Our First Love. Isaiah 29: 13-14
We need to understand who Isiah is delivering this message to
Nation of Israel has been delivered from bondage of Egyptians
12 tribes of Israel that came from 12 sons of Jacob
The 12 tribes split b/c of not agreeing on things and became Northern and Southern Israel
Sound familiar?
Ole Isaiah got sent in to deliver this message to the people
Isaiah was simply calling them back to the Lord
If you could have been there to hear it delivered, you would have heard the people say
What are you talking about - (Turn back to God? - I haven’t gone anywhere, I am here doing what I am supposed to be doing every time).
Sound familiar? Evaluate your heart - not your spouse heart
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Wouldn’t it be great if we could live a sin free life
No heartache, nobody to talk about you, no more I am right and you are wrong - it’s easier to see the bad in someone than it is to see the good in them
We focus on the bad way more than we see the good
Some folks will believe the worst about you rather than the best about you
Satan is a part time lover, that old deceiver will distract you from doing the will of God - He is the reason our hearts are far from God b/c he has us distracted
Do you remember the day you got saved?
We started out on fire
You couldn’t beat us to the house of God
Every time the church doors was open, you was there
Sunday school to bible school - we wanted to be there
Bible study, try to keep me away
But somewhere along the way, we got distracted
Jesus was no longer our first love
Where is our spark - where is our desire,
Satan’s love will only last until he gets you where he wants you or all that he can get out of you
That is why we have to get our focus back on our first love
B/C This world has so much to offer us - we are told that christianity is outdated, to old fashioned - to boring
But God will get us where we need to be and should be
God says these people say they draw near me and there lips are saying that they honor me
But they have removed their heart far away from me
and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
There worship towards me are merely traditions, rules that are created by humans rather than from God’s word
How is your worship today?
It is easy to be taught how to worship by man - Now listen
If you hang around church long enough, you will learn how to pray, you will learn how to worship, you will learn to use your lips to praise
Are you hearing what I am saying
B/C we can get caught up in being taught my man and not even realize we are doing it
Have we learned enough on what to say or have we actually gotten alone with God and just rejoiced, thanked him, praised him, just be with him - not a crowd - just you and him
How do we praise him - we come to church to praise him
Unfortunately, we come asking - when does it become his time
While at church, we develop routines oh but we do
If you come to our church for 2 weeks, you will figure out our pattern and can tell us what is fixing to happen next
Let me tell you my friend, God is tired of the half hearted, the Luke warm, the hypocritical, the routine that man has implemented
Praise him, be yourself - praise God b/c he is God, what he has done, what he brought you from
Our hearts are far from him -
Why? B/C We have lost our first love - we are distracted
He loved us before we was even born
He loved you before your own momma did
When everyone else turned there back on you or left you out to dry, God was there
When nobody else cared, God did
When you was hurting so bad and you was by yourself crying, God was there holding you
Have you ever felt your spouse being distant from you?
Like the spark is not like it was in the beginning.
Don’t get yourself in trouble, some are thinking I haven’t seen a flicker in years & you know what - your are right - unfortunately it may be the same relationship that we have with God
The longer we have been together - we get complacent, we get relaxed, we get comfortable, we get Luke warm
Do you honestly think that God can’t tell that we are getting distant, we lost that spark,
God knows that we are in a routine - the same thing every sunday, every service - We are saying that we love him
2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Paul encourages Timothy to stir up the gift of God
All types of different people - some loud, quiet and asleep
Most are hoping that somehow God is going to move in their lives and will turn everything around with a miracle
Some are waiting on the next great revival or next great movement
They are merely sitting and waiting on God to do something
Truth is while we are waiting on God to stir the water, he is waiting on us to stir the water
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God & he will draw nigh to you
God is looking for some good old Holy Ghost agitators
Someone to help the spirit of God to move in our lives
He is looking for that spark
We gather at church to praise him, not make it about us
We are not dead, Stir up the gift of God
Do not let fear stop your calling.
We have to get our fire back but first we must find our first love again
God was the first one to choose you
He is the only one who will be there when your world falls apart
He created you b/c he loved you, he gives you life every day because he loves you
Listen to me, He is tired of the routine
He is tired of the coldness
He is tired of the lukewarm
He says pick a side
He wants to be first in your life
He wants to be your everything
Most of all, he wants all of you and not some or half
Solution - First thing we have to do is recognize, we will fail
We will fall off the wagon, we are in flesh and not perfect
Sobriety chip - turn in your coin and start over
Every day is a new beginning - Today is a new day
And the best is yet to come
stop entertaining that part time lover who will not be there in the end
Repent - renew our mind - Don’t give up
Don’t walk - run and I mean run, don’t look back
God is waiting - are you ready
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
God says well anyways, I will still continue to do marvelous works for these people
Talk about unconditional love
It is amazing, that God just continues to bless us
Even during the moments that we get into ruts and routines
God says I will still continue marvelous works b/c I love you that much
I am so thankful that our God is wonderful and perfect
God says he will continue doing this b/c the wisdom of the wise will perish
The intelligence of the intelligent will vanish and I will still be here
I am God and I will always be God
People will come and go but I will remain the same
We change every day, but our God is so SCR, he will never change
That is who we need in our lives b/c we need structure
We need leadership
We need God
Judges 15:14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
Samson was bound and the Lord came upon him and released the ropes from his hands
Samson was strong but he didn’t break the ropes, God did
It was b/c of the Lord that Samson was released
We have forgot who broke whatever it was that had us bound
We have forgotten what God has released us from
We have forgotten what we can do b/c we have God
We are not capable of doing anything w/o God,
What is sad, is others has been put to death for worship the same God that we get to and we are not in danger of death and scared to death to praise him
Just stop - leave that part time lover alone - go back to your first love
What are you struggling with today? What has you bound?
Don’t forget how you got here - Come and give it to God
Get your first love back
