Hope and Comfort

Q: What does the Bible say about leaving your first love?

The Bible warns that believers can leave their first love, which is their love for Christ, and encourages repentance and remembrance. In Revelation 2:4, the Lord addresses the church in Ephesus, stating, 'Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.' This indicates that while believers may not lose their love for Christ entirely, they can become preoccupied with other things, losing the fervency of their initial love for Him. This is a reminder that the walk of faith involves constant attention to our affection for Christ, and when we find ourselves distracted, we are called to remember, repent, and return to our first works of faith and love.

Q: How do we know Christ's love for us is genuine?

Christ's love is demonstrated through His sacrifice and the gift of salvation offered to His people. The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:8 affirms that 'God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' This foundational truth reveals that Christ's love is not merely an emotional sentiment but is backed by His actions, showing the depths of His commitment to His people. His love is characterized by grace and remains steadfast, assuring believers that their love for Him can rest securely in His prior and ongoing love for them, a love that is both unconditional and unchanging.

Q: Why is remembering our first love important for Christians?

Remembering our first love for Christ revitalizes our faith and strengthens our relationship with Him. In Revelation 2:5, believers are instructed to 'remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,' highlighting the significance of recalling the initial love and fervor experienced in their relationship with Christ. This act of remembrance serves to rekindle passion and commitment, countering the coldness or distractions that may have crept in. The process of remembering encourages confession and repentance, leading to a restoration of joy and a renewed desire to serve Him in love. Ultimately, this is a vital exercise to cultivate spiritual vitality and maintain a vibrant faith.

Q: What are the consequences of leaving our first love?

Leaving our first love can result in spiritual decay and loss of the church's witness. In Revelation 2:5, the Lord warns the church in Ephesus that if they do not repent and return to their first love, He will remove their candlestick from its place. This signifies the severe consequence of losing their witness as a church; without genuine love for Christ, their testimony will be ineffective. This serves as a stark reminder that a vibrant and active love for Christ is essential for both personal spiritual growth and the health of the church body, underscoring the importance of staying aligned with the Savior's love and mission.

Q: How should believers respond when they feel distant from Christ?

Believers should remember, repent, and return to the first works that demonstrated their love for Christ. The Lord in Revelation 2:5 provides the remedy for those who feel distant from Him: 'Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.' This three-step response involves an acknowledgment of one's spiritual condition, a heartfelt turning away from distractions, and a commitment to returning to those original acts of love and service that initially marked one’s faith. Believers are encouraged to actively seek ways to re-engage with Christ through prayer, Scripture, and fellowship with other believers, thereby rekindling the flame of their first love and reinforcing their relationship with Him.

