“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.’” [1]
“I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.” [2] For some, sustaining love grows difficult with passing years. I’ve been married more than fifty years; I believe I am qualified to say a few things concerning love. I believe I have earned the right to hold an opinion concerning love, an opinion sustained by perseverance over time. I have observed that the hot passion of youth, that first love that caused such funny feelings whenever you saw one another, will die down. Though love still burns, the fire now burns steadily rather than flaring up. The young man, or young woman, learns to moderate the damper and to regulate the fuel supplied to the fire—something that was impossible at the first.
With time, love begins to be spread around. It’s not that love is diluted, but the heart expands accommodating other righteous loves. There are children, and they are loved. It is not the same kind of love that first burned in your life together, but it is even stronger, even more intense, howbeit, not identical. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because a mother doesn’t pamper her son that she doesn’t love him. Don’t try to touch the boy, or you’ll learn something about how a mother loves her children. Don’t think that a father doesn’t love his daughter, just because he doesn’t say much. Don’t make the mistake of making her cry or treating her disrespectfully. You will learn very quickly just how intense a father’s love can be.
There are dear friends who come into your life—fellow church members and some especially close friends with whom you trust your life. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” [JOHN 15:13]. I’ve heard men who shared combat, speak of the love they have for their brother warriors. And brother believers who have shared hardship know something about love that grows stronger through shared difficulties.
The love a husband and a wife share with one another grows more intense, deeper, richer as the years pass. The couple will have some rough spots, but they’ll remember the good times. They’ll remember the shared hardships and how they overcame as God supplied their needs. They’ll recall with deep humility those special times when they shared a laugh, shared a tear, shared life, and each will know what it is to love and to be loved.
How tragic, then, should someone be confronted by that first love, confronted by that one who was supposedly loved most deeply, only to hear the rebuke, “You have abandoned the love you had a first.” How awful to think that someone quit loving, that the object of affection realised that the love was gone. How awful to discover that there is no longer a fire burning in the furnace. The Risen Saviour sent messages to seven churches located in the Roman Province of Asia. He sent these messages through letters penned by His servant, John. The letters were drafted while John was exiled to the Aegean Island of Patmos. And the first letter was sent to the church located in Ephesus. That letter accused the church of having left her first love. In effect, Jesus said to this congregation, “You are a furnace with no fire.” Tragic as that censure may be, more immediately tragic is the case should Jesus make such a statement concerning us.
I KNOW YOUR WORKS — “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” [REVELATION 2:2-3].
How can a statement that is so comforting be so distressing at the same time? The answer to that question is that the determination of the impact of a statement from the Holy One depends upon the one of whom that statement is made. If our works honour the Risen Saviour, if our labours glorify His Name, then when He says, “I know your works,” we will be comforted. We will rejoice in the knowledge that we have not toiled in vain. However, if our works do not measure up to the expected standard, when He says, “I know your works,” we will be rightly distressed. We will realise that we have not been able to mask our lethargy, hide our sloth. We will know that we are about to be exposed as less than we should have been.
The message in our text is addressed to “the Angel of the Church in Ephesus.” The angel of the church is the pastor of the assembly. How do we know this to be the case? When John saw the One identified as “Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of kings on earth” [REVELATION 1:5], the Master was described in all His awesome glory. John wrote, “I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength” [REVELATION 1:12-16].
John was obviously astonished at what he was seeing, but the Lord of Glory commissioned John, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” [REVELATION 1:17-20].
Throughout Scripture, God’s “messenger” is identified as His “angel.” Of course, the angels are messengers of God, dispatched to bring His message to man. However, those who declare the Word of the Lord are also His messengers. For instance, in HAGGAI 1:13 we read, “Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, ‘I am with you, declares the LORD.’” The Hebrew word is mal'ak; the Greek is ángelos. Haggai was the LORD’s messenger, the LORD’s angel.
Again, in MALACHI 2:7, we read, “The lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” As in the previous passage, the word “messenger” is the Hebrew word mal'ak. When the Lord speaks of sending John the Baptist, He identifies him as the LORD’s messenger, the LORD’s mal'ak, the LORD’s angel. “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” [MALACHI 3:1].
To firmly establish the point, look to Luke’s Gospel. In LUKE 7:24 we read that “John’s messengers” had come and gone—his messengers, his ángeloi, his angels. These were men whom John sent to Jesus, but Jesus tied John to Malachi’s prophecy when He said, “This is he of whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’”
[LUKE 7:27]
The pastors of the churches are charged to deliver a message from Heaven, a word from the Lord God. Thus, when the Risen Saviour speaks to John, He says that the message delivered to the messengers is for the churches. Though the messages the Saviour delivers is to the messengers, the messages are for the churches. The pastors of the churches bear responsibility to faithfully declare what the Spirit says. God keeps on saying, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” [3] God’s servant is charged with the message of life, charged to provide oversight of the congregation over which the Lord has appointed him, to direct the flock into paths of righteousness and to call the lost to life in the Risen Son of God.
