Neglecting Communion with Christ

Introduction:

Connection

Welcome to the second session! I hope this morning whet your appetite for the Song of Songs! Last session we covered an introduction to the Song generally, and we looked at the first four verses specifically. We saw the Bride longing to enjoy afresh the supreme love of Christ, to be filled afresh with the sweet-Spirit of Christ, and to be drawn into a closer walk with Christ.

We ended off with the joys of being in the chambers of our King, in the holy of holies, dwelling in the presence of our Beloved Saviour at the mercy seat—blessed by communion with Christ. Now we come to the opposite extreme, one which we often know very too well in our Christian walks:

Theme:

Neglecting and Lacking Communion with Christ

Need:

We need to be utterly convinced of the real danger of spiritual sloth; of the sinfulness of a lazy response to the presence of Christ … and of the consequences of such a spiritual condition.

Purpose:

To rebuke the bride of Christ for her worldly sloth, and for grieving the heart of her Beloved—and to stir us to be sick with love, being overcome with an eager pursuit to seek Him until we find Him again and return to the Garden of Love.

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) The Bride Receives and Neglects Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 2-3

Song of Solomon 5:2–3 ESV

I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them?

(1) The Bride Receives and Neglects Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 2-3

In the past 4 chapters of the Song, the Bride has ebbed and flowed in her love for, and closeness to, Jesus. She has been filled with guilt and shame, but Christ has assured her, and allured her by his grace and mercy. She has been brought into the sweetness of his presence, and his banner over her was love. She has had communion with Christ interrupted, but also restored as she sought him with passion. Christ has delighted in the church, being captivated by her and her love. And the Bride has been satisfied in the presence of her King, enjoying Him in the Garden of Love—but in chapter 5 something terribly foolish happens with the Bride. She get’s slothful—she get’s lazy—she get’s cold—she get’s indifferent—she get’s negligent—she get’s dull—she get’s sleepy. And so verse 2 opens: I slept, but my heart was awake (v2).

I was sleepy, but not fully asleep. I wasn’t in a coma—my heart still had high estimations of the glory of Christ—but I was sleepy in my walk with Him. I was backsliding in my relationship top Him. I was being drawn back into the vanities of the world, while being far from the one whom my soul loves. And what happened in this state of spiritual sloth? The Lord of glory came! He came to knock on the doors of her house, to fellowship and enjoy her love. He came to the garden of love once again—but this time, it was in an inconvenient hour. Read with me the rest of verse 2-3: A sound! My beloved is knocking. ‘Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.’ [But the bride responds]: I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? (v.2b-3).

Look at how tenderly Jesus speaks to his slothful bride, look at his he seeks to allure her, warm her heart, and draw her after Him—in the Song of Songs this is the point where Christ speaks most affectionately to his Bride—he calls her his sister, his love, his dove, his perfect one. The church is his sister, because we have been adopted into the family of God. The church is his love, lavished with his gracious affection. The church is his dove, born by the gentle Spirit of Christ. The church is his perfect one, clothed in the garments of his righteousness. In Him we stand complete—but our hearts often run back to the world, resting satisfied in the very things that Jesus has redeemed us from!

Oh do we not remember what the Scripture says: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jam. 4:4). How often have we indulged in the world, given ourselves over to other lovers—after all that Jesus has done for us, after all that Christ is to us—saved by his precious blood, yet we turn to the very things that nailed him to the tree. Warmed by his life-giving Spirit, yet we grieve Him by giving into the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16-17). Raised to newness of life, yet we go back to the grave to live in the darkness. Called sons and daughters of God, yet we like the prodigal go back to enjoy the pigs food. Oh “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” (Mark 4:19). Oh how often do we walk in the darkness, in slothfulness, in spiritual sleepiness—and while we are in such a distanced state from Christ, even the sweetest knockings of his love don’t budge our hearts immediately. Christ never forsakes us—but at times he withdraws the light of his face from us, standing outside the church as it were—for what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14).

Burrowes says: Where is the Christian who has not found the truth of this in his own experience? After periods of revival, in the same way will churches speedily show signs of sinking down into former coldness.

This passage is far too often the experience of believers, and we wonder why our joys in the Lord diminish? Jesus, I believe, quotes this passage in Revelation 3. Hear from him:

Revelation 3:19–20 ESV

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Oh Christ comes through his Word and by His Spirit with the whispers of love, but we like the church in Sardis are sleepy, and need to wake up! Wake up church! How alert are we to the presence of Jesus? How sensitive are we to the convictions of His Spirit? How close are we to Christ? If we are far from Christ shall we stay where we are? Shall we continue to despise Him and His love?

