Patrick Walton Wellspring Christian Fellowship-Ellensburg, WA. “Spring Conference March 15,16 2014”

Session One Overview Of The (1-4)

I) Introduction

A) The Song of Songs, unlike any other book in the doesn’t directly give us revelation about growing apostolic ministries, planting Churches and saving the nations. It gives line upon line revelation about growing in the first and second commandment as we encounter our personal weakness and God’s relentless pursuit of our companionship with Him.

B) When Jesus said in John 17:24 that He wants us with Him where He is, He really meant it.

II) The Divine Kiss and the Bride’s life vision (SOS 1:1-4)

A) The entire theme of the Song of is the brides two fold life vision of being drawn away in intimacy (the 1st commandment) and running with together with others in ministry (the 2nd commandment). The journey of the Shulamite begins, ends and is sustained from the place of hunger (Mark 12:30-31).

B) :2,4 “Let Him kiss me with the Kisses of His mouth (Word) (Hunger)…Draw me away (Intimacy)! We will run after You (ministry)…”

1) This is what I call the bride’s two-fold life vision. It’s her thesis about what her life in this age is to be about. She understands that intimacy is primarily something that is done on her own, and ministry is something that is always done within community.

2) She is saying, “before I am able run in ministry I must be drawn away with You in intimacy.”

3) She knew, like so many of us, that before she was able to run with a message, she had to sit with Christ in the place of intimacy. It’s easy to end up running in ministry without being drawn away in intimacy, but its long- term impact is detrimental to both us personally and those we come in contact with (Rev. 2:1-7).

a) Matthew 10:1 “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him (intimacy) He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease (ministry).”

III) Being Dark and Lovely (SOS 1:5-11)

A) While the bride is praying for Him to draw her away intimacy, He answers her and brings her directly into His chamber. This nearness to the Holy causes what I call a “true encounter.” She both sees why the daughters love Him (rightly do they love You) and the fact that she’s both “dark and lovely.”

B) Song Of Songs 1:5“I am dark but lovely, O daughters of , like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.”

1) Her encounter with the Holy led her to see that she was dark in Adam but also lovely in Christ. This revelation wasn’t about a moment, but rather about her sin nature. But it’s a true encounter with God because she also sees that she’s lovely before God through the blood of Christ. The truth of God’s presence must cause both to surface in us like it did her.

a) “The cross that slays me is the cross that saves me.”-A.W. Tozer

www.PatrickWalton.org Patrick Walton Wellspring Christian Fellowship-Ellensburg, WA. “Spring Conference March 15,16 2014”

C) Song Of Songs 1:6“My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I haven’t kept.”

1) In her newfound passion about God’s love for her and her love for Him, she says yes to nearly everything within the body of Christ. The tragic result is far to common for many of us; the 1st commandment is moved into 2nd place and the 2nd commandment is moved into 1st place. This causes her to neglect both where she was serving and more importantly her own vineyard before God.

D) In the brides great brokenness she cry’s out to the Him saying, “Tell me, O You whom I love, where do You feed Your flock, where do you make it rest at noon…” To which He replies, “If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the footsteps of the flock, and feed your little goats besides the shepherds tents (Song of Songs 1:7-8)…”

1) The Lord’s pattern throughout the entirety of the Song is that prior to giving her correction or direction He first assures her that she’s lovely to Him. His direction to her is as follows;

a) Follow in the footsteps of the flock—Get back into community. b) Feed your little goats—Only say yes to those things that I give you. c) Besides the Shepherds tents—Remain under the local authority that I have placed over you.

IV) The Bride Begins To Understand Her Beauty In Christ (SOS 2:1-7)

A) :1-3 “I am the , and the lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved among the sons…”

1) The bride is being awakened under the apple to both her unique beauty among the nations and His unique beauty among the nations. Our heart is awakened in love when we see both our unique beauty and His. One without the other will leave us incomplete.

B) Song of Songs 2:3 “I sat down under His shade with great delight…”

1) This revelation causes her to cease from striving and sit under the finished work of the cross realizing that she is unable to provide the shade of God for her life (Ps. 121:5-6). This divine rest can only come through Christ and never our own works (Matt. 11:28-30).

V) The Divine Disruption (SOS 2:8-17)

A) Song of Songs 2:8-9 “The voice of my beloved! Behold He comes, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills…My Beloved spoke, and said to me; rise up My love, My fair one, and come away.”

1) At this point in the Song the bride has recovered from being overworked by the brothers and she is now enjoying the presence of the Lord. She is enjoying personal intimacy with Him. But His plan is not to have her only in the chamber of love, but upon the mountains with Him, as an equally yoked bridal partner serving the nations.