Good to see you this morning.
I remind you concerning our meeting the end of this week, Friday
night, Saturday night, Sunday morning, Brother Tim James and
Brother Rupert Reichenbach. No services this Wednesday night.
We'll meet together this next Friday. I was thinking as Gary was leading
that last verse in that song we just sang, and in thy book
revealed, I see the Lord. I want you to turn with me to the
book of the Revelation, chapter 2. As we continue going through
this book, as the Lord wills, that's what I pray, is that we
would see Him. The Lord told His prophet, Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith the Lord. How? The prophet asked. How shall
I comfort them? Tell them their sin put away. Warfare is over. I am absolutely convinced in
this passage of Scripture that we shall look at verses 1 to
7. In this passage, I think and
pray that it be so. to me and to the hearts of all
of God's people, I think I see in this passage
of Scripture the most comforting of all passages that I've ever
seen, the most hope that I've ever seen. As we look at this
passage this morning, I pray that the Lord would bless it
to our hearts. in verse 1 of Revelation chapter
2, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things
saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, I know thy
works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst
not bear them which are evil, and thou hast tried them which
say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars,
and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this
thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which
I also hate, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the
paradise of God." As we begin considering the seven
letters which are written to the seven churches of Asia, we
certainly are reminded of the grace and mercy of Almighty God,
number one, that He speaks at all to His people. This is a letter that is written
to God's people. We cannot forget that statement
right there as we consider these seven letters. Now, I don't doubt
for one second that there were not other assemblies in the areas. Very possibly, there could have
been assemblies where the Lord's people met. But these seven letters
were written to seven churches designated by Almighty God to
teach In these seven letters, the message to God's church completely,
these seven letters must be considered by every church where the gospel
of God's free grace is preached today. The letter to the book
of Ephesus, I mean to the church of Ephesus, is a letter that's
written to Katie Baptist Church. It was not written, as I said
to someone last Sunday, as I've heard men say, these seven letters
were seven dispensations and we're in the last one. Well,
if we're in the last one and the first six have no significance
whatsoever to me, then let's skip them. And we'll just not
waste our time. But if these words, if this Scripture
right here, and it is, if all Scripture, is given by inspiration
of the Spirit of God, and it's profitable for reproof and rebuke,
then let's read it. The Scripture says in the last
verse we just read, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches. Did he not write this to the
church at Ephesus? Yes, he did. seven epistles were
written to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're not
considering messages to churches that have no bearing whatsoever
upon any of us here today, but we're considering what the Lord
says to us today who believe. Now, this letter was addressed
to the angel, the pastor, of the church at Ephesus, not that
it had no bearing whatsoever upon the congregation, but the
Lord sent a message to the pastor. It is the pastor's responsibility
to set forth the Word of Almighty God, the One who is not to lord
over the church, but to be an example to the flock An overseer,
it is the responsibility of a pastor to study, to stay in the study,
and to search out and seek out. I told someone the other day,
I think it was Brother Scott, I said, I know what I'm supposed
to preach, it's just where. Paul said, we preach Christ and
Him crucified. That's the message. So it's not
what we preach. The Gospel is what we preach. But this assembly had been blessed
with the hearing of the Gospel. This was to the church at Ephesus. Paul had visited this church
in Acts 18, verses 19 and 20. You could go back and read where
Paul came through in the church at Ephesus in Acts. Turn with
me to Acts 20. I want to just show you what
the basis of this church really was. Acts chapter 20, it relates
the tenderness of these people that they had for the message
of God's Gospel and for the messenger. They loved the truth and they
loved those that bore the truth. Acts chapter 20 and verse 17. And it says, And from Miletus
he sent to Ephesus, that is Paul, and he called the elders of the
church. Look at verse 27. Paul said to
them, he said, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel
of God. That is to say, he preached the
Gospel to them. The total, the Gospel. When you
go through the Scriptures, And in these Scriptures, we look,
and what are we looking for? Who do we see? Who are we looking
for in these Scriptures? For the Lord Jesus Christ, in
all of these Scriptures, He said, I have not shunned. Look at verse
28, Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock
over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. Feed the
church of God which He has purchased with His own blood. Look at verse
36, When He had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with
them all. And they all wept sore and fell
on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the
words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.
And they accompanied him unto the ship." These people were
not people that were insensitive to the gospel. They were not
insensitive to God's preachers. They were appreciative. They