But I’ve already taken off my garment, Lord? I’m ready to go to bed. I’ve already bathed my feet, Lord? I don’t want to get up again. I’ve already turned the lights out, Lord? I don’t want to have to put in all this effort. I’ve already locked the door, Lord? Do I really need to open it again? And so we find excuses to indulge in self, to the neglect of our Saviour. What sins are you indulging in? What secret-sins and spiritual idols are drawing your heart await from your bridegroom? Oh that we would examine our hearts, that we might as our confession says, repent of our particular sins particularly. That we might constantly be watchful in prayer, taking every though captive to obey Christ, and every sinful lust and desire to be mortified by his Spirit. Yet too often we fail to do these very things, grieving the heart of our Shepherd-King.

Burrowes adds: This passage illustrates the exercises of the soul in a time of spiritual sloth and decay. After thus unfolding to us his love, he lets us, as in this passage, see our depravity and indifference. Our religious life consists of a series of revivals and of withdrawals by Jesus, for calling into exercise and putting to the test our graces.

Oh how quick the soul is to make excuses instead of abiding with Jesus. Oh how quick we are to neglect His presence and love. Oh how quick we are to sleep in, skip prayer meetings, neglect our private devotions, skip over our closet-prayer, skip family worship, skip discipleship groups, all the while our hearts grow cold, our souls are sleepy, and our Lord is far from us. Do we wish for Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:17)? Then we must open to the knocks of his love, and we must not delay. Sleepiness of soul causes distance from our Beloved (Ps. 32:3-4). Oh we must take heed, lest we fall—we must watch and pray, for the Spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). Let us keep the oil of our lamps full, let us keep our souls warmed by the fire of his love—let us heed his precious visits of grace (Matt. 25:1-12). Let us prove our faith to be genuine by our steadfastness—even in the dark night of the soul (Isa. 50; Jam. 1:3).

(1) The Bride Receives and Neglects Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 2-3

This brings us to the second part of this text:

(2) The Bride Responds Slothfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 4-6

Song of Solomon 5:4–6 ESV

My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.

(2) The Bride Responds Slothfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 4-6

See, the Bride didn’t stay long is her sloth. She woke up. She got up. She sought the Lord. She confessed her sin. She was restored in the Spirit. But she found Him not. She found his grace, yes—but she found not the sweetness of his presence. Like the Psalmist of old we cry out: “O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? … You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me, my companions have become darkness (Ps. 88:14; 18). This is a great warning for us to heed in our walks with Jesus.

She says: My beloved put his hand to the latch, and may heart was thrilled within me (v. 4). The Bride did wake up—but she slothfully woke up, she begrudgingly woke up, she had left behind the joys of her first love (Rev. 3). But that loved rekindled in her, her heart was eventually thrilled again. The problem was that she didn’t get up right away … she despised the first knocks of love, she quenched the influences of the Spirit, and for that she was left in darkness, disciplined for her sin, and left in the darkness of distance from her Beloved.

Isaiah 59:2 ESV

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

For the Christian, while sin cannot sever us from our salvation, it can separate us from the enjoyment of his presence (Rom. 8:39; 15:13). Sin and sloth are joy-killers of communion with Christ. This is what is happening in our passage.

She says: I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. (v. 5).

The bride arose, she got up, she realized what she had done—she was convicted about her rejection of the knocks of Christ. So she got out of bed, got dressed, she prepared herself to meet her Beloved—she got a whiff of his sweetness, of his liquid myrrh that he most likely left on the hands of the bolt, on the handles of the door—she was not entirely forsaken by Him, but she was distanced from the sweetness of His presence (James 4:9-10)

She continues: I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer” (v. 5-6).

Oh the agony of a soul who loves Jesus, but who feels far from Him! Oh the pains of grieving the heart of our Beloved! (2 Cor. 7:10-11). There have been times when the Lord has woken me up in the night for no apparent reason—and I feel the urge to pray, I feel convicted to seek the Lord like the Psalmist at midnight—I feel constrained to draw near to my Beloved even when he comes with the drops of the night, at an inconvenient hour—but then I’ve gone back to sleep, I’ve neglected the knocks of his love, I valued sleep over precious communion with Christ—and oh how I have despised the day of small things, oh how I have failed to wake up from my slumber and dwell with Him in the Garden of Love. And then when I do rise up to find Him oh how far He seems to be from me! Like Israel of old in Hosea, the Lord says: “They shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. For they have dealt faithlessly with the Lord!” (Hos. 5:6-7).

