The Song of Solomon — Part 4

Sermon Details

• Title: The Song of Solomon — Part 4
• Speaker: Wade E. Taylor
• Date: June 27, 1981

Introduction

Wade E. Taylor delivers a profound sermon on spiritual growth and maturity, using the Song of Solomon as a guide. The sermon, given on June 27, 1981, explores the journey of a believer from a self-centered relationship with God to a mature, God-centered one. Taylor emphasizes the importance of worship, the balance between the Word and the Spirit, and the necessity of divine chastening in the spiritual growth process.

Taylor uses personal anecdotes to illustrate his points, making the message more relatable. He shares his own experience of feeling frustrated in church, wondering if God only existed in the past or future, and his transformative encounter with a full gospel service that led him to a more vibrant faith experience.

Overview of the Main Message

The core message of this sermon is that true spiritual growth involves moving beyond seeking God's blessings to seeking God Himself. Taylor illustrates this progression using the bride's confessions in the Song of Solomon, showing how the believer moves from saying "My beloved is mine" to "I am my beloved's." This shift represents a fundamental change in the believer's relationship with God, moving from a focus on personal benefit to a focus on surrender and intimacy with the Divine.

Theological Framework

The sermon is grounded in several key theological concepts:

1. The nature of God as both transcendent and immanent
2. The role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and transforming believers
3. The concept of progressive sanctification
4. The balance between God's grace (blessings) and discipline (chastening)
5. The ultimate goal of conformity to Christ's image
6. The concept of God as the "divine disturber," who intentionally makes believers uncomfortable to prompt spiritual growth and deeper seeking

Taylor uses these concepts to explain the process of spiritual growth and the believer's journey towards maturity in Christ.

Detailed Exposition

The Importance of Worship

Taylor begins by emphasizing the crucial role of worship in releasing God's presence and purposes. He states, "I believe that worship releases the word, it releases the Lord, it releases his presence, his anointing, and his blessing." This sets the stage for understanding how believers can grow in their relationship with God.

The Wind of the Spirit

Using John 3:8, Taylor explains the mysterious and sovereign nature of the Holy Spirit's work. He emphasizes that while we can't control the Spirit, we can become sensitive to His movements and learn to respond to them. This sensitivity is crucial for spiritual growth.

Taylor uses the analogy of the seraphim's wings from Isaiah 6 to illustrate three key aspects of spiritual growth:

1. Acknowledging Christ's headship (covering the face)
2. Submission to God's will (covering the feet)
3. Willingness to ascend spiritually (flying)

The Song of Solomon as a Spiritual Growth Manual

Taylor presents the Song of Solomon as a detailed guide for spiritual development. He explains that the book outlines "the movings, the operation of the Lord, spelled out in detail as to how the Lord brings us through from the place as the babe in Christ, from the natural carnal state, through to full maturity in the Lord."

Stages of Spiritual Growth

Using the bride's confessions in Song of Solomon, Taylor illustrates three stages of spiritual growth:

1. "My beloved is mine" (Song 2:16) - Represents a self-centered focus on God's blessings
2. "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (Song 6:3) - Shows progress, but still with some mixture
3. (Implied) "I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me" (Song 7:10) - Represents full maturity and surrender

Taylor discusses the concept of "mixture" in the believer's life, where there's a combination of spiritual maturity and remaining carnality. This is represented in the bride's second confession, where she puts God first but still retains some self-focus.

The Lord's Methods of Development

Taylor explains that God uses two primary methods to develop believers:

1. Blessing - Sometimes God "blesses us to death" to show us that blessings alone can't satisfy
2. Chastening - God disciplines those He loves to bring about growth and maturity

He emphasizes that chastening is a positive sign of God's love and attention, distinguishing it from condemnation.

True Ministry

Taylor teaches that genuine spiritual ministry should lead people to Christ, not to human personalities. He states, "It was but little that I passed from them that I found him," emphasizing that true ministers should be willing to let people move beyond them to find Christ directly.

Ascending to Higher Spiritual Dimensions

Throughout the sermon, Taylor encourages believers to be willing to leave their spiritual comfort zones ("spiritual furniture") and ascend to higher dimensions in God. He uses the imagery of the seraphim's wings from Isaiah 6 to illustrate this concept of spiritual ascension.

The Balance between Word and Spirit

Taylor emphasizes the crucial balance between the Word of God and the Spirit in healthy spiritual growth. He states, "All spirit, you blow up. All word, you dry up. The word and the spirit together, you go up." This balance is essential for avoiding extremes and maintaining a sound spiritual life.

