I n her shame, condemnation & guilt, she says, “Remind me again of your vows

1. THE PASSION BIBLE: In the first 3 chapters of Song of Solomon, the bridegroom proposes to the bride with covenant vows calling her beautiful, without fault, lovely, just & good…but she argues & can’t believe it’s true. • In her shame, condemnation & guilt, she says, “Remind me again of your vows • “I’ll be your husband & you’ll be my bride; I see no fault in you for eternity! I’ll pursue you & shower you with my love & goodness until you realize I will never stop loving you & you fall exhausted into my arms to be made whole by My love! • After hearing, & hearing, & hearing, she finally agrees with His opinion of her & says “Yes!” to His proposal of love! That’s when He says: • “NOW…you're ready to go higher; now you're bearing fruit that can be seen! • You … are My paradise garden!

2. Song of Songs 4:13(You received revelation of My love & said"Yes” to Me!)Your inward life is now sprouting, bringing forth fruit. What a beautiful paradise unfolds within you! When I’m near you I smell aromas of the finest spice. I find many clusters of My exquisite fruit growing within Your inner garden- Here are nine: Now you’re bearing the fruit of…

3. 16 Bride: Come walk with me as You walked with Adam in Your paradise-garden. • Come taste the very fruits of Your life in me.” • The Shepherd King is a picture of Jesus; The “Shulamite” bride is you. • Solomon = m. Shalom: completeness, peace; • nothing missing nothing broken! • Shulamite= f. Shalawm: to be in a covenant of peace • with nothing missing nothing broken! • Same root: a picture of being One Spirit with our King. • You are ONE with Him: You’ve become a feast for others! • Song of Sol 5:1 I have gathered from your heart, my equal, My bride, • I have gathered from My garden all My sacred spices…all the fruits of My life. I have gathered from within you, My paradise-garden!Come all My friends—feast upon my bride!All you revelers of my palace—Now feast on her, My lovers!Drink & drink & drink again until you can take no more---drink the wine of her love. Take all you desire, you priests!My life within her will now become your feast! • It all starts when you say “yes” to His love & His opinion of you...

4. *After a season of soaking in the love of Jesus, gaining deeper revelation of who we are, how He sees us, & pouring that out on other people…the Bridegroom comes during the dark night and pleads with the bride to open her heart still deeper to Him! • Song of Sol 5:2 “[The Shulamite Bride] After this I let my devotion slumber, but my heart for Him stayed awake. I had a dream. I dreamed of my Beloved- He was coming to me in the darkness of the night. • NIGHT: MEANS TIME OF ADVERSITY OR MIDNIGHT SEASON! • Even after all this of understanding his love, “I let my devotion slumber” • When? In the DARK NIGHT….Negative circumstances happen in her life & she began to question again where He is and if He’s faithful. A trial! • Some turn away during a during a trial because their prayers didn’t get answered the way they wanted them to. • In every dark season, people experience temptation… • To feel condemned • To Fear • To wonder if God exists! • Lies come to everyone’s heart to get us to turn away from or question His existence, the only salvation we have.

5. Song Sol 5:2 The melody of the Man I love awakened me. I heard His knock at my heart’s door as He pleaded with me: Arise My love, open your heart My darling-deeper still to Me! Will you receive Me this dark night? There is no one else but you, My friend, My equal. I need you this night to arise & be with Me. You are My pure & loyal dove, a perfect partner for Me. My flawless one, will you arise? For My heaviness & tears are more than I can bear. • I need you to arise & be with me during this dark time in YOUR life! • There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with you, even if it’s your fault you’re in this mess! • I need you to believe me…until you do, you’ll stay in that dark place! • 2 I have spent Myself for you throughout the dark night. • He’s talking about His own dark night: “I had my own dark night! • I laid my life down for you so you can live free in the midstof a dark season, • or when you make a mistake! I spent myself for you; I paid for you with my own blood! • Through the dark night, I looked at the price in the marriage contract it was going to cost for me to buy you & I said YOU WERE WORTH IT!” • LISTEN! • Jesus paid a great price for you so that in the middle of your dark season, you could have perfect peace knowing that you are married to the overcoming king • and you’re not staying here!He brings us through EVERY SINGLE TIME!

