Let us turn again in the Word of God to the Song of Solomon, chapter five. And reading again at verse 16. His mouth is most sweet, yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. And we shall consider these words as the Lord is pleased to enable us. Our first reaction when we read these words is to think that this language is too grand for us to use. But we have to remember at the outset that these words are not describing what we are to Christ, but what Christ is to us. So we are not glorying in ourselves. We are glorying in the Lord. This declaration, confession of faith, is made in response to a question by the daughters of Jerusalem. Now, the daughters of Jerusalem are the older believers in the church. They are, as you can see from verse eight, already acquainted with Christ. They are the ones that she goes for for advice and to ask questions of throughout this book, the Song of Solomon. The spouse is, of course, the church, whether you look at that corporately or as individuals, but we are all found there in the church somehow. Now, you'll notice that there's a large description in verse 10 down to verse 16 of Christ. And it's what he is in himself. And then secondly, when she uses the pronoun, my friend, my beloved, what he is to the church. And that is the way that we should always be studying the person of Christ. First of all, what he is in himself. And secondly, what he gives to the church. As Rutherford put it, our eyes look for the giver, not the gifts. Christ, therefore, is at the center of all, the life, the love of his people. We contrast our own unworthiness. Our love is imperfect, our friendship inconsistent. to put it mildly. Nevertheless, if we have this mark of grace, that we do have a love for Christ, then we know that the Holy Spirit has joined us to him, for that is the fruit of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is sent forth by Father and Son to turn the enemies of God into the friends of Christ. And he said to them, ye are my friends. They weren't always his friends. Neither was Abraham. But by faith, Abraham became the friend of God. And there's a love between friends, which the world doesn't know anything about. So Christ must be your first love. That's the mark of grace. If it's your second love, that is no mark of grace. And the believer is always concerned to get back to that first love. And we are exhorted to get back to that first love. When you think back to the days of your conversion, the first love for Christ, Well, the Lord says in Jeremiah, I remember the love of thine espousals, the enthusiasm. There was nothing you wouldn't do for him. But as the days go on, I have put off my coat. How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet. How shall I defile them? There's a reluctance here. There's a coldness here. Nevertheless, my friend, he says, is the friend of sinners. And that's a great encouragement that we have as sinners. Christ is the friend of sinners. Now, the Pharisees pointed that out as an accusation, also that he receives sinners, but that is the glory of the gospel of the love of Christ. My friend, my best friend, the only one that's constant, faithful, sufficient, and efficient. Sometimes friends would like to help us, but they can't. There's no problem there with Christ. What he wills, he does. What he desires, he fulfills. There may be disappointments on our side. He knows nothing of frustration or disappointment. Now, first of all, the friend of sinners, my friend, has to be, if the church is saying it, because we're all sinners. As Luther said, the only difference is some of us are justified sinners and some of us are not. He's the friend of sinners, but he never experienced sin. But he knows the misery that's in sinners. And he knows the loneliness and the alienation and the isolation of sinners, especially in their guilt. He knows the sufferings which come to us because of our sins, but the Lord has laid upon him the iniquity of us all. And although he has never experienced sin, he can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Because although he never experienced what it was to sin, He knows what it is to suffer for those sins, which he never committed. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, and his friends were all sinners. And his friendship, well, it's exclusive to sinners, and there's some comfort in that. It's not unstable. We have friends, and it depends on their mood, you might say, from day to day. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he's never at rest in providing for his friends. There's this constant supply of grace according to his riches in glory. He didn't forget them when he went into glory. The heart of Christ in heaven is still the same to his people on earth. And there's a beautiful little treatise on that by Thomas Goodwin, if you have it. He doesn't just have words. He has power. Power to put into supply and practice, into our experience, his love for us as his friends. Has he not demonstrated that love principally on the cross, but many times since then? If we think back, we can think of many incidents which would justify him casting us off, but the love of Christ is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. And having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end, even although he knew what Peter and the others would do in the future. Yes, Peter denied him, but the rest all scattered and left him. Now, there is one thing Christ never does to his friends. He never leaves them nor forsakes them. He says, I am with you always, even in the bad days. It's nice to have tokens of his presence. Some days we have to walk by faith alone and not with any sight whatsoever. Nevertheless, It honors Christ if we trust him when we have such an empty feeling within us. Or even when we're staring death in the face, we can still say with Job, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. We cannot go by providence, we have to go by promises. And Christ says, you'll never forsake those whom he loves. He's always present with us. He's the first person at our bedside when we're sick or in hospital. We can be lonely, but we can never be alone. And there is a difference. But nevertheless, loneliness is a form of suffering. And he knew in some degree what that was. