The Church that Lost its First Love
December 28, 2003
Revelation 2:1-7
INTRO:
A. 2003 was certainly an eventful year; let me briefly take you through it…
1. January began with a month of news talk about the disappearance of Laci Peterson who was last seen on Christmas Eve, 2002.
2. On February 1 we saw the plume of smoke that marked the passing of the seven crew members of the space shuttle Columbia.
3. Presbyterian Minister and PBS television host Mr. Fred Rogers died on February 27.
4. March 19 was the beginning of the war in Iraq.
5. On March 12 authorities found 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart.
6. On April 9 we saw the statue toppled in Baghdad.
7. The remains of Laci Peterson were found on April 14 in San Francisco Bay.
8. On May 1, President Bush spoke from an aircraft carrier declaring the end of major combat operations in Iraq.
9. ABC News man, David Brinkley, died on June 11.
10. July 22 was the day that Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed.
11. “Mr. Entertainment,” Bob Hope died on July 27.
12. Charles Bronson passed on August 29.
13. Indiana sadly made national headlines on September 1 with the passing of Governor Frank O’Bannon.
14. The “Man in Black,” Johnny Cash went to be with June Carter on September 12.
15. In October California voters ousted Governor Gray Davis and elected Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger .
16. On November 20, “The King of Pop,” Michael Jackson was arrested and charged with child molestation.
17. In December, just two weeks ago, American Forces captured Saddam Hussein and then were honored as Time Magazine’s Persons of the Year.
B. You probably have things about jobs, health, family, or finances that you will remember personally from 2003 as well.
C. It is a solid Biblical principal to review the past, learn from it, and praise God for the things that He did in the past.
1. The word “remember is in the NIV 166 times.
2. God does stress remembering.
D. But it is also certainly Biblical to look ahead….
1. Philippians 3:13 & 14 says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
2. It is certainly important to look back, but we cannot live in the past.
3. It is certainly important to remember the past, but we must press on!
E. So today, God has lead me to a passage in Revelation 2.
1. We need to remember 2003, but we need to press on towards 2004.
2. And as we look ahead to 2004, I believe Christ has some very important words for us recorded in Revelation 2:1-7 (read). First…
I. CHRIST’S COMPLIMENTS FOR THE CHURCH (1-3, 6)
A. The book of revelation is a record of a vision that the apostle John saw while on the Isle of Patmos.
1. While on the Isle of Patmos, John saw a vision of what was to take place at the end of the world.
2. During this vision, he was told to record what he saw so that we would have a record of what the end times would be like.
3. Here at the beginning of the book of Revelation, Christ dictates some letters to some churches.
a. Now the one we just read is written to the Church in Ephesus.
b. That could have been addressed to the first century church in Ephesus.
c. It could be addressed to the church in Ephesus that will be in existence when Christ returns.
d. It could be addressed to a church of a certain century and not to any church in Ephesus at all.
e. For example, the letter to the Church in Laodicea, certainly resembles the church of 1990’s America.
f. But even though we are not sure of what specific church Christ was addressing the letter to the Ephesians, it really doesn’t matter.
g. Because we know that every letter that the apostle Paul wrote to other churches were intended for us as well.
h. The things that the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Thessalonians are all relevant to us.
i. So no matter whom this letter of Christ was specifically addressed to, it still applies to us.
j. And in the first three verses, as well as verse 6, Christ commends the church.
B. First, in verse 2, Christ commends them for their deeds.
1. He says, “I know your deeds.”
2. Christ knows who these church members are and the deeds they have done.
3. Christ knew their hard work.
1. He compliments them for their deeds; their works.
2. But I must point out that works save neither them nor us.
a. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
b. We are saved by grace!
c. Our works do not save us.
d. There is no way to earn our way into heaven unless we are perfectly sinless.
e. There was only One who ever lived that lived a perfectly sinless life.
f. And there is no amount of good deeds that we can do to make up for, or counter act the things we have done wrong.
g. There was only One who was ever good enough to get Himself into heaven.
h. None of us are that good.
i. So the only way we can be saved is by grace.
j. The only way we can be saved is by believing that Christ died in our place.
k. By believing that Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin, we receive His grace.
l. We are saved by grace, not by works; not by good deeds.