As the Risen Saviour begins His missive to the pastor of the Congregation at Ephesus, He says, “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” [REVELATION 2:2-3].
The Church at Ephesus is commended because it is a busy congregation. They are not just busy, they are toiling, they are enduring patiently, they are bearing up for Christ’s sake and they have not grown weary. They began well, and they are continuing to labour in the Lord’s vineyard. They are doctrinally sound; they do not hesitate to expose error, even when some people would complain that exposure is unloving, unpleasant and unkind.
Conscientious followers of the Master would be pleased to see such a congregation in their community. This is not a church that would make the community love the faithful; however, it is a congregation that will be respected as standing for something even when the community disagrees with their stand. There are enough churches that will preach whatever the world wants to hear. Churches that have convictions, even when those convictions may be costly to the assembly, are somewhat less common.
When the Master of the church says, “I know your works,” our aspiration should be to have lived in such a way that those words are a source of comfort. Undoubtedly, great responsibility does rest upon the pastor of the congregation; however, people who usurp authority must accept that they have assumed responsibility before the Lord. Responsibility attends leadership within the assembly. Let all take heed of this truth and act accordingly.
God’s knowledge of His people, and His knowledge of those who stand opposed to Him, is revealed throughout Scripture. Let me take just a bit of time to review some of what is written in Scripture. The Psalmist informs us that,
“The LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”
[PSALM 1:6]
The verse is in the context of judgement of wickedness. The clear implication is that the righteous are spared divine judgement because the LORD knows their heart. Set against this is the clear statement that the wicked will perish.
Again, the Psalmist provides comfort for the individual who seeks the LORD. He writes,
“The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.”
[PSALM 37:18-19]
Here, the Lord promises to watch over His own during their pilgrimage through this life.
Allow me to touch briefly on a couple of instances in which the Lord is said to be fully apprised of His own as provided in the pages of the New Testament. Paul encourages believers as he writes to his protégé, Timothy, “God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” [2 TIMOTHY 2:19a].
Using Lot as an example, Peter speaks of God’s care of the righteous, when he writes, “If [the Lord] rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” [2 PETER 2:7-9].
What does all this reveal if not that the Lord knows His own people? He knows our thoughts and our actions. He understands that though we are flesh, we long to honour Him. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” [JOHN 10:14-15a].
Again, in one of the greatest promises that could ever comfort the child of God, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” [JOHN 10:27-30].
The portions of the Word just quoted are but emphases of the truth revealed when Paul writes, “If anyone loves God, he is known by God” [1 CORINTHIANS 8:3]. The question for each one who hears me this day is, “Do you love God?” I don’t mean, “Do you like God?” I don’t mean, “Do you want to avoid hell?” The default position of all mankind is that they want to avoid judgement. It is a given that people like the idea of a gracious, generous God. However, the question that matters is whether we love God. To love God is to obey Him, doing those things that honour Him. If we love God, we will reveal that love through our love of righteousness, our love of what is good.
Jesus has taught us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” [JOHN 14:15]. He emphasised this teaching when He said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” [JOHN 14:21]. Love for the Son of God is revealed through obedience to His will! Love for the Living God is witnessed in obedience.
Knowing our propensity for parsing His words, and in order to circumvent any effort to twist what He said, shortly after emphasising the need for obedience, The Lord emphatically stated, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me” [JOHN 14:23-24]. The Son of God knows His people, and that is a comforting truth. He knows my heart. He knows my desire to honour Him. He knows that I long for His glory. He knows me. And He knows you.
I HAVE THIS AGAINST YOU — “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” [REVELATION 2:4]. To this church that He had just commended for doctrinal fidelity, the Risen Son of God pronounces what can only be understood to be quite a stern censure. God’s Son cautions, “I have this against you.” I’m just a little bit surprised, perhaps even somewhat confused as I read what the Living Christ says to this congregation. On the one hand, He commends this congregation for adhering tenaciously to the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Then, immediately after commending them, He censures them for abandoning the love they had at first. Is it actually possible for a congregation to hold to the Faith and yet abandon the love they held at the first?
