Well, if you can turn with me please to Song of Solomon and the chapter two. And just while you're turning up that chapter, can I thank your minister for the very kind invitation to come and minister at your harvest services this year. I have many fond memories of my time here in Lisbon. And it's good to renew fellowship with the saints here once again. And we also thank you for sending the young people over to Gardenstown in the summer. We had a blessed time. It was a great boost to the local economy. The young people had that much food that the farmers were working overtime. I was thinking as we're sat here for the harvest today, the only food that'll be safe will be the fruit and veg. I bought a load of fruit and veg for the young people at their house, and it was still there whenever they left. All the sweet stuff was gone, but the fruit and veg was still left. But we, in all seriousness, we had a blessed time with them. They ministered at the Holiday Bible Club. to the boys and girls and it was the best turnout that we've ever had. There were 25 children came along to the Holiday Bible Club and the young people excelled themselves and they were a tremendous credit to the congregation here. So we thank you for sending them and we thank the young people for coming and we hope they'll come and visit us again in the near future. I also bring greetings from the congregation in Gardenstown I thank you on their behalf, or I thank them on your, I've got that wrong. They're thankful that you sent the young people. It's going to be one of those days. They're thankful that you sent the young people over. And they're humbled to think that you would even think about them and send a team over to minister in the area. So I bring greetings from the congregation there. And just to give you a little update on the work, we've been there three years now. And we have to say the Lord has given us encouragements and tokens for good. There was no children's work whenever we went and we put it before the Lord and we did our first holiday Bible club. And then that led into a Friday night Bible club. So every Friday night we minister to the boys and girls. The numbers fluctuate. Last Friday night, for example, there were 13, but there has been nearly as many as 30. It just depends what else is on in the local area. We've also got into two local schools to do assemblies. And I would be there once a month to bring God's word. And it's very encouraging because the parents come along sometimes as well to join in those assemblies. So we have an opportunity to minister to the parents there as well. We also have been invited into a local nursing home, and we have the joy of going there once a month and bringing the word of God, not just to the residents, but to all the staff who minister there. So we do thank God for his goodness, and do thank you for your prayers for us there. Well, Song of Solomon chapter two is our scripture reading this morning. And we'll read from the verse one. I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the rows and by the hinds of the field, that ye stare not up nor awake my love till he pleas. The voice of my beloved. Behold, he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young heart. Behold, he standeth behind our wall. He looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice. my beloved speak, and said unto me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away, O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock. in the sacred places of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vine, for our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feedeth among the lilies. until the daybreak and the shadows flee away. Turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young heart upon the mountains of Bethar. Amen. My text for this morning is found in the verse 2, or sorry, the verse 3. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit. was sweet to my taste." Well, let us unite our hearts together in prayer this morning and look to God for His blessing upon His Word. Our Heavenly Father, we're so grateful to Thee this day that Thy has blessed us with the Word of God. We thank thee for the blessings of the land that have been brought into the storehouse, and many of them are before us today. And truly, Lord, we need these provisions for our body. But Father, we thank thee for the provision for our soul, the word of God. And Lord, as we come before thee this day, we come desiring to be fed on the living word, So we plead with thee this day, break the bread of life before us. Come and speak to our souls through the word of God. And Father, while there may be many things in life that would distract us, we pray, Lord, for this hallowed hour, shut us in with thyself and speak into our ear and speak to our soul. Take away the veil from the eyes of any who are blinded this morning. Awaken them, O God, in thy righteousness, and save, we pray. Come and feed our hungry souls, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Many of us have had the delight and the privilege of being invited to a wedding. And a wedding is generally a happy time. I say generally because there's always one person for whom it's not a happy time, and that's the person who has to foot the bill at the end of it. But weddings are generally a happy time for this reason. A wedding is a demonstration of love. And young people, listen carefully. A wedding is not about the flowers. It's not about the car. It's not about even the dress. The most important thing about the wedding is that two