Remember Your First Love Series

Remember Your First Love

Revelation 2:1-7

Rev. Brian Bill

January 31-February 1, 2026

A couple months ago, we received a notification from the Quad Cities Times that Edgewood was voted the “Best Place to Worship” for 2025. At first, I smiled, and then I immediately became uncomfortable because there are many solid gospel-preaching churches in the Quad Cities. On top of that, it doesn’t really matter what people say about Edgewood. What matters is what Jesus says about us.

Imagine for a moment that Jesus Himself walked into the worship center right now. What would He say to us if He stood here visibly and started walking among us, with eyes like blazing fire and a voice like rushing waters? Because He sees beliefs and behavior, what would He commend? Since He perfectly perceives our motives and our manner of living, what would He correct? What would He warn us about?

That’s exactly what the risen, radiant, reigning, and returning Christ does in Revelation 2–3 as personal letters from Him are sent to seven real, historical churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). These messages contain both sweet and, at times, sharp words from the Head of the Church to His people.

For the next seven weeks, we’ll seek to understand and apply the message Jesus has for those churches, for our church, and for each of us personally because the church is not ‘they,’ but ‘us.’

As I’ve been reading these chapters, I’ve been encouraged and convicted. Matt Bowman, one of our deacons, passed along what Charles Spurgeon shared with his congregation before preaching on Revelation 2:1-7. It will make us uncomfortable; but that’s a good thing.

I feel that I who preach shall this night condemn myself. And my prayer before I entered this pulpit was that I might fearlessly discharge my duty, that I might deal honestly with my own heart, and that I might preach, knowing myself to be the chief culprit, and you each in your own measure have offended in this respect, even though none of you so grievously as I have done. I pray that God the Holy Spirit, through His renewings, may apply the Word, not merely to your hearts, but to mine—that I may return to my first love and that you may return with me.

Before going further, I want to make sure we’re in the right place and have the right posture to hear these words from the One who is alive forevermore. I’ve been deeply stirred by what Nancy Guthrie writes: “Will we deflect, defend, or dismiss what He has to say? Will we sit in the room with our fellow believers inwardly pointing a finger at others who really need to hear what Jesus has to say while assuming that we are doing just fine? Or will we do what He calls us to do even though it will be costly, humbling, and hard? Are you willing to put yourself, right now, into a posture of humility and reception of what Jesus wants to show you about yourself?”

Before Christ pours out His judgments on the world beginning in Revelation 6, He first evaluates His church, fulfilling what we read in 1 Peter 4:17: “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God…” Jesus inspects His church before He indicts the world and He cleans His house before He judges the neighborhood.

In my preparation for this sermon, I listened to a message by Pastor Daniel Batarseh from Chicago. After studying what Jesus said to these seven churches, he made the following observations.

• Jesus is passionate about the purity of His church. He longs for every church to be victorious conquerors.

• Christ evaluates churches much differently than we do. His definition of success is often different than ours.

• Jesus is deeply interested in our works. He expects us to serve Him whole heartedly.

• Satan ferociously opposes the church. Satan is mentioned five times in these two chapters.

• Christ desires for us to be eternal minded and to be ready for His return.

• Jesus compliments before He corrects. This is a good practice that applies to parenting and in relationships.

• Behind every command is a promise that He will help us do what He is calling us to do.

Let’s consider the pattern followed in the letters to these seven historical churches (drawn from the ESV Study Bible):

1. Jesus describes Himself in terms from chapter 1. For example, listen to 2:8: “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.’” We see that Jesus, in His person and in His promises, is what we need most. As we learned last weekend, our starting point must always be Christology. Jesus alone is the solution to all our problems. He is the author, the answer, and our final authority.