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Through his death, he turned his enemies, and that includes those who had no time for him, who saw no beauty in him that they should desire him. But now they do. The Holy Spirit has taken the things of Christ and the soul is overwhelmed with the view of that beauty and that love, that self-denying, sacrificing love. He can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. As Dr. Duncan said, there's a man, remember, on the throne of the universe. And he knows what is in man. And he knows where we need to be touched. And his faithfulness as a friend is demonstrated in that he will not let us indulge things which are contrary to his father's approval. He will correct us. A friend, well, faithful are the wounds of a friend. in Proverbs. And as the late Mr. McSween said, how do we know his wounding of us is faithful? And he answered, because he himself has wounds. He has wounds. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Where we go, he goes. Where he goes, we go. He draws us after him. We are inseparable, and we try prayerfully to agree with him in all things. Sometimes we don't understand, but if we trust him, he said, what I do thou knowest not, not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Friends sometimes have secrets. Christ keeps some things back from our understanding until the appropriate time. Sometimes it's in this world, we only understand some things by looking back, could be years later, but there are some things we will not know until we get to heaven itself. And then of course there are some things the essence of the Godhead, which we shall never know, but we trust. He has given us sufficient for what we need to know, a foundation upon which we can trust him. And we're going to be pressurized sometimes into making an answer, just like Peter. He walked into a situation, didn't realize the danger three times. He was called upon to show his side. And there only are two sides in this world. And he denied him and denied him and denied him. But Christ never denied him. Tell my disciples and Peter. It was a private interview with Peter. Peter thought the worst of himself, but he still thought the best of Christ. Always present, always visits us, never dies. We feel a sadness when our friends go before us into heaven. They go and they take something with them. Our fellowship with Christ remains the same, but our fellowship with each other isn't a degree diminished in its expression, that is. Because those who die in the Lord, who go to be with the Lord, there's no communication, but there's still communion in the body, remember. We look forward to seeing their faces again and hearing their words again. Things are not the same, but we do look forward. And that's because our friend, our greatest friend, will always gather all his friends together. We have a foretaste of that even today. Those who are his friends have this love in common. Communion means having something, in common, or rather someone in common. We all gather to the center and the center is Christ. Now to move on, my beloved, my friend. Luther said that salvation is all in the pronouns. Some people say God, others say my God. Some say the Lord Christ. Some say my Lord and my God. It's in the pronoun. My friend. Nothing to glory about in that. The Lord Jesus said, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. Abraham was called the friend of God, and God takes the initiative. He's always the first cause, whether it's in creation or the new creation. The gospel is not man-centered, it is Christ-centered. And that is why the church is in decline. The spotlight has moved away from the person of Christ to the church, sometimes to individuals. And there are some individuals who love the spotlight. But the light given by the Holy Spirit always focuses on Christ. All these enlightened eyes, they're all looking at the one person. as they shall do in heaven. My friend, my beloved, he gave me this desire for friendship with himself. Otherwise I would still be wandering. He gave me this love for himself. Otherwise I would still not see any beauty in him in order to desire him. His friends desire knowledge. You cannot be friendly with a person you don't know. And Christ teaches us principally concerning himself and then ourselves. But that's good because the less we think of ourselves, the more we shall think of him. My beloved, my friend, oh daughters of Jerusalem. That of course is required to the church. She addresses the daughters of Jerusalem. If we love Christ, we have to express it. And first of all, to the church. Join the church. Is there a love for Christ in you? Or is it a head knowledge? There are many who know all about Christ. but they do not know him, and there is a difference. This friend, while he doesn't leave us lonely, he also introduces us to his father. We could never have an introduction to the father unless Christ introduced us. Isn't that what happens in the prodigal son? The prodigal comes back to Christ, but Christ, we read, will present the church to his father without spot, without blemish. And we love him more as we go on for who he is and then for what he's done. And isn't that more like the love of the father for Christ? The father doesn't love Christ for what he does. He loves Christ for who he is. And that is the highest degree of love. And that is what we should be aiming at. Not that the crown he giveth, but on his pierced hands. The lamb is all the glory in Emmanuel's land. This is the profession his people make of their attachment to him, my beloved, my friend. A true love for Christ cannot be concealed. And you will be brought out into making an expression one way or the other. Sometimes people choose to be silent. But how can we glorify Christ unless we speak well of him? Because that is how we glorify Christ on earth. We cannot add to his glory, that's impossible. But we can speak of it. We can praise, we can worship, we can give thanksgiving. He is at the center of all of that. That is how we glorify him. We begin on earth, we are perfected in our worship and glorifying in heaven. Augustine had a nice expression on that. When we see him, we shall be like him and we shall be glorified in the seeing of him. Nothing to add. but much to say. And are there not such songs in heaven unto him that loved us? Worthy is the Lamb. It's all there. It all begins here. True love to Christ ought not to be concealed. It is a duty, but it should be a delight. And there's no boasting