people are coming together in love. They're making their vows before God. They're uniting together before God, showing, demonstrating that they love one another. Well, the Song of Solomon is a love story. Now, while some see the love story to be between Solomon and his bride, and I have no objection to this, I see a greater love story in this book. And this real love story is not confined to a few years here upon earth. It is not a marriage that will be ended by death. This real love story began in eternity past and will continue to eternity future. It is a marriage that involves a powerful king and a bride that he has redeemed from the gutter. It is a wedding that will outshine all other weddings and it will involve billions and billions of people. And it's something I tell you here today that you can be a part of. Who is in this wedding? Well, the bridegroom is Christ. He is the groom. And then the bride will be the church, his beloved. And they will be united together for all eternity. Now, whenever we think of the bride and we think of the church, it's the collective church, but it is made up of individual believers. They are the ones who will be married to Christ for all eternity. Well, in verse three this morning, we have my text. Let us read it again. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. What we have here is the bride, that is the church or the individual believer describing her bridegroom, describing Christ. And the apple tree here is a picture of Christ. Whenever we look upon this, the Lord Jesus Christ is described here as the apple tree. And the bride or the individual believer is describing the blessings that she receives from Christ. Now that is a wonderful picture, dear friend, because there's many and they come to Christ and really all they want is an escape ticket from hell. But if we come to Christ with that attitude, it's nothing more than a form of prostitution. Coming to Christ merely for one thing that he can give us and then flee from him is not really coming to him at all. The bride here is coming to Christ and she's describing him as being everything to her. And that's what Christ must be to the believer. He must be everything to us. At this harvest time, we think of the blessings that we get from the land. And we're so grateful for that. We need food for our bodies. If not, we will perish. We will pass away. We will die. Food is essential for our bodies. But I don't need to remind you here tonight that we don't just have a body. we have a soul. And just as God has made a provision for our bodies with the food, so God has made a provision for our souls. And he has done that in the person of Jesus Christ. So as we come to think of the harvest here this morning, while we're so grateful for the provision for our body, I want to speak to you this morning about an even greater provision that God has made, an even greater blessing that God has made for you and I. And it's the blessing of Christ. Not just what he gives us, but who he is in his person. So let us think this morning upon the subject of the blessing of Christ. And there's three things I want to leave with you here this morning. The first thing is the splendor of Christ. Now what do I mean by the splendor of Christ? I mean His beauty, I mean His glory, I mean His very attractiveness to us, the fact that He shines far brighter before us than anyone or anything else. The first thing I want to leave with you as we think of the splendor of Christ is the appearance of Christ. Look at the words, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood. Now picture in your minds a great big forest with a variety of different trees. And now the apple tree, it's not the tallest of trees. The cedar tree, for example, is far higher. It's not the widest of trees. There's trees and bushes that will grow far wider than the apple tree. And the apple tree might not even be the most attractive tree to the human eye. There might be other trees with prettier flowers or petals upon them. But what makes the apple tree appealing to the man who walks into that forest? Well, it is this. The apple tree is the most pleasant tree towards man because it has a provision for man. That cedar tree, it might be beautiful to look upon, but it has nothing to offer man. The pine tree might be beautiful to look upon, even to touch, but it has nothing to offer man. The apple tree is far better than all the trees of the forest because its fruit is immediately available and it has the ability to nourish man. that the other trees cannot do. So, thinking of Christ as the apple tree, what does the believer see in Christ? Well, Christ is the most pleasant of all to us. He has provision for us that no other has. He has the ability to nourish us that no other man is able to do in the same way. While we look at the whole race of men, and we might see great kings and queens, we might see rulers and emperors, we might see billionaires, we might even have those in our family who love us dearly, and those who love us tenderly and passionately with all of their hearts. And while we don't despise that, while we're grateful for that, there's one who is far better, one who is exceedingly greater, one who is able to nourish our souls. And that is Christ. To our souls, the world is a forest of barren trees, but Christ is the one who stands out to a believer. As the man who walks into the forest hungry, gazes upon all the trees, there's only one that will catch his eye, and that's the apple tree, because it has something for him. It means something to him. So in this