Do You Love Jesus?
Revelation 2:1-7
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:1-7 (NLT)
Let’s pay particular attention to verses 4 and 5 in this passage.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT)
Let’s look at The Message; it has an interesting translation of verses 4 and 5.
“But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway?
Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall! “Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I’m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. Revelation 2:4-5 (The Message)
I would like to start this morning by asking you why you are here. Why did you bother to get up this morning, get dressed and come to Church? What is it that brought you here this morning? Was it the coffee and doughnuts? Was it our beautiful new facility?
In years past, it was just considered the thing to do. If you considered yourself a Christian you felt an obligation to be in Church on Sunday morning. Countless generations went to Church simply because they felt obligated to be in Church. Recent research tells us, however, that there are now many reasons to go to Church. Just a few of those reasons are: business networking, making political connections, to make new friends, to see existing friends, because overall it’s a positive experience, you like the pastor, the music is good, and so on.
There are many reasons why people go to Church. But, why did you go to Church this morning? What was the compelling reason to get out of bed early on Sunday morning, get dressed and go to Church? Whatever your reason for coming this morning, there really is only one reason to go to Church.
We go to Church to worship Jesus. We go to Church to praise Jesus. We go to Church to honor Jesus. We go to Church to thank Jesus. We go to Church in obedience to Jesus. In short, we go to Church because we love Jesus!
Did you notice the theme? Put simply, we go to Church because of Jesus. We go to Church because of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Whatever the reason that brought you to Church this morning, there really should be only one reason that brings us to Church: and that’s Jesus. We should go to Church for one reason, and only one reason, we should go to Church simply because we love Jesus.
I wonder though, how many people go to Church simply because they love Jesus. The Church used to love Jesus. Now I think the Church just loves the church. We love our programs. We love our buildings. We love all our activity for Jesus, but do we still love Jesus?
Do you remember when we used to sing love songs to Jesus during our worship services? We still sing good songs, but are they love songs to Jesus? There is an old song that we used to sing a lot in Church when I was young. The words are:
There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.
Chorus
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
It tells me of a Savior’s love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.
Chorus
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
It tells me what my Father hath
In store for every day,
And tho’ I tread a darksome path,
Yields sunshine all the way.
Chorus
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in each sorrow bears
A part that none can bear below.
Chorus
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!
Another song that we used to sing is:
Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And he’s just the same,
As His Holy Name,
That’s the reason that I love Him so,
For Jesus is the sweetest name I know.
There really is one reason and only one reason why we should go to Church. Because we love Jesus! I want to tell you plainly that is the reason that I’m here this morning. That is the reason that I prepare a sermon each week. That is why I spend time in prayer. That’s why I spend time studying God’s Word. That’s why I have spent most of my adult life in school studying God’s Word. I love Jesus! I want to know about Him. That love compels me to gather with others of like mind that also love Jesus. Let there be no doubt about it, I love Jesus!
I believe that the Church has left its first love. We no longer love Jesus. Everything else is more important to us than Jesus.
1. The Church no longer loves Jesus.
We have left our first love. We, the Church, now love many things, but Jesus has been bumped off the list by lots of other things. I think that many Church leaders would argue with me about this, all the while being guilty of not loving Jesus.
Mostly we love ourselves. We love our comfort, our toys, our homes, eating out, our jobs, our families, our nation, our culture, movies, music, our entertainment, hunting, fishing, and the list actually goes on and on and on. While there is not really anything wrong with most of those things, it’s just that we are more concerned about our latest toy, or working on our homes, or any number of things than we are concerned about serving and loving Jesus.
We live in a narcissistic culture that is bent on self worship. It takes many forms in our culture from the self-centered and self-absorbed individual that thinks and acts as if the universe revolves around them. To New Age Cult Groups that worship themselves by believing what makes them feel good. It’s all about what makes them feel good. Their favorite quote is from Buddha when he said: “No one deserves your love and adoration more than you do.” I wonder: do they sings songs to themselves? Do they pray to themselves?
The Church has also left its first love for political expediency. We want to be politically correct. We don’t want to offend anyone that isn’t Christian or to be accused of being intolerant. So we have Church leaders writing books like Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch’s ReJesus where they take God in the Flesh, the second person in the Trinity, our Savior and turn him into little more than a social reformer and philosopher.
This social reformer Jesus is complimentary to the Jesus of Black Liberation Theology (which is what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached), and all the other liberation theology models. It is a Jesus that appears to be only concerned, or more concerned about the conditions of this life and not the life to come. The question here is which do you love the most, social reform or Jesus. While I agree that there needs to be a lot of social reform, Jesus did not come to initiate social reform. He came to redeem us for eternity. He did not come to set us free from “The Man” he came to set us free from sin! He came to bring us to God, not to bring us to social reform.
