First Love Series

Series: Restoration

Sermon: First Love

Thesis: God is the one who invented the term “First Love” it means that He loved us first before we ever loved Him in return.

Introduction:

Love is going to be our topic today. But that 4 letter word love needs to be redefined today to make sure we understand what love is. So to get a biblical understanding of this word let’s make sure we define what love is not

Pretty much everything you see in romantic movies or read about in romantic novels or watch in romantic sitcoms is not genuine love it’s a cheap fake. In other words it’s a cheap substitute for the real thing.

Every person is on search for real love and that can only be found in God alone.

LOVE has been redefined by the world – the world throws everything into the love category and it is used carelessly:

L – Lusting after another is called love and having sex before marriage is called “making love” – sorry it’s not love – sin has no love in it.

O – Out of the closet is love – The Gay community says they are the ones who know how to love. They have the real deal – sorry once again not genuine authentic love! It’s once again a cheap substitute for the real deal.

V – Valentine’s Day is all about love! I beg to differ with you that this Love day is not rooted and grounded in real love. It focuses on love between two people but not on genuine authentic Biblical love. If God has no part of a relationship and if He is not at the center of it then there is no real love just another cheap substitute.

If you really want to dive deep into real love it’s not found going out to a fancy restaurant.

It’s also not found by going out as a couple to a movie.

Real Biblical love has nothing to do with candies, flowers, cards or even romantic nights away in a hotel.

E – Erotic emotions is not real love just another cheap substitute for the real thing.

We hear the LOVE word from one’s favorite food to one’s favorite car.

The truth is love - the real word love – is rooted in God alone – No God – No Love no matter how much the world tries to say this is real love it’s not!

But giving yourself for another now that is real biblical love.

Romans 12:1 “1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Can I add now this is real biblical love.

Let’s read from our text in Ezekiel what real genuine love looks like and acts like.

Scripture Text: Main text - Ezekiel 37:23-27

22I’ll make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and give them one king—one king over all of them. Never again will they be divided into two nations, two kingdoms.

23Never again will they pollute their lives with their no-god idols and all those vile obscenities and rebellions. I’ll save them out of all their old sinful haunts. I’ll clean them up. They’ll be my people! I’ll be their God!

24My servant David will be king over them. They’ll all be under one shepherd. “‘They’ll follow my laws and keep my statutes.

25They’ll live in the same land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever.

26I’ll make a covenant of peace with them that will hold everything together, an everlasting covenant. I’ll make them secure and place my holy place of worship at the center of their lives forever.

27I’ll live right there with them. I’ll be their God! They’ll be my people!

In our Scripture text we get a picture of God’s love for His people and in turn He desires their love for Him. All the way through the Bible God’s love radiates out of its pages for His people. The truth is God loves His creation and desires to be in relationship with it. Not as a autocratic dictatorial leader but as a loving Father. His discipline is always motivated even driven by His love for His children. Throughout the OT God uses tough love to train and restore his fallen children. This section is all about a Father’s L:ove for His children who have deserted Him. Listen closely:

I. Exegetical meaning and message of our text:

a. Verse 22: God basically tells us that He will restore a divided Israel and bless them with reunification and One King. In a sense He says, “I will show them love in spite of their disunity.”