loved them. They cared for them. They prayed
for them. They supported them. It was this
blessed church that the Spirit of God through the Apostle Paul
wrote the book of Ephesians. The church at Ephesus. When we
consider the message that Paul the Apostle wrote to the to the
church at Ephesus. This was the letter. Ephesians
chapter 1. This was the letter to Ephesus. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted
in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of His grace."
This church was not a church that was unaware of God's free,
sovereign, saving grace. You consider what had truthfully
been revealed to God's people at that church. I am thankful
for the church that the Lord raised up in Ephesus, and for
the letter that Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit
of God to that church, the church at Ephesus. And we read it today. And I mean, there's the hope.
There's the written hope, the explanation of who we are in
Christ, the church at Ephesus. Here we behold a candlestick.
in the midst of a city that is virtually given over to idolatry. There are a lot of things I can
tell you about the city of Ephesus. It doesn't make any difference.
I can just tell you that it was a very prosperous city. But hear the fulfillment of the
prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17, verse 15, where the
Lord prayed, I pray not that thou shouldest to take them out
of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil." And
this message, this letter, is not from John. It was penned
by John. But this letter was from the
One that holds or seizes with strength and retains The seven
stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks. This letter is from God himself. This is from the Lord himself. This is not my opinion. It's
not your opinion. Not John's opinion. This word
right here is absolutely without dispute. without debate. It's not up for debate. This
is absolutely, without question, the truth. And we read it, we
consider it, and we say, this is the way it is. Without question. A message from the heart and
mind and mouth of Almighty God. The One who only knows His people. He knows them. And He said in
verse 2, I know thy works. I know your works. I know the
heart. Now, let me tell you this. God's
people don't even know their works. We don't know. We think we do and we don't.
We see our frailty. He alone knows the heart, the
new heart. I'm not talking about that heart
of rebellion that every man is born with. I'm talking about
the new heart, the new spirit that He gives you. He says, I'll
give you a new heart. I know your works. I know your
obedience. I know your charity. I know your
devotion." A believer looks at himself and he says, it's like
last week when we looked at Song of Solomon, when the bride, when
the Lord said to her, return, return, O Shulamite. And she
says, what do you see in me? Here I am. There's two armies
in me. Two natures. You know, the spirit
and the flesh. A believer sees nothing. We don't
know anything about our works. He does. He knows even right
now the indescribable beauty and glory of the sitting and
the hearing of the Word of God, to preach the Word of God. The
work of the church is to preach the light Himself. and hear the
word from Him that knows the thoughts and words and actions,
here is the One speaking who has ignited or lit and maintains
the candlestick. She doesn't even see it. It's
obvious from His commendation that this was an assembly of
regenerated people that possessed Works, it says right there, but
works acceptable to God by Jesus Christ only. Based only on the
merit of the blood, the work, the accomplishment being found
in Him, robed in His righteousness in themselves, there was nothing
good. that could be said about them.
There dwelleth no good thing in any man." He said, I see your
works. I think about that woman taken
in the issue of blood. She came, touched the hem of
his garment. And you know and I know that faith is the gift
of God. You know and I know that all
men have not faith. You know and I know it's given
unto you to believe. Therefore, man in himself has
nothing whatsoever to glory in or to brag about concerning himself. If a man or a woman believes,
God Almighty gave you a heart to believe by the faith of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's His faith, not yours. It's
a gift of God. But He looked at that woman and
He said, Thy faith hath made thee whole. He said, I see your works. And
he said, I see your labor. I see your pain. I see your wholehearted
zealousness is what that means. I see that. And he said, I see
your patience, your endurance. They ran well. They finished
the course. There was no outward obvious
sign of decay. It was a strong church. It was a stable church. It was
a church that was intolerant of evil, especially present in
themselves. They were not those that looked
around and looked at everybody else and said, look at all those
evil people out there. Paul said in Romans 7.25, I find
then a law that when I would do good, evil is present
with me. This is the way it is. He said
you are intolerant of evil. Oh, obviously, outwardly too,
but God's people see it in themselves. They are not ignorant people.
They're not ignorant of themselves. The Lord said, I see your works. I can brag on this church, not
because I'm here now as the pastor, but because of the years and
years and years past. I can tell you, and I've told
you before, Brother Scott, faithful, faithful, faithful man of God. And I can tell you this, that
these churches around, they looked at Katie Baptist Church and 13th
Street Baptist Church. Those are the two churches that
people looked at. Stable. Stable. Those two pastors
right there, stable. I'll get through embarrassing
Brother Scott in a minute, but that's okay. But that's just
the way it is. But not by his own work or his
own power, but by the grace of God. God said, I see your works.