We also find a strong move to “Save the Planet” from religious groups such as the Vineyard. While I agree that it’s not good to trash the planet, since it is our home, it’s just that most environmentalists almost, if not entirely, turn into Mother Earth Worshippers. Jesus did not come to save the planet, he came to save people! I have wondered what the “save the planet” is all about. Even if every living thing on Earth dies, the planet will still be here. The planet does not need to be saved, but we do! Jesus came to save us!
Social reform and environmentalism are both politically correct and the Church is embracing both. Again there is nothing wrong with either . . . unless it causes you to lose your focus on Jesus! Unless it causes you to leave your first love!
Another politically correct practice that has crept into the Church is the practice to refer to Jesus as “Christ.” Why? I think it is because people are offended by Jesus, they are offended by His Name. So I think that many believe that by referring to him as “Christ” softens the offense to people. It also sounds more modern and less old fashioned. After all, it is Bible Thumpers that preach Jesus!
Another politically correct practice that has crept into the Church is the acceptance of all other religions, all other “paths” as being equally valid to following Jesus! I believe this has also crept into the Church to be politically correct and to avoid the accusation of being intolerant. The problem is that both practices causes people to leave their first love. If all other paths are equally valid, why then do we follow Jesus? Why love Jesus?
However, let me assure you that Christians and Christianity is the most tolerant religion in the world. We do not have to strive to be politically correct. We do not have to accept all other “paths” as being equally valid to the path of following Jesus. Our nation has been, since its formation a Christian Nation. Yet you can drive around the streets of any major city and find houses of worship that are not Christian houses of worship. They are here because we are tolerant. Not because we are intolerant. We give them the freedom to worship whatever god they choose, any way they choose, as long as it does not harm anyone else, because we are tolerant.
After WW2 we did not go into Japan, who surrendered unconditionally by the way, and force them to become Christian. True, missionaries went into Japan and won converts, but those converts were convinced not coerced. Even today the percentage of Japan’s population that is Christian is still in the single digits. The same is true in Iraq and Afghanistan. Christians are the most tolerant of any of the followers of any religion.
The accusations of being intolerant and the pressure to be politically correct are an attack by Satan. It is an effort to thin the blood of Jesus. It is an effort to weaken or even break the cross of Jesus. It is an attempt to make following Jesus no different than following Buddha, or any other false religion.
Christianity is the most tolerant of all religions. Why? Because the God we serve is the most tolerant. He gives us the free will to choose whether to accept him or not. He tolerates all forms of sin from the people on this planet. He tolerates all kinds of false religions. He even tolerates the persecution of his children. He will even forgive those that have persecuted Christians as evidenced by the Apostle Paul.
The claim that Christians are intolerant is patently false. At best it is a myth and at worst it is an out and out lie and attack on all Christians by Satan. When someone claims that you or Christians are intolerant, tell them we are the most tolerant faith in the world, but we are exclusive. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are reconciled to God.
The Church has left its first love for many reasons: we are self absorbed, we love the church instead of Jesus, for political expediency, because we do not want to offend non believers, and perhaps many other reasons, but we have lost our love of Jesus.
While the Church has lost its first love, there are two very important reasons why we should repent and return to our first love. The fist reason is because of who he is.
2. Who Jesus is.
Jesus first of all is the promised Messiah. Old Testament Scripture clearly prophesies that a Messiah would come, with the first mention in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:15 (NLT) I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
While the Old Testament is full of promises of the coming Messiah, we don’t have time to examine all of them. But, we need to look at one more very familiar passage that we read at Christmas. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
While Jesus is the promised Messiah, he is also God come in the flesh. To see this let’s read a small portion of our previous passage again: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus was to be called those things, because he is those things! Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Jesus was fully man, but he was also fully God. Let’s go to a couple of New Testament references to see this as well. Colossians 1:9 (NLT) For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. In other words, everything that God is, all his fullness, all his power, all his wisdom was in Jesus. Jesus was and is fully God.
John phrased it differently in his Gospel. John 1:1 (NLT) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Now let’s skip down to verse 14. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
We love Jesus because he is the promised Messiah and he is God in the flesh. But we also love Jesus for what he has done for us.
3. What he has done for us.
If Jesus was only a philosopher, or a prophet or just a social reformer, there is no need to love Jesus. If that is all he was, then he is no different than many others that came before and has come since. For if he was not divine he has not done anything for us. However, if Jesus is the promised Messiah and God in the flesh, he has done something great for us. Jesus died for us. He shed his blood for us. He did for us, what we could not do for ourselves. He reconciled us with God.
The whole reason that Jesus came was to die for us. He accepted the penalty for our sin! The Apostle John tells us this in his Gospel. John 3:16 (NLT) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
While John tells us all of this it is short and not explained fully. Paul explains it very clearly in Ephesians 2:13-22 (NLT).
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
While there are many and diverse reasons why the Church has left its first love, there are two very valid reasons why we should love Jesus. First because of who he is, and second because of what he has done for us. I want it to be clearly said and clearly understood that I love Jesus! Do you love Jesus this morning? Would you stand with me and sing O how I Love Jesus?
