Intro: The passage we read in Deut. 20 is often referred to as the laws concerning warfare.
There’s no denying that the church is in a war today. It’s an ever-increasing war against the enemy of our souls.
Notice – When the officers stepped up they were about to go into battle. The word of the Lord was with them saying:
- When you see the enemies horses and chariots &
- When you see a people that is more than you.
He said – Be not afraid of them – fear not – for the Lord will go with you and He’ll fight for you.
He said they may be more in number, but the Lord will be there and you’ll be victorious.
Then He went on to say to the young men there:
1.If you’ve built a new house and haven’t lived in it – go home.
2.If you’ve planted a vineyard and haven’t eaten of its fruit – go home.
3.If your engaged to a young lady and you haven’t married her – go home.
4.If you are fearful & fainthearted – you go home too:
He said if you find yourself in one of these positions – you go home – your disqualified – you are exempt from the battle.
This seemed hard to understand. No doubt there were strong young men there who were well able to take the war effort on. Yet he is sending them home. WHY?
The captain knew in the heat of the battle if there was any second love lingering in the back of their minds – or any second loves hidden in their hearts, that may be able to speak to them on the battle field – THERE WOULD BE DIVIDED AFFECTION!
That second love would be on their minds:
1.You’ve built a house and now someone else is going to live in it.
2.You’ve planted a vineyard & now before you’ve eaten of its fruit – you’re out here on this battle field – while someone else is enjoying the fruits of your labor.
3.Think of that beautiful young lady you’re engaged to. It would come to their minds that while they were on the battlefield risking their lives, someone else would be enjoying her love.
Those second loves would have your attention. They would have their allegiance and they would have been destroyed on the battlefield – in the army of Almighty God.
BEWARE OF THE SECOND LOVE – We need total dedication today in Gods army like we never have before.
- We must be totally committed to the things of God!
- We must put our whole heart into serving the Lord!
- We need to resolve every issue that would rise up against us in our service for the Lord.
Our only love should be to please the Lord Jesus & hear Him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant you’ve been faithful over few things – now I’ll make you ruler over many things.”
If there’s a 2nd love in our hearts & lives it could disqualify us from being in the army of the Lord.
- God demands a disciplined army. A people who’ll put him first.
We’re not our own – we’ve been bought with a price.
The thing that keeps us from doing the will of the Lord is not trying to find out His will, but it’s that second love.
We know that this is the day of compromise and divided allegiance.
- It’s a day of trying to make a piece with the enemies of the Lord.
We must love the Lord God with all our soul, and all our heart, and mind, and with all our strength!
- If we’ll do this all the other stuff will fall into place.
Let’s beware of that second love – no matter how small or how great it will side track you from the things of the Lord.
It’s not a matter of option – I owe my all to the Lord and so do you if you are a child of God.
The greatest weapon to fight the battle against hell is love. I know that seems strange.
- I can’t understand Gods love for me – but I’ve never gotten over it.
- “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”
- God can’t use someone in the Church who’s filled with everything but love.
- If we are to win souls we must love with the love of the Lord. It takes the love of God in you to see a person like the Lord sees.
- We’ll never see lost souls going into hell or even ourselves slipping back until we allow the love of the Lord to rule in our hearts.
We must love Jesus more than anything. At Calvary Jesus was saying, “I Love you!”
- He was saying, “World – you may hate me – you may beat my back and crown me with thorns. You may even crucify me – But you can’t stop me from loving you!
- While we were yet sinners His love reached out to us.
- He said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
The only reason many have not experienced Gods love is their lack of response to that love!
- The 2nd love will cause you not to respond to the Love of God.
- Many who are hurt and have been abused are outside the Church today because they focused their eyes on people. They refused to respond to the love of God.
- I believe many enjoy having hard feelings in their heart – because they feed on those bad experiences and bad thoughts.
- They feel they can go through life blaming some past experience for their lack of dedication: 1. Preacher 2. Deacon 3. Bad Church ECT…
- The words forgiveness and I’m sorry are just about gone from our vocabulary today!
God help us to love like God loves and not let something come in and side track us.
- If we don’t love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – there will be room for something else to come along and draw us aside.
EXAMPLES OF THE SECOND LOVE:
1.Peter and the disciples went back to their 2nd love.
- All the time they were trying to serve the Lord they were saying if this don’t work out – We’ve still got our fishing gear!
- Jesus stood on the bank and asked if they had any meat. When they got to shore they found bread and fish on the fire.
If you’ve gone back to your second love – Jesus is on the shore of your life with enough of your needs to bring you back to Him.
The disciples had a 2nd love hidden deep down inside of their hearts.
2.It was that second love that got Samson.
- He was a Nazarite. He was consecrated to the Lord. He had long hair; which was a sign that he belonged to the God of Israel.
- He looked good on the outside. But on the inside something had gone wrong!
- He had taken the gates of Gaza (weighed about 2 tons) and carried them 32 miles on his shoulders to Hebron.
- What a man of God he was! Yet ONE WICKED WOMAN stole his dedication to the Lord.
First it was a flirtation, Delilah said give me your secret. He told her first off that it was the green withes. When that didn’t work he told her it was new ropes. Then it was if my hair was plaited.
- Notice the 2nd love getting closer and closer until it got him and He lost out completely!
3.Saul was a big man – He stood head and shoulders above the biggest man in Israel.
- He was a mighty man.
- “ “ “ Handsome man.
- “ “ “ powerful man. He was a man of fame as well.
- But it was a small thing that got him. The second verse of a song took him down:
- He rode into town one day and the women began singing; “Saul hath killed his thousands.”
- I can see him in his pride as he stands to receive praise.
- But the second verse of a song got him. The women continued singing; “David hath killed his ten thousands.”
Saul might have said, “Who is David anyway? He wouldn’t be anything without me.”
Saul loved his office and his fame. He loved his position more than he loved God and it got the best of him.
CLOSING: To the Church of Ephesus Jesus said, “I see your good works and I’m pleased with what you’ve done.”
- They were an active Church. They had a sound doctrine.
He said, “You don’t hate me. You haven’t lost your love for me; but you’ve let something else get your attention.
You’ve left your first love and turned to a second love and your devotion is not where it needs to be!
Notice verse 5. He said that He’d remove their candlestick (Church) if they did not repent. How many churches are no longer in operation today because of this reason.
BEWARE OF THAT SECOND LOVE.
The End
