The interest of Christ and His people in each other
The Church says concerning her Lord, “My beloved is mine and I am His.” No “ifs,” no “buts.” The two sentences are solemn assertions. Not “I hope, I trust, I think;” but, my Beloved is mine, and I am His.” “Yes,” but you will say, “the Church must then have been gazing upon her Husband’s face; it must have been a season of peculiar enjoyment with Him, when she could speak thus.” Nay, nay; the Church, when she thus spake, was in darkness; for in the very next verse she cries--“Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bather.”
I. I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is therefore mine.
1. “I am my Beloved’s.” Glorious assertion! I am His by the Father’s gift. But I am my Beloved’s, if I be a believer, because of Jesus Christ’s purchase of me. But more than this, “I am my Beloved’s,” for I am His by conquest. He fought for me, and He won me, let Him possess me. Besides this, every true believer can add, “I am my Beloved’s” by a gracious surrender. “With full consent I give myself to Thee.” We have seen how we came to be our Beloved’s, let us inquire in what sense we areso now. We are his, first of all, by a near affinity that never can be sundered. Christ is the head; we are His members. Further than this; we, are our Beloved’s by a most affectionate relationship. He is the husband, believers are the spouse. “I am my Beloved’s” by an indissoluble connection, just as a child is the property of his father.
2. The second sentence in order of time is, “My Beloved is mine.” Ah! you very poor men and women, you who could not call one foot of land your own! If you can say, “My Beloved is mine,” you have greater wealth than Croesus ever knew, or than a miser ever dreamed. But how is my Beloved mine? He is mine, because He gave Himself to me of old. But besides that, our Beloved is not only ours by His own gift, which is the bottom of all, but He is ours by a graciously completed union. “I in them, and Thou in Me;” for thus the union stands. Again: Christ is ours personally. We sometimes speak of severally and jointly. Well, then, Christ is ours jointly; but He is ours severally too. Christ is as much yours, however mean you may be, as though He did not belong to another man living. He is all mine, all yours; personally mine, personally yours. Oh that we could realize this fact! And, then again, Christ is always ours. He is never more ours at one time, and less ours at another. The moment we believe in Him we may know our perfect and invariable right to Christ--a right which depends not upon the changes of the hour, or upon the temperature of our frames and feelings, but upon those two immutable things wherein it is impossible for God to lie.
II. I shall now take the text in the order in which it is given to us, which is the order of our experience. Do you not see, that to a man’s experience God’s order is reversed? We begin thus: “My Beloved is mine.” I go to Him, take Him up in the arms of my faith, as Simeon took up the little Child in the temple, and pressing Him to my heart, I say: “Jesus, Thou art mine. All unholy and unclean, I nevertheless obey Thy command; I believe Thee; I take Thee at Thy word; I trust my soul wholly with Thee; Thou art mine, and my soul can never part with Thee.” What next? Why, then the soul afterwards says: “NowI am Thine, tell me what Thou wouldst have me do. Jesus, let me abide with Thee. Lord, I would follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest; put me on any service; dictate to me any commandment; tell me what Thou wouldst have me to do to glorify Thee?” Christ is mine--this is faith. I am His--this is good works. Christ is mine: that is the simple way in which the soul is saved. I am Christ’s: that is the equally simple method by which salvation displays itself in its practical fruits. God’s commands require obedience, and it is essential that every servant be found faithful. Whatever Jesus bids us do, if it save us not from anything else, at any rate the fulfilment of it will save us from the sin of being disobedient to Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The reciprocal interest of Christ and His people
I. Every real Christian may say, “Christ is mine.”
1. There are five different ways in which anything may become ours.
(1) By formation, or production. In this way the articles which we construct, and the fruits of the earth which our labour produces, become ours.
(2) By purchase, or exchange. In this way we obtain many things which were previously the property of others.
(3) By inheritance. In this manner we become possessed of the property of deceased relatives.
(4) By conquest. In this manner many things are acquired, especially by sovereign princes.
(5) By gift. In this manner whatever is bestowed on us by the generosity of others, becomes our property.
2. Among all these ways, there is only one in which Christ can become ours.
(1) He is given to them by His Father.
(2) Christ gives Himself to His people.
II. Christ is the property of all true Christians, so, all Christians are his.
1. They are His by creation; for by Him and for Him they were created.
2. They are His by inheritance; for we are told that the Father hath appointed Him heir of all things.
3. They are His by purchase; for He has bought them, bought them with His own blood.
4. Christians are the property of Christ by right of conquest.
5. They become His by gift.
(1) They are given to Him by His Father (Joh_17:6).
(2) All true Christians have voluntarily given themselves to Christ.
Conclusion:
1. From this subject you may learn something of the worth and interest of the Christian’s portion.
2. We may learn from our subject to whom this incomparable gift belongs; who it is that without presumption may say, “Christ is mine.” Every man may say this who can with truth repeat the other part of our text, who can truly say, “Christ is my beloved, and I am His property.”
