Keep God Our First Love

“Keep God our first love”

Revelation 2:1-5

One day, a man was trying to:

• cast out an evil spirit of gluttony from.

• Out of this how do you say

• “Healthy looking person”

That stubborn spirit said:

• No, I'm not coming out,

• the man repeated himself.

• “You evil spirit of gluttony, come out right now.”

The gluttonous spirit said:

• in a real low and calm voice:

• No, I’m not coming out

The man frustrated man said:

• Come out of here, you sick evil demons.

• One final time, the evil spirit replied this time.

• I will if you give me a cookie. (FLAT)

Have you ever been in love? True love?

- the kind of love where you would

- do anything for the other person

- you’d take a bullet for them if necessary

Think about that person for a minute

- how they made you feel

- how you loved them and

- they loved you.

Many here have been in love like that:

- and some have been blessed to share a lifetime

- with their one true love

- for better or worse, for richer or poorer, til death do us part…

This next question is absurd, ridiculous and offensive, but

How would you feel if you discovered the one you loved:

- was going through the motions

- but you knew they didn’t really love you?

- that their heart was somewhere else?

How would that make you feel?

- what would you do?

- would you put up with that?

- would you demand they change or else?

I asked you if you had ever been in Love:

- let me tell you something

- God is in love with you!

God loves you so much:

- that He sent His Son to die on the cross

- to suffer and bleed and die

- so you would not have to suffer death

But right now God’s people:

- are not reciprocating in the love department

- they were accepting the love and blessings

- and then living selfish Godless lives…

That is what Jesus is experiencing in Revelation 2:1-5:

- the Church that He died for on the cross

- the people He loved

- were no longer in love with Him

Their hearts had left the relationship

- they still wanted all the benefits

- of being the “Bride of Christ”

- but they had given their hearts to another…

Jesus would not put up with the Church:

- cheating on Him in Revelation 2

- and He is not going to put up with us

- having one foot in the Church and one foot in the world

And Jesus says enough of this nonsense:

- I’m not putting up with this.

- Repent and return to me

- or else you can go to Hell with your new love the Devil

Ephesus is the ancient version of our New York city:

- there were countless religions and cults

- in need of Jesus as their savior

- to save the damned souls of the city

The metropolis of Ephesus:

- had a false god and false religion

- on every corner but largely

- failed to honor the one true GOD

Are you familiar with a place like that?

- where evil is rampant

- false God’s are passionately worshipped and

- God is ignored

- and evil is called good and good is called evil?

We must hold fast to Jesus as our first love:

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

- Acts 4:12 (NASB)

The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation:

- in around 96 AD

- while in exile on the Island of Patmos

- around 60 miles from Ephesus

The church in Ephesus was:

• one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation

• The Apostle Paul spent around three years in Ephesus

• during his missionary journeys

Paul’s ministry in Ephesus is described in:

- the book of Acts and the book of Ephesians

In the Book of Revelation the church in Ephesus is:

o praised for its hard work, perseverance, and

o refusal to tolerate wicked people.

The praise stops quickly when:

• Jesus condemns them

• for having forsaken its first love,

• they lost their zeal for God.

The Church started in the right direction:

- but had fizzled out in the love department

- their first love became one of many loves.

- their hearts were thrilled by other things and false gods

God’s love for us and our Love for God

- is the foundation of our salvation….