I see your labor. I see your patience. You've endured.
Why? Because God kept him. See, the evil that you hate,
Job said in 42, verse 6, "...wherefore I abhor myself, and I repent
in dust and ashes." There was no tolerance whatsoever for false
teachers. He said, "...thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and they are not, and you found
them to be liars." You tried them. They say we are apostles. And he said they are not apostles.
What are they? They are liars. Paul said in
Galatians 1.8, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto
you, let him be accursed. These men are liars. Anybody that does not preach
Christ, Sovereign, the Messiah, the Lord, who came into this
world to save His people, His elect, that God sovereignly chose,
before the foundation of the world, and that Christ laid down
His life only for the elect and redeemed every one of them. And
every one of them is going to be called out of darkness, and
every one of God's elect are going to be saved. Anybody that
doesn't preach that truth is a liar. They are cursed. They are liars. We don't have
fellowship with men that preach not Christ, that preach not free
grace. We just don't have them. They
don't come. We don't have fellowship with
them. I know we have to live in this world. John said in 1
John 2.22, Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is
the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth
the Father and the Son. Now listen to me. It's not denying,
men do not deny that the Lord Jesus Christ was a historical
person or deny that He who is the Messiah came into this world
to redeem all that the Father had everlastingly chosen and
given Him in election. They don't deny Him to be a historical
figure. That's not what they deny. That's
just like that Scripture that says, He that denies that Jesus
has come into flesh is not of God. People say, oh, I don't
deny that. I don't deny it. They're not denying that there
was a historical figure or that there was a crucifixion. That's
not what they're denying. What they're denying is that
God sent sovereignly the Christ to only come into this world
and save His people. That's what they're denying.
Any man that denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, see,
they don't know what they're saying. They say, I don't deny
that. Yes, you do. If you don't preach
this Gospel, you're denying it. The Lord said concerning these
people, He said, you found out those are liars. They are liars.
This church believed the Gospel of free grace. They told the
truth on God the Father. They told the truth about the
Lord Jesus Christ. They said this, the Father chose
a people in Christ. They say this, the Lord Jesus
Christ came into this world and redeemed them. They told the
truth about the Holy Spirit, the quickening, sustaining God
who reveals Christ to all that the Father chose and that the
Son redeemed by imparting life. New heart. New spirit. Reborn from above. And they told
the truth about men, dead and unable to help themselves. lost
in trespasses and sins and haters of God by nature. And verse 3
says, I was born and has patience and for my name's sake has labored
and has not fainted. You've carried on. Not just faking
it, not playing church. The Lord said, I see your works.
You see, I may pat you on the back and just say, you know,
I heard somebody say this the other day, it's good to see you. You're thinking, man, it's not
good for you to see me. You didn't want to see me. You
know, we say whatever happens that we need to say at the moment.
Not him. He said, I see your works. I
see. What I'm saying from the outset
is this. We take these words as exactly the truth when the
Lord said, I see your works. I see your patience. I see how
you've done this. You've labored and toiled and
you've not fainted," he said. You've not wearied. They had
toiled to very weariness without wearying in their toil. Many would stand in opposition
to what they'd preached. They were ridiculed. They were
scorned for preaching Christ, but they didn't waver. because
they were kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time. But in the midst of great
commendation from the mouth of Him who is the faithful witness,
the One who cannot lie, come these words that every believer
soberly has to consider. He says in verse 4, Nevertheless,
I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love. Can this be? He said it can. Can it be that of all the things
that they did that He said of them, can it be that they left
their first love? Well, the answer is yes. Why? Because He said they did. He
speaks here to believers who have kept the faith, who have
labored, have borne and patiently tried, have been tried for Christ's
sake. He said, I have somewhat against
thee. Now these words gave me great
time of thought and consideration, because I do know that what he
said here relates to me and to you. This is the letter to the
seven churches, and it has to do with this church this morning. These words, if words mean anything,
and they do, I can tell you that these words are words of a shunned
friendship. These are the words that would
make the regenerated sinner want to just stop and take a deep
breath, hide himself, hide his face, because they are the words
from Him who cannot lie. I know this with confidence from
His Word when He said, I have somewhat against thee. I am convinced
of this, first of all, that He doesn't have anything against
His people judicially. I know that. I'm convinced of
that. For I do know that the Scripture
sets forth that there is therefore now no condemnation to them that
be in Christ Jesus. I know that. He said, I have
somewhat against thee, and this is the reason. I have something
against you. Thou hast left thy first love. And I'm not going to leave this
Scripture until we consider some things about this. And here I
said a while ago, I'm going to try to look into this and find