whole world, there might be lots of things that catch our eye. Maybe work, maybe recreation, maybe family, maybe even desires that we have, but the one thing that should always catch our eye is the beauty of Christ and the person of Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is, to the believer, the tree of life. He is the one that we're able to come to, knowing that he has accomplished our salvation. Whenever Adam sinned in the garden, he ate of the forbidden tree, and we have been suffering the consequences ever since. But Christ is the tree of life, and whenever we come to him, we know we're saved, and we know we're secure, and we know that our eternity can never be lost. because he is the tree of life that saves us. In Revelation 2 verse 7, the Lord says, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Christ is that tree of life in the midst of God's eternal paradise. Now to the physical eye, the appearance of Christ might seem unattractive to some. And this was prophesied by Isaiah in chapter 53. It said of the Savior, that when he comes, he has no form nor comeliness. And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. And sadly, that is the case to the unconverted person. to the sinner, to the lost soul. They look upon Christ, they hear about Him, they read about Him in the Word, and they fail to see His beauty. They fail to see that this is the Son of God, and God the Son manifest in the flesh. They mock Him as Savior and Lord, they take His name and they use it as a curse word. They reject His mercy in the Gospel, and they despise His glory, because they fail to see His beauty. Maybe that describes one here this morning. You're quite happy to come to church. You're quite happy to sit in the meeting and hear about Christ. And maybe you'll not go out and openly blaspheme His name. Maybe you'll not even hear the bad words said about Him. But to you, Christ is just another person. He doesn't stand out as that beautiful tree different from all the rest. He doesn't stand out as that beautiful person who has captivated your soul. He doesn't stand out as the one who is able to save you and redeem you by his blood. To you, Christ is just another man. Well, dear friend, that's a terrible thought to have about Christ. Just to see him as another man. Because he's not just another. He is altogether lovely. He is glorious and splendid. He is the fairest of ten thousand. And I tell you, He is able to save you. The believer is not just blessed at the appearance of Christ. The believer wholeheartedly gives his approval of Christ. Look at verse 3. This is what the believer says about Christ. So is my beloved among the sons. This is the believer wholeheartedly approving of Christ as her bridegroom. Now as the apple tree is far greater than the other trees of the wood and the eyes of the hungry soul, so Christ is exceedingly greater than all the sons of God. That is, He's greater than angels, and He's greater than men. All the sons of Adam, even the very best of them, are still wicked and sinful at heart. But notice the expression the believer uses. The believer says, my beloved. my beloved." Notice how personal that is. The believer does not just say, the beloved, my beloved. And Christ is the beloved of his people. To his people, Christ is the one who causes their heart to overflow with emotion. Christ is the one who is able to cause his people to excel in thoughts and expressions of love. Christ the believer is the pearl of great price. He is the son of righteousness risen with healing in his wings. Can I ask you today, what do you think of Christ? Maybe you would say, oh, he's my savior. He's my Lord, he's my king, that is good. Can I ask, are you able to say he's my beloved? I love him because he first loved me. Are you able to say that my heart beats with excitement at the very mention of his name? I love to get alone with him. I love to commune with my Lord and my God. The thought of going a day's journey without him, oh, would trouble me and it would grieve me. If I was told I couldn't read his word anymore, oh, my life would be meaningless. The thought of not being with him forever in heaven. would make me of all men most miserable. Are ye able to say of Christ, this is my beloved, he's mine, personally he's mine. If I had been the only one who'd ever sinned, he still would have come and died for me, and he still would have shed his blood for me on the cross of Calvary. He's my beloved, he's mine. You know, I fear sometimes that we can get too caught up in what could really be professional Christianity, and say, yes, I repent, yes, I believe, yes, I'll start going to church, and yes, I'll stop doing all those bad things. And it can really just become a system of works, when really, whenever we're converted, our soul should be taken up with the very person of Christ, We should be able to cry like the Apostle Paul, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And Paul went on to cry that I may know him. Now if anybody knew Christ in an intimate and personal way, it was Paul, and yet he still had that desire that I may know him. Friend, can I ask this morning, is that your desire? Did you come to church today with that burden upon your heart that I may know him? Do you wake up every day, say, Lord, I want to know you more today. I've sinned against you, and I've grieved you, and Lord, I lament my sinful nature, but my desire today is to know you, and to know you passionately, and to serve you faithfully. We know our families intimately and personally. We spend time with them. We