Another Ephesians Part 6 "Back to Our First Love Part 2"
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Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
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.
Introduction
Introduction
We are the ones who will not fall, but we will fight while it is day.
How do we come back to our first love as individuals? Remember and Repent
How do we come back to our first love as individuals? Remember and Repent
God tells them to REMEMBER. Evidently something had left their minds. They had forgotten something. He told them to turn back in their minds to their point of origin. The origin of the first age was Pentecost. They had fallen from it.
They had forgotten the glory and wonder of it. It was time to go back in mind and then in reality.
Back to when they could say, “For me to live is Christ.” Back to purity when Ananias and Sapphira were dealt with. Back to the Gate Beautiful.
Oh, what a reproach it is to drift from God and countenance those acts that defile His Name. Let those who name His Name depart from sin and keep their vessels pure for God. Look at what you once were in your heart, and mind, and in your life. Then go back to it.
And what is the way back? The way is the way of repentance. If a sinner has to come to God by way of repentance then the lukewarm or backslider will have to repent that much more.
Repent! Bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Prove it by your life. “If you do not repent,” said God, “I will remove your lampstand.” Certainly. A church in that condition can’t give light to the world.
Its light has turned to darkness. God will then take away its faithful messenger and its faithful shepherds and leave them to themselves, and they will go on talking about Christianity but be bereft of it.
Repent quickly! Don’t hesitate! Evidently Ephesus did hesitate, for her life span was not very long. The glory of God decreased ever so rapidly. It was not long until the city was in ruins.
Its glorious temple became a shapeless mass. The land became a marsh inhabited by water fowl; the population was gone except for a few unbelievers in a squalid village. There was not even ONE Christian left. The lamp was rent from its place.
Now it does not mean that she could not have repented. It does not mean that we cannot repent. We can. But it must be quickly. It must be a true heart cry to God in sorrow, and then God will restore. The glory shall come again. CAB 03 - Ephesian
He tells the Laodicean age the same thing. Repent!
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
“Be zealous and repent.” Now this false church has zeal; make no mistake about that. Her zeal has literally been that of the Jews, John 2:17, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten Me up.” But it is a wrong zeal. It is for the house of their own building. It is for their own creeds, dogmas, organizations, their own righteousness.
They have put the Word out for their own ideas. They deposed the Holy Ghost and made men into leaders. They have put aside Eternal Life as a Person, and make it good works, or even church conformity rather than good works.
But God is calling for another zeal. It is the zeal to cry “I AM WRONG.” Now who is going to say that he is wrong? What is it that all these denominations are based upon? — the claim to originality, and that of God, — the claim that they are right.
Now they ALL cannot be right. In fact NOT ONE of them is right. They are whited sepulchres, full of dead men’s bones. They have no life. They have no vindication.
God has never made Himself known in any organization. They say they are right because they are the ones that are saying it, but saying it does not make it so. They need the vindicated “Thus saith the Lord” of God, and they don’t have it.
Now let me say this here. I don’t believe that God is calling only to the false church to repent. In this verse He is talking to His elect. They have some repenting to do, too.
Many of His children are still in those false churches. They are those of whom it speaks in Ephesians 5:14, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”
To be asleep is not to be dead. These are sleeping amongst the dead. They are out there in the dead denominations. They are floating along with them. God cries out, “WAKE UP! Repent of your folly.”
Here they are lending their influence, giving their time and their money, actually their very lives to these antichrist organizations, and all the while thinking it is all right. They need to repent. They must repent. They need to have a change of mind and turn toward truth. CAB 09 - Laodicean
How do we repent?
How do we repent?
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
When we remember the way our relationship was, and realize what we have today doesn’t match up, it causes us to repent.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
You might say, I’m a Christian, I don’t need to repent. I’m sorry, I thought you wanted your first love back.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I made many mistakes, still make them, will always make them. But, when I make them, the Holy Spirit tells me that’s wrong. Then I repent right there, “Lord, forgive me.