Burrowes: Finding him gone, she called to mind his tender, affecting language, and was so overcome thereby as to be almost unmanned. Recovering herself, she began to seek him, but could not find him; she called, but got no answer. It is dangerous for us to hesitate and delay when Jesus shows willingness to enter the soul again by his Holy Spirit. When he has been kind enough to seek us out in our decay, we should run with eagerness to meet him at the first impression of his approach. Neglect to do so, leads to his withdrawal, and lays us up for periods of toil, sorrow, desertion, and humiliation … By this carnal security and sloth, the believer has lost very many periods of delightful communion with Jesus, and been obliged to encounter painful difficulties, with seasons of darkness, reproach, and persecution.

Maybe we finally pull ourselves to pray, we finally pull ourselves to get on our knees—we finally get in the Word, we finally get to Church—and we have a sense of his sweetness, but we still feel distant from him. Have we been neglecting His precious visits? Have we been grieving His Holy Spirit? Have we been despising the secret-place of fellowship?

This is one way, in the Song, that we can damage our communion with Christ—oh let us take heed, for when we neglect his love it often takes much plowing and striving, much fervent and earnest prayer, much painful repentance for the joys of the Spirit to fill us again (2 Cor. 7:1; 2 Cor. 7:10-11)

Wake up, people of God—and draw near to your Beloved King. Do not give up!

Isaiah 52:1 (ESV)

Awake, awake,

put on your strength, O Zion;

put on your beautiful garments,

O Jerusalem, the holy city.

Don’t stop praying after 2 minutes! Don’t merely read the verse of the day! Don’t stop coming to church! Don’t stop leading your family in family worship! Don’t stop serving Him. Press on! Pursue Him! Do not rest content, until you find Him again (Ps. 66:20). Even in the agony of our sinful souls and seeking of the Lord, even when our souls fail us when he knocks with love, even when we seek Him but don’t experience the floods of his love, even when we call to him but hear no answer—rest in His promises, His covenant faithfulness, rest in His unchanging Word (2 Cor. 1:20-22)—renew your faith and repentance—and hunger for Him, thirst for Him, plead for His presence, cry out for His grace, flee to Him and seek Him with your whole heart (Ps. 37:3)—for the Lord has promised that those who seek Him with their whole hearts will find Him again! (Jer. 29:13). However, be warned that spiritual sloth will keep us from spiritual delights (Ps. 1)—and oh how it cuts us to the hearts when we realize we have belittled the love of such a great Saviour, the King of Glory!

(2) The Bride Responds Slothfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 4-6

This brings us to our third point:

(3) The Bride Repents Sorrowfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 7-8

Song of Solomon 5:7–8 ESV

The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

(3) The Bride Repents Sorrowfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 7-8

The repentance that has filled the soul of the Bride has led her to seek public help, to run after Christ with the help of others. To flee from sin, to pursue righteousness, alongside all those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). So she goes to the watchmen, which in the OT were the prophets and shepherds of Israel—and in the church are the pastors and shepherds of the flock (Ezk. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 5:1-3). She goes to ministers of the Gospel, who in chapter 3 helped her to find her Beloved, but who here are tired of her—these watchmen are upset with how much heart she is showing for Jesus, they feel ashamed of their own lack of spiritual joy, of their own distance from Christ, and instead of feeding the flock with the pure and sincere milk of the word, instead of comforting her with the Gospel and the path of life, instead of pointing this poor soul to look unto Jesus, to direct her to the green pastures of the Word and Prayer and the Sacraments—instead of speaking a word in season to her weary heart—they spiritually abuse her (Ezk. 34:1-6).

She says: The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls (v. 7).

Instead of caring for the weak, instead of guiding the flock to the streams of living waters, instead of nourishing her with the words of Jesus, with the promises of the Gospel, with the assurance of faith, with encouragements to love and good works, with hope to find her Beloved again—they beat her, they bruise her, they abuse her, and they judge her as a fanatic (Matt. 23:1-3)

They say: what is this poor soul doing with these crazy emotions and religious affections? These ministers know not the sweetness of the love of Jesus. These ministers have not the fires and warmth of the Spirit swelling up from within them. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Though they are holding the office of watchmen, they are quenching the Spirit within, and failing to shepherd the flock of God among them. They don’t know much of the reviving blessings of God, they haven’t tasted the sweetness of Christ in ages, so instead of helping the Bride seek the Groom in the Garden of Love through the Word and Spirit—the minister judges, scoffs, rolls their eyes, and says: shut up, sit down, quiet your heart, and just be a good Christian. Instead of recognizing the true zeal and fervor of a heart lit aflame by God, which must be fanned into flame for God—they judged it to be one of foolish piety.