It is a tragic observation drawn from the many years of my service among the churches of our Master that fundamentalists are prone to forget who the enemy is. They tend to become so caught up in defending the Faith that they begin to lash out at fellow Christians. Fundamentalists tend to progressively draw increasingly small circles, excluding those who fail to agree, creating new Shibboleths and devolving into abject tribalism. I’m not being derogatory in saying this; I consider myself to be a fundamentalist when it comes to the Faith. I believe the Fundamentals as defined in the early days of the twentieth century. Unapologetically, I believe and preach that Jesus Christ is very God in human flesh, that He died a sacrificial death and was buried, that He conquered death and rose on the third day, that He ascended bodily into Heaven from whence He is shortly coming again. I am confident that the authority for this Faith is the Bible, which is God’s Word, authoritative and accurate.
Nevertheless, those who hold to these truths will find themselves beset by the world because the world is offended that they will not make concessions for the flesh. I know you have heard me on numerous occasions cite the warning Jesus delivered to His disciples. The Master warned His followers, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father” [JOHN 15:18-24].
Here is something that I failed to see for many years, but it is right there in the Word. Perhaps the teaching was so obvious that I passed by it, thinking there was more important information still to come. Think about this: these saints in Ephesus didn’t stop being a loving church—they still fellowshipped, enjoying coffee and tea with refreshments after each service. They were still meeting for a potluck on the first Sunday of each month. You knew when you came to a service that you would be welcomed warmly because you were among friends. The saints still gathered in one another’s homes to enjoy some time just being friends. When you were sick, members visited and prayed with you, even bringing a meal so that you would be well fed. When there was a death in the family, your fellow worshippers brought casseroles and veggie platters so that you wouldn’t have to cook during the busy days surrounding the funeral. The congregation warmly welcomed visitors, ensuring that they were at home in the services. They loved sinners, being careful not to attack them because of their sinful condition. The congregation didn’t lose their love for Christ, they had abandoned the love they had at first! The evidence that they had left their first love was that they had stopped witnessing to lost sinners as the Master had commanded them to do! You do remember our charge? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” [MATTHEW 28:19-20a].
Men, do you remember when you first met your wife? I do. I met my lady and almost immediately, I knew that I would marry her. Shortly after I had met Lynda, I was in a community near where I had grown to manhood and I happened to see a girl that I had dated a time or two. We exchanged pleasantries, and she asked what I was doing. “Oh, you know, going to school, studying, and … say, I’m going to get married!”
“Really?” You could see the surprise writ large on her face. “Who are you marrying?”
“Lynda Baldwin.” Her surprise was even more exaggerated. Hey, I know class when I see it. She had her doubts because it was obvious that I was marrying way out of my league.
Man, I couldn’t keep it quiet; that piece of information could never be a secret for me. I hadn’t asked Lynda, yet; but I knew that I wanted to spend my life with her. I couldn’t be silent about her. I wanted to tell everyone about this beautiful redhead that had captured my heart. If her hand brushed against me hand, I felt as though my heart would beat out of my chest. When she spoke with me, I stammered as though I was just learning to speak. Something strange was happening to this young man of the world, and I really, really liked what was taking place.
Ladies, perhaps you weren’t as effected by your true love, but I’m quite certain that you felt the same way about your husband in those early days. Love is like that at the first. However, something happens in far too many cases. Rather than growing deeper, stronger, our love begins to wane. The flame begins to die down. We may chalk up the change to fatigue because of the demands that are being placed on us—the children demand our time, the responsibilities of running the house, demands that are placed on us at work all conspire to distract us from our first responsibility of loving the one whom God has given.
Without question, love can be destroyed through abuse or through assault, but it is more likely that love dies through neglect. Men and women allow themselves to become complacent about the one they love; they grow bored with the love they share, and they begin to seek something more. Or worse yet, people begin to take one another for granted. Why does a man speak sharply with his wife? Why does a wife begin to cut her husband down to size? Isn’t it because he knows he can speak to her in that manner, using cutting tones that he would never use with a friend? Isn’t it because she knows she can get away with disrespect? We wear masques with friends, though we reveal our heart in our interaction with our spouses.
Think back to the time immediately after you had first come to faith in the Son of God. You were excited; you were in love with the Saviour; you rejoiced in the freedom you had found. You told your family that you had been saved. You told friends that God was good to you and that you wanted to be with His people. You didn’t find it difficult to bow your head and give thanks before you ate your noon meal. I hope you weren’t a nut case in your newfound faith, but you did tell others what God had done for you. You were in love with the Saviour!
Some individuals, causing others to be disquieted in their presence, will continue exhibiting this mad love for the Son of God; but most Christians will move inexorably toward senescence with the passage of time. This acknowledgement is not permission to be quiescent; it is simply admission of what is often observed. One reason we admire the Apostle Paul is his genuine, intense love for the Lord who redeemed him from death. Paul would testify at an early point in this service before the Lord, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [GALATIANS 2:20]. That is mad love, love that makes many Christians somewhat uneasy, especially if they are expected to agree with Paul.