3. From this subject you may learn the extent of your duty. “I am Christ’s” are words easily said, but the engagements which they imply are not so easily fulfilled. If we are His, we are no longer our own. If we are His, then everything that we possess is His--our time, our possessions, our strength, our influence, our powers of body and faculties of mind, all are His, and must be consecrated to His service and glory; and if we love Him supremely, they will he so, for the whole man ever follows the heart.
4. How great are the privileges which result from an ability to say, “Christ is mine.” If Christ is yours, then all that He possesses is yours. Its power is yours to defend you, His wisdom and knowledge are yours to guide you, His righteousness is yours to justify you, His Spirit and grace are yours to sanctify you, His heaven is yours to receive you.
5. From this subject you may learn what is the nature of the ordinance which you are about to celebrate, and what you are about to do at the Lord’s table. In this ordinance we give ourselves to Christ, and He gives Himself to us. (E. Payson, D. D.)
My Beloved is mine
What I have to do is to mention a few things which may help some timid one to say, “My Beloved is mine,” and then to do the same with regard to the second sentence in the text, “I am his.” Thou askest, perhaps, “May I say, My Beloved is mine?” You know who that Beloved is; I have no need to tell you that. He is the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely. First, hast thou taken hold of Christ by faith? Faith is the hand with which we grasp the Lord Jesus Christ. Hast thou believed that Jesus is the Christ, and that God hath raised Him from the dead? Dost thou trust thyself wholly to Him? Let me ask thee another helpful question. Is He truly thy Beloved, the Beloved of thy soul? I remember well a dear Christian woman, who frequently said to me, “I do love Jesus, I know I do; but does He love me?” Her question used to make me smile. “Well,” I said, “that is a question that I never did put to myself,--‘If I love Him, does He love me?’ No, the question that used to puzzle me was, ‘Do I love Him?’ When I could once settle that point, I was never again the victim of your form of doubt.” If thou lovest Christ, Christ loves thee for certain, for thy love to Christ is nothing more nor less than a beam out of the Went sun of His love; and the grace that has created that love in thy heart towards Him, if thou dost indeed love Him, proves that He loves thee. Next, I would help thee with a third question. Is Jesus dear to thee above all thy possessions? I hope that many of you can say, “O sir, we would give all that we have, we would suffer all that might be suffered, we would part with the Very light and our eyes, too, if we could but be sure that we might each one truly say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’“ Well, if thou lovest Christ beyond all earthly things, rest assured that He is thine. Further, dost thou love Him beyond all earthly companions? Couldst thou part with your dearest ones for His sake? Say, art thou sure of this? Oh, then, He is assuredly thine! Dost thou love Him beyond all earthly objects? Aye, beyond the desire of learning, or honour, or position, or comfort,--wouldst thou let all go for His dear sake? Canst thou go that length? If thou canst, then surely He is thine. Let me further help thee by another question. Is Jesus so fully thy hope and thy trust that thou hast no other? O poor heart, if thou art clean divorced from every confidence but Christ, then I believe that thou art married unto Christ, notwithstanding that thou tremblest sometimes, and askest whether it be so or not. Let that thought also help thee. I would further help you in this way. If Christ is yours, your thoughts go after Him. You cannot say that you love a person if you never think of him. He to whom Christ belongs often thinks of Him. Again, do you do more than this? Do you long for Christ’s company? If “my Beloved” is indeed mine, I shall want to see Him; I shall want to speak with Him; I shall want Him to abide with me. How is it with you? And, once more, if thy Beloved is thine, thou wilt own it to be so. Holy Bernard was wont to say, and I believe that he could say it truly, “O my Jesus, I never went from Thee without Thee!” He meant that he never left his knees, and left Christ behind him; he never went out of the house of God, and left Christ behind him; but he went through the outward act of devotion with a consciousness of the presence of Christ. Now, i f this be your habit to keep up or to labour to keep up continued communion with Christ, and if you are longing for more and more of that communion, then, dear friends, you are His, and He is yours. Further, let me help you with a still closer question. Have you ever enjoyed that communion with Christ? Didst thou ever speak with Him? Hast thou ever heard His voice? If thou knowest anything experimentally about this matter, then thou mayest conclude that thy Beloved is indeed thine. But supposing that thou art not enjoying Christ’s presence, I am going to put another question to thee. Art thou cast down when He is away? If thou hast grieved His Spirit, art thou grieved? If Christ be gone, dost thou feel as if the sun itself had ceased to shine, and the candle of thy existence had been snuffed out in utter dark ness? Oh, then, He is thine! If thou canst not bear His absence, He is thine. Stretch out the hand, of faith, and take Him, and then say without hesitation, “My Beloved is mine.” “Yes, weighing everything the preacher has said and judging myself as severely as I can, yet I dare take Christ to be mine, and to say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’“ If that is your case, dear friend, then you shall get confirmatory evidence of this fact by the witness of the Spirit within your soul, which will very likely come to you in the form of perfect contentment of spirit, perfect rest of heart. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
He feedeth among the lilies.
