{"id":2922,"date":"2014-06-21T09:17:43","date_gmt":"2014-06-21T09:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=2922"},"modified":"2014-06-21T09:17:43","modified_gmt":"2014-06-21T09:17:43","slug":"christ%e2%80%99s-estimate-of-his-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=2922","title":{"rendered":"Christ\u2019s Estimate of His Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christ\u2019s Estimate of His Church<\/strong><\/p>\n

James Smith, 1865
\n\u201cYou are\u00a0absolutely beautiful<\/em>, My love; there is no spot <\/em>in you!\u201d\u00a0Song of Solomon 4:7<\/p>\n

Solomon\u2019s Song<\/em> represents the\u00a0love <\/em>of Christ to His people, His\u00a0admiration <\/em>of them, andcommunion <\/em>with them. Every spiritual person more or less understands it; but it requires deep spirituality, much intimacy with Jesus, and some knowledge of the manners and customs of the East \u2014 to fully enter into it. It is a most precious part of God\u2019s inspired Word. In the Old Testament, it is like\u00a0Paradise <\/em>among the gardens, or the\u00a0tree of life <\/em>among the trees of that garden. May the Holy Spirit lead us into it, and favor us with the rich enjoyment of the fellowship represented by it.<\/p>\n

The OBJECT of Christ\u2019s love, is His Church.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All that were\u00a0given <\/em>to Him by His Father.<\/p>\n

All that are\u00a0redeemed <\/em>by His most precious blood.<\/p>\n

All that are\u00a0quickened <\/em>and\u00a0sanctified <\/em>by His Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Such He calls \u201cMy love.\u201d He compares them to a lovely and delicate woman.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0His <\/em>view<\/strong> \u2014 she is incomparably beautiful; but in\u00a0her <\/em>own eyes \u2014 she is black, unsightly as the tents of Kedar. She sees so much of her own inward depravity, and feels so much of the working of the law of sin in the members \u2014 that she often loathes herself, and lying low at His feet, exclaims,\u00a0\u201cBehold, I am vile!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In her\u00a0conduct<\/strong>, she is represented as at times\u00a0unstable <\/em>and\u00a0unkind<\/em>; refusing to rise from the pillow of ease to admit her Beloved, though He was saturated with the dews, and called to her, saying, \u201cOpen to me, my love!\u201d She was drowsy and cold, so that He had to call to her, invite her, and exhort her to rise up and accompany Him to enjoy the pleasures He had provided for her.<\/p>\n

She was as\u00a0timid <\/em>as the dove, without heart or courage; which led Him to say, \u201cMy dove, who is in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me hear your voice, let me see your countenance; for sweet is your voice, and your countenance is lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was too pleased, intimate, and affected with the company of\u00a0others<\/em>; in consequence of which, he calls to her, saying, \u201cYou who dwell in the gardens with\u00a0friends <\/em>in attendance, let ME hear your voice!\u201d<\/p>\n

How exactly like us \u2014 so\u00a0unstable<\/em>, so\u00a0unkind <\/em>to Jesus, so\u00a0dull <\/em>and\u00a0drowsy<\/em>, so\u00a0timid <\/em>andfearful<\/em>, so much taken up with the things of\u00a0time<\/em>. Yet her love to Him was\u00a0sincere<\/em> \u2014 and so is ours. We do love Him \u2014 though not so ardently as we wish. We are sincere \u2014 and we can often say, \u201cYou know all things \u2014 You know that I\u00a0love <\/em>You!\u201d Even at the lowest, we can say, \u201cYou know that I\u00a0desire <\/em>to love You.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, Jesus has our hearts; if we love anyone \u2014 we love Him. If we desire union with anyone \u2014 it is with Him. If we enjoy the company of anyone \u2014 it is His company. We have loved Him ever since He was made known to us by His Holy Spirit, and we love Him still. There have been\u00a0interruptions <\/em>in the\u00a0exercise <\/em>of our love \u2014 but it is still embedded in our hearts. We can find no substitute for Jesus, nor do we desire to find any. He is all our salvation, and all our desire. If we could love Him as we wish \u2014 our souls would be all on flame, and always on flame, with love to Him!<\/p>\n

The ESTIMATE Jesus has of His Church is, that she is absolutely beautiful, and without spot.<\/strong> \u201cYou are absolutely beautiful, my love.\u201d He views her now as she\u00a0will be <\/em>by-and-bye. She will be absolutely beautiful and faultless; as it is written, \u201cChrist loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a\u00a0glorious <\/em>church, without\u00a0stain <\/em>or\u00a0wrinkle <\/em>or any other\u00a0blemish<\/em> \u2014 but holy and blameless!\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked upon her with a\u00a0lover\u2019s eyes<\/em> \u2014 which overlooked all her\u00a0defects<\/em>, and fixed only on her\u00a0excellencies<\/em>. He admired the\u00a0work of His own SPIRIT in her<\/em>. That work is a\u00a0holy <\/em>work; abeautiful <\/em>work; a work of the highest\u00a0excellence<\/em>. It produces love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and faith \u2014 all of which are lovely in the eyes of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is\u00a0no spot <\/strong>in you.\u201d His perfect righteousness covers her \u2014 and hides every spot! Looking upon herself, she exclaims, \u201cWe are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags!\u201d Very unfit to be the bride of Him who is the brightness of the Father\u2019s glory, and the express image of His person. But, looking upon herself in Jesus, she says, \u201cI will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hasclothed <\/em>me with the garments of salvation; He has\u00a0covered <\/em>me with the robe of righteousness; as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels!\u201d<\/p>\n

