here. And again, if you believe and you subscribe that this truly was Solomon writing this poetic masterpiece then you can rest assured he was thinking of the exile time as he's scripting the words being inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words that we're now reading today. So that word wilderness. Again, it describes Yahweh's presence with his people in the wilderness for over 40 years. And we see that in Exodus chapter 40 verses 34 through 38, how the cloud covered the tents of meeting, how the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle in all their journey says verse 36 there of chapter 40 in all their journeys wherever they went the presence of the Lord was with them. That's very important. Okay, when you read there in the in the verses that we read back in the book of Solomon here in verse six, you read so coming from the wilderness like columns of smoke perfumed with myrrh and frankincense. Well, you know what? that also has a a deep allusion to old testament why because again when we read of columns of smoke you go back to exodus chapter 14 verses 19 through 20 and verses 24 through 25 and you read about the angel of god being um with them behind them the pillar of cloud that moved and and stood behind the people of god in the wilderness God was present. And those were theophanies. And you would see that it was a cloud by day that would protect them from the sun's, the ray, the heat. But at night, that cloud turned into a pillar of fire that provided light. So you read this, right? You're seeing this in the poetic masterpiece of the Song of Solomon. And then you take the word myrrh and frankincense, right? And those are two, what some scholars called cultic elements of worship. For example, take myrrh. Myrrh was a key element used to create scent in anointing oil. That you read it in Exodus chapter 30 verses 23 through 25. It stipulates there and identifies how myrrh was used in the anointing oil. How about frankincense? Frankincense was spread on offerings for enhancing its aroma. So when you read the book of Leviticus, you often read Your offering should be a pleasant aroma before the Lord. Part of that pleasant aroma was the inclusion of frankincense that was added and sprinkled on the sacrifice and that you read it in Leviticus chapter 2 verses 1 through 2 and verses 15 through 16 of Leviticus chapter 2. that verse seven there of back in the book of solomon litter and carriage there's great this debate among scholars that that that that debate well what is a litter and what is a carriage well you know no one there's no there's no consensus on it common thought is it's just simply a carriage but what was interesting about this carriage that some have um identified as a palanquin right and these were these were were If you will they were if you could think of your car seat Right being put with some poles on the side and it had a little Some poles on each four corners that went vertical up and then it created a roof like So that you were protected from the rays of the Sun and some of those had curtains that was their their modern-day vehicle of ancient times And most likely people who were dignitaries were often carried in these carriages. Whatever that was, something that I found very interesting about the usage here in this part of the Bible is that, again, some of the material that was used to build Solomon's carriage was similar to the type of material that was built in the temple. The cedars of Lebanon. right? Material that was used to decorate the structure of the physical. So I thought that was important. One more thing that I thought that really caught my eye about this part of the scripture was throughout the whole book, there is more references to Solomon's mother and no references at all to the dad. And I thought that was very interesting in the literature itself. I thought it was noteworthy just to probably investigate that further. But I thought that was very, very interesting that the mother is mentioned and not the dad. So I thought that was interesting, especially when we read there in the last part of the text, it said, and he was crowned on his wedding day with a crown by his father. So the question that I ask as a Bible study, as a Bible student is, where was the dad? How come his memory wasn't remembered there? But there was yet another phrase in here that really caught my attention here, and that you find it in verse five. And notice what verse, I'm sorry, you would find it there in verse eight, 3-8 of Psalm Solomon. Notice what it says. It says, all of them were wearing swords, right? So there's 60 men. Some believe these were the elite of the elite. David had about 600 soldier, elite soldiers. So I'm sure Solomon had a lot more. But here we're given 60 mighty men, they were wearing swords, they were experts in war. And notice this militant tone in all of this love language here, right? In verse eight, it says, all of them wearing swords and experts in war, each with his sword at his thigh against terror by night. against terror. When you think about that, what comes to your mind? I know what came to my mind. I quickly went to Psalm chapter 91. He who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, right? And then in Psalm 91 verse five, it says, you will not fear the terror of the night. And notice this incredible connection and language, poetical masterpiece that Solomon is writing in the form of love, in the form of romance, right? Now, I'm not ready to give some application there, but I will say this. Love relationships or healthy relationships in that context should not be fearful. In fact, I would say, in a very firm and positive way, there is a militant dimension to love relationship, especially when relationships must fight to preserve unity, love, the fire of romance, passion, truth, and preserve any relationship. And you're getting that demonstration here. as