in this, This is all about what Christ made himself to us. You have the same at the first Corinthians chapter one at the end of the chapter. The Corinthians were great boasters. They had plenty of gifts, lots of knowledge. But Paul says, he that glories, let him glory in the Lord. We have to make this confession to the daughters of Jerusalem. Otherwise, how can we be recognized as the friends of Christ? There's no question that Abraham did not hide his friendship for God. Many called him the friend of God. In fact, if I remember correctly, that is still how he is known in the Arab world of today. How can we be recognized unless we show our attachment to him? We're not ashamed of him or his words. And the Lord said he's not ashamed to call such his brethren, his friends. Peter failed to make that confession. Peter suffered. If we grieve the Spirit who brings us to Christ, then who shall comfort us? And Peter, well, again, as Rutherford put it, he had a sick night for sin. And how many have a sick night for sin when they reflect on their guilt? And in this case, a guilt of omission. We're very good at noting transgressions, not very good at noting omissions, what we have failed to do. But it's more than words, of course, it should be seen in the life. And you notice here that when there's a lack of communion, I put off my coat, I've washed my feet. In other words, she wasn't making the effort to use the means of grace which Christ gave. It's rather like that church in Revelation chapter three, Laodicea. Christ knocks at the door of that church seeking communion, but they were all inside having their worship service going on. His presence wasn't there and his absence wasn't noted. It shows you how deluded the church can be. They have the ceremony, but not the presence of Christ in communion. And he knocks because he's seeking communion. If any man open the door, I will come in. Sup with him. That's communion. We cannot make this claim when we're in a state of nature. my beloved, my friend. And that question we should put to all of us, can we make this from the heart? It's not a case of going out through the streets with some kind of placard. The Lord looks upon the heart. There can be difficulties, maybe reluctance, but the love is in the heart, remember. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will utter. If thou shalt believe in thine heart and confess with thy mouth, that's the order of salvation. Now, to conclude with a few marks on this, because theology is nothing unless it's practical. The word of God is given for life and how to live that life. Nobody can be an armchair theologian. It's all about practicing what we believe. If we are his friend, well, we will have a sense of coldness regarding ourselves towards him. Could he have loved any more? Could he have done any more? Could he have said any more? Could he have delivered any more? Could he have had any more patience than he has? But where is our love, our friendship? And we're all guilty of this, every one of us, pulpit and pew. If we love Christ, he says, we will keep his commandments. Now the commandments are not given as a condition of life. It's not a case of this do and thou shalt live. It's a case of this is how to live with the life that Christ gives you. And Christ is our life. And Paul tells the Colossians, one day he shall appear. And shall we appear with him on that one side? Is our life hid with Christ? Well, if it is, there's going to be love and friendship. And in that love, adoration, thanksgiving, good hope through grace. If we are his friends, if we love him, well, you notice how he visits us here in this chapter. He comes to the door. We also should be visiting him. Now, of course, that's not a physical thing. That's a spiritual matter. We visit him in prayer. We visit him where he promises to be where two or three are gathered in my name. We visit him. There is a throne of grace. We can't see it yet, but we ought to visit it as often as we can. If he's our beloved and our friend, we will prize him. John Bunyan suffered terribly from a satanic temptation to sell Christ, give him away. And he thought at one point he very nearly did it. And the devil will do all he can to dampen your enthusiasm and your love. When I was a young man, long time ago. The greatest power to strangle the enthusiasm of the young convert was the church. The church and its organization. They had organized the life out of the church. The freedom had gone. The joy was being quenched. If you love Christ, well, that love knows no bounds. But remember, he has given us the path of life, the path of his commandments. And those who love him love his commandments. And what are his commandments? The written expression of the beauty of holiness. What is the standard of sanctification? To be like Him. And isn't that our destination? To see Him, to be like Him, to love Him as we ought, to sin no more. And the Lord knows what we will have come through to get there. And God Himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. The great question is, do you love Christ? He said to Peter, a backslider, lovest thou me? But we can also apply that to those who are not like Peter, not public disciples, because that's the question that's going to divide us all on the day of judgment. What think ye of Christ? There are those who love him and who love his appearing. And as Newton put it, how sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear. Do you have the word? Do you have the power? Do you have the love? Do you see the beauty? Then desire him. Attach yourself to him and trust him. When everything around you cries out, do not trust him. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. Now there was a man who continued to love God. When he had lost everything else, he still had that friend, that beloved. May he bless his word to us, let us pray. O Lord, our hope and confidence depends on Thee alone. Thou hast caused us to hope. Thou hast promised more than our hearts could desire. We do wonder at Thy lovingkindness, and may we never lose the wonder of this amazing grace. We pray for all those who are afar off, to whom Christ is not yet precious, that thy spirit may create a need in the soul and a desire which only Christ can satisfy, and that Christ himself may dwell in that heart by faith and hope and love. And may there be glory to God in the highest through Jesus Christ. Amen.