Precious Savior! You not only worked out this magnificent garment \u2014 but You put it upon our souls with your own hands! He has\u00a0clothed <\/em>me; He has\u00a0covered <\/em>me. Yes! Jesus\u00a0makes <\/em>us lovely \u2014 and then\u00a0calls <\/em>us so. His own\u00a0graces <\/em>adorn His beloved, His blood-bought bride, until, as it is said by the prophet, \u201cYour renown went forth for your beauty; for it was perfect through My loveliness which I put upon you, says the Lord God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her\u00a0perfect <\/em>image was before Him \u2014 when He thus\u00a0commended <\/em>her, \u201cYou are absolutely beautiful, My love; there is no spot <\/em>in you!\u201d He saw the\u00a0purpose <\/em>of His Father fulfilled; the end of\u00a0His work <\/em>accomplished; as it is written, \u201cFor those God\u00a0foreknew<\/em> \u2014 He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. And those He\u00a0predestined<\/em> \u2014 He also called; those He\u00a0called<\/em> \u2014 He also justified; those He\u00a0justified<\/em> \u2014 He also\u00a0glorified!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The TITLE by which Jesus calls His Church is, \u201cMy love.\u201d<\/strong> This expresses His\u00a0choice <\/strong>of us, for He has chosen us to be His, from all around us. This expresses His\u00a0preference <\/strong>of us, for He prefers His people to all the universe besides. This expresses His strong\u00a0attachment<\/strong> to us, for His love is as strong as death, and stronger too. This expresses His high\u00a0esteem<\/strong> of us, for He esteems His people even above angels. He saw the\u00a0angels <\/em>fall \u2014 and He did not take their nature to redeem them. But when\u00a0His people <\/em>fell \u2014 He assumed their nature, took their place, became their Substitute, died in their stead, went into heaven to plead their cause, and will soon come again to receive them to Himself! Well may He exclaim, \u201cYou have not\u00a0chosen <\/em>Me \u2014 but I have chosen you.\u201d \u201cI have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I\u00a0drawn <\/em>you.\u201d O wondrous\u00a0love! <\/em>O more wondrous\u00a0Lover!<\/em><\/p>\n

Believer,\u00a0Christ\u2019s <\/em>views of you \u2014 are not like\u00a0your own<\/em>. He speaks of you in very different language \u2014 from what you would speak of yourself. He says, you are \u201cabsolutely beautiful; there is\u00a0no spot <\/em>in you;\u201d and what He calls you \u2014 He will make you! He calls things that are not, as though they were \u2014 to express the\u00a0certainty <\/em>of their being so; because He is determined and engaged to\u00a0make <\/em>them so.<\/p>\n

We shall soon be all that Christ says that we are! All His\u00a0purposes <\/em>towards us \u2014 are love. All His\u00a0thoughts <\/em>of us \u2014 are thoughts of love. If\u00a0Christ <\/em>thinks thus of us \u2014 never mind whatothers <\/em>think; His thoughts are right \u2014 theirs are wrong; His are wise \u2014 theirs are foolish; His shall be realized \u2014 theirs disappointed. Christ often commends \u2014 when\u00a0man <\/em>condemns. His apostles, the first believers, and the holy martyrs, were condemned by man, and considered\u00a0unfit to live<\/em>! But Jesus\u00a0commended<\/em>,\u00a0sustained<\/em>, and will\u00a0reward <\/em>them.<\/p>\n

As Christ speaks to us on\u00a0earth<\/em>, so He speaks of us to His Father in\u00a0heaven<\/em>. There Hepleads <\/em>our cause \u2014 because He loves us; there He will\u00a0carry <\/em>our cause \u2014 for He has wisdom, weight, and worth enough to do it. He opens His heart, expresses His desire, utters His will; saying, \u201cFather, I will that those whom You have given Me, shall be with Me where I am \u2014 that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.\u201d Blessed be Jesus for His\u00a0love<\/em>, His love to\u00a0us<\/em>; for the revelation of His love in the Word; especially by His Spirit in the heart!<\/p>\n

Let us therefore close our meditation in the language of Jude, \u201cNow unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Savior \u2014 be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever! Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christ\u2019s Estimate of His Church James Smith, 1865 \u201cYou are\u00a0absolutely beautiful, My love; there is no spot in you!\u201d\u00a0Song of Solomon 4:7 Solomon\u2019s Song represents the\u00a0love of Christ to His people, His\u00a0admiration of them, andcommunion with them. Every spiritual person more or less understands it; but it requires deep spirituality, much intimacy with Jesus, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,34,62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-james-smith","category-gods-love","category-pictures-and-types"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2922"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2924,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2922\/revisions\/2924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}