To Live Life
as God’s Beloved!
Song of Solomon 7:10
Audio MP3
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
14 Feb, 2010 AM
I.
Introduction
(Song 7:10)
A.
Song of Solomon 7:10, “I am my
beloved's, and his desire is toward me.”
B.
“Beloved” means, “So loved” and
“Greatly loved”
C.
It’s Valentine’s Day.
1.
A pagan holiday about love.
Mainly about erotic love, and physical love.
2.
But it is the world’s attempt to
answer the need of the human heart to be loved
3.
THE most talked about subject,
day-in and day-out is LOVE. Whether in music, on talk-shows, in magazines,
and novels. You can’t sell coffee without two people eying one another like
it is an aphrodisiac!
D.
God has the market cornered on
love. He “wrote the Book” on love (1
E.
The Challenge (Eph 3:17-19) – To
Live a Life as Beloved!
1.
That Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith – That’s Salvation
2.
That ye, being rooted and
grounded in love – That’s Foundation
3.
May be able to comprehend with
all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge – That’s Revelation
4.
That ye might be filled with all
the fulness of God – That’s Satisfaction
F.
It will help you understand that,
it is one thing to be loved
G.
It is quite another to be
BELOVED!
II.
Message –
Beloved Is…
A.
Beloved is
How a Believer Sees Himself
1.
How do you normally see yourself?
It is called Self-Esteem, or Personal Value. So many have no self-worth at
all! It is because they have never known God!
2.
A Christian is in the Middle of
Three Attitudes
a.
He or She is Beloved of God
1)
God doesn’t just like us, He
loves
us!
2)
I’m talking about sinners, who
have been saved by the grace of God!
a)
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth
his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
b)
3)
Listen to God talk about “His
beloved”
a)
Psalm 127:2 “It is vain for you
to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he
giveth his beloved
sleep.”
b)
Romans 1:7 “To all that be
in
c)
Jesus actually loves us like a
Groom loves his new bride
4)
Quit letting Hollywood tell you
how to look at yourself – not skinny enough, not pretty enough, not smart
enough, not enough hair, not having enough money…
5)
Quit letting others decide how
loved you are
6)
Realise that you are BELOVED of
God – so loved by God!
7)
We have been made accepted in the
beloved (Eph 1:6)
8)
You and I may not be much, but we
are greatly loved by Almighty God!
b.
He or She is Beloved of the
Brethren – at least true brethren
1)
1
2)
Romans 16:8, 9, 12
3)
Colossians 4:7, 9, 14
4)
Hey! I may not have a load or
friends and a fan club, but I know I am loved HERE
c.
He or She is Hated by the devil,
and by the world – goes with the territory! (Luke 21:17; 1
B.
Beloved is
How a Christian Sees Others
1.
How Do You See Your Companion? –
Your Wife or our Husband?
a.
It ought to be like Jesus Christ
loves His church
1)
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it
b.
It ought to be like you are
perpetually newlyweds!
1)
Song 1:14 My beloved is
unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
2)
Song 2:3 As the apple tree
among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down
under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
3)
Song 2:8 The voice of my
beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the
hills.
4)
Song 2:10 My beloved spake,
and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
5)
Song 2:16 My beloved is
mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
6)
Song 4:16 Awake, O north
wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may
flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
7)
Song 5:10 My beloved is
white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
8)
Song 5:16 His mouth is most
sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my
friend, O daughters of
9)
Song 7:10 I am my
beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
c.
You USED to see your spouse that
way!
d.
Maybe you find it hard to see
them that way now! But that only proves you need the love of God shed abroad
again in your heart like it once was when you got saved!
e.
If you find it so hard to so
love, then it is simply because you are so unforgiven YOURSELF!
f.
Jesus explains this in Luke 7:47
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she
loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
2.
How Do You See Your Children?
(Prov 4:3) – as ONLY beloved
a.
People do not love their children
today – not like they SHOULD!