A song among the lilies
This passage describes a high state of grace, and it is worthy of note that the description is full of Christ. This is instructive, for this is not an exceptional case, it is only one fulfilment of a general rule. Our estimate of Christ is the best gauge of our spiritual condition; as the thermometer rises in proportion to the increased warmth of the air, so does our estimate of Jesus rise as our spiritual life increases in vigour and fervency. Tell me what you think of Jesus and I will tell you what to think of yourself. Christ is all to us, “yea, more than all when we are thoroughly sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost.
I. First, here is a delighting to have Christ. “My Beloved is mine.” The spouse makes this the first of her joy notes, the corner-stone of her peace, the fountain of her bliss, the crown of her glory. Observe here that where such an expression is truthfully used the existence of the Beloved is matter of fact. Scepticism and questioning have no place with those who thus sing. Love cannot, will not doubt; it casts away the crutches of argument and flies on the wings of conscious enjoyment, singing her nuptial hymn, “My Beloved is mine, and I am His.” In the case before us the love of the heavenly-minded one is perceived and acknowledged by herself. “My Beloved,” saith she; it is no latent affection, she knows that she loves Him, and solemnly avows it. She does not whisper, “I hope I love the peerless One,” but she sings, “MyBeloved.” There is no doubt in her soul about her passion for the altogether lovely One. But the pith of the text lies here, our possession of Him is proven, we know it, and we know it on good evidence--“My Beloved is mine.” Jesus is ours by the promise, the covenant,, and oath of God; a thousand assurances and pledges, bonds and seals, secure Him to us as our portion and everlasting heritage. This precious possession becomes to the believer his sole treasure. “My Beloved is mine,” saith he, and in that sentence he has summed up all his wealth. Oh, what would all the treasures of the covenant be to us if it were possible to have them without Christ? Their very sap and sweetness would be gone. Having our Beloved to be ours, we have all things in Him, and therefore our main treasure, yea, our sole treasure, is our Beloved. O ye saints of God, was there ever possession like this?
II. The second portion of the text deals with delighting to belong to Christ. “Iam His.” This is as sweet as the former sentence. Christ is mine, but if I were not His it would be a sorry case, and if I were His and He were not mine it would be a wretched business. These two things are joined together with diamond rivets--“My Beloved is mine, and I am His.” Put the two together, and you have reached the summit of delight. That we are His is a fact that may be proven--yea, it should need no proving, but be manifest to all that “I am His.” Certainly we are His by creation: He who made us should have us. We are His because His Father gave us to Him, and we are His because He chose us. Creation, donation, election are His triple hold upon us. Now this puts very great honour upon us. I have known the time when I could say “My Beloved is mine” in a very humble trembling manner, but I did not dare to add “I am His” because I did not think I was worth His having. I dared not hope that “I am His” would ever be written in the same book side by side with “My Beloved is mine.” Poor sinner, first lay hold on Jesus, and then you will discover that Jesus values you. This second part of the text is true as absolutely as the first. “I am His”--not my goods only, nor my time, nor my talents, nor what I can spare, but “I am His.” The believer feels that he belongs to Jesus absolutely; let the Lord employ him as he may, or try him as he pleases; let him take away all earthly friends from him or surround him with comforts. Blessed be God, this is true evermore--“I am His”; His to-day, in the house of worship, and His to-morrow in the house of business. This belonging to the Well-beloved is a matter of fact and practice, not a thing to be talked about only, but really to be acted on. If you are His He will provide for you. A good husband careth for his spouse, and even thus the Lord Jesus Christ cares for those who are betrothed unto Him. You will be perfected too, for whatever Christ has He will make worthy of Himself and bring it to glory.
III. To conclude: the saint feels delight in the very thought of Christ. “He feedeth among the lilies.” When we love any persons, and we are away from home, we delight to think of them, and to remember what they are doing.Now, where is Jesus? What are these lilies? Do not these lilies represent the pure in heart, with whom Jesus dwells? Where, then, is my Lord to-day? He is up and away, among the lilies of Paradise. In imagination I see those stately rows of milk-white lilies growing no longer among thorns: lilies which are never soiled with the dust of earth, which for ever glisten with the eternal dews of fellowship, while their roots drink in unfading life from the river of the water of life which waters the garden of the Lord. There is Jesus! But what is He doing among the lilies? It is said, “He feedeth among the lilies.” He is feeding Himself, not on the lilies, but among them. Our Lord finds solace among His people. His delights are with the sons of men; He joys to see the graces of His people, to receive their love, and to discern His own image in their faces. Then what shall I do? Well, I will abide among the lilies. His saints shall be my companions. Where they flourish I will try to grow. I will be often in their assemblies. Aye, and I will be a lily too. By faith I will neither toil nor spin in a legal fashion, but I will live by faith upon the Son of God, rooted in Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
