Returning To Our First Love Series

Jesus is aware and will not forget our hard work and perseverance on His behalf.

10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. Hebrews 6:10

He was aware of their perseverance. The word indicates hopeful endurance; to remain under the strain with hope and purpose as opposed to begrudging tenacity. They refused to put up with evil men; namely those who would pervert the Gospel and teach propagate false teaching. They tested those who claimed some sort of apostolic authority. There are many today who claim to speak for God who need to be tested. These failed the test. The church demonstrated them to be false and they refused to allow them to teach. In spite of it all the tiring work and stress the church did not become weary. Perfect tense verb indicates they had not become weary and still did not give up. Jesus was happy about their stand against false doctrine; something he would chastise the church at Thyatira and Pergamum for failing to do.

3. Correction

4 ’But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Jesus indicated that there was something that was a continual point of friction with them.

They left their first love. It was not that they didn’t love Him at all. They had abandoned, laid aside, purposely walked away from the passionate devotion to Christ that characterized the church at the beginning. It is not something that happened to them. They lost their passion for Christ because they quit focusing on serving Him. It seems that forty years after their founding, we now have a church made up of second and even third generation Christians who did not demonstrate the fervor that had marked the early church. Acts 19:20 indicated that the Word of God spread widely and grew in power at the beginning.

Paul praised them in his letter for their faith in the Lord and their love for each other.

Jesus appreciates doctrinal purity but also want devotional passion.

Doctrine and devotion

Perseverance and passion

Faith and fervor

Creed and commitment

Orthodoxy and adoration

So what is a first love? It is the kind of passion that characterizes the early stages of a relationship. As I thought about what characterized the early stages of my relationship with Geniene who was my first and only love, I narrowed it down to five things.

A first love is the inner passion that motivates me to be with, do for, give to, sacrifice for and talk about the one I love.

I think these things characterize the early stages of many relationships. No one has to urge you to do these things. They are not something you dread or are distasteful. Because of the intensity of your love, you want to do them and find great delight in doing them. So what does Jesus require?

4. Action

There are three steps to restoring your first love for Christ.

REMEMBER FROM WHERE YOU HAVE FALLEN

Think back about when you first committed your life to Christ. Some need to think back if they ever had a “first love”