some would call this, a procession towards a wedding. I mean, who went into the wedding thinking, I think most of us who have been married and have done a ceremony, I think the worst thing that we considered going into the wedding ceremony is what might go wrong. I don't think we went into the ceremony thinking, is this still the right guy or the right woman for me? I think the biggest concerns that we had is, I hope the minister shows up. Right? So, I hope they don't forget the marriage certificate or I hope that musician, I hope nobody faints during the ceremony, right? All of those bad things that can happen. Notice the second thing here. That we find it in chapter 4 verses 1 through 7. Notice the accessories that are described here for us are pinned in beauty's accessories. Notice this, and this is where we get that, what we call in biblical language, the inclusio. If you're a musician, this is the refrain. Okay, as you're reading a music sheet, this is the refrain. If you love to read books, this is the bookend. Notice how the bookend starts. Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are dust behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of the goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. And then, again, just jump down with me again to verse seven. You are altogether beautiful, my love. There is no flaw. That's the back end right there. But notice what is between these two bookends. Notice the careful description that the author took to describe his bride. Notice, let's pick this up in verse one. Your eyes are doves, right? So he's, notice how he's describing her physical appearance, right? Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth in verse two. Your teeth, wow. Okay, you caught me, you won me over with your smile, right? Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young." She wasn't toothless. She was complete. Okay? Again, let's keep reading. Your cheeks, your lips are like the scarlet thread and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of pomegranate behind your veil. Your neck is like the tower. Who talks like this in the 21st century? Nobody. This doesn't make sense to us. But this is love language of the ancient times, right? Your neck is like the Tower of David, built in a rose of stone. On it hang a thousand shields, all of the shields of warriors. Again, hear and listen the militant undertone that is being provided here for us. Again, we don't, we over-feminize love. We make it just about emotions and sensitivity. But love is also a soldier, a warrior, a person who will defend the relationship and guard against those things that would come to steal it and rob it. So guys, stop being a passive and fight for your woman. And woman, stop being so lost in the imaginations that are not reality and fight for your man. I think this is a good call for us, for all of us, again, just to be reminded of this. Now, excuse the language here, but at verse five, your two breasts are like two fawns, two twins of a gazelle that graze amongst the lily until the day that Until the day breathes and the shadows flee once again that language of a fear and those things that lurk in the darkness I will go away to the mountains of myrrh and the hill of frankincense you are all together Beautiful my love there is no flaw in you to help process all everything. I just read um Boyd Luther described it this way, and you'll see it on the screen, it'll pop up, but he wanted to make a point of how we can view the pages of Scripture for our benefit and the appreciation of the physical. Because oftentimes, and this happened with Socrates, and it happened with Plato and Aristotle, where they taught philosophically that the body was evil, only the spirit was good. And this is important because this played into even what we would call in the 20th century, the turn of the holiness movement, where many of us grew up in very legalistic churches that were often very firm on teaching us that the body was evil, that only the spirit was good. and holiness was unto the Lord. And so this all plays into it. And I would say I would go back to Genesis chapter one verse 31 that says everything that God created was so the body is not bad. What we do with the body, there comes the problem. Passions are not wrong, but passions that are misdirected could become a problem. Does that make sense? And so again, notice how this author in his commentary on this part of the passage, he highlights, he gives us several passages where the body is really put front and center and not as a bad thing. as a very positive thing so you'll see right in chapters 4 verses 1 through 7 you see the eyes and the breasts that happen on the context there is the wedding night chapter 5 verses 10 through 16 right you see who is saying it but it includes the head to legs then the lips and this is a second search and then you get into chapter 6 verses 4-9 again Solomon to the Shalemite her eyes to her hair to her teeth to her cheek to other women after he is found and then in chapter 7 verses the first 7 verses you get the description of feet to hair then breast and then the dance as the author would call it of the Mayan name and so again notice this figures of speech And one called it, these are speeches of affirmation. Let me give you a practical thing. If you're in a love relationship with your spouse, when was the last time you affirmed their physical appearance? We often don't. But we need to pause and acknowledge those things, especially in the covenant of marriage. Okay, so let's observe the third thing here. I thought that was very interesting. This second part here is still language of affirmation. But notice, I call this beauty's love language. And this you find in chapter four, verses eight through 11. And again, notice what he says. He says, come with me from Lebanon, my bride. Notice how the language changes here. And I hope you