out the greatest comfort that a believer has ever had. He said,
I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first
love. Now, I know that this doesn't
mean that there's no love for Christ at all. I know that Peter
denied the Lord. I know he did. The reason I know
he did, because the Scripture revealed that he did. The Lord
told him, He says, before the cock crows twice, you will deny
Me three times. And I know that Peter did it.
because the Scripture says he did. The Lord Jesus Christ in
John 21.15, Jesus saith to Simon, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me more than these? And Peter saith unto him, Yea,
Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Peter didn't know, but
he said, Lord, only you know. If the Spirit of God imparts
a new heart of love for Christ, now listen, that man, that woman
loves Christ. He loves Him and knows Him. The gifts of God are without
repentance. There is absolutely no way that
Almighty God gives a man a heart to love Him, and that man eventually
then doesn't love Him anymore. If a man or a woman dies in rebellion
before Almighty God, he never loved Him. He never knew Him. Our love for Him is the result
of His love for us, and we can no more remove ourselves from
His hand than we could put ourselves in His hand to begin with. Salvation
is of the Lord. If a man loves God at all, God
Himself has given him a heart to love him, and that man will
die in this world loving Him. He will not forsake God Almighty
because God won't forsake him. He said, I keep you. I've got
you. He said this is from the One
who holds the seven stars in His hand. No man can be plucked
out of My hand and My hand out of My Father's hand. We're sealed
by the Spirit of God. No man can quit loving God. Now, that's just the way it is. So I've got a few questions here. Number one, when He said you've
left your first love, I want to know this, what is or who
is our first love? That's the first question I think
we ought to ask. First love, it means foremost
chief. That's what it means. Obviously,
this is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the first. and the last who is love. Thou hast left Thy first love."
He revealed to the churches through John. He said, I am the first
and the last. So the first love is the love
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 73 verse 25 says, Whom
have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth
that I desire beside Thee." Now, you know, that is a strong statement. Whom is there upon the earth that
I desire but Thee? This is the revealed new heart
of one born from above whose eye is single or sound, straight,
narrow, and has but one object, that new heart, that one who
is born of God, according to 1 John 3, 9, sinneth not. because his seed remaineth in
him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God." Now listen,
there is a new heart that is given from above that does not,
according to that word, does not sin. That which is born of
God does not sin. There is a nature that a man
is born with that can do nothing but sin. That which is flesh
is flesh. That which is spirit is spirit. And these two natures are contrary
one to the other. And they don't compromise and
they don't blend. It's not like there's two distinct
natures. That which is born of God, that
new nature, that rebirth, does not sin, Carl. It doesn't sin. But I see sin in me. Not that
which is born of God. It's sin if not. But here, the
bride is taught something of herself. And she's told this. You've left your first love. She hasn't abandoned her first
love because that's not what the word left means. Here again,
if a person loves Christ, he doesn't leave Christ because
he's kept by the power of God. She has actually, according to
this word, that word means to have laid aside from singleness
and has been occupied with other things." Remember that statement
right there. To have left your first love
means that there is an occupation with other things other than
the Lord Jesus Christ. You have left your first love.
Not that she's abandoned him. Perfect example. Turn with me
to Song of Solomon. We looked at this recently. Song
of Solomon 5, verses 1-3. Song of Solomon. Right after
Ecclesiastes and just before Isaiah. Song of Solomon 5, verse
1. I'm coming to my garden. My sister. My spouse. I have gathered my
myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with
my honey. I have drunk my wine with my
milk. Eat, O friends. Drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved." The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to His
bride, and He does not call her His beloved flippantly. He is
telling her the truth. He does love her. And I'll tell
you another thing. She loves Him. And then she says,
I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my Beloved
that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove,
my undefiled, for my head is filled with you and my locks
with the drops of the night. She says to the one that she
hears, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they know
Me, and they follow Me. She heard Him. She knew it was
Him. And this is what she said to Him in verse 3, I have put
off My coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed My feet,
how shall I defile them? These are the words of her that
knows Him, that loves Him. And she here has set forth the
words of preoccupation with something else. Leaving our first love
is to possess within our being any affection for anything or
anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ. to have left your first
love is to have any focus whatsoever, any look, any thought other than
Him, totally, completely, without wavering. And nobody here is
not guilty. We're all guilty. All guilty. I'm not saying that we've left
unconditional election. The church at Ephesus didn't.
I'm not saying that we've left particular redemption or irresistible
