Warning Signs You Have Left Your First Love

Warning Signs You Have Left Your First Love

Text: Revelation 2:1–7

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 want you to take particular notice to the good things Jesus says about the church at Ephesus in verse 2 and 3:

2 I know thy works, and thy labour, 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:

3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

* I want you to take special heed to the warning that Jesus gives to the church at Ephesus this morning:

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;

* I want you to take special notice that a church can have its candlestick taken away if it does not retain it’s “first love” relationship with Jesus:

or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.

Introduction:

* I would like to take a few minutes to talk to you this morning about “Some Warning Signs You Have Left Your First Love.”

* In order to do this, it is important for us to establish what a “normal” relationship with God looks like according to Jesus.

*We find what a normal relationship with God looks like in Mark chapter 12, verses 28-34:

The normal nature of our relationship to God

Mark 12:28–34 (KJV 1900)

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him,

* Note here that the “first commandment,” is referring to the “most important” commandment, or the chief of all commandments:

The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself,

is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

* There are two things that God wants us to know about a normal healthy relationship with God. These two principles apply to every churches relationship to God and every individual Christians’ relationship to God this morning:

1). Our love for God should come first before everything else.

2). God is more concerned with our relationship with him that He is with our service for Him.

The nature of a first love

* I believe the statement in our text that the church of Ephesus had “left their first love” has doesn’t just mean that they didn’t love Jesus like they used to.

* I believe the Holy Spirit wants us to compare a healthy love for God to the way that we love for the first time.

* Do you remember the first time you ever fell in love? I don’t care how many times you fall in love, you will never forget the first time you experienced being in love!

* We may fall in love with someone more than once in our lifetime, but nothing will ever compare to the first time.

* For most of us, we found that first love in grade school. That first encounter with love was so overpowering that everything else in life faded away into the background!

* All we could think about was that one that we loved.

* As soon as we woke up in the morning it was the first thing on our mind! We could hardly wait until the next time we got to see our new love!

* I believe this kind of “first love” relationship is what Jesus was referring to when he told the church at Ephesus that they had left their “first love.”

* Jesus had many good things to say about the church at Ephesus. On the outside they were a fine upstanding church. Jesus said:

2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience,

* And then He said:

3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

* I don’t believe there was any doubt that these dear Christians were not had workers for the Lord. Not only were they hard workers, but they had endured trials with patience.

* Jesus said that these folks had labored and not fainted. What a great testimony for a church! I hope the Lord will be able to say such good things about us!

* Now here is what I want you to see this morning- Jesus knew that this church was in danger!

* There is a danger that every church faces this morning and that is that we get carried away with all these wonderful works that we are doing, and we neglect our personal relationship with Jesus.

* We can come to the place where it is the Church, and our works that we do in the name of church, that we are in love with- and so we leave our first love for another. The church and our works become what we worship.

* When we come to that place as a church, we are in danger of having our candlestick removed. You say what does that mean?

* Well, it means that we may be a church on the outside- We may appear to be a fine upstanding church in the eyes of men, but God is no longer with us.

* The danger is not that God may leave us, but the danger is that we walk away from the relationship and fellowship that we once had with God.

* We find in the letter to the church of Laodicea, this is exactly what happened. In the letter to this church Jesus is said to be standing outside the church offering to come back in if any man would be willing to return to fellowship with Him.

Revelation 3:14–20 (KJV 1900)

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 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: 18 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 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.

* So we are warned not to leave our first love this morning.

* I don’t want to have our candlestick removed from the presence of the Lord this morning, so how can we know that we are in danger of leaving our first love?

* We gradually fall away from a “first love” relationship. We need some way of knowing that we are drifting away from our “first love” relationship with the Lord this morning.

* What are some danger signs that we are leaving our first love?

I. You no longer want everybody to know about your God.

* Do you remember the first time you ever fell in love? You had to let the whole world know! You had to tell the whole world about who you were in love with.