Didn’t mean to do it. You help me now.” And I walk right on, the same thing. Cause, just no sooner than it goes from my lips, “If we confess our sins, He is just to forgive them.” 54-1006 - Law Or Grace
And, God, I repent of everything, and knowing that we could not live in ourselves, Lord, but we’re sinners, to begin with. And daily, I trust in Thee, knowing that daily I sin, knowing that daily things happen to me and in my life, that You would not be pleased with.
And I confess my wrong and accept Thee, My Lord, as my own soul lays at the altar, this morning, at this little tabernacle, prostrate here, Lord.
O God, I failed You back yonder, with those Divine gifts, as You showed so miraculously yonder, the other night. And I’m sorry. I repented to You, in the vision. And now in my right…In this dimension that I live in now, I repent unto Thee, my Lord, and ask You that You’ll forgive me, and will help me.
And by Your grace, that You have already told me that these things was going to take place in the future now. Knowing that they will, therefore, Lord, I ask that You sanctify my soul and my heart, as I give it to You. 56-0115 - The Junction Of Time
Sometimes we need to repent for what we didn’t do.
Oh, how we need to pray! Now we’ll go back to you again. Brother, do you realize we don’t pray half as much as our fathers did? Pastor, do you know we don’t put as much time on our knees as the pastors before us did?
Women, do you realize you don’t instruct your daughter, and pray with her at night, like your mother did you? Then, what about it, who is guilty? We are guilty. There is no way around it. We are guilty.
I’m guilty. I’m guilty of not doing the job of God, like I should do. I’m confessing it, that I’m wrong. I’m asking God to be merciful to me. I look out here and see the opportunities I have missed, because of petty things, little, old insignificant things that didn’t mean nothing.
I’m ashamed of myself, as a Gospel minister before you. I repent before God, and ask God to forgive me, and the church to forgive me, for being so dilatory about the work of God.
By the grace of God, and by the help of God, I’ll not listen to what…Everyone trying to tell you something to do. They got a program. They got something for you to do. Nonsense. I know God’s program; it’s written out here in the Bible.
And I’m ashamed of myself as a minister of the Gospel. One million souls won; I ought to have ten million souls won. I’m a way behind.
What about you? How many souls you won since you’ve been in Christ? Christianity just goes from one to another. How many souls you won since you been a Christian? If you’re not winning souls, you are guilty, you are barren, you have brought shame on the Church and the Gospel.
How many people you get out for Wednesday night prayer meeting? If you’re not doing it, you ought to be ashamed of yourself before Christ. You’re guilty, and your place is at the altar. I invite you to come with me, for repentance. 56-1125E - A Blushing Prophet
Now, as the laity is standing here, I’m going to ask how many preachers will walk up here with me? I want to see what you’re made out of. I’m putting myself up here at the altar too. I’m guilty. I want God’s forgiveness. God bless you, men and women.
Now listen, pastors, ladies and men both. There’s one thing that I know you’re guilty of here in Phoenix. You’re guilty of not having the right kind of fellowship. Aren’t you ashamed?
Aren’t you ashamed the way you’ve treated Him? Just look at the preachers, both men and women. O God. Are you really sorry in your hearts? How many of you is really sorry the way you’ve treated Jesus? Raise up your hands.
With my hands up to God, I’m ashamed of myself. I am ashamed of myself. There’s been a many a place I could have gone and wouldn’t, didn’t go.
There’s been a many thing I could’ve done and didn’t do it. I thought I was too tired. But while I was preaching today, something said to me, “What about you?” I’ve preached it right to myself.
Jesus was invited to the Pharisee’s, tired and weary and His throat hurting Him, but He went anyhow, knowing He was going to be unwelcome. He went anyhow. I’m ashamed of myself. I repent. I repent before God and this audience.
And if you’ll repent, brethren, with all your heart, and sisters, I’m sure that Christ Who stands in our presence will forgive us. And we’ll have a fellowship here in Phoenix like it was on the day of Pentecost. 57-0310A - Washing Jesus' Feet
What about us?
Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, We should have been as Sodom, And we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; Give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; And I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before me, Who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: They are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: Your hands are full of blood.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Learn to do well; Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
The church will not let Him in, but the Bride will. Let that be you today. Remember and Repent
World War 1 French Soldier