Intercession and Inconvenience

Taylor touches on the nature of true intercession as a high ministry that often comes at inconvenient times. He suggests that God often moves when it's inconvenient as a test of our genuine interest in Him.

Talents as Spiritual Capacities

Taylor explains "talents" not as specific abilities, but as spiritual capacities given by God for growth. These represent the inner divine capacity and grace given to each believer to fulfill God's purpose in their life.

Salvation vs. Kingdom Experience

Taylor distinguishes between merely having salvation and experiencing the kingdom of God. He suggests that salvation means having Jesus, while experiencing the kingdom means Jesus having us – a fuller surrender and experience of God's rule in one's life.

Practical Applications

1. Cultivate a worship-centered life to experience more of God's presence and purposes
2. Develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's movements
3. Seek God Himself rather than just His blessings
4. Be willing to experience divine chastening as a means of growth
5. Move beyond spiritual comfort zones to experience new dimensions in God
6. Focus on faithfulness and conformity to Christ's image rather than the magnitude of ministry
7. Strive for a balance between the Word and the Spirit in your spiritual life
8. Be open to God's "disturbances" as opportunities for growth
9. Understand and embrace the concept of "mixture" in your spiritual journey, always pressing towards greater maturity

Historical or Contemporary Context

While Taylor doesn't explicitly tie his message to current events, the emphasis on seeking God Himself over material blessings could be seen as a response to the "prosperity gospel" movement that was gaining prominence in the early 1980s. His teaching on the balance between the Word and the Spirit also addresses the tension between charismatic and more traditional evangelical approaches to Christianity.

Unique Insights

1. Spiritual Furniture: Taylor introduces the concept of "spiritual furniture" as a metaphor for our comfort zones in spiritual life. He suggests that God often needs to "rearrange" this furniture to help us grow.
2. Blessing vs. Lord of the Blessing: Taylor makes a crucial distinction between seeking the "blessing of the Lord" and the "Lord of the blessing," emphasizing the need to seek God Himself rather than just His gifts.
3. Rewards Based on Faithfulness: Taylor presents a unique perspective on heavenly rewards, suggesting that they are based on faithfulness and conformity to Christ's image rather than the scale or visibility of one's ministry.
4. Divine Disturber: Taylor portrays God as a "divine disturber" who intentionally makes believers uncomfortable to prompt spiritual growth and deeper seeking.
5. Mixture in Spiritual Life: The concept of "mixture" in the believer's life helps explain the ongoing struggle and growth process in spiritual maturity.

Conclusion

Wade E. Taylor's sermon on "The Song of Solomon — Part 4" presents a compelling vision of spiritual growth and maturity. By using the Song of Solomon as a guide, he illustrates the journey from a self-centered to a God-centered faith. Taylor challenges believers to move beyond seeking blessings to seeking intimate relationship with God Himself, emphasizing the role of worship, sensitivity to the Spirit, and willingness to experience divine chastening in this process. The sermon calls for a deeper, more mature faith that is willing to ascend to new spiritual heights and leave behind the comfort of familiar religious experiences. Through personal anecdotes and biblical exposition, Taylor provides a roadmap for believers to navigate the complexities of spiritual growth and experience a more profound, transformative relationship with God.

Study Questions

1. How does Wade Taylor use the Song of Solomon to illustrate stages of spiritual growth? Can you identify these stages in your own spiritual journey?
2. Explain the concept of "spiritual furniture" as presented in the sermon. How might God be rearranging your spiritual furniture?
3. What is the difference between seeking the "blessing of the Lord" and the "Lord of the blessing"? Why is this distinction important?
4. How does Taylor's teaching on heavenly rewards differ from common understandings? Do you agree or disagree with his perspective?
5. According to the sermon, what role does worship play in spiritual growth? How can you cultivate a more worship-centered life?
6. Explain the balance between the Word and the Spirit as presented in the sermon. How can believers maintain this balance?
7. What does Taylor mean by "chastening"? How is it different from condemnation, and why does he see it as positive?
8. How does the sermon challenge the idea of staying in our spiritual comfort zones? What might it look like to "ascend" to new spiritual dimensions in your own life?
9. Reflect on the quote, "Well done, not much done, well done. It's not what I did, it's how I did it." How does this change your perspective on serving God?
10. How does Taylor's concept of God as the "divine disturber" challenge or affirm your understanding of God's role in your spiritual growth?
11. Explain the concept of "mixture" in spiritual life as presented by Taylor. How does this idea help in understanding the process of spiritual maturity?
12. How does Taylor distinguish between salvation and experiencing the kingdom of God? How might this distinction impact your approach to your spiritual life?