pick this up here. Come with me from Lebanon, my bride. Come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Samir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the lepers. You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride. You have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride. How much better is your love than wine and the fragrance of your oils than any spice? Your lips drip nectar. Boy, that would be another reason to get slapped, right? Your lips drip nectar, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. and then notice this again in verse 12 he goes on to say a garden locked is my sister my bride a spring locked a fountain sealed and in in chapter uh five verse one i came to my garden my sister my bride if you noticed six times In this part of this poem, the word bride is used six times. So that's what we would call in biblical languages or circles, we would call this a motif or a theme, right? Pause for a minute there. Did you know that God often referred to his people as his bride? For example, Jeremiah 2. Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 2. Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Jeremiah 2, 2. Right? God speaking through the prophets. Again, you see this in chapter 3 verses 6 and 8. Although it's militant, it's really acknowledging the wedding date of the bride and the groom again isaiah 49 verse 18 um you can read all the way from from isaiah 49 verses uh 14 through 18 but i'm gonna just read verse 18 lift up your eyes around and see they all gather they come to you as i live declares the lord you shall put them all on as an ornament, you shall bind them on as a bride does. Just like a bride dresses up on her wedding day, so too the bride of God is adorned with ornaments of godliness and holiness that God has dressed her up with. The best part of our dress is what he has given us in his Holy Spirit. Okay, so this is beautiful language. Again, Jeremiah 33, 11. Notice what it says, the voice of myrrh and voices of those who sing as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord of hosts for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever, for I will restore the fortunes of the land at first, says the Lord. And again, um in verse 11 for the voice of myrrh and the voice of gladness the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride again wedding tomes marriage is is being spoken uh throughout scripture finally here at least our last point of this textual analysis you'll notice another thing he switches from bride and notice how beauty is now described in the figurative language as a garden. Notice, beauty's garden, and I call this a real paradise. When you think, I don't know if you've ever been to botanical gardens, but if you've ever been to botanical gardens, they truly are a paradise. the beauty, the greenery, the environment, you get a good sense of that ecosystem. And again, this is where the literature is taking us. Notice here, verses 12 through all the way to verse 1 of chapter 5, a garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed. your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choices fruits henna with nard nard and with saffron calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense and myrrh and aloes with all choice spices verse 15 a garden fountain a well living water and flowing streams from Lebanon and then in verse 16 awake or north wind and come Oh south wind blow upon my garden let its spices flow let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choices fruits right there you're chapter 5 verse 1. I came to my garden my sister my bride and I gathered my myrrh with my spice I ate my honeycomb with my honey I drank my wine with my milk eat notice this goes down to to to others speaking into the relationship of this couple eat friends drink and be drunk with love very quickly here when I thought about garden I Here's what came to my mind as I read this text, right? And again, throughout the whole book of Song of Solomon, the word garden appears eight times. Okay? The word garden appears eight times. But when you read the word garden, you automatically think of Genesis chapter 2, verse 8, all the way to chapter 3, verse 24, which was the Garden of Eden. Secondly, You also have to think of Ezekiel chapter 28 verse 13 and Ezekiel 31 verses 8 through 9 where it's described to us as the garden of God. In Genesis 13 10 and Isaiah 51 3, we read of the garden of Yahweh. But if you notice the text that we just read, what's the first thing that jumped out at you in verse 12? The garden was locked. Okay? That's very significant. The garden was locked. And if you notice that, if you pick that up very quickly in verse 12, jump down with me to verse 16. Because now the garden has been unlocked, not for public use. It was actually unlocked and it was enclosed for exclusive purpose of Solomon. Notice, it's right there. She goes on to say, awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow upon my garden and let its splices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its choices fruit. This is very significant here, okay? Again, I thought that was very interesting that I was reading this, but it quickly took me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 5, verse 15. Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Again, it's exclusive, it's enclosed, it's meant to be private. Um, remember, remember also something that I that I that I that I saw here that reminded me back of, um, of here in verse five, right? Remember that that that she the bride has said, do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. And again, in verse 15, she's calling for the winds to awaken. I thought that was rather significant. Psalm 128 verse three, your wife will be like a fruitful vine. Within your house, your children will be like olive shoots around your table. We don't pick that language up very quickly, but it's very important for us to understand the importance and the significance that others play in our lives. And finally here, the last analysis that I would make out of the text, right, is what the friends said at the end in verse one of chapter five. I came to my garden, my sister, my bride. I gathered my myrrh with my spices. I ate. He engaged. He cleaved, right? The Genesis chapter two, verse 24. For this reason, A man and a woman should leave their mother and father and the two shall cleave and become one flesh. And again, this this speaks to our engagement in a relationship, even in the 21st century, because unfortunately, we have a lot of houses where people are not engaged. They're there physically, but they're not there emotionally and they're not there mentally in a relationship. And again, this speaks to the importance of total engagement with your household. Okay, this is very important as we're reading this literature that we're able to process these thoughts and before we get into the application, which I want to draw your attention to that. So I came up with three things to take away with us this day about all everything I've just said. You're probably confused. You're going to have to watch this video again to kind of make some sense out of it. But here's three things you can take with you for sure. First, the church, not the building, the church is the people that fill the building. Those who have been called by God to enter into a relationship that God has redeemed us through his son, Jesus Christ, right? So the church is also in procession to its wedding. Okay, friends, we don't think of our lives this way, but we too have received the wedding invitation and we too are on journey to that wedding. How so? Well, consider what Revelation 19 verse nine tells us. And the angel said to me, write this, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. Okay? And he said to me, those are true words of God. Consider Revelation 21 verse two. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. These are words to those who have long gone and are with the Lord and they're returning with Him. And we too shall meet them in the air and be with them forevermore. So this is very important, right? Because our lives should be representative of our coming groom. We have the greatest wedding invitation. Let's go fight for your marriage, protect it, nurture it, preserve it with all of God's grace and your lives. Secondly, so not only are we in a wedding procession procession, But the second thing is, real beauty is found in the person and the work of Christ. Real beauty is found in the person and the work of Christ. Romans 13, 14, Paul wrote to the believers in Rome and he said it this way, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Very clear, very simple. Every morning when you put on your right guard and your left guard, Don't forget to put on Christ too. Clothe yourself with Jesus. Let his mind, his truth transform and renovate your mind, right? So this is what Paul is saying there. He says, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. Paul also described it to those that lived in Galatia, right? Galatians 3, 23 through 29. Now therefore, now before faith came, we were held captives under the law, imprisoned until coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came. in order that we might be justified by faith. But now faith has come. We are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you're all sons of God through faith. For many of you were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There's that language again, being clothed, being dressed, our adornments, our ornaments should be those of Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are in Christ, If you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. And I can't help but understand even what Paul told his friends that he loved so dearly that lived in Philippi. In Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 5, notice what he told them His dear friends, he said, so if there's any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, and again, we're Trinitarian. It's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. If there's any, he says, participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord with one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit. but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. The problem with people is that we don't value others the way God desires us to value them. We don't value our authorities, we don't value our pastors, we don't value our community leaders, we don't value the police department, we don't value people and we don't honor them with respect. And here, Paul is speaking to those of the faith family, of those who have been redeemed, and says, put this same mind on your mind. Respect one another, love one another. How does this play out in marriage? I am to respect and honor the woman I love, and she in turn respects and honors me. There is no one-way street relationship. It's a two-way highway. And again, this is what Paul is, do nothing from selfish ambition, but humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you not only look to his own interests, but look to the interest of others. Don't just save yourself. Don't just think of yourself. Think of the other person beside you. And then, if that wasn't enough, look what Paul does here, right before he goes into this Christological hymn. In verse five, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. What is Paul saying there? Basically he's saying, have the same mind of Christ. Think the way Jesus would think. Do what Jesus would do. Buy that little bracelet that says WWDJ, right? What would Jesus do? And again, this is all he's at. So he's asking us to express love to each other. He's asking husband to love and with your words, bless your wife, not demean