So what does she do? Does she listen to this spiritually abusive counsel? No—she runs to the people of God, and she continues to seek Him—even when dry-and-cold ministers abuse her—she goes to the daughters of Jerusalem, and adjures them, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love (v. 8).

Pray for me, she says! Pray for me dear brothers and sisters! Run to Jesus and tell him that I am sick with love! That I am overcome with desire to know Him better! That I am bursting within with a longing to enjoy nearness to Him afresh! Please dear Christians—you who are close to Jesus and walking humbly with God, keeping in Step with the Spirit—if you find Him, tell him that I am sick with love. She goes to the saints, to those who know Jesus Christ—and she pleads for the power of prayer, for she knows: Jam. 5:16

James 5:16 ESV

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

And the Lord, through the ministry of the church, through the fellowship of the saints, through biblical counsel, Gospel preaching, Gospel encouragement, and Spirit-driven guidance—will find her beloved again, will be restored to the joy of her salvation, and will take delight in the Lord, renewing her strength, with the Spirit of glory resting upon her, the sweetness of Christ dwelling within her, and the love of the Father shed abroad in her heart—she will once again find her soul resting in the bosom of Jesus, like the Apostle John did so long ago. She will find her soul renwed to peace—as Jesus restored Peter so long ago. There is hope because of Christ, living hope, and we who draw near to the throne of grace will find mercy and help in time of need—press on, in earnest prayer, in treasuring the Word, and you too will find the one whom your soul loves.

Psalm 63:1 ESV

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

When will that be Lord? I’ve been praying each morning? Where is the sweetness of your love that I once enjoyed? Where is the glory of your presence that once ravished my soul? Where is the warmth of your Spirit that used to overcome me through your Word? Where is the power? Where are the eternal pleasures that are at your right hand? I will not give in—I will keep pressing on—I will not rest content until I enjoy your fruit in the shadow of your wings. I will not rest content until I am delighting myself in the Lord. I will not rest content until He draws near to me, until He meets me afresh, until He fills me with joy unspeakable and full of glory, until I taste and see that my beloved is fairer than all the sons of men. Awake O north wind! Come O Holy Spirit! Breathe on me breathe of God! I will seek Him until I find him!

Burrowes: And in these hours when Jesus has left us, even though through our own neglect, we may still be comforted with the assurance of loving him, if we persevere in anxiously seeking him, even amid darkness, suspicion, and trial.

The mark of truth faith is perseverance through trials, held by the power of God, even in the darkness of distance from Jesus. Isa. 50:10

Isaiah 50:10 ESV

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

With godly grief and sorrow over our sin, we press on—trusting in His precious promises—and seeking Him until we find Him again.

(3) The Bride Repents Sorrowfully to the Knocks of Love from Christ - v. 7-8

This brings us to our conclusion for this session:

(C) Those who are Sleepy in their Walk with Christ will Find themselves Grieved by Low Levels of Joy in Christ.

One hymn writer captured it well:

“O Jesus, thou art standing, outside the fast closed door, in lowly patience waiting, to pass the threshold o’er: shame on us, Christian brothers, His name and sign who bear, os hame, thrice shame upon us, to keep him standing there!

O Jesus, thou art knocking, and lo that hand is scarred, and thorns thy brow encircle, and tears thy face have marred: O love that passeth knowledge, so patiently to wait! O sin that hath no equal, so fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus, thou art pleading in accents meek and low, I died for you my children, and will you treat me so? O Lord, with shame and sorrow, we open now the door, dear Saviour enter, enter, and leave us never more”

Oh let us heed the knockings of his love, let us not neglect precious time with Him—and when we do let us seek Him until we find him, with tears and hearts that are broken. For he dwells with him “who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry” (Isa. 57: 15-16). Weeping lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Jn. 14).

(C) Those who are Sleepy in their Walk with Christ will Find themselves Grieved by Low Levels of Joy in Christ.

Amen, let’s pray.

Questions for Discipleship Groups:

(1) What are the lies that we believe when we prefer to remain spiritually sleepy rather than running into the arms of Christ?

(2) Why does our sin and sloth often keep us away from the joy of the Lord being our strength and delight?

(3) Why must we not give up when we feel distant from Jesus, and how can we continue to earnestly seek Him even in times of darkness?