Teachings – A Garden Enclosed

THE GARDEN ENCLOSED

UNFOLDING TWENTY

WHERE WE ARE

How beautiful is our Lord, how beautiful is our Jesus. And yet, as His lovely flowers, we are beautiful – not because we are – but because He is altogether lovely, and we have our identity in Him!   

SCRIPTURE

Song of Songs 4: 12

A garden enclosed

Is my sister, my spouse,

A spring shut up,

A fountain sealed.

THE GARDEN ENCLOSED
UNFOLDING TWENTY

Pastor Spurgeon begins his discourse accordingly:

“We understand this sacred love-song to be a Canticle of Communion between the Lord Jesus Christ and His church. His is the Bridegroom and she the Bride.”

God viewed the church as one in purpose before the world was. 

“The Eternal Father chose to Himself a people, and gave them over to His Son, that they might be His portion for ever and ever.”

Oh, the thought that God adopted His children – all of us, and that –

“Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.”

Further, Pastor explains,

“The love of the Lord Jesus is to His church as a body, and it is the same to each believer as a member of that body.”

Jesus calls the church, “My sister, my spouse.”  As if he could not express His near and dear relationship to her by any one term. Pastor advocates:

• Try to realize the person of Christ; that is, He is a real person – not a doctrine or a historical fact that vanished into the dim past.
• He has so taken upon His human nature that He may correctly call His church His sister, and finally,
• “My spouse,” indicates another kinship – dearer… a kinship undertaken of choice, but once undertaken, irrevocable and everlasting.

“He loves us so much that He has taken us up into Himself by the absorption of love.”

 THOUGHT GOING FORWARD

“My sister, my spouse.” In the mystical sense, the church is Christ’s sister. Jesus was the Son of man, and the Son of God. In nature, true, we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus. 

In Christ’s Deity, the body of Christ is more – much more. Jesus could have only saved us, but not betrothed us. As Pastor said, a kinship of choice… true of an arranged marriage, where the Father chose His Son’s bride, and the Son gave Himself as the bride price. 

Beautiful imagery to say the least – a wonderful, everlasting love!

IN TRIBUTE TO SPURGEON’S LOVE OF SHORT RYHMES

Oh, sweet submission!
Brother, sister – yes, but wife? 
Betrothed, now loving husband,
beyond reason, thought!