6. But works follow salvation.
a. Good deeds do follow salvation.
b. The next verse, Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
c. After we receive His grace, we allow Him to mold us into what He wants us to be.
d. We become His workmanship.
e. And as His workmanship, this verse says that we are created to do good works.
f. He makes us into a servant to do good deeds.
g. We model the life of Christ who was a servant.
h. We allow Him to mold us into the image of Christ in order to do good deeds.
7. And Christ told this church that He knew their good deeds and He commended them for them.
a. He did not say anything about their deeds saving them.
b. He simply complimented them for their good deeds.
C. Then He commended them for remaining steadfast..
1. In verse 2, Christ said that not only did He know their good deeds, He also knew of their perseverance.
2. They had stayed the course.
3. They had displayed patience; which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
4. They had endured over a period of time.
5. Then in verse 3, Christ said, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary.”
6. Christ commended them for persevering and enduring hardship for doing what God wanted them to do.
7. They were commended for doing the right thing when it wasn’t always easy to do so.
8. Christ complimented them for remaining steadfast.
D. They were also complimented for opposing evil in verses 2 & 6.
1. In verse 2, Christ said, “I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men.”
2. And in verse 6, “But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitians, which I also hate.”
3. They were commended for hating the evil practices that God hates.
4. But notice that neither they nor God hated the Nicolaitians; they hated the practices of the Nicolaitians.
5. They hated their practices.
6. Hear this clearly: they didn’t give in when people cried for “tolerance” of people with “alternate lifestyles,” but they hated the practices of these people and God commended them for it. (repeat)
7. We are called to love the person and hate evil practices.
8. Christ commended this church for opposing evil, “I know that you can not tolerate wicked men.”
E. As well as for exposing false teachers.
1. In verse 2, Christ said, “that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.”
2. This church was able to discern whether their teachers were from God or not.
3. They knew the Bible well enough not to be misled by false teachers.
4. And God commended them for it.
F. Christ certainly complimented this church…
1. For their deeds.
2. For remaining steadfast.
3. For opposing evil.
4. For exposing false teachers.
5. But then notice…
II. CHRIST’S CRITICISM OF THE CHURCH (4)
A. “You have forsaken your first love”
1. Christ complimented them for several good things.
2. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”
3. There were some good things about the church, but there was one thing that He held against them.
4. Now I have had folks hold some things against me, but I’d get pretty nervous to think that Christ was holding something against me!
B. Weymouth translates it this way: “You no longer love Me as you once did.”
1. I compliment you for your deeds, for remaining steadfast, for opposing evil, and for exposing false teachers, but there is one thing I hold against you.
2. You no longer love Me as you once did.
C. What happens when you love Christ?
1. You love to think about Him.
2. You love to hear about Him.
3. You love to read about Him.
4. You love to talk about Him.
5. You love to talk to Him.
6. You love to walk with Him.
D. When love cools all these are less important.
1. Thinking about Christ is no longer as important as it once was.
2. Hearing about Christ is no longer as important as it once was.
3. When your love for Christ cools, reading about Him is not as important as it once was.
4. Talking about Christ is no longer as important as it once was.
5. Talking to Him is no longer as important as it once was.
6. Church services are only a habit.
7. The Bible is neglected. Prayer becomes but a form.
8. Service is mechanical.
9. Witnessing ceases.
10. When you loose your first love for Christ, He becomes less important than He once was.
E. Yes, Christ complimented the church, but He criticized it too.
1. They were doing all the right things.
2. But they weren’t doing them for the right reasons.
3. They weren’t doing them for any reason at all.
4. They were just going through motions mechanically.
5. They weren’t thinking about why they were doing the things they did, they were just doing them.
F. You see, God is interested in motives.
1. God is more interested in why we do things than He is about what we do.
2. God is more interested in why we do, than in what we do.
3. God is more interested in why than what.
4. We see an action; God sees a motive (repeat).
5. God is interested mostly in motives.
G. Christ complimented this church for their good deeds, but He criticized them for doing them with no emotion or meaning; so now notice…
III. CHRIST’S CURE FOR THE CHURCH (5)
A. Remember: the height from which you have fallen!
1. The thrill of new life!
a. Remember how you felt when you were first saved, when you were first baptized!
b. Remember how grateful you were for your eternal life!
c. How grateful you were for the forgiveness of the things you’d done wrong!
d. How grateful you were for the newfound peace in your life!
e. Remember who you were when Christ found you!
f. Remember what kind of person you were!
g. Remember the direction your life was headed!
h. Consider where you would be today if you had not been saved!