commune with them. We take an interest in them. We love them. Do we do the same with Christ? Is he our beloved? Christ is the complete opposite to mankind. Mankind is sinful, but Christ is holy and righteous. That's why he stands out as that beautiful apple tree. He is the one who is abounding in love and mercy, but not all men see this. The unbeliever does not call Christ my beloved. The lovers of sin despise Christ. Dear friend, can you say he's my beloved? The blessings of Christ to a believer. First thing was the splendor of Christ. Secondly, here this morning, let us think upon the shadow of Christ. Notice in verse 3, the believer says, I sat down under his shadow with great delight. Now notice three things that the shadow of Christ gives to a believer. The first one is this, it's rest. Now anyone who has traveled in the heat will understand this very simple illustration. One who's traveling through a desert, a barren place, even a hot city in the heat of the day. The sun, the heat, it begins to drain their energy. It causes tiredness. It can even lead to dehydration. The weary traveler, what do they do? They look for shade. Somewhere they can come and rest. I remember as a student in college, we were asked to go to Wales in 2012, the time the Summer Olympics were on. And the heat in Wales, believe it or not, was actually above 30 degrees. It's probably the only time that it's ever happened. A bit like in Northern Ireland, very seldom get great weather like that. But we were out doing doors in the middle of the day, and the heat was unbearable. As we walked from door to door, we could physically feel ourselves getting tired. We struggled to be out doing doors for more than 30, 40 minutes. We used to retreat to a shop where they had air conditioning. One of my colleagues was so warm that he spent his time in the shop with his head in the refrigerator in order to try and find cool and rest from the heat of that day. But we know what it is. to find rest from the heat. Well, what does the apple tree do? The apple tree gives a rest from the heat of the sun. Whenever you come under its shadow, you're out of harm's way. You don't feel the effects of the heat. Well, this is a picture of the sinner who comes to Christ. They're travelling along in the barrenness of sin. They have no place of ease or rest. They try getting rest in their good works, but it'll not help them. They try getting rest by coming to church, hoping that a little bit of religion will help them, but it doesn't work. The only place that you and I will ever find rest is in Christ, because He is the one who gives us rest. That is what He promised. Come unto me, all ye that labour under heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Now dear friends, you and I, we need rest. We need rest from that life of sin. We need rest from being under God's judgment and condemnation. And you're saying, where can I find this rest? You find this rest in coming to Christ. Christ is the only rest for the sinner. He revives the weary traveler. He prevents us fainting. What day is it today? It's a Sabbath day. That word Sabbath means rest. God has given us a rest for our body and our soul upon this day. But notice the actions of the bride. She says, I sat down under his shadow with great delight. I sat. Now, she didn't pass by under the shadow. There's many that do that. They think, well, I'll come into church once a week, and that'll be enough. That'll please God. That'll make God happy. That'll satisfy the little bit of religion that I have in my life. I'll pass by under the shadow of the church once a week. That'll be enough. The believer doesn't do that. The believer sits under his shadow. There are some who come and maybe seek to stand briefly under his shadow. They maybe make a profession of faith for a while, but then whenever trouble or temptations or afflictions come, they're gone again. Maybe when Christ has helped them with a little problem they have, they soon depart from under his shadow. But what does a believer do? She sits. And what does that symbolize? It symbolizes that she's at ease, she's at rest, she has peace, comfort, sitting under the shadow of Christ. She's satisfied there. In the New Testament, we read the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was cumbered about with much service, busy, as she thought, serving God. But what did Mary do? She sat at the feet of Jesus. Her eyes were fixed upon her beloved. With her ears, she listened attentively to his word. And with her heart, she drank in the messages that he was giving to her. She loved to be in his presence. She loved to be at the feet of Jesus. Is that your experience today, dear friend? You love to be in the presence of your Lord and your God. There's rest, there's also protection under his shadow. The leaves of the trees protect from the rays of the sun. The sun can cause quite a considerable amount of damage to your skin. I remember being on holiday many years ago with a family member in Lanzarote and it was that warm that the sun caused blisters upon their skin all over their body. They weren't able barely to sit down or get ease or comfort from these blisters that came upon them. The sun can do quite a bit of damage. It can cause burns. It can dehydrate. But under the shadow of the tree, you're safe. You're safe from the harm the sun can do. Will the sinner who comes to Christ is protected. Once they were under the wrath and condemnation of God for their sin, but whenever they come to Christ, they have protection because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who