However, the Apostle’s love affair with the Saviour was no initial flaring up of genuine love for the Saviour. As he neared the final days of his earthly service, the aged saint testified concerning what lay ahead for him when he wrote, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day” [2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8]. He had served the Saviour well and now he would conclude his earthly service with dignity and love.
His admonition to the Pastor of the Church in Ephesus was “Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” [2 TIMOTHY 1:8-14]. Paul started well, and he ended well. Let me urge each Christian to realise that we must not only begin well, but we must end well.
Polycarp, disciple of John the Revelator for twenty years and for many years the pastor of the Church at Smyrna, was eighty-six years old when he sealed his testimony with his life. We are provided a contemporary account of his martyrdom in a letter which Ignatius wrote. Ignatius informs us that Polycarp was brought before the proconsul who urged him to swear by the genius of Cæsar and say, “Away with the atheists,” referring to followers of the Christ. Others had already renounced the Saviour and the Faith. Looking toward heaven, the aged saint waved his hand toward the crowd gathered in the stadium to watch the Christians as they were killed, then said, “Away with the atheists.” The proconsul appears to have been reluctant to have the old man murdered, so he pleaded with him to be considerate of his age. Finally, the proconsul said, “Swear, and I will set thee free; revile Christ.” At this, the godly pastor said, “Fourscore and six years have I served Him, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I speak evil of my King, who saved me?” With those words, the aged saint sealed his fate on earth.
Timber and faggots were gathered and piled around him. The executioners would have nailed him to the stake, but he urged them not to do so as he would not run. Lifting his head, he uttered a final prayer, and as the last “Amen” was spoken, the fire was lighted and blazed up. Thus, another believer sealed his testimony with his life. [4] Faithful to the end, he loved the Lord who had redeemed his life. If it was God’s will that he die in this fashion, then so be it.
The Apostle to the Gentiles voiced the sentiment that marked this old man’s life, and the sentiment that characterises followers of the Lamb since that time, “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” [PHILIPPIANS 1:20-21].
Few people in this day ever have the privilege of participating in the birth of a congregation of the Lord. There are some interesting observations to be made concerning a new congregation. Almost as soon as a congregation is born, it begins to die. Don’t misunderstand, there will be growth—often that growth will be explosive, wild and unrestrained. Zeal for the Lord’s house consumes those first members. They are on fire, ready to charge hell with a squirt-gun. Their zeal may flare brightly for some years; but gradually, as members are added and as responsibility for ministry increases and as a permanent meeting place is secured and then expanded, and as requirements for maintaining that meeting place grows exponentially, keeping the congregation advancing becomes more important than taking time just to love the Saviour. Though the signs are seldom recognised immediately, death has begun to mark the congregation.
At the first, the new congregation is energised by the Spirit of God. Those uniting to form the new assembly share a vision of Christ as Master of the church. They want to make Him known to their world. Family members are told of the Lord, friends are invited to consider Christ as Master over life and strangers are told of the power of the Saviour to set us free from sin. There is incredible excitement in those heady days of new life for the congregation. Everyone has a role to play. Everyone comes to the meetings eager to contribute with the gifts which the Spirit of God has distributed to His people.
What happened? How did things change so drastically? The simple answer is that the believers abandoned the love they had at first. The deep love those early believers had was tempered with the passage of time. Their hot passion for the Risen Saviour cooled. Without even realising that they had done so, they began to strike a comity agreement with the world. Tacitly, the saints begin to think, “We’ll not disturb the world and the world will leave us alone.” Tragically, that will never work; and if it did work, it would mean that we are transgressing the command of our Master. Jesus charged us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” [MATTHEW 28:19].
As for finding comity with the world, we who would honour the Son of God must hear James’ stern warning to followers of the Lamb of God, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” [JAMES 4:4]. Moreover, we must remember Jesus’ words, “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as one of its own. But because you do not belong to the world and I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you” [JOHN 15:19 ISV]. How can we find comity with the entity that hates us because we are chosen by the Master? Do not abandon the love you had at first!
REPENT! “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 2:5]. I’m going to say that we need to come to church and remember. We need to remember when we prayed, and God answered. Don’t you remember when you wondered whether you’d have a job the next week. You prayed and asked God to intervene. Didn’t He answer? You need to remember.