2. Remember the joy of service!
a. Remember how rewarding it was to service Christ.
b. You did whatever you could in order to thank Him for what He had done for you.
c. Some time ago you served Him with joy and gladness – Christ says, “Remember!”
B. Repent: turn around; rethink.
1. Not only does Christ say to remember, He also says to repent.
2. “Metanoeo”is a Greek word that means to rethink.
3. Remember your first love, rethink your current love; and then change your current love to reflect your first love. REPENT!
C. Return: to your first love of Jesus!
1. “Do the things you did at first!”
2. Do them the way you did them at first!
3. God commended them for some things, but said that had lost their first love.
4. They were just doing the things and not really meaning them.
5. They weren’t doing them for the right reasons anymore.
6. They were doing the right things, but they weren’t doing them out of love anymore; there was no motivation behind their actions.
7. Return to your first love of Jesus!
8. Return to the way that you served Him when you first came to Him!
9. Serve the Lord with joy and gladness!
CONCLUSION:
A. Christ’s call to respond is to Remember, Repent, and Return.
1. As we come to the end of 2003, we certainly need to remember.
2. We may need to repent.
3. We may need to return as we look forward to 2004.
4. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
a. The Greek word for “straining” there is epekteinomai (ep-ek-ti’-nom-ahee).
b. It means to stretch one’s self forward or reach forth.
c. [Illustration]
When I was in high school tracked, I was ranked as one of the fastest low hurdlers in the state of Illinois.
One day we had a meet against the Flora, IL Wolves and the #1 ranked low hurdler in the state, Ty Oliver.
Now the lows are one trip around the track minus one curve; 300 meters.
We started on the backside of the track and ran the straight, then the curve, and then the other straight.
Ty and I went to the far side of the track, took off our sweats, and began to loosen up. I tried to be friendly with him and said; “I hear you broke your own record again last week.”
Ty said, “Yeah, well there won’t be any records broken today. I just don’t fell like running that hard today.”
I was ranked in the state, but not nearly as high as he and we both knew that I had not run quite as fast as he had up until that point. But I took that comment of no records being broken as saying, “You’re not fast enough that I would have to break any records any order to beat you.”
I knew that I could actually run faster than he, my problem was that I was unable to sprint the entire 300 meters, but today I was going to try!
When his coach shot the gun, I was immediately two hurdles ahead of him. The boy had never been behind, let alone that far behind.
I burned through the curve and was 50 meters ahead of him and of course running out of steam.
I gave it everything I had and was still ahead of him at the last hurdle. In fact, I was still ahead of him at the finish, but he won.
I went back to the other side to collect my sweats and his coach congratulated me for beating him. I informed him that I had actually lost and his coach said from where he was, it looked like I had one.
I informed him that he had beaten me because he leaned at the finish and his chest crossed before mine—even though my legs were ahead of his.
d. I believe that is what epekteinomai means.
e. Are we stretching ourselves forward towards toward the goal to win the prize ?
f. How do we stretch ourselves forward spiritually?
g. We do that by doing what we do with love.
h. We don’t just go through the motions; there is intensity, passion behind what we do.
i. There is passionate love behind what we do because of God’s great love for us!
1. Paul says that we should do three things…
a. Forget what lies behind
b. Strain toward what is ahead.
c. Press on towards heaven!
B. Because Christ says there are rewards for those who respond in the last verse of our text: Revelation 2:7.
1. “To Him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
2. He who overcomes this world by living steadfastly the way God wants them to, will have eternal life in heaven!
3. “To Him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
C. Pray
D. #268 “Revive Us Again”