* Every time someone came around you, all you would talk about was that person you were in love with.

* Have you stopped telling people about your first Love, Jesus? This is one of the signs that you are leaving your “first love” relationship with Him.

II. You no longer want to be in the presence of the Lord.

* Jesus loved his disciples so much that the first thing He did was go and prepare a place in order to live with them.

* That’s what people do when they first fall in that “first love” relationship- they can’t stand to be apart, they do everything they can be with each other every moment.

John 14:1–3 (KJV 1900)

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

* Jesus loved you and I so much that He has been preparing a place for us just so we can be together!

* One of the first signs that a Christian has left His first love is that He no longer desires to be in the presence of his first love, Jesus.

* We see this first in our prayer life. Beware when we first find it difficult to pray!

* You can continue to live the Christian life for a while without praying, but soon your lack of fellowship with God in prayer will result in a dead, joyless relationship. You will have lost your first love.

* When it comes to fellowship with Jesus, the next thing that will suffer is church attendance. If you still have your “first love” relationship with Jesus you will desire to be in his house every time the church meets.

Hebrews 10:23–25 (KJV 1900)

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

III. You no longer care about those God loves.

* Another warning sign that you might be leaving your “first love” is that you no longer care about those God cares about.

* The apostle Peter had lost his “first love” relationship with Jesus. Peter Denied Jesus and followed Him afar off, warming himself by the Devil’s fire.

* Jesus had told Peter that Satan wanted to sift Him and try him. Jesus told Peter when he was restored to his “first love” relationship, to care for His sheep:

John 21:12–17 (KJV 1900)

12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.

And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?

He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

* We see a glimpse of what it means to God for us to care for those that He loves in Matthew chapter 25, at the judgment when Jesus allows his people into heaven:

Matthew 25:34–40 (KJV 1900)

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

* Again, the apostle John tells us of the depth of lover that we are supposed to have for the brethren in I john 3:14:

1 John 3:14–19 (KJV 1900)

14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

* We see that we are to be concerned for our brothers and sisters needs in James chapter 2 and verse 16:

James 2:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

* The other thing we see is that we lose sight of the love God has for the sinner.

John 3:16 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

* A church , or a Christian who has lost his “first love” relationship with the lord, is one who left the focus of sharing the Gospel of God’s love.

* It is so easy take our eyes off our primary focus of preaching the gospel to the lost, soul winning, and replacing it with other things, good, things, right things, but not the most important things.

* This is what the church a Ephesus was in danger of doing. You might have all the right doctrines in place, fight against all the wrong ones, and have great swelling bank accounts, but if you have left the primary objective of the church, you are in danger of having your candlestick removed!

* We must never forget our primary directive given to the church by Jesus Himself before He ascended to the Father:

Mark 16:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

IV. You no longer put God’s will before you will.

* The last sign that will indicate you are in danger of leaving your “first love” relationship with the Lord is, when you begin to put your will before the will of God.

* When we fall in love for the first time what we want no longer matters!

* When we fall in love for the first time all that matters to us is what the one we love wants! We completely lose sight of our own wants and desires! We put our new love first!

Matthew 6:33–34 (KJV 1900)

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

* This is the norm for our relationship with Jesus. When we begin to lose the desire to seek God’s will first, it is a warning sign that we are beginning to leave our “first love” relationship with the Lord.

* When we first got saved, we were in a “first love” relationship. We didn’t do anything without asking what God’s will is concerning everything in our life.

* When we find ourselves making decisions and plans without asking the Lord to guide us as to His will concerning our plans are, this is an indication that we are leaving our “first love” relationship with the Lord.

Conclusion:

Revelation 2:5 (KJV 1900)

5 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.

* What are the “first works” that we did when we first fell in love with Jesus?

I. Tell everybody you know about the Lord.

II. Desire more than anything to be in God’s presence.

III. Care for and love those who God loves.

IV. Put God’s will before your will.