grace or perseverance of the saints. I'm telling us that the
Lord has taught us that we've left our first love in any deviation
whatsoever at any time, at any moment from focusing totally
and loving Him because in our flesh. There dwells no good thing. This is what it is to leave your
first love. She loved him. Now let me ask
you this, secondly. How or why do we leave our first
love? Paul in Romans 7.20, Paul says,
For the good that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would
not, that I do. This revelation right here of
leaving our first love, this is where it's stated where the
Lord says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against you because
you've left your first love. That's where we just read those
words back in Revelation. But I'm going to tell you this,
Paul was teaching this very same thing in Romans 7. This is what
he's saying. Here is the truth of leaving
or deviating. It's not If I can simply say
this, I mean, I wish that all the husbands here, all the wives
could say of their husbands and the husbands of the wives, I
wish I could truthfully say that there's not a moment, there's
not an instant, there's not a second at any time in our lives since
we've ever been married that we've ever deviated from her
love and her affection and looking from her or looking to anything
else. There's never been a deviation. You're a liar. You're a liar! Let me ask you this, though.
Do you love her? Yeah, you love her. Sure you do. Yes, you love
her. You'd do anything for her. But
have you ever deviated whatsoever? Then therefore, that right there
is setting forth there's an occupation. I have something against you.
That's what Paul said. Oh, wretched man that I am! I
see in me I see in me, there's a nature in me that when I would
do good, evil is present with me. I've left my first love. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse
1, Wherefore, seeing we are all so compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the
sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us. Every weight refers to the external
temptations which are to be resisted, evil habits which are to be dropped,
but the sin which doth so easily beset us is unbelief." He came
to his bride and he said, open to me. I've already taken my coat off
and my shoes off. I've washed my feet. He said, I have something against
you. He told her all of these things. These are the things
you do. I've seen your labor. I've seen your patience. You're
born. You've called those that are liars liars. I have somewhat
against you. You've left your first love.
Why do we leave our first love? Why are we occupied? Not that
we don't love Him. But there is an occupation and
there's a struggle. What is it? It's because of sin
that dwells within us. What's the remedy for leaving
our first love? Verse 5, Remember, therefore,
from whence thou art fallen. Now you know why I thought, now
there's a key word. Evidently, leaving your first love has to
do Fallen. He said you left your first love.
Remember from whence you're fallen. So falling is shown to be the
leaving of our first love. There's a falling. Remember from
whence thou art fallen or driven out of one's way. Just deviating. Just deviating. Deviating. Just
in thought. Before I knew it, I just deviated. A car went by just then. I thought
about that car, Gary. That was a car. I just deviated. You left your first love. You
left your first love. We're exhorted to remember. I did. Back in Song of Solomon 5, let
me just read this to you. Remember. He came to her and
he told her. He knocked and she said, I've
taken my coat off. How shall I put it on? I've washed my feet.
And back here in Revelation, the remedy to a fallen is this,
remember. Remember therefore. I'll tell
you what she did. She remembered. And you know
how she remembered? I'll tell you how she did. My
beloved put in his hand by the door, by the hole of the door,
and my bowels, my heart was moved for Him." She remembered. She remembered. She remembered
from whence she had fallen. He said, remember from whence
you've fallen. And believers constantly do. They do. David said, I'm sorry,
in Psalm 51.3, I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin
ever before me." What's the remedy to leaving your first love? There
went another car. Just thought of it again. Thought
of it again. Remember. She did. And repent. And repent. She did. She did. She said, I
rose up, back in Psalm 5, I rose up to open to my Beloved and
my hands And my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with
sweet-smelling myrrh upon the lock." Any place where He is,
any way in which He touches, any approach that is made by
Him, there's a smell of Him. You know. You remember. I opened
to my Beloved, but my Beloved had withdrawn Himself and was
gone, and my soul failed when He spake. I sought Him, but I
couldn't find Him. gave me no answer. She remembered.
She remembered. Why did she remember? Because
He caused her to remember. He drew her. She says back in
Revelation, I have somewhat against thee because thou has left, has
deviated, has been occupied with other than your first love. Remember
therefore from whence thou art falling and repent and do the
first works. Do the first works. The first
works. Faith in Christ, love to Him,
to His people. There's the evidence of faith.
There's the first works. John 13, 35 says, By this shall
all men know that you are My disciples, that you have loved
one to another. The first works. The first works. What did the Lord say to Peter?
Simon, lovest thou Me more than these? What? Feed my sheep. If I have a love for you, what am I to do? Feed the sheep. What do you do? You feed the
sheep. Encourage the sheep. Or else,
he said, or else I will come quickly. Now that literally is
I am coming. It literally says where it does
say right here, or else I will come unto thee quickly. The literal