6. *The Bride responds to His plea by recalling His words of love and His wedding gift of righteousness to her. Song of Songs 5:3 I have already laid aside my old garments for you! How could I take them up again since I’ve yielded my righteousness to yours!? You have cleansed my life & taken me so far, isn’t that enough? She’s realizes, “It’s not about my righteousness, it’s about Yours that you gave me! ISN’T THAT ENOUGH?” 4 My beloved reached into me, unlocked my heart & my very being trembled at His touch! How my soul melted when He spoke to me! 5 My spirit arose to open for more of His touch, as I surrendered to Him I began to sense His fragrance. The fragrance of suffering love. It was the scent of myrrh flowing all through me! He reaches inside her & touches her soul in a deep way & she opens up for more, surrendering to Him & listening to Him again speak to her in her dark night. She’s feeling peace now! We’ve all done it before: The spirit of God reminds us of a promise…the myrrh is washing over & affecting our emotions & we begin to feel comfort. Then suddenly we ask, “Where are you Jesus?”

7. Song of Sol 5:6I opened my soul to my beloved but suddenly He was gone and my heart was torn out in longing for Him! I sought His closeness, His fragrance—But could not find Him anywhere!I called out for Him---Yet he did not answer me. I will arise & search for Him until I find Him! • The myrrh is comforting your emotions, then quickly we can go from that to: • “Where are you Jesus?I’ve come out of the law & now I’m living in grace! • You qualified me for all your promises and blessings! I understand living in grace…so Where are you? My circumstances are screaming something different! • A picture of what it looks like practically in our life: • He doesn’t leave or forsake us, He’s an ever present help in time of trouble. • Our perception is: I’ve been calling to you but you’re not answering! You’ve left me in this dark place, I feel lost & confused…Is anything I believe even true!?

8. So she begins to look for Him in the city…in her circumstances! • 7 As I walked throughout the city in search of Him, the overseers happened to find me as they made their rounds. They beat me & bruised me until I could take no more. In my wounding they removed their “covering” (favor) from me. • During this dark time there’ll be people who condemn you & • remove their favor & their friendship from you! • Overseers: Are not just church leaders. They’re people that have all the knowledge of the tree of good & evil; • Who think they have all the answers & know exactly what you’re doing wrong: • “If you were a better mother, steward of your money, better wife & respected your husband…you wouldn’t have all these troubles!” • These are the ones who, when you’re going through a season of change or a dark time of your life, push you down, condemn you, or maybe even stop speaking to you.

9. Then there’s another group of people: those who care about you! Who pray for you! Who help you! She turns to the other BRIDES to ask for help! To talk to Jesus for her! Song Sol 5:8 Nevertheless, make me this promise, you brides to be, If you find my Beloved One please tell Him I endured all the travails for love of Him. I’ve been pierced through by love, and I will not be turned aside! These are the people you can tell without fear of condemnation, “I’m not getting through! I’m having a hard time, could you please pray for me? And tell my Jesus that I need Him to rescue me? Will you talk to him for me because I need some help right now.”

10. Some who are listening see what she’s going through & ask her, • 9 What love is this? How could you continue to care so deeply for Him? Isn’t there another that could steal away your heart? We see now your beauty, more beautiful than all the others. What makes your beloved better than another? What is it about Him that makes you ask that we promise you so? • They’re asking, “How can you still love Him & trust Him when you are facing such a hard thing & it looks like He’s not helping you? (death of a loved one, financial struggles, marriage problems, sickness, being falsely accused, etc.). • They are watching your response wondering if your opinion of Him has changed? • This is when we need His grace the most to stand strong in circumstances!

11. Then… THE BRIDE SPEAKS! • GRACE SPEAKS! THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH SPEAKS! • Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water! IT’S OK TO SPEAK WHAT GOD SAID! • She begins to recall & declare why she fell in love with Him. • Why she will never let Him go and why she can trust Him! He is her overcoming King! • Song of Sol. 5:10 HE ALONE IS MY BELOVED! • He shines in dazzling splendor, yet still so approachable! Without equal as He stands above all the others waving His banner to the myriads! (infinite number) • She recalls how He is so approachable for He loves me even when I fail and never brings up my mistakes or even recalls them. • He sees no fault in me! He waves His banner of love to EVERYONE! • 11 The way He leads me is divine! His leadership so pure & dignified as He wears His crown of gold. Upon this crown are letters of black written on a background of glory. • 12 He sees everything with pure understanding.Howbeautiful His insights without distortion. His eyes rest upon the fullness of the river of revelation • flowing so clean & pure! • She’s realizing He sees the big picture… I don’t have to understand everything, • He understands everything & sees everything from a pure & loving perspective.