Don’t you remember when your children were so sick? You prayed and asked God to heal them. Didn’t He answer? Didn’t He heal your child? Didn’t He give you a job when you were out of work? Didn’t He ensure that your husband still had a job? Didn’t He give you a fine automobile so you don’t have to walk? Didn’t He give you a warm house to live it? Didn’t He give you enough to eat? You haven’t gone hungry this week. Isn’t that right? Didn’t He wake you up this morning? You need to remember.
Then, you need to repent. You need to turn around. You need to stop going the direction you’ve been going and begin to walk with God toward Heaven and toward home. You need to begin to again honour Him by making choices that glorify His Name. Isn’t it interesting that God isn’t calling on sinners to repent in this text? God is calling on His own people to repent, and the repentance comes when they remember God’s goodness to them.
When you’ve remembered and repented, you need to repeat—“Do the works you did at first!” Don’t you remember life as a new believer? Don’t you remember when you used to come to church to hear the Word of the Lord? Now, you come to church to sleep. I can’t understand people who get out of bed just so they can come to church and sleep. I don’t understand people who become upset by worship. If the preacher goes a little long, they become positively dyspeptic.
Remember! Repent! Repeat! This is the call of God. Remembering should not be difficult, though it does mean that we must pause to look back to what God has done in the past. While we must collectively recall the past, surely it means that we must individually remember the days past when God blessed us. The point is, God has blessed each of us. We fall into the trap of complaining, grousing, “Yeah, but what has God done for me recently?” Look back and remember that God has been good to you.
Repeating what was done in the past should not be a major problem. The Risen Saviour says, “Do the works you did at first.” Show your love for the Master as you did at the first. That will not be a chore if you remember all His mercies. The Psalmist urges us,
“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
[PSALM 103:1-5]
It is the act of repentance that is difficult. Few saints want to be told they need to repent. However, if you have abandoned the love you had at first, you must repent. Joseph Parker said, “The preacher whose little message is ‘Repent,’ had best pledge his head to Heaven.” Repentance is not a message that we accept graciously. Repentance means that the one repenting must confess that she has been travelling in the wrong direction, but that now she will reverse course to again walk in the direction leading to honouring God. Repentance, especially in this instance, means that the one repenting must acknowledge that love for the Master, love for the Faith, has been abandoned, but that now the one who deserted from that first love will return to the passionate love held at the first.
It is essential to note that one may feel sorry for an action without forsaking the action. A drunk may feel sorry each time he wakens with a hangover. He may even vow that he is finished with drinking, but his resolve will likely last only until the craving hits again. The drug addict may feel remorse over the loss of self-respect, the loss of control over her life, but remorse will not be sufficient to turn her from the self-destructive habit. Judas felt regret and perhaps even shame because he had betrayed the Master, but his guilt only drove him toward suicide rather than leading to confession of his sin so that he could receive forgiveness from the Master whom he had betrayed. I caution you not to fall into the trap of feeling guilty about your past desertion of vigorous faith, even while you are trying to keep one foot in this dying world. Do you not remember the warning the Master delivered when He said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” [MATTHEW 6:24a]?
Solomon has wisely cautioned,
“The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
[PROVERBS 29:25]
This warning from the Wise Man anticipates Jesus’ warning to any seeking to follow Him, “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” [LUKE 12:4-5]! Do not let your fear of what others may say keep you from turning again to the Master who gave His life because of your fallen condition. Do not harbour a vain hope that the world will accept you as its own turn you from repentance that will lead you back to service to the Risen Lord of Glory.
Look at the service we offer to the Lord. Have we abandoned the love we had at first? Do the fires still burn brightly in our hearts for the Master’s glory? Or have we descended into a routine that must be fulfilled each week? Do we come to the service of the Lord anticipating that we will meet the Risen Son of God? Or is this something we do because it is Sunday? Are we passionate about spending time with Him each day? Or do the affairs of this dying world crowd out time alone with the Lord who loved us and gave Himself for us? Have we become a furnace with no fire? Does the fire burn brightly in your life? Amen. Amen.
[*] The concept for the message and the title were suggested by a sermon preached by Rev. Terry K. Anderson, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jMQUH2-mtc, accessed 14 February 2018
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] International Standard Version (ISV Foundation, Yorba Linda, CA 2011)
[3] See REVELATION 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22
[4] J. B. Lightfoot with Ignatius and Polycarp, The Apostolic Fathers, Part II: S. Ignatius, S. Polycarp: Revised Texts with Introductions, Notes, Dissertations, and Translations, Second Edition, vol. 1 (Macmillan and Co., London; New York 1889), 453–454
(+) A PDF version of the final edit of this message will be found after Sunday, 14 October, 2018, at https://newbeginningsbaptist.ca/category/sermon-archives/.