is, I come quickly. I am coming. And will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. I'm going
over just a few minutes and I'm just about done, but I've got
to finish this message. I'm just not going to pick it
up tonight. The thing is, he says, you remember and repent. do the first works or else I
am coming. Now, I will tell you this, if
the believer remembers, she remembers by the grace of God. If she repents,
He has given her a heart to repent. If she does the first works of
faith and belief in Christ and trust and casting herself upon
the mercy of God, it is because He has given her a heart to.
He said, Or else I come quickly, and I will remove the candlestick
out of his place, except thou repent. Here we have the promise
removal of the witness of the gospel of Christ from the place
that has been placed and from those that have left their first
love. Now, we've seen this happen before.
I know it and you know it. I know for a fact that there
is no church in Ephesus anymore. I know of places where the gospel
at one time was preached, where the candlestick was brightly
lit by God's grace and set forth, and where the gospel, the gospel,
the truth was set forth and God removed it. Not that the building
is not still there. I know it's still there. I know
it's there. And I know there's people there
too. But there's no gospel anymore. There's no candlestick there
anymore. It doesn't mean that the wood is not there or that
the siding is not there, but there's no light bearer anymore. Now, I know that's so. I know
that that's true. And I know that where God removes
a candlestick, I understand that it's not there because God's
removed it. But he told them in verse 6,
and I'm going to come back to verse 5 in closing in just a
minute. And I think in verse 5 is where
we find the blessed hope and peace. But I want to look at
these last two verses very quickly. He says in verse 6, But this
thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which
I also hate." I want you to notice the divine placement of this
verse of Scripture to correct our impure thoughts of what the
Nicolaitans were. They were antinomians. What that
means is this. They've got this just to sum
it up real quickly. What they believe is this. Well,
if we are saved by grace anyway, then what difference does it
make? If the Lord is going to keep
us anyway, we are saved by grace, we are saved by the mercy and
grace of God, we cannot be lost, then what difference does it
make? Just eat, drink, and be merry.
Paul says what? Shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid! Let me tell you something. We are justified freely by the
grace of God. Eternally. God never changes. If God Almighty ever changed
at any time, at any point, in any way, if He looked at a man
justified, one time or not one time and then looked at Him,
justified another, God changed in His attitude toward that man,
then God changed. If God Almighty ever looked at
a man differently than He did right now, God changed in His
thoughts, in His attitude. God changed. And He said, I don't
change. I never change. So any way that
God looks at Carl Bohr right now, Carl, He's always looked
at you like that. I know He's justified us freely by His grace. He justified us by the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. He came in time and paid the
debt and justified us. He justifies His people by faith
to themselves. I can't see the justification
of Almighty God. But faith is the evidence of
things that are not seen. He taught you. where He taught
me by faith. This is what I did freely by
my grace. So I don't see faith in you.
But I'll tell you what I do see. I see works. And James says we're
justified. What? Does man not have works?
Faith without works is dead. There is a change. And any place
that you don't see an outward change, if you don't see an outward
change, In a man toward God, if there's not an outward change,
if there's not a change, something is desperately wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Don't tell me that a man
doesn't change. Yes, he does. Now, am I saying
that a man is saved by works, saved by his works? I didn't
say that. I'm just telling you a new heart is going to evidence
itself outwardly. That's exactly what's going to
happen. Shall we sin that grace God so?" He said, you hate the
deeds of the Nicolaitans, people that say we believe in free grace.
Believers are not governed by law. They're not lawless people
though. The love of Christ constraineth
us. He that hath, verse 7, an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God. He that has a new opened
ear by the Holy Ghost, give attention to the Word of Christ by the
Spirit of God. To he that overcometh the world,
sin, Satan, self, totally on the merit of Christ's imputed
righteousness, to him will I give of the tree of life, Christ Himself. That's what that passage of Scripture
says without a doubt, without question. But I want to sum this
up right now. And I want to show you in closing
what this passage of Scripture says toward the greatest hope
that a believer has. I know what is said about who
these people were. These were believers. They were
believers who were held in the hand of Him that walks in the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks. He knew their works. He knew
what they did. He knew what they believed. He
knew their labor because He gave Him a heart for it. He knew their
patience. He knew their endurance because
He kept them. He knew what they believed about
those that were false preachers, that they wouldn't tolerate them,
found them out to be liars because He taught them what they were.
They bore and they had patience for His name's sake. They labored
and they didn't faint. They didn't faint. You know why
some of you are still here today? Because God just won't leave
you alone. He won't let you go. And you
won't go. Nevertheless, I am somewhat against