12. Song Sol 5:13Looking at His gentle face I see such fullness of emotion. Like a lovely garden where fragrant spices grow. What a Man! No one speaks words so anointed as this One! Words that both pierce & heal, words like lilies dripping with myrrh. • He is so intimate with me & full of loving emotion toward me! • His words are anointed & heal all the broken places of my heart. • His emotion toward me gave me peace, security, love, joy! It transforms me! • 14See how His hands hold unlimited power! But He never uses it in anger, For He is always holy, displaying His glory. His innermost place is a work of art, so beautiful & bright. How magnificent & noble is this one covered in majesty! • “Look how mighty He is! Unlimited power yet He never uses it in anger & is never angry with me no matter how many times I fail He only sees good in me! • The only One who has ever loved me this way…whose opinion of me never changes!” • We can look back on times He rescued us, • but it’s THIS TIME I have to decide again! • Today we decide, “YES! You’re going take care of me Jesus!” • I’m going to die holding on to the lover of my soul. • I’m going to live life full of peace, joy, confidence, security, and love for people! • I’m going to live this life in the fullness of what God has for me!

13. Song Sol 5:15 He’s steadfast in all He doesnever veering. His ways are ways of righteousnessbased on truth & holiness. None can rival Him, all will be amazed by Him! • 16 Most sweet are His kisses, even His whispers of love. He is delightful in every way and perfect from every viewpoint. If you ask me why I love Him so, oh brides to be, it is because there is none like Him to me. Everything about Him fills me with holy desire! And now He is my Beloved…MY FOREVER FRIEND! • In dark times when we questioned & got angry w/Him… • He still loved us & reminded us how lovely we are to Him! • Had a tantrum then realized how He comforted & brought us through again! • We said, “This doesn't make sense, I have to do something about it!” & • He said, “I’ve got this covered. I’m doing something great.” • Then…we listened to him & exactly what He said came about! • I’ve never found such security in anyone’s view & opinion of me! • His good opinion of me never changes no matter how I act or what I do!

14. At any time during this dark night we could say, • “NO! You’re not doing it like I want, so I can’t trust you anymore!” • Or…we can think about how much He loves us & as we reach out to Him, • His grace begins to influence us! • We can ask those we trust, “Will you pray for me?” We can call out & say, “Help me Jesus. I’m having trouble believing you! I’m not sure what I believe anymore!” • “Help me Jesus!” is the number one prayer & the secret of not turning your back on Him! • When you feel like he’s not helping you…say it again… & again!!!! • He is helping you, even when you can’t see or feel it! He’s coming to you over the hills speaking to you through friends, messages, verses, phone calls, etc… HE’S ALWAYS SAYING… • “My flawless one remember who you are & if you believe it, I’ll take any of your ASHES in your life, no matter what they look like, & I’ll make them beautiful!” • So if you ask me why I love Him so, it’s because He first loved ME! • Then right in the middle of her dark night, they say to her… • YOU HAVE PERSUADED US! We want to find & know Him too! How can we find Him? • Song of Sol. 6:1 Oh rarest of beauty, where then has your lover gone? We long to see Him too! Where may we find Him? As you seek after Him, WE WILL FOLLOW YOU!

15. YOU HAVE PERSUADED THEM! In the middle of a dark time or a season of change, people have watched you & said, “We want to follow Him TOO!” You have in the middle of something difficult… You have pulled, and drawn, and LED PEOPLE TO JESUS!

16. Song Sol 6:2 Shulamite Bride: My lover has gone down into His garden of delight, the place where His spices grow to feast with those pure in heart. I know we shall find Him there. 3 He is within ME---I AM HIS GARDEN OF DELIGHT! I have Him fully andNOW He fully has me! Suddenly it dawns on her again. I’ve been looking for him in my circumstances, but He is within me, in His garden of delight! Jesus lives in you. He IS your identity…everything you need! Who He is…is who YOU are: Righteous, holy, good, favored approved! The same way you bear fruit, is the way you come out of a dark time: Receive revelation of His love & say "Yes”! If you feel He’s not answering you, remember what he said, how He loves you, how you are one with Him! Agree with the identity He’s given you regardless of your circumstances! You’ll find peace when you quit looking “out there”. When you come back and say, “I’m one with you Jesus…free from condemnation & shame!” You’ll find your Jesus inside of you! You are his garden! The mystery of the gospel is Christ in you the hope of glory! The manifestation of Who God is...is in your life!