her. Wives, he's speaking to you for your husband. Bless your husband, don't punish him with your body. We should desire each other because Christ has freed us from the distorted views of others in this world, mainly. That would be some practical advices there. Finally, I would have to say as a third and final point here, only Christ unlocks and encloses beauty's eternal garden. You know, we don't often associate it enough You probably have bought the bumper sticker, probably bought the t-shirt, probably seen it around. The tagline that says, not of this world. Right? Not of this world. And I think that's where I'm driving at with this point. Only Christ can unlock and enclose the beauty's eternal garden. Why? Again, The biblical narrative, the word garden, is often synonymous with the word paradise. Look what happened on the cross when Jesus was crucified. There was two thieves, one to the left and one to the right. One mocked Jesus and the other one said, Jesus, please don't forget about me. And what was Jesus' words in Luke 23, verse 43? And he said to them, truly I say to you, today, today, you will be with me in paradise, right? Even from the Old Testament, Yahweh promised his people that if they would humble themselves and return to him, he would make them like a garden, Isaiah 58, 11. Look what it tells us, and the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places. If you're waiting to have a million dollars to serve God, you're living some illusion. God will not give you a million dollars. So notice this, notice what the text there in Isaiah 58, 11, in scorched places and make your bones strong and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. And if you read that passage in Isaiah 58, he often, he goes and he unpacks a series of things, but none of what he's describing there is in a very plentiful situation, it's always, The repairing, the rebuilding, the invigorating of life is all created where there is nothing, in desolation, in wilderness. In fact, the text even goes on to say, where there is no visitation, there will be streams of living water. How cool is that, right? If you're in a relationship that's struggling, do not wait till you are in court fighting it over in divorce. Come talk to somebody. Give us the honor of helping you and teaching you biblical principles to help you in your life. If you're in a relationship and you just think it's too toxic, come and talk to somebody. You're not alone and I think this is the whole message that's being given even Even we cannot forget the eternal garden of god revelation 2 7 right? And he who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches to the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of god So if Eden was a beautiful place, I cannot even imagine what the garden is in the New Jerusalem gonna look like. And finally, you cannot teach this without ending up in Revelation chapter 22, verses one through five. Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb through the middle of the street of the city. Also on the other side of the river, the tree of life with its 12 kinds of fruits yielding its fruit each month. So I hope there's gonna be some delicious fruit in heaven. But you know what's even incredible? For you people who love tea, Look at this. The leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations. Tea that heals. How cool is that? And notice this, no longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads, and night will be no more. They will need no light, lamp, or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. I hope, my friends, if anything that you're gonna walk out today, that you would walk out affirming one another. And if you're in a covenantal marriage, don't forget to affirm your spouse. But I think for us, contextually, in a redeemed community, we need to appreciate each other a lot more. We need to speak words of affirmation and appreciate those who are serving amongst us, and children, and with men, and with women, and music, and different parts of the ministry here. They don't do it for work. They do it because they love Jesus, and they aspire to make His name famous. Let's pray. Father, once again, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to teach. Thank you for the opportunity to wrestle through your Word. Though it's not easy at times, and although the subject often times it is very repetitious, because we are in need of repetition. We are in need of reminder. We are in need of your truth. We are in need with so much that society bombards with us with the subject of sexuality and sensuality and the skewed, distorted view that the world would have us tend to believe. Your word is counter-cultural. Your word is eternal. Your word is powerful. And your word can teach us and guide us into that which pleases you. Father, spare us. spare us from foolishness and doing things our way. Help us learn and graze from your word and help us learn and grow in wisdom and help us be the people that you have designed us to be. Father, once again, in this whole series of human sexuality, Lord, if we've been hurt, if we've been betrayed, forgive us, Father, and heal us, Lord. And let us experience your love, your mercy, your compassion, Lord. And if we have been perpetrators, Lord God, may we repent and turn from our wrongdoings and return to you, the Lord and the holy God and righteous. And Father, I pray that if somebody is listening to this sermon and they would say, I want this Jesus Christ, the groom, the Lord, the Savior of my life, and I want to experience the joys of this relationship with Him, that they would confess your name, repent of their sins, invoke your name unto salvation, and they shall be saved. And for us, Lord, who have been enjoying this relationship with you, make us strong to the glory and the praise of the Father, through the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.