has gone before them up that hill of Calvary. He is the one who's had the sword of Jehovah plunged into him, and he is the one who endured the agonies of hell upon his body and soul. in order to redeem his people. Therefore the believer is now able to say and rejoice that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, because Jesus Christ has paid it all. There's protection. There's also coolness. Whenever you find shade, you immediately find coolness. The heat from the sun can't get at you the same way. You enjoy that relief from the heat. You enjoy the pleasantness of the cool. And you have desires to stay there. You don't want to leave. You don't want to go back out into that heat. Well, so the believer finds coolness in Christ's shadow. The pilgrimage would make us hot and weary. If you and I were left to contend with the things of this world by ourselves, dear friend, it would drive us to utter despair. But Christ brings coolness, not just upon our body, but upon our souls as well. Sin would tempt us, and we would often feel its heat, but the Lord provides a way of escape from that temptation, and it's found in Christ. Why is this shadow possible? Why is it possible for you and I to come and have rest and protection and coolness? Well, this is possible because the Lord Jesus Christ took his place upon another tree, upon that tree in the hill of Calvary. And this is a tree which offered no rest to him, because on that tree Christ had no rest. In fact, he had the complete opposite. He endured the agonies and he endured the torture of hell upon that tree during those three hours of darkness. There was no protection from God's wrath. He drank that cup of damnation dry. and there was no coolness. He endured the terror of hell's flames in order to redeem his people. The believer is able to come under Christ the tree because of the tree that Christ hung upon to make it possible. We've thought of the splendor of Christ and the shadow of Christ. Think finally this morning of the sweetness of Christ. Verse three. The believer says his fruit was sweet to my taste. Notice the provision here. If that apple tree had no fruit, it would be barren, and it would be no use to man. In order to benefit man, it needs to feed him. And the food that the apple tree provides is nourishing, and it's not harmful. It's a sweet provision. There's, whenever I was young, and to be honest a little bit now, I struggled to tell the difference between a cooking apple and a normal eating apple. Sometimes you would bite into a cooking apple and you'd get an awful surprise. Doesn't happen to me as often now, it still happens every so often. There's a bitterness, it's not as sweet, it's not as pleasant to our taste as a normal apple. Well, the apple tree provides for man. It provides that sweet nourishment to his body. Well, this is what Christ does for the believer. He feeds the believer. He doesn't just say, right, now you're saved, away you go, fend for yourself. There's some animals in the animal kingdom that do that. But Christ doesn't do that for us. Whenever He saves us, He provides for us. He gives us His Word to strengthen us and to build us up in the most holy faith. We're not to be continual babes in Christ, seeking the milk of the Word. We're to move on to the meat of the Word. And Christ nourishes us. His provision for us is sweet. The shadow of some trees prevents life from growing on the ground underneath it, but the apple tree feeds what is underneath it. Whenever you come and sit under the apple tree, the provision falls down for you. And so it is, dear friend, whenever you come and dwell in Christ, whenever you come to him, whenever you sit down under his shadow with great delight, he will feed you and he will provide for you. In olden times, the Jews believed that apples were a remedy against poison. If you believed you were poisoned, the Jews would have brought you apples to eat. And there's some evidence today that apples are good for you. I was reading an article recently that says apples are good for your stomach, your liver, your heart, your eyes, your skin, and even your body strength. There's health benefits to apples. We used to learn as a child, an apple a day kept the doctor away. Well, we didn't really like that, so we changed it to a Mars bar. A Mars bar a day keeps the doctor away. I'm getting a lot of amens behind me here now. But the Lord knows what is good for us. The apples are good for our body. But the Lord Jesus Christ knows what is good for our souls. And he provides for us. He doesn't withhold from us. For those who abide under his shadow, Christ provides, and he will not fail. And maybe, dear friend, you're thinking, well, the struggles I have in life, the sins I have committed, why would God want me? Why would he want me to come? Surely I would be the least of all saints, and surely he wouldn't have anything for me. I tell you, friend, he'll have everything for you. Absolutely everything. He is not a disappointment. and he will abundantly satisfy your soul, and you'll want for no good thing in your heart. Peter writing to believers in 1 Peter 2 verse 3 says, ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and those who sit under his shadow are able to testify to that. The Lord is gracious. What fruit does Christ provide for us? He provides grace upon grace. That's what we need every day to persevere, grace. And Christ gives it to us. He gives us peace and contentment in our souls. He gives us pardon from our sins and for our iniquities. He justifies us in the eyes