you. You deviated. Your minds deviated. You thought. Maybe not outwardly.
I don't see it. I don't see it. I don't see inconsistencies
in you. I know they're there, but I just
don't see them. Why? Because I don't see your
heart. I don't see what you just thought. I don't see how you've
left in your mind and in your heart how you deviated from Christ,
from that singleness. I don't see the struggle. that's
within, how you've been preoccupied with something else just for
that long. That's all it took. Just one deviation. If that would
have been all it took, I don't see it, but he did. And he does.
The preoccupation. Not that you left him or abandoned
him. No. I'm talking about just occupied
with something else other than him. But he said, you remember, from whence you've fallen, Or
I come quickly, and I'll remove the candlestick from the place,
lest you repent." Before we close today, I want us to look at the
mercy of God's grace in this passage. This letter was written
to believers. You know that. One that saw everything about
them. You know that. This letter revealed the frailty
of the saints in leaving their first love. We know that. This
concept right here is taught all through Scripture. All through
Scripture. We know the frailty of our flesh. This letter revealed the remedy
for falling. Remember, repent, and do the
first works. This letter revealed the final
state for all who continually found themselves doing this,
leaving and repenting, leaving and repenting. You see, it's
not that they left their first love one time and then repented
and that was it. The thing about it is, Jeff,
they were always doing that. They're always leaving and repenting
and leaving and repenting and leaving and repenting and leaving
and repenting. He told them. He says, I come
quickly. and I'm going to remove your
candlestick out of this place. Not in final judgment, because
you know this, there is no judgment to those that believe. Judgment
has already been taken care of and spewed out on the Lord Jesus
Christ. But here we see the chastening
hand. of the Lord. Proverbs 3.11 says,
My son, despise not the chastenings of the Lord, neither be weary
of His correction. For whom the Lord loveth, He
correcteth even as a father the son in whom He delighteth. Six
times in Revelation we find this promise. Here's the first one. Six times He says, I come quickly. Remember, repent, do the first
work, or I'll come quickly and I'll remove the candlestick out
of its place." This warfare of leaving our first love and repenting
is one that shall never be over while this life continues. You'll never be in this life,
Rose Scott, where you don't leave your first love. Never. No believer
will. Never because Paul says, when
I would do good, evil present. I find not. This warfare will never be over
until He comes unto His people quickly and removes their candlestick
out of this place. He has told them what they are
by nature. He said, You have left your first
love. He told them all the things they did. He told them what they
were in Him. He said, I have somewhat against
you. But graciously and mercifully,
those that left their first love graciously had love because He
gave them a love for Him. And they deviated. And in mercy
and grace, He comes to them and removes the candlestick. Precious
in the sight of the Lord. is the death of His saints. In
Psalm 37, let's just close with this right here. Psalm chapter
37, verse 23 and 24. Now you remember before I read
this, the Scripture says, and repent, do the first works.
Remember, from whence you've fallen, that's leaving the first love.
Psalm 37, verse 23, the steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord. And he delighteth in his way. And listen to this concerning
the good man, those that God Almighty has given a heart for
him, though he falls. though he leave his first love,
though he deviate, he shall not be utterly cast down. For the
Lord upholdeth him with his hand." Here is the promise to God's
people. He said, I see that which I have
done in you. I see that. And he saw that it
was His mercy and grace. But that old nature is there. It's not removed because of the
wisdom and mercy of Almighty God to prove Himself faithful. He keeps His people. He said,
you remember, and they do. And you repent, and they do.
He said, do the first work. Not, or I will come quickly as
a threat. What he's saying is, I come quickly. And the saints, even in that
passage of Scripture, when they were talking about it, I said
six times, it says that the Lord had revealed. He said, I come
quickly, I come quickly. The Scripture sets forth in the
20th verse, of this book, of the 22nd chapter, the last chapter,
He which testifies these things saith, Surely I come quickly. And here's what the bride says,
Even so, come. She says to him, Lord, I know
I've left my first love. I know I have. I know I deviate. I know I'm occupied. I see it
and I hate it. I wish it weren't so. She didn't
abandon him, but she left her first love. And she knew she
did. She repented of it. He told her,
he said, I come quickly in mercy to take you out of this place
so that you might then see by sight and no more by faith.

Hope and Comfort

What does the Bible say about leaving your first love?

How do we know Christ's love for us is genuine?

Why is remembering our first love important for Christians?

What are the consequences of leaving our first love?

How should believers respond when they feel distant from Christ?

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Hope and Comfort

What does the Bible say about leaving your first love?

How do we know Christ's love for us is genuine?

Why is remembering our first love important for Christians?

What are the consequences of leaving our first love?

How should believers respond when they feel distant from Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

Comments

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