The Song of Solomon — Part 2

Sermon Details

• Title: The Song of Solomon — Part 2
• Speaker: Wade E. Taylor
• Date: June 26, 1981
• Occasion: Evening service at an unspecified chapel (possibly El Bethel)

Introduction

This sermon, delivered by Wade E. Taylor on June 26, 1981, delves into the profound spiritual journey of a believer's relationship with God, using the Song of Solomon as its primary text. Taylor explores the progression from a self-centered faith focused on blessings to a mature, God-centered relationship. The sermon was given in the context of a desire for an "open heaven" over El Bethel chapel, emphasizing the importance of the anointing and God's manifest presence. Taylor expresses his belief for "that open heaven, hallelujah, that we can believe that to push back principalities, power, spirits, that there can be that prayer and that believing and that level of faith that will open the heavens over this chapel."

Overview of the Main Message

The central theme of this sermon is the transformation of a believer's love for God from a self-centered desire for blessings to a deep, intimate connection with God Himself. Taylor uses the Song of Solomon as an allegory for this spiritual journey, highlighting the stages of growth and the challenges faced along the way. He emphasizes the need for experiential faith, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and a willingness to be transformed by God.

Theological Framework

The sermon is grounded in several key theological concepts:

1. Progressive Sanctification: The idea that spiritual growth is a process, moving from immaturity to maturity in one's relationship with God.
2. God's Sovereignty in Relationship: God's active role in drawing people to Himself and His willingness to work with imperfect individuals.
3. The Holy Spirit's Guidance: The importance of being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, compared to the unpredictability of wind.
4. Love of God (Agape): The highest form of love, which is selfless and outward-focused, contrasted with human forms of love.
5. Incarnational Ministry: Taylor emphasizes the importance of "the word becoming flesh" in believers' lives, suggesting that effective ministry comes from lived experience of God's word, not just intellectual knowledge.

Detailed Exposition

The Nature of Spiritual Hunger

Taylor emphasizes that true spiritual hunger can only be created by God. He states, "Only God can create hunger. And the foundational prayer of our life should be for the Lord to create a hunger, a desire towards him within our life." This hunger is seen as the root of all spiritual progress and the key to moving beyond surface-level Christianity.

Experiential Faith

Taylor shares a personal testimony of being miraculously healed after a serious fall, emphasizing the difference between knowing Jesus as "the healer" and knowing Him as "my healer." He says, "Now, before I could say Jesus is the healer, but now I have a testimony. No longer is he the healer, he's my healer." This illustrates the sermon's emphasis on personal, experiential faith.

Progression of Love

Taylor outlines three stages of love, correlating them with Greek words:

1. Eros: Self-centered love, focused on what one can get from God.
2. Phileo: Reciprocal love, a give-and-take relationship with God.
3. Agape: God's love, entirely selfless and outward-focused.

He ties these to confessions from the Song of Solomon:

1. "My beloved is mine" (Song 2:16) - Eros, self-centered.
2. "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (Song 6:3) - Phileo, reciprocal.
3. "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" (Song 7:10) - Agape, God-centered.

The Jacob and Esau Analogy

Taylor uses the biblical story of Jacob and Esau to illustrate God's preference for those with spiritual potential over those with mere outward religiosity. He states, "The Lord would rather change the nature of a Jacob than have the shallow surface favor and service of an Esau." This underscores the importance of inner spiritual hunger over external religious performance.

The Role of Blessing and Vision

Taylor explains that God often uses two methods to draw believers deeper:

1. Blessing: God may "bless us to death" to show that blessings alone cannot satisfy.
2. Vision: God provides a glimpse of something greater to create a desire for more.

These are not ends in themselves but means to draw believers into a deeper relationship with God.

The Importance of the Holy Spirit

Taylor emphasizes the unpredictable nature of the Holy Spirit's work, comparing it to wind. He critiques overly structured ministry that doesn't leave room for the Spirit's movement, saying, "Service is never a substitute for spending time with the Lord."