of a holy God. And he gives us promises to cling to that sustain us. And he sanctifies us by his Spirit. These are the blessings that we receive from Christ when we sit under his shadow. Notice the pleasantness as well. The emotion of the bride here is delight. She says, I sat down under his shadow with great delight. She doesn't say it was a chore, or it was a burden, or it was a struggle. She doesn't moan and complain about having to be there. You know, there's some Christians on the moon and complain if the preacher goes on one minute past the hour, as if it's a burden or a struggle to be sitting in God's house, listening to God's Word. For some people, you'd think it was a struggle having to come out to a prayer meeting or having to support an extra meeting. But I tell you, dear friends, these things are a delight. They're a blessing to our souls. The bride was delighted to be under his shadow. And so the believer is one who's delighted to be in his presence. Can I ask, is he a delight to you? I'm not asking are the things he gives you a delight, salvation, heaven? Of course those things are a delight. That's taken for granted. But is Christ a delight to you? Him personally, is he a delight to your soul? You see, Christianity is not a religion of works. Christianity is a personal, intimate relationship with the living God. Have you got that? Have you got that personal relationship with Christ? David gives us this exhortation in Psalm 37 verse 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord. It doesn't say delight thyself in the things of the world, delight thyself in all the amusements and carnality of the world. No, delight thyself in the Lord. But I give you that exhortation today and he will not disappoint you. The apple tree also produces that pleasant fragrance. The believer should delight in the fragrance of Christ's presence, because his company is the most pleasant in all the world. We love the company of our friends, our family, of course we do, but there's one whose company we should delight for and long for the most, the company of Christ. Sadly, not all enjoy the pleasantness of Christ's company. Some want to end their journey under his shadow, but they don't want to live under it. Some want the provision of the fruit without abiding under his shadow. Some come back and forward under his shadow, thinking they can come and go as they please, into the world, back to Christ, into the world, back to Christ. But I tell you, the one who's that true and genuine believer, They'll long for it, and they'll delight to be under his shadow. And the very thought of having to leave it would grieve their hearts and produce tears in their eyes, because there's no more a pleasant place in the world than to be under the shadow of Christ. Coming to a close here this morning, there are some who come and profess faith in Christ because they think it will help make them a better person. Or they profess faith in Christ because they have a few troubles and problems that they need help with. There's others who profess faith in Christ for the sole reason that they don't want to go to hell. And of course, that is very sincere. But to come to Christ for merely what He can give us, without having any love for Him, without having any desires for Him, would be like coming and taking and grabbing from Him and running away, hoping that we never see Him again until that day when we expect to be led into Heaven. Let me ask you a question. Do you think that that is true and genuine saving faith? Surely the one who Christ will save is the one who feels that bitterness and hatred for their sin. The one who grieves and laments their sin and weeps over their barren and corrupt soul. The one who comes to Christ is the one who has genuine desires for Him because He loved them and He gave Himself for them because He endured the wrath of God to save them. And they don't just want to grab salvation and run away, see him in heaven. No, they want to linger in his presence. They want to be like the Apostle John, leaning upon his bosom. They want to be like Thomas, the very thought of the Savior going away without them would bring them to tears and say, let us also go with him, that we may die also. You see the believer. And I know it can ebb and flow, our love to God can ebb and flow, but the believer is one who in their heart loves Him, and who wants to be with Him, and the very thought of Him going away would break their heart. Could I ask today, how do you feel about Christ? Is He nothing more than a name on a bit of paper that you're hoping will get you into heaven? Or to you, Is He your everything? Let me tell you, He has to be your everything. Yes, there's an abundance of people in the world. We love them dearly. We care for them. We would give everything for them. We would lay down our life for their sake. But the one who ought to shine above all the trees of the forest is Christ. He has to be everything to us. We're so thankful for the provision God gives for our body. But dear friend, God has given a greater provision for our soul, and that's Christ. And if you have not accepted this provision today, he says to you one simple word, come, come unto me and I will give you rest. You don't need to understand all the deep theology of the Bible. You just need to understand that you must come to him. and you must receive him as your savior. And if you do, dear friend, genuinely, you will delight in him. He will be your beloved and you will rest under his shadow with great delight. May God bless his word to our hearts today.