2) This really surprises her, as she sees this new facet of Christ. It’s disruptive to her quite life as she’s currently tucked away in the chamber of intimacy. He’s coming as the Great Conquering King.

a) Colossians 2:15 “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them.”

www.PatrickWalton.org Patrick Walton Wellspring Christian Fellowship-Ellensburg, WA. “Spring Conference March 15,16 2014”

B) Song of Songs 2:17 “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether (Separation).”

1) Because of the fear of the unknown and not wanting to lose her intimacy with Him, she says no to His call to go up to the mountains and partner in the place of ministry to others.

2) What she doesn’t realize is that He is going to move on from her, withdrawing His manifest presence off her life (not His omnipresence) to motivate her to get up and partner with Him in ministry.

VI) The Bride Experiences God’s Loving Discipline (SOS 3:1-11)

A) Song of Songs 3:1-3 “By night on my bed I sought the One I love, I sought Him, but couldn’t find Him…I will seek the One I love…have you seen the One I love?”

1) The bride is on her bed, even though He has called her up to the mountains. In just 3 verses she says 7 times that she is seeking (Him) or the (One I love). He has withdrawn His presence off her life to get her out of the bridal chamber and up to the mountains with Him.

2) Her seeking is all about love. She isn’t looking for the God of anointed ministry, the God of prosperity or the God of glory; she’s looking for the One whom her soul loves. But thank God He doesn’t hide Himself forever as the bride says; “…scarcely had I passed by them, when I found the One I love (SOS 3:4)…”

B) In Song of Songs 3:5-11 she discovers Him to be a safe Savior, One whom she can trust with her life. Chapter three closes with her vision of His accession from the wilderness of this fallen age (Jesus’ death and resurrection), His provision for her (redemption) and His protection of her (the Holy Spirit) as she also travels through this fallen age.

VII) The Prophetic Heart Of God (SOS 4:1-8)

A) :1a “Behold you are all fair My love! Behold, you are fair…”

1) Song of Songs 4:1b “You have doves eyes behind your veil.

2) It’s here that the spirit of prophecy releases the testimony of Jesus to the heart of the bride (Rev. 19:10). In Song of Songs 4:1-5 He addresses 8 virtues that she is longing for internally but hasn’t manifested externally. These are the hidden longings of her heart to be wholehearted towards Jesus though she’s still struggling in a place of immaturity.

3) When she hears this from Him, it evokes holy passion within the bride that causes her to respond with a resounding “yes” to follow Him up the mountain where He had originally called her in Chapter 2.

B) Song of Songs 4:6 “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.”

1) The bride is saying that she will follow Jesus until. This is a yes to the daily pursuit of loving Jesus through the highs and lows. Until the shadows flee away. Instead of staying in the chamber and waiting for the shadow areas of her life to disappear (SOS 2:17) she is going to follow Him until they are gone.

2) It’s just a little bit (hill) of worship (frankincense) that empowers us to overcome great (mountain) challenges (myrrh).

www.PatrickWalton.org Patrick Walton Wellspring Christian Fellowship-Ellensburg, WA. “Spring Conference March 15,16 2014”

VIII) The Ravished Heart Of God (SOS 4:9-15)

A) Song of Songs 4:9 “You have ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse; You have ravished My heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.”

1) This is the uncreated God, ravished over a simple yes. The bride hasn’t done anything yet. She’s only said yes and agreed to follow Him. This passage gives us profound insight into how God feels about us in the place of weakness when we simply say yes to follow Him.

2) That word ravished means (Overwhelmed with emotion, undone, held spellbound). God’s heart is ravished over the weak “yes” of redeemed humanity.

B) Song of Songs 4:16 “Awake, O north wind, and come O south! Blow upon my garden, that it’s spices may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden and eat it’s pleasant fruits.”

1) This is the great shift within the Song of Songs (the exact middle of the book numerically). Once again, after the bride hears about how He feels towards her in her immaturity, it causes her to commit her life to Him through both the blessing and pressure (North Wind=bitter cold South Wind=refreshing warmth).

2) She is saying to Him, “Come what may. Send pressure, send blessing, do whatever you have to do, because if You’re really ravished over me, if Your really held spellbound by my weak yes, then I say do whatever You have to do! Come what may, I want to be fully Yours!”

3) The great shift that’s taking place is that the bride sees that not only does she have an inheritance in Christ, but He also has one in her. It’s her Galatians 2:20 moment.

www.PatrickWalton.org