1)
They never really felt loved
growing up
2)
They have no idea how to love
their own children
3)
they feel guilty about it all
4)
They neglect them, They spoil
them, They let them do their own thing
5)
And then they get so angry at
them
6)
It is a vicious cycle!
b.
Most parents don’t know HOW to
truly love their children
1)
They think spanking them is so
wrong
2)
They think controlling them is so
unfair
3)
They think a 5 year old should be
reasoned with, and should be asked their opinion
c.
To truly love your children means
you treat them as God treats you!
1)
To be ONLY beloved does not mean
that you never get angry at them
2)
It doesn’t mean that you never
correct them, and punish them
3)
As a matter of fact, if you want
to love your children, then start correcting them, start limiting them,
start moulding them into proper, respectful, submissive and obedient young
men and women!
4)
That’s how God loves you!
a)
Chastening you often (Heb 12:8),
and moulding you – not letting you run wild!
b)
Being firm with you, and in
charge!
c)
Causing you to take
responsibilities for your own messes, and making you reap what you sow!
d.
You say that is unfair! God calls
it love! It is strong love. It is the best kind of love!
3.
How Do You See Your Church? (1
a.
We are family (Mt 12:47-50)
b.
You have got to make church
priority
c.
Meet each other’s needs, ahead of
your own! That’s what family does!
d.
Why? Because they are beloved!
Especially the hard ones to love!
C.
Beloved Is
How We Live (
1.
Forbearing and Forgiving is the
Bible’s Act of Love
2.
Why does God focus more on
forbearing and forgiving than on romance and on enjoying each other?
a.
Because fun and happiness are
fleeting
b.
Because people change
c.
Because sin ruins things
d.
Only forbearing and forgiving
enables the innocence of romantic love to flourish, even when they seem to
have died!
e.
God gets all the glory when
people who should be enemies rely on God’s grace to help them cover a
multitude of sins!
3.
To Forbear is
a.
To endure! To abstain, avoid,
forgo, go easy, hold back, refrain, restrain yourself, avoid confrontation,
to pass-over, to pass up an opportunity, to refuse to attack, to starve
one’s anger and frustration,
b.
It is a readiness to resist the
urge to hurt someone back!
c.
It allows for love to continue!
d.
The opposites would be: to give
in, indulge your feelings, yield to your anger towards someone that you are
commanded to love
e.
In other words, a Christian is
commanded to Put up with each other, AND to stay in love with each other!
4.
To Forgive is:
a.
To not exact payment. To treat
people better than they deserve (Eph 4:32)!
b.
When people wrong you, justice
dictates that they OWE you, and you have the RIGHT to demand of them some
kind of payment for all the suffering they have caused you
1)
Maybe an apology
2)
Maybe some grovelling
3)
Maybe JAIL
c.
But if you forgive them you DON’T
demand payment; you actually end up freely giving good for their evil
5.
Why? Because you are:
a.
Elect of God – His choice! You
didn’t have to earn His love; He chose to love you when you were ungodly
(Rom 5:6,8)
b.
Holy – been forgiven! If you have
been forgiven then you can forgive!
c.
BELOVED of God!
III.
Conclusion
A.
There is a huge difference
between being loved, and being BELOVED!
B.
If you are not a born again
Christian, know this – God loves you (
C.
Once born again, you are totally
and absolutely accepted in the beloved! You have moved from being loved
(which is cool enough), to being BELOVED! Being the most special person to
God, and to Christians all over the world!
1.
Forget the pagan aspect of love
that is so promoted at Valentine’s Day!
2.
Start basking in the perfect love
of the God who loved you and gave Himself for you on the cross to save you
and make you His beloved!
D.
Beloved Is…
1.
“Beloved” is
How a Believer Sees Himself
2.
“Beloved” is
How a Christian Sees Others
3.
“Beloved” Is
How We Live
E.
All of this only happens because
of Jesus Christ in your life. have you allowed Him to come in and save you?