Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. This is the Lamp and Light broadcast coming to you from Central Baptist Church in beautiful Ocala, Florida. Lamp and Light is a ministry that takes a book of the Bible, verse by verse, teaching it as it is, to men as they are, without compromise or apology. while at the same time speaking the truth in love, giving the lamp and light to all. Yesterday in our study of Song of Solomon chapter 5, we were taught that we need to respond to God in His time to fulfill His will. Let's continue with that thought today. And now, here is our teacher and radio pastor, Dr. Andy Bloom. Oh, my friend, don't ever allow the cross and the resurrection become only a fact, a cold fact, that no longer warms your heart and stirs it to a loving service." She saw the hand. She went back to Calvary. Her heart and her mind went back to the place where her penalty was paid And her heart was stirred. Oh My friend go back to the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ so in verses 5 and 6 he said She said I rose up to open to my beloved and my hands dropped with myrrh and my fingers was sweet smelling myrrh On the handles of the lock. Oh, she got herself ready. Sounds good And then she says, I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone. My soul felled when he spake. I sought him, but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave no answer. You see, she was going to respond to God in her time instead of God's time. You see, it still must be God's will, God's way. And don't forget this last part, in God's time. Too often, we're trying to dictate to God the time. My friend, never, never, never try to dictate to God what is to be done. She opens the door, and alas, it's too late. He has now left. He has ascended on high. She has the right things for the sweet-smelling sacrifice. But it's too late. She had locked the doors to her heart when he had stood there and knocked. He came at a specific time. Oh, we miss out on so much when we lock him out and do not respond in his time. When we make life according to our time, that's why Many people, they're not in church on Sunday night. Some churches don't even have church on Sunday night. Isn't it interesting? The first local church service was on a Sunday night, and Thomas didn't show up, and oh, he missed Jesus. We may find that it's too late to fulfill the call if we don't respond when he calls. He still loves us. And as she, you can still send a message to him and tell the watchman, the keepers, that is the unsaved. And you can call the daughters of Jerusalem, that is the saved, about the greatness of your beloved. Too often we turn in regret of the consequences of our sin. You see, God forgives and He cleanses, but He cannot change the fact that we did the sin. He can cleanse us and He can remove it, but He cannot remove the experience. It happened, and now it's too late. Don't let that be our testimony. Well, the myrrh was also a spice used in that day for burial spices. Her answer to God's call is now past. Somewhat like saved, so as by fire. But why open now? Titus and the Roman armies surround Jerusalem. and her destruction, her smiting is soon. And so verse 7 says, the watchmen that went about the city found me. They smote me. They wounded me. The keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. What she was unwilling to give up to follow Christ will now destroy her. Jerusalem will be laid flat. And it was in A.D. 70. They smote her. She is wounded and taken away. Israel is no longer a nation, but all he that not. and left. He is coming back again for her. You know, they took away her veil, and the veil was so important in that day, in that the women would wear that, the virgin would wear that. And so it was very important in that part of the world. Well, the veil was removed from Israel. that I'll tell us as a local church to be careful. Be careful. The virgin is defiled by the world of whom she chose to compromise with in order to rest in her life's walk. But her compromise is also rebellion against God. So he leaves her to face them. and they remove her purity and dignity. They corrupt her Bible, her worship, her home, and her thinking. My friend, We've got to be so, so careful. The same can happen to us. And so verse 8, I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick of love. She has not lost hope because she knows the future promise of the restoration of Israel. Now, there are two kinds of love sickness. There's the kind in which a Christian is fully transported into the presence of the Lord in prayer and meditation to His Word, elated and at the same time melted with the tenderness of the Holy One, with all His grace. And you just don't want to end. Yes, he will fully forgive, and he will restore Israel according to the promises of his word. But then there's that soul which is sick and miserable, and it's not as a result of too much of Christ. Rather, he has not enough conscious awareness of his presence. There is no manifestation of Christ in their heart. There's only His presence. You see, there's no delight in His Word. There's no delight in singing the praises of Him. There's no peace and joy. They've wandered far. And there is that sin that separates them. Oh, he longs for it. He longs for that fellowship with us, but their attention to self, our attention to self, has caused us to put off the coat and the shoes of his provision. The next thing that happens, this happened to local churches all across this country in the hearts and lives of many Christians. We put off the coat and the shoes, then we lose the heart to do it. Oh, we love him. We still want him. But oh, the sorrow of not walking with him, that you no longer hear his voice. You can't discern his voice. And your own self seeks fleshly fulfillment. The result is your flesh holds you as a drug. We may not say it, but there's no longer a joy in going to God's house. nor in hearing God's word. Nor is there joy in righteousness because we stubbornly hold on to that, which makes us miss the sweetness of the relationship that we had with the one who loves us the most. My friend, do you really want to go in empty-handed, having abandoned the call of God for your own selfish ways? Is Philippians chapter 1 verses 21 through 23 something that is our desire? For to me, to live is Christ, and to die His gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose I want not, for I ministrate betwixt two. Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, and listen to this, which is far better. Oh, it's so much better to be with Jesus Christ. This is like the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 that left. Now understand, the Bible says they left. They didn't lose it. They left their first love. Well, the lady of Artax yearns now for renewed fellowship. Her heart is, purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. My friend, are you sick of love? You might say, are we love sick? Are we love sick? It is so important. that the lovesickness is from the joy of the relationship with Christ, filled with the joy and the peace of God regardless of our circumstances, so that it just doesn't seem like we can get enough of Christ. Or has your flesh, your worldliness, your sin separated you from that? Is our lovesickness from starving and straying from him, starving our spirit by not partaking of the Word of God and being faithful, and then straying from him. His voice is no longer heard in tones of love and assurance. This is your radio pastor, Pastor Andy Bloom, saying, may the Word of God be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway today. We want to thank you for listening to the Lamp and Light broadcast. If you would like a CD or cassette tape of today's message by Dr. Bloom, send us your name, mailing address, the radio station by which you are listening, the date of the broadcast, and a gift of $5 to Lamp and Light Broadcast, 1714 Southeast 36th Avenue, Ocala, Florida, 34471. We also welcome your comments on the broadcast and Bible questions. Again, you may write us at the same address which is 1714 Southeast 36th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471 You may also visit us on the web at www.centralsbaptistocalla.org. No breaks. click Sermon Library. Again, that web address is www.centralbaptistocla.org with no breaks. This is your announcer, Jerry Banks, saying, May God's peace be with all that are in Christ Jesus.