Taylor uses Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus about being "born of the Spirit" to illustrate this point. He says, "Jesus said, it's like the wind. Thou knowest not from whence it cometh, trying to figure it out. Thou knowest not from whence it cometh or whither it goeth... But so is everyone that's born of the Spirit." This analogy underscores Taylor's belief that spiritual birth and growth cannot be programmed or structured, but must allow for the Spirit's sovereign movement.

God's Training Process

Taylor uses the analogy of "horses in Pharaoh's chariot" to describe how God trains and disciplines believers. He explains, "I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariot," suggesting that God chooses, trains, and disciplines His people to "bring forth the king in all of his glory."

The Transformation Process

Using the Song of Solomon, Taylor outlines the stages of spiritual growth:

1. Initial attraction to God's blessings
2. Realization of deeper hunger
3. Honest confession of spiritual state
4. Seeking God Himself rather than just His gifts
5. God's recognition of the believer's potential
6. Continued growth and challenges

David's Experience

Taylor uses the story of David hiding in a cave from Saul to illustrate how adversity can deepen one's relationship with God. Despite his circumstances, David wrote, "The Lord is my light and my salvation," showing a shift from focusing on his promised kingship to focusing on God Himself.

Practical Applications

1. Cultivate spiritual hunger through prayer and seeking God.
2. Move beyond seeking just blessings to seeking God Himself.
3. Be honest about your spiritual condition and desires.
4. Make room for the Holy Spirit's unpredictable movement in your life and church.
5. Understand that challenges and seeming setbacks may be God's way of deepening your relationship with Him.
6. Seek to progress from self-centered to God-centered love.
7. Value experiential faith over mere intellectual knowledge.

Historical or Contemporary Context

While the sermon doesn't explicitly address current events, it does touch on trends in the church, such as the "prosperity gospel" and structured ministry that leaves little room for spontaneous spiritual movement. Taylor sees these as potential hindrances to deep, genuine relationship with God. He also mentions the importance of events in the Middle East and Israel as signs of prophetic fulfillment.

Unique Insights

1. The concept of God "blessing us to death" as a means of showing the insufficiency of blessings alone.
2. The interpretation of the Song of Solomon as a roadmap for spiritual growth and intimacy with God.
3. The idea that God values potential for change (as in Jacob) over outward religiosity (as in Esau).
4. The emphasis on "the word becoming flesh" in believers' lives as crucial for effective ministry.
5. The analogy of believers as "horses in Pharaoh's chariot" to illustrate God's training process.

Conclusion

Wade E. Taylor's sermon on the Song of Solomon presents a challenging call to move beyond surface-level Christianity into a deep, transformative relationship with God. By outlining the stages of spiritual growth, the methods God uses to draw us closer, and the importance of experiential faith, Taylor encourages believers to cultivate genuine hunger for God and to be open to the sometimes uncomfortable process of spiritual maturation. He emphasizes the need for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading and a willingness to be shaped by God's sovereign work in our lives.

Study Questions

1. How does Taylor define true spiritual hunger, and why does he consider it so important?
2. Explain the three stages of love (Eros, Phileo, Agape) as presented in the sermon. How do these relate to your own spiritual journey?
3. Why does Taylor suggest that God would "rather change the nature of a Jacob than have the shallow surface favor and service of an Esau"? What does this imply about God's values?
4. How does the sermon interpret the Song of Solomon as an allegory for spiritual growth? Do you find this interpretation compelling? Why or why not?
5. What does Taylor mean when he talks about God "blessing us to death"? Have you ever experienced this in your own life?
6. How does the sermon's emphasis on being sensitive to the Holy Spirit challenge common church practices? What might this look like in practice?
7. Reflect on the quote, "Service is never a substitute for spending time with the Lord." How might this principle change the way you approach your spiritual life and ministry?
8. Taylor emphasizes the importance of honest confession in spiritual growth. Why do you think this is significant, and what might it look like in your own life?
9. How does Taylor's personal testimony of healing illustrate the difference between intellectual and experiential faith? Can you share an experience where your faith became more personal and experiential?
10. In what ways does this sermon's teaching on spiritual growth and intimacy with God